Roebuck TW12

London’s Best Beer, Pubs and Bars updates
West London: Twickenham and Hampton Hill

Basket weaving for bikers at the Roebuck, Hampton Hill TW12 (London)

Traditional pub (Independent)
72 Hampton Road, Hampton Hill, Hampton TW12 1JN
T (020) 8255 8133
Open 1100 (1200 Sun)-2300 (2330 Fri-Sat, 2230 Sun, closed 1600-1900 Sun).
Cask beers 5 (Sambrook’s, St Austell, Wells & Young’s, unusual guests), Other beers 2 keg, 14 bottles
Food Pub grub Mon-Fri lunch, Outdoor Beer garden.
Sun informal quiz.

Eccentric collections have become something of a pub cliché — chain pubs seem to buy in random self-consciously quirky junk by the 25kg sack in an attempt to add character that can easily backfire into exposing the lack of it. The best pub collections are those that are clearly stamped by a particular personality or interest. Exploring them can be a bit like reading a story — or a poem. I’m not quite sure what the extraordinary exhibition on display at the Roebuck says about landlord Terry Himpfen, but it’s certainly one of the most distinctive, intriguing and entertaining pub collections in London. You’ll spot transport signs and memorabilia including traffic lights, old gaming and vending machines, tobacconists’ Indian mascots, scores of fishing rods on the ceiling, banknotes sealed under glass tabletops, musical instruments, a signed Henry Cooper boxing glove and, to top it all, a full size motorbike made of wicker basketwork. I was given a glimpse of a side room in which further junk, including a Vespa scooter, awaits display.

The place would be worth a visit for the collection alone but happily there’s also some great beer to be had while perusing. Junction, Tribute and Young’s Bitter are the regular casks, joined by guests from local-ish brewers like Hammerpot, Hopback and Itchen Valley. Then there’s quality lagers from Budvar and Rothaus on keg, and a bottled offering that’s mainly from better known British brewers like Hall & Woodhouse, Shepherd Neame and Wells & Young’s. The Masons Arms in nearby Twickenham, which boasts a more beer-themed collection, is now under the same ownership.

National Rail Fullwell Bus Kings Road (285 Feltham, Kingston, R68 Hampton Court, Kingston) Cycling Links to LCN+ 37 and Bushy Park paths Walking London Loop