15 Selwood Terrace,
South Kensington,
London,
SW7 3QG
0872 148 1327
The ViewLondon Review
So you think you know Kensington? Ha! Think again. What I bet you didn't know , unless you live there and are sneering at my presumptuousness, is that Kensington can be quite cute and friendly. The proof is the Anglesea Arms.
However, it seems sadly in danger of not being discovered – it's tucked into a South Kensington street amidst the branches of Onslow Square that reach like tentacles in all directions.
Yet people do seem to discover it on a regular basis – it's been open for a whopping one hundred and eighty years.
At first glance, it looks as if the pub hasn't been touched since its Georgian genesis. A quaint outdoor area, bedecked with hanging baskets, leads into a traditional bar decorated in dark colours which is a cut above the usual Olde English decorative fayre.
The floral wallpaper in deep red, greens and russets is clearly a bash at period colours and patterns and provides a warm, cheerful and daringly feminine touch. There's an ancient, darkly varnished bar, and a collection of paintings and etchings including a large and alluring early twentieth century nude.
The restaurant is equally old school, with wood panelled walls, pea-green velvet curtains, gold-painted baroque mirrors and more marvellous oils. The pub's known for its restaurant, and I'd wager the cosiness of the dining room is the reason.
On the other hand, the food looks delicious too. And no sun-dried tomatoes or parma ham! The menu's as English as a steak and, suitably, includes one; there are also sausages, ham, mussels, fish cakes and fish and chips to sate the Great British palate.
Prices for food are healthy but not too whopping (mains from £6.95 to £12.95), and booze - including a fine selection of ales - is at Kensingtonian pub prices. But whether you're a South-Wester with a bursting wallet, or an impoverished dinosaur-fan just out of the museum, you'll find something to charm and comfort you at this classic London local.
Anglesea Arms has been reviewed by 3 users