Willoughby Arms, North Kingston, Kingston Upon Thames

A three roomed corner pub, the main bar is on the corner with a room to the left side and another bar to the back and right. A venerable Victorian pub with etched windows, brown tongue & groove and high ceilings. Traditional decor including mounted animal heads which will upset some. The main bar has three pulls and there are four more in the rear bar, two pumps in use there with one of the same beers as the front but a fourth beer in the rear bar was signalled by a clip resting on the front counter. The back bar is a sports bar with shirts and screens plus pool table. GBG 2027 listed my Surrey Hills Shere Drop was well up to scratch.

A large Victorian suburban boozer on a corner plot ,it has a solid working class vibe and is popular with CAMRA types.There are pic nic benches outside while the interior retains a traditional layout.The apex door gives way to the tap room with a few tables,then a seperate bench seating area with a fireplace.The servery is double sided,the right side through an arch is a sports viewing area with flatscreen and mainly high tables although there are two smaller low tables nearest to the screen.Lots of sports shirts,but with a heavy concentration of Gooner,which appears to be the pub's affiliation.There is then a pool room with film posters on the wall before the substantial beer garden,with a vast flatscreen under the eves,lots of pic nic benches and sea side huts for cover in wet weather.It is possible to return to the front of the pub by a short corridor to the left and in places there is original etched glass. The wooden clad servery is a genuine feature and the six ale options will be split between the two side,although pump clips at the front bar indicate the full range which on my trip was Iron Pier Perry Street Pale,Twickenham Azzaca ,St Austell Cornish Best and Proper Job and Exter Avocet and Darkness (NBSS 2.5,lacking condition,tired) .However thats a decent line up ,a variety rarely found in the less fashionable parts of Kingston so I would return to this slightly worn boozer to see whats on.

Very good pub. Quality ales regularly rotated; choice of 4 yesterday but can only remember Surrey Hills Shere Drop, which was delicious. Rear bar is very sports orientated with framed shirts & paraphernalia, two 'drop down' big screens for the football (was packed last England match). Pool room walls are covered with superbly iconic movie photographs and this area leads out to a good-sized grassy beer garden with a large protective lean-to already erected presumably for the post-01July-smokers. Wish we'd had time last night to stay to listen to a blues/folk duo who were setting up to start at 21:30.