The Andover Arms
The gantry still has its snob screens, and the fireplace still gets a real fire when it turns cold.1
Why go
Built in 1853 as a backstreet local, bought by Fuller's from Watney's in 1991, and changed as little as any pub in Hammersmith since: the bars were combined into one room, the kitchen was opened up and the old rear yard was built into.1 There are three doors, with Lounge Bar, Saloon Bar and Public Bar etched into the glass, though CAMRA notes those windows are replacements probably put in when Fuller's took over. Inside is a wood-panelled counter, an elaborate back bar, a piano and an assortment of dining furniture. London Pride is the fixture and two beers change beside it, and CAMRA calls the pub a frequent Good Beer Guide entry with a reputation for well-kept cask and good food.
Order this / avoid
- Order: one of the two changing casks, and eat, since the kitchen is half of what the pub is known for.
- Avoid: Monday, when it is shut, and Tuesday or Wednesday before 5pm. Also theandoverarms.co.uk, which does not resolve.
What locals & experts say
- CAMRA, West London branch:
A frequent entry in the Good Beer Guide, this is a popular local with a devoted regular clientele supplemented by visitors drawn to the pub by its reputation for well-kept cask ale and good food. Note that the pub is closed on Mondays and until 5pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
1
Good to know
- Where: 57 Aldensley Road W6 0DL, in the Brackenbury streets north of King Street.
- Closed: Monday. Opens at 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Booking: worth it, since the kitchen is a draw.
- No working website. The pub's own domain is dead and no replacement was established.
Verdict
should-visit — An 1853 backstreet local in Brackenbury Village that Fuller's bought from Watney's in 1991 and then mostly left alone: a wood-panelled counter, a gantry with snob screens still on it, an elaborate back bar, a piano and a fireplace that gets a real fire when it is cold. London Pride plus two changing casks, and CAMRA calls it a frequent Good Beer Guide entry with a reputation for well-kept ale and good food, though nobody names a dish. Learn the hours before you walk: shut Monday, and shut until 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. It falls short of the top rung because CAMRA is the only source and the kitchen it credits is undescribed.