Bars & Pubs

The Colton Arms is a prime example of an increasingly rare thing this side of the M25 - a proper boozer that time forgot. Which, depending on your outlook, might be just the sort of ale-soaked cubbyhole you've been thirsting for, or the last place you'd hope to find yourself on a Friday night (last time we did, there were only five of us in the place, including the dear old landlord). Fans can't get enough of its tiny, trinket-adorned front bar, dark oak furniture and gentle refusal to refurb. The effect is somewhere between a Life on Mars '70s time warp and 'Barons Court does bucolic' (signs above the toilets read 'wenches' and 'sires'). Come to sup on London Pride, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Old Speckled Hen, served up in dimpled beer mugs. There's also a garden out back that's perfect in summer and during June's Stella Artois Wimbledon warm-up at the so-close-you-can-hear-them-serve Queen's Club.

Time Out Bars, Pubs & Clubs Guide 2008/9