On Saturday 18 October, CAMRA’s London Pubs Group visited five pubs in the Twickenham and Teddington areas. Proceedings commenced at noon at the Sussex Arms in Twickenham, a locally listed ex-Charrington pub having one star on CAMRA’s National Inventory, with an interior of special historic importance. This brick and rendered two-storey pub was rebuilt in the inter-war period and retains a number of original fittings. The main bar at the front (originally three rooms or two rooms and off sales) has fielded panelling on the walls to two-thirds height, with a bare wood floor and a 1930s brick fireplace on the right. The bar counter front has square panels and looks to date from the 1930s, as does the bar-back fitting. Some modern embellishments, such as white tiles, have however been applied. The pub is operated by the Morgan Pub Collective and regular ales served here are Big Smoke Solaris, Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter, Oakham Citra and Thornbridge Jaipur. There are also eight changing guest ales and six ciders on handpump.
From the Sussex, a short walk via Twickenham Green led to the Prince Albert, which was our officially designated lunch stop. Another locally listed building, the pub was opened by the Star Brewery in 1840 and was later unofficially known as Wiffen’s, being run by three generations of the same family whose name is still
displayed behind the bar. It is nowadays divided into three areas and is popular for its convivial atmosphere and an attractive garden. The Prince Albert has been a finalist in the Fuller’s Master Cellarman competition for four years running. Dark Star Hophead, Fuller’s ESB and London Pride are normally served here along with a Fuller’s seasonal ale.
The final stop in Twickenham was the Rifleman. This characterful back-street local is a former Courage pub now operated by Twickenham Fine Ales. It too is locally listed. The pub takes its name from
Rifleman Frank Edwards of the London Irish Rifles, who dribbled a football when going ‘over the top’ at the Battle of Loos during WW1. Expect five cask ales from Twickenham to be available along with Harvey’s Sussex Best Bitter.
A 281 bus was used to reach our first pub in Teddington, the Masons Arms. This is also a locally listed building, with a pretty green and brown tiled façade and a secluded garden at the rear. You enter through a door lobby that leads into a single space dominated by a generously sized servery, with a wooden bar counter decorated with fielded panelling and reeded reliefs. Notable are the beautiful wooden handpulls made especially for the pub by the brother of the owner of the Roebuck in nearby Hampton Hill.
Pub and brewery memorabilia line the walls and hang from the ceiling beams. On the right-hand wall is the original pub sign with the motto ‘God is our Guide’. On the left-hand wall is a wonderful Bass & Co mirror, although historically the pub was a Watney house. Some of the windows retain fragments of original stained glass. Hop Back Summer Lightning, Sambrook’s Junction, Windsor & Eton Knight of the Garter and one changing cask ale are normally served here.
Bus 281 again, or simple old-fashioned shoe leather, took us to our final venue, the Builders Arms. Yet another locally listed building, it rates two stars on CAMRA’s National Inventory. The pub still has two separate rooms linked by a relatively modern arched cut-through. Almost certainly built in Edwardian times, it offers a marked contrast with earlier, Victorian ornateness. The exterior is distinguished with brown glazed brick, a band of blue-grey mottled faïence and some attractive designs in the window frames. The upper parts of the windows throughout the pub, as well as the doors, have some delightfully detailed glazing with green leaves and other motifs.
Both rooms also have beamed ceilings, which were popular at the time to evoke a sense of older, timber-built buildings. The counter and the bar-back in the main bar (originally the saloon bar) on the right look as though they might be inter-war replacements, although the counter top is modern. A prominent Tudor-style arch spans the width of the room. Charming features not to be missed are the Art Nouveau-style spear-like recesses carved in the wall panelling, which may well be unique in pub ornamentation. Surrey Hills Shere Drop, Twickenham Naked Ladies and Windsor & Eton Windsor Knot are normally served here.
All of the pubs visited, with the exception of the Sussex Arms, are in CAMRA’s 2026 Good Beer Guide.
Jane Jephcote and Kim Rennie