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Fountains Abbey, Paddington, W2
W2
W2 1RL
Pub Type
Taylor Walker (Spirit Pubs)Reviews (Current Rating Average: 4½ of 10) see review guidelines
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve C left this review about Fountains Abbey
Fountains Abbey has an L-shaped bar that faces some raised seating to the left, high tables to the front and standard furniture beside a wooden mirrored and panelled wall to the right. There are at least two televisions that were showing muted cricket via Sky Sports. This is a Greene King pub so the eight handpumps supported by the bar were badged with their beers, but they were all off. This wasn’t the first GK pub of the day to have very little or no cask ale options so I think there must have been a problem with delivery to the area. I went for a half a Stella at £3. I suppose the staff were polite without being very interested in making too much effort. This pub is typical of Paddington in being OK, but very forgettable.
On 4th July 2022
- rating: 5
[User has posted 5254 recommendations about 5222 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Tris C left this review about Fountains Abbey
Taking its name from nearby water sources once owned by Westminster Abbey rather than the Northern ruin, this dates from 1823, rebuilt in 1895, sitting on the thoroughly unprepossessing thoroughfare that is Praed Street.
The place is little changed in any from the previous reviews and really doesn’t look well cared for. The pub is on about three levels, with a raised carpeted and balustraded area to the left, with conventional furniture, the remainder being mainly tall. There do appear though to be a few classy details from times’ past, such as the bar structure and ornate fireplace to the lower snug at right. There are plenty of TVs showing the football and being a Greene King pub, interior details, décor nods, ugly sauce bottles and menus on tables and lighting need no elaboration; indeed, many of the bulbs had blown, meaning that much of the light came from the TVs and typical flashing games’ machines. Unsurprisingly, this is a very blokey pub, probably more so than any other of the other very blokey pubs in the immediate vicinity; there was a young couple in, but they looked like Paddington neophytes and are therefore entirely blameless.
The typical Greene King range of ales was available, along with Landlord which I failed to spot, after ordering a half of Abbot at £2.80; it was tangy as expected.
As mentioned earlier, this isn’t the worst pub in the area, but that’s not saying much.
On 15th January 2022
- rating: 4
[User has posted 1985 recommendations about 1951 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Graham Coombs left this review about Fountains Abbey
A good and busy boozer opposite St Mary's Hospital which is a reliable source of decent beer (Cask Marque listing). Restaurant upstairs and tables on pavement outside.
On 6th December 2017
- rating: 6
[User has posted 3339 recommendations about 3276 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Fountains Abbey
Large Green King pub which after the previous couple of gastro places I was happy to pop into. A couple of previous refurb elements are still in evidence but basically it's a big open space and the large windows don't do enough to offset the interior gloom. The two points of interest are the bar pillar, which has been lovingly decorated to point out an upstairs dining room. The other is what might be an original green tiled fireplace with three insets depicting various people (who, I was unable to discern though others has suggested Alexander Fleming whose lab was opposite). Nine pumps with a fair few unclipped leaving Abbot, Doom Bar, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Black Sheep and a house brew by Portobello. I tried the latter and was stung £2.50 for a half: I thought house brews were meant to be cheap? It was drinkable. Also Old Rosie cider on. It's better than a number of nearby pubs but that's not exactly a recommendation. 4.5
On 10th October 2017
- rating: 4
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Bucking Fastard left this review about The Fountains Abbey
A Taylor Walker pub standing on a street corner.Obviously Victorian,the pub has retained some features such as the glazed tiled fireplace with portraits but sadly the fire was not lit.Along one side the wall is mirrored and there are wooden room deviders and our course a high ceiling.Sadly around the bar there are a lot of high tables and two very obvious Sky flat screen with the Manchester derby on full blast.As you might expect in a London boozer virtually everyone in the pub supported either United or City.
Up a long wooden staircase is a large first floor square room with two even larger screens and many dining type tables.This was meant to be the area where footie fans could congregate but the management had decided to screen the match on the ground floor as well.
I was with a large group for a lunch which was surprisingly good and didn't exhibit the dead hand of foodservice,my roast beef was succulent.
