Review

Situated approximately two-thirds distance along Shepherds Bush Road from Hammersmith, The Richmond Arms is the ideal place to stop for a drink when staggering into Shepherds Bush following a Hammersmith pub-crawl. A visit to this large, imposing building will convince you that you've gate-crashed a convention for people who have been slapped with the Ugly-Stick.

With large screen sport, 3 pool tables and an excess of gaming machines, this pub unmistakably caters for the competitive and sports-minded. For those that prefer to participate in some cardiovascular activity rather than idle on the wings giving their beer-elbow a workout, the split-level seating area around the unique, circumnavigable bar allows the perfect route to jog a few circuits around the pub, and do some step aerobics in the process. The music trivia quiz machine, based on Q Magazine, is an ideal medium for the music buffs in your party to exercise the grey matter. For those seeking a bit of nostalgia, there’s the sit-down, table arcade machine, where you sit opposite your opponent and both stare down onto a horizontal screen, watching the Space-Invaders attack, like watching the Luftwaffe crumble in a Battle-of-Britain Ops Room.

This is a clean, tidy, well-maintained pub, with amazing Art-Deco up-lighters on the bar, and large airy spaces that give the impression of being inside a converted, reclaimed castle. There is even a cigarette machine that resembles a New York skyscraper. Surrounding the pool tables are long, high benches, that give the impression they belong at the back of a number 72, 220, 283 or 295 bus that passes outside.

If you’re strapped for cash after losing your shirt, gambling in one of the numerous money-making machines in evidence here, or you’ve lost a bet over a pool table, there is a convenient cash-machine to ensure your bank balance is hit as hard as your gaming allowance. Buying drinks, however, won’t make much of a dent in your finances, as the drinks are cheap, just like my gags, and there’s a variety of offers on a wide selection of booze.

The toilets are non-descript, and the hand-dryer, which resembles a Battlestar Galactica Cylon fighter, gives a 3-second burst of heat, like the puff of an asthmatic dwarf hamster. A few laps around the bar are more likely to dry your hands than the wrath of The Richmond Arm Cylons! Although it was noted that hand washing facilities were clearly superfluous to the needs of the regulars in this pub…

The lack of women here is apparent, although there is the odd thing that could be female - it would be an interesting experiment to see what you ended up with after a night in here, once the beer-goggles had taken effect.

There isn't much in the way of outdoor facilities and scenery, as Shepherds Bush Road is a main thoroughfare, but if you're seated in the correct part of the pub, a glance out of the window will reward you with an evocative view of a vintage blue trike, an Invalid Service vehicle from the 1960s, the principal vehicle used by disabled people until the 1980s - a rare sight these days!

Overall, a cheerful pub with cheap drinks and lots of buzzing, beeping, sporty things to keep you amused, and cheap drinks as well. A convenient stop-off when passing by, but don’t expect to meet any eligible, nubile ladies.

Review by mr_psm