You’ve just been for a stroll around the Botanical Gardens or Richmond Park and you really want to relax whilst enjoying Mother Nature. Well look no further as The Marlborough has one of the most impressive beer gardens for miles.

The Venue
Located a stone’s throw from Richmond Park, situated in a quiet residential area, is this grand watering hole. The outside has bold polished bricks and huge windows letting in lots of light. Mini fir trees adorned with twinkling fairy lights stand at the entrance. Being a Young’s pub, it has adopted the posh gastropub setup rather than a familiar old fashioned style. It feels very homely with an array of comfortable seating. They clearly favour the low lighting and flickering candle look, which gives The Marlborough a romantic vibe.

The front of the pub is geared towards informal drinking, whereas the back is where the dining occurs and is a more formal affair. However, the best thing you can do is to walk through the dining area and follow the signs outside to the jewel in this pub’s crown - the huge beer garden. An archway of ivy sprinkled with fairy lights marks the entrance of this beautiful setting. There are many seating areas that are spread out, and a children’s play area. The gazebo is the focal point and provides great shelter should the unpredictable British weather turn. In summer there is a BBQ, which receives a lot of attention. Within the garden there is a separate covered outside area with long tables, booths and its own bar, which means even when it is a bit drizzly you can still get all the benefits of being outside.

The Atmosphere
Somewhat puzzling is, even at peak hours on the weekend, The Marlborough is pretty much empty. In the summer months the majority of people sit in the garden but it’s still very quiet and makes you wonder why nobody is here to enjoy this fantastic venue. The staff are friendly, funny and courteous, bending over backwards to provide you with whatever you need and the clientele are really quite civilised.

The Food
The food on offer at The Marlborough is a mix of gastro and normal pub grub. Starters include salads like stir fried duck lettuce cups (£5.95), Caesar salad (£7.50), and minted pea and watercress soup (£5.50). Mains consist of chargrilled 10oz sirloin steak with chips and flat mushrooms (£16.95), the old pub favourite Cumberland sausage and mash with red onions and gravy (£9.95) and linguine with leeks peas and herbs (£8.95).

The BBQ menu offers whole fresh bream (£12.50), beef burger with mozzarella, chips and relish (£10.95) and chargrilled vegetable kebab with houmous (£6.95). For dessert try the bitter chocolate cheesecake, which is heavenly, and lemon meringue mess, both priced at £5.50.

The Drink
There is a reasonable range of beers at The Marlborough, including Peroni, Pilsner, Fosters, Young’s Bitter, Bombardier, Waggledance, Strongbow, Heineken and Guinness, starting at £3 a pint. A regular spirit mixer will set you back £3.70.

The wine choice is good and includes nice choices like the Churton Sauvignon blanc 2007 (£22.50). For something a little cheaper, the house El Coto Blanco at £15 a bottle is a real steal. Amongst the reds there is a really good quality 2004 Chianti Classico (£35 a bottle) and the house is a respectable Crystal Brook Shiraz (£14.95 a bottle). The Champagne menu is short and sweet with the cheapest coming in at £30 for the Cockburn and Campbell Special Cuveee and the most expensive at £55 for Laurent Perrier Rose Brut.

The Last Word
The Marlborough has one of the best beer gardens in London and if you want to spend your summer nights in a tranquil and stunning setting then this is the place for you.

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