Members of West London branch celebrated at the American Ale festival at the White Horse, Parson's Green on 5th July 2014. Photo shows left to right: Dennis Read, Peter Chutter (with baseball cap), branch Pubs Officer; Paul Charlton, branch Secretary; and Paul Williams. The pub was packed inside and out and praise was given to manager Jez Manterfield for his extensive and excellent list of American ales on offer; and for the free drink he supplied to our members!

The Pelican in Notting Hill as been renamed The Red Lemon.

Shannon’s Market Tavern, Portobello Road, remains closed; Future is uncertain.

The Earl of Portobello, Golborne Road W10, is closed for major refurb.  Will update when more we get more information.

The Havelock Tavern in W14 is closed for referbishment.  According to the pub's website it will be closed for two and a half weeks.

The Old Parrs Head in W14 has been reported closed. Future uncertain.

The Cleveland Arms in W2 in closed.  Future is uncertain at this time.

The Sindercome Social, a new pub in Shepard's Bush is to open tonight.  From photos on their Facebook page there appears to be 4 handpubs of which 2 are being used. However, this will be confirmed after they open tonight.

West London CAMRA branch members visited the Wetherspoons located on the concourse of Victoria Station for the purposes of inspecting the pub in the wake of its recent refurbishment. The Victoria 'Spoons pub is probably unique among pubs for not having a name other than the name of the Wetherspoons pub chain.

Although the exterior of the pub looks pretty much like a railway platform, inside, the visitor will find a typical cosy pub interior, complete with a lovely wooden bar and comfy seating.

On Friday, 28 February 2014, members of the branch celebrated the long-awaited reopening of the Finborough Arms under its traditional name in West Brompton. The Finborough Arms opened in 1868. In 1980, the 50-seat Finborough Theatre opened on the ground floor in the same building.

In 2001, the Finborough lost its 'Arms' and became, simply, the Finborough, until it was reinvented as the Finborough Brasserie in 2006 and relaunched as the Finborough Wine Cafe (pause for real ale fans to shudder) in 2010. The pub was recently acquired by Jeff Bell, owner of the successful real ale pub, the Gunmakers Arms in Clerkenwell, EC1. To the immense relief of West London CAMRA branch members, Bell has given the pub back its arms and, more significantly, returned it to a real ale pub. Given the superb quality of the beer at the Gunmakers Arms, real ale fans in SW10 have a lot to be pleased about.

The Running Horse 50 Davies Street, one of Mayfair's oldest pubs. has re-opened as a racing-themed bar - and featured in Country Life's Town and Country News of March 5th.

This Grade II listed building, dating to 1839/40 though the original building was licensed in 1738, is now under the management and direction of Dom Jacobs (formerly bar manager with Harvey Nicks and others) and James Chase (of Chase Distillery).

The 1st floor room, known as The Whip, is now a racing haven - just in time for the Cheltenham Festival.

Our recent visiting member found that the real ale fancier has not been forgotten - with four hand pumps and two regular beers Wye Valley HPA and Rebellion IPA, and two changing with Rebellion Mutiny and Rebellion Struggle on offer on March 3rd. With the beers at £4.60 a pint he comments that whilst the pub was well known (and still recognisable) to his father who worked in nearby Berkeley Square in the '50s he wouldn't recognise the prices.

Contact details:

50 Davies Street London W1K 5JE

0207 493 1275

The website

The White Horse is having its spring festival called 'Over the Hop', with 30-40 Blonde, Gold & Pale styled beers.  The festival will run from 4-6th April 2014.

The Finborough Arms in SW10 is to reopen on the 28 Febuary.  It is reported that there will be 8 handpubs available, but this will be confirmed when they open.

The pub will be run by Jeffery Bell, the landlord at the Gunmakers in Clarkenwell.  and an article in the Morning Advertiser gives more information on what is planned for the pub.

Note: The Pub of the Year competition is now closed.

It is once again that time of year to vote for the Branch's Pub of the Year. By casting your vote on the Voting Form on this site you are having your say.

As in previous years, you vote for the top 3 pubs on the list below. if you do not wish to select 3 pubs, that is fine. The form will allow to select up to 3 pubs. You do not have to select 3.

Voting is open and will close at 12am on 3 March 2014. so do not hesitate to have your say.

