Welsh Harp, Waltham Abbey  

From the outside, architecturally, this place gets an immediate five pint rating. Crooked beams, tiny doorway, olde English market square setting. It would be very hard to live up to this promise - and sadly it doesn't. On the positives, its pleasant enough inside and looks fairly unmolested, bar the plasma screen in one corner. However, despite fair opportunity for passing trade, ranging from guests at nearby wedding parties sneaking off for a cheeky pint, to market workers and Abbey ruin visitors, we felt slightly uncomfortable here. Perhaps it was the relative lack of punters on our Saturday evening visit, or the absence of music, which contributed to this. Still, as we enjoyed our McMullen brew, we spied a sign on the piano encouraging competent players to tickle the ivories if they so wished (whilst warning those who couldn't to keep their hands off). With a bit of luck this might liven the place up a bit on the odd occasion, because, frankly, it needs it.

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