The Prince of Wales, SW9

Tris C left this review about The Prince of Wales

This place dates back to at least the start of the 19th century and was a Charrington’s house by the century’s end. It was rebuilt in the 1930s in a slightly Art Deco style as part of the road widening scheme when it sold Bass and Wenlock ales. At that time, it took up the entire corner curve, the clue being the two huge Prince of Wales ostrich feather motifs and motto ‘Ich Dien’ bookending the tops of the party walls. As Rex mentions, today the pub has been substantially truncated with around two-thirds given over to a branch of Kentucky Fired Chicken; the remaining pub though is spacious, so the original must have been substantial.
Today, the frontage is ugly and blue, the sign just bearing the initialism of POW, which I always thought stood for Prisoner of War. Having negotiated the bouncer with aplomb, I entered an utterly modernised interior, with pale grey walls or similarly coloured bare brick, boarded floor with polychromatic encaustic Minton-style tiled bar apron, tall furniture then booth-style low seating and décor by way of trendy prints, some an Art Deco throwback to when this pub was built.
Cask has now been banished, the only choices being cheap Eurofizz, so it was a half of Guinness at £2.90.
This is a bit of a soul-destroying pub, but it’s better than the Prince Albert.

On 6^th April 2024 - rating: 3
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