The pubs that are for nomination are;

Cask Pub & Kitchen, 6 Charlwood Street, SW1

..enjoy Dark Star, Harbour Brewing Ales and many other guest beers on 10 handpumps. - From whatpub.com

Cleveland Arms, 28 Chilworth Street, W2

..serving mainly locals, its guest beer often includes one seldom seen in London. - From whatpub.com

Harp, 47 Chandos Place, WC2

..a haven for beer choice, generally including a mild or porter and London microbrewery seasonals. - From whatpub.com

Queens Arms, 30 Queens Gate Mews, SW7

..well worth seeking out for its real ales and its large range of interesting bottled beers, - From whatpub.com

Star Tavern, 6 Belgrave Mews West, SW1

Folklore has it that the Great Train Robbery was planned here. - From whatpub.com

Uxbridge Arms, 13 Uxbridge Street, W8

The best seats are at the end of the bar by the Nicola Sunshine Fund charity collection bottle. - From whatpub.com

To make your vote visit the PotY voting form (the link is now disabled).

First the good news: the Cross Keys, where local people, the Chelsea Society, local CAMRA members and others fought a long hard campaign to frustrate property baron Andrew Bourne's attempt 2 years ago to turn it into a £10million residential complex with a swimming pool, has been sold!

The even better news: new owners developer Parsons Green Land plans to re-open the pub albeit with the upper floors converted to flats.

This historic pub has been one of the key hubs of the local community - economically (it brings business in and provides employment) and socially. For over 300 years it has been a place where local people from all walks of life have met, socialised, cried, laughed and chatted. Locals who have enjoyed the conviviality of the Cross Keys since 1708 have included drinkers, artists, poets, authors and other luminaries like Dylan Thomas, Dante Gabriel Rosetti, J.M.W. Turner, James Whistler, William Holman Hunt and John Singer Sargent as well as George Meredith, Thomas Carlyle, and Agatha Christie.

But The Cross Keys is much more than just a place where local people have come together. It has been the heartbeat of the community: traditionally christenings, birthday parties, wedding receptions and wakes have all been held here. The pub has been the regular meeting place for local community groups; church congregations always met here on Sundays.

The Cross Keys is where the community comes together.

Like across Greater London and the whole country, we have lost enough pubs already: Of the 14 pubs that once existed in the Cheyne Conservation Area only four remain ...... CAMRA West London chairman Les Maggs said

"CAMRA shared the relief that not only has the pub been saved as a critical part of the local economy but that it will continue to play its vital role at the heart of the local community, and pledged the branch's whole-hearted support."

Mike Benner, CAMRA Chief Executive, said

"It is great news that the historic Cross Keys pub is to be reopened and has not gone the way of so many of our valued community pubs - which once closed are often lost forever. Pubs are an essential part of Britain's cultural heritage and it is clear from the support of the surrounding community how important it is the Cross Keys remains a pub in the future."

We will keep you posted on developments at the Cross Keys - and most importantly the date that it will re-open with, we trust, a full range of excellent cask ales.

Our Social Secretary Alasdair Boyd is a keen attender of pubco and brewery AGMs, to keep those companies on their toes and put our concerns to them. He can obtain proxy entries for other CAMRA members and the more who can attend, the better. Imminent AGMs are: Spirit Pub Company, Tuesday 14 Jan 2014 in Solihull; Marston's plc on Tuesday 21 Jan 2014 at Wolverhampton Racecourse; M & B on Thursday 30 Jan 2014 in Birmingham; and Enterprise Inns on Thursday 6 Feb 2014. If you cannot attend the AGMs please make an effort to audit those companies' pubs for information and questions to be put at the appropriate AGM(s). E-mail Alasdair for further information.

The Bedford Park Society has succeeded in its application to Hounslow Council to list its local pub, the Tabard, in Bath Road, Chiswick, as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) under the 2011 Localism Act.

This means that should any owners wish to sell the Tabard pub and theatre – constructed from a former meeting room inside the pub – or change its use, they must first give local community groups the opportunity to purchase the premises. It also gives added protection to the building, which is already listed Grade II*.

Read more on this story at the chiswickw4.com website

The King's Head Earl's Court: apart from their usual stock of Westerham Ales the King's Head is reported to now serve beers from the Portobello Brewery.

After 50 odd years of no real ale, Prince of Wales, 351, Harrow Road, W9 3RA, is now selling Ruddles Bitter and Greene King Gangly Ghoul.

Eagle, 250, Ladbroke Grove, W10 5LP  now has 5 real ale hand pumps, currently using two for Landlord and Ringwood Fortyniner.