Paxton's Head

Sir Joseph Paxton was the Victorian landscape gardener who designed and built the Crystal Palace.

It used to be one of Nicholson's ale houses but in the recent sell-off allowing retail operators to side-step the might of the Monopolies & Mergers Commission - which limits the number of outlets a brewing operation may have - the Paxton's has moved to a non-brewing outfit, Punch Taverns, and the withdrawal of real ales seems to have been immediate.

Still, this pub is ever-popular with tourists to Knightsbridge, walkers in the park and staff from Harvey Nicks and Harrods. Table service is offered in the upstairs bar for the grills and fries, and the basement bar rocks on a weekend evening.