The Ship, Mortlake  

Crummy quotes again, but dear old Dr. Johnson said: "When a man is tired of London, he is tired of Life". And aren't many of us. But then you take the few minute walk, which so many will do , across the park from the huge but dignified place of farewell which is Mortlake Crematorium and find the Ship Inn. On the towpath, even on a sad and grey January, the setting with occasional two, four, six or eight sculls gliding past, the view is one to promise better times. It must be tickets only on boat race day. It's famous, it's Victorian and looks delightful. It's bigger than it first appears, open-plan with a semi-separated raised dining area. ESB and Pride of course and, on this visit, a soon emptied barrel of some rare and interesting brew. Nice young bar staff get on with it efficiently. A bar billiards table is a welcome reminder of past and happier times and giant Jenga and Connect 4 games are an unusual treat for the young ones. We'd go there again. We wished we lived there to enjoy good beer and glorious surroundings. But we might weep again.

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