A world away from nearby Portobello Road, this popular back-street local dates from 1836 as a beer house. Up to four real ales, and the pub also has an extensive range of gins; the food offering is small but varied and includes sandwiches and salads.
The pub re-opened under new management after light refurbishment in early 2017 - the collection of old prints, plates, maps and other knick-knacks has, if anything, been extended, and the Lieutenant-Colonel's uniform jacket has happily been retained.
One star - A pub interior of special national historic interest
Listed status: Not listed
A beerhouse originally dating back to 1836 with numerous inter-war fittings, with its two front doors leading into an L-shaped bare wooden floored room on the right. The bar counter here has an inter-war front (but a modern top), and at the front right there is 1930s black-painted brick fireplace. On the walls is a heavy wallpaper (anaglypta?) which is a typically inter-war treatment used to make the walls appear to be panelled. This room has been extended to the rear in modern times, with modern fittings imitating those at the front.
A doorway leads to the small left hand room, that has a carpet and old dado painted black. The black-painted brick fireplace looks more likely to be 1950s (than 1930s). The small counter is more like a hatch and has a counter front that is different to the right hand side but, like the counter top, looks like 1930s work.
A beerhouse originally dating back to 1836, this is an attractive middle-of-terrace two-storey pub, refronted in the ground floor with brick, seemingly in the interwar period. That refurbishment scheme also left us with numerous fittings in the two rooms.
The two front doors lead into an L-shaped bare wooden floored room on the right so maybe an off-sales on the left hand side is lost? The L-shaped bar counter has an inter-war front but a ceramic top added in 2017 replacing an earlier formica one. There is a 1930s brick fireplace painted black at the front right with a real coal fire in winter, but the bar back is modern. On the walls is a heavy wallpaper (anaglypta?) which is a treatment used to make the walls appear to be panelled.
There is clear evidence that this room has been extended in modern times (confirmed by locals who say the room was smaller in the past). The far end of the bar counter is a modern add-on – possibly the counter originally was curved back to the wall. Also, if you look carefully you will see the treatment of the walls in the rear part of the room is different to that at the front indicating it has been done to copy the walls at the front part of the room. Sadly, all the wall treatment has recently painted battleship grey. Some beams have adzed wood (tooled with an adze to make it look old) and there is an imitation beam at the rear.
A widish doorway leads to the small left hand room that has a carpet and old dado painted black. The brick fireplace looks more likely to be 1950s (than 1930s), and has been painted black. The small counter is more like a hatch and has a counter front that is different to the right hand side but possibly 1930s (or later?) but the bar top looks 1930s.
This Pub serves 2 changing beers and 2 regular beers.
Uxbridge Arms, Kensington