There are five handpumps with GK Abbott,Youngs London Gold,London Pride (fair condition),Doom Bar coming soon and Old Rosie cider.Not a selection to get the pulse racing but that's typical of the chain.
I am sure that if the footie wasn't on,the pub would have seemed more civilised and with decent food,I wouldn't rule out a revisit to a part of the capital sadly lacking great real ale pubs.
On 9th December 2012
- rating: 6
[User has posted 2728 recommendations about 2728 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
John Bonser left this review about The Fountains Abbey
Situated opposite St Mary’s Hospital and only a short walk from Paddington Station is The Fountains Abbey, a large street corner pub.
On the wall outside, we learn that the pub dates back to 1824 and that it derives its name from two different sources. “Fountains” mark nearby sites of early known springs and wells. The “Abbey” part of the name refers to Westminster Abbey which possessed the manor of Paddington during Saxon times. Somewhat oddly, against this background, the pub sign appears to depict the National Trust owned Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, even though there would appear to be no connection with the pub at all.
Inside, we find a fairly typical modern day London Victorian – era pub. Evidently once a multi roomed pub, it’s now one opened out room, but with several different adjoining areas. A tall wooden bar back and curved bar counter, which may or may not be original, coupled with a high burgundy coloured ceiling and columns, contribute to what, by today’s standards, is a reasonably traditional feel. On the right hand side, in what was undoubtedly a separate room once, there’s an attractive green tiled fireplace with several tiles depicting a gentleman who I took to be Sir Alexander Fleming. We’re told that mould spores from the pub blew through his laboratory window in the hospital opposite and that it was this that led to him discovering penicillin in 1928.
Apart from a raised area on the left of the pub, furniture consists mainly of those long tall tables and stools that seem to be popular with pub floor cleaning staff, but not drinkers. The area by the green tiled fireplace has banquette seating along the side of the wall underneath a number of large plain mirrors.
It’s a Taylor Walker branded pub which, in my experience, usually means nothing much exciting on the real ale front and a rather contrived “traditional” generic London pub feel, with the usual plethora of promotional posters encouraging tourists in for cheap meal deals, usually fish and chips.
There’s 5 handpumps but, on my recent Sunday afternoon visit, only 2 were in use, serving London Gold and Old Golden Hen. Several small screens dotted round the pub were showing the Newcastle v QPR game.
I think this pub is slightly better than the 3 and 4 ratings given by the esteemed Maldenman and Rex, but not a lot. There’s better pubs nearby if you make the effort to seek them out
On 3rd February 2012
- rating: 5
[User has posted 560 recommendations about 560 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Fountains Abbey
Quite an interesting looking place, both inside and out, in a traditional-London-pub-run-by-a-big-chain sort of way. The opened-out bar is a reasonable size, but this is supplemented by a large dining room upstairs that also has some additional seating in the form of large sofas, etc. However, there is a big question about how it is managed, with four of the five handpumps having their clips reversed and several of the lager taps being covered by upturned glasses - all of this early on a Friday night when they should be geared up for one of the busiest periods of the week. Obtained an indifferent pint of Pride at £3.25, but this was drunk pretty quickly so I could go and find somewhere with a bit of atmosphere before catching my train.
On 4th December 2010
- rating: 5
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Malden man left this review about The Fountains Abbey
Totally unremarkable place, one huge gutted room, raised area close to the entrance, ok for sport on TV and I imagine a reasonable choice for a quick pint before a train but that's about it. A few original features have somehow escaped the attention of the pub designers.
On 10th August 2009
- rating: 3
[User has posted 1708 recommendations about 1681 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Rex Rattus left this review about The Fountains Abbey
As far as real ale is concerned, they had four of the usual suspects on – Pride; Bombardier; GKIPA; and Young’s Bitter (I think). This is a very ordinary and uninspiring Spirit Group pub. Too many high stools/tables for my liking, though there were a few normal tables and chairs, plus a good number of picnic type benches outside on the pavement. It’s right on the busy main road of Praed St, just down the road from Paddington Station, so gets a lot of passing trade. It’s really nothing special, and although I’ve drunk in much worse pubs I can’t see any reason to return.
On 7th August 2009
- rating: 4
[User has posted 2606 recommendations about 2520 pubs]