Over the past few years Hounslow has slowly turned into theme pub hell, though there are still places of character around for those prepared to travel outside the centre. The Yates's Wine Lodge, Edward's, and Moon Under Water are exactly the same as those found in countless other city centres. It is worth noting however that none of them have been built on the site of a "real" pub. (Yates's and Edward's were banks; the Moon a locksmiths if you're interested.) If you do pop into the Moon for a quick Kozel beware the Scots bloke demanding Absinthe - you have been warned!

Good and bad news at the other end of the High Street. The magnificent Chariot sadly is no more, replaced by the Shannons Irish theme pub a couple of years ago. However the ludicrously named Big Hand Mo's has gone back to being the Tankerville.

Shannons:

This a picture of the former Chariot, now a common or garden Irish pub. I'm sure I'm not alone in considering the Chariot Hounslow's finest pub, scene of many memorable nights out. None more memorable than when over 100 people responded to an invite in French and celebrated Mike Threlfall's 35th birthday! Hero of the night - the geezer who downed a triple whisky in one and then promptly puked it straight back up. On the bar. In front of the landlord. Not suprisingly he was "asked to leave". After some shameless grovelling on his part he was allowed to stay after he promised to stick to doubles. That was the Chariot for you! Pure class! It's not a bad place now - if you've ever been to an O'Neils or Molly O'Grady's you'll know what to expect. If you feel the urge to drink Guinness, eat Irish stew and listen to the Pogues then this is the place for you. They have extensions on Fridays and Saturday

Harvey's.

This is Harvey's. It used to be the "Rock and Fodder". Before that it was the "Noble Half" and before that it was a Mexican place. This place changes its name more often than I change my undies. The Noble Half used to have happy hours every weekday. You may think that flogging Grolsch and Stella at £1.10 a pint would be asking for trouble. You'd be right! The happy hour experiment sadly was short-lived. Once I was in the Rock and Fodder making casual conversation at the bar with another punter. I mentioned that I hadn't been in the pub for about a year. He asked me what I had been "inside for"! The way some people's minds work! I haven't been to Harvey's yet - as soon as I do I'll share my thoughts.

Jolly Farmer

The Jolly Farmer in Lampton has several advantages - it looks and feels like a country pub, has a very pleasant beer garden, sells Directors, has a quiz night and is round the corner from Nass. It is only 15 minutes' walk from Hounslow centre and is well worth making the effort to visit. For the terminally idle (are you listening McVeety?) buses 120 and 111 stop nearby. Make the most of it before some overpaid twat in a suit decides to turn it into a "Mr Q's" or "Slug and Parrot"!

White Bear

This is the a 10 minute walk from Hounslow East station. It merits a mention for two reasons. Firstly it is a Fullers pub, and that Means ESB!!! Secondly it is the traditional venue for Terminal 3 quiz nights held to support the small charity Banglaid which aims to help the needy in Bangladesh. The last quiz was 7th December. Came third. That was despite the team leader (me!) getting bored halfway through and wandering off to play the fruit machine to the consternation of his abandoned teammates. AC came 7th. Not 1st. Hero of the night - the "tired and emotional" bloke (RS) who mistook the radiator in the gents for a urinal and pissed all over it. Gives new meaning to "sorting out a bad leak". Watch your step when playing pool here!

Sun

I have just returned from my first visit to the just behind Marks and Spencers. I am a little annoyed at not visiting this fine establishment before. All of my companions, who have an equally enthusiatic interest in pubs were similarly impressed. The atmosphere is what you would expect from a country pub rather than a place in deepest Hounslow - all comfy leather armchairs, roaring fires, and brasses on the walls. The staff here are also very pleasant and friendly, treating 5 tanked up blokes with more respect than they probably deserved. There is also a Thai restaurant attached. We intend to eat there in the near future, but we are in a position to confirm that the prawn crackers and dip were delicious. Highly recommended, this is possibly central Hounslow's finest pub (so far).

Rifleman

We also visited the Rifleman on our last research trip. Sadly we were all so hammered by this stage our only recollections of the place are that it had an old "Scramble" game and sold mild on draught. They also have a couple of pool tables. The staff also seemed a good laugh. "Up and coming" bands often perform at the good-sized "Shrine" round the back. This would appear to be Hounslow's only venue for new bands since the Red Lion in Brentford was shamefully turned into a McDonalds a few years ago. I have since returned to this place several times and can confirm that although the interior is a little "manky" it has atmosphere in bucketloads and a pleasing selection of old video games and a pinball table!! If I ran a pub I'd like to think it would be like this place.

This page will soon include the Bulstrode and Duke of Cambridge as well as pubs in nearby Heston, Osterley and Southall. When I'm finished this should be a comprehensive boozers' guide to Hounslow, and I will be the proud owner of the borough's biggest beer belly. Please email me with any comments or suggestions.