The White Cross

Woe! The last decent pub in Richmond has gone the way of all the others. After refurbishment it now has a huge TV screen in the upstairs room and speakers which will play music favoured by the bar staff. Any request to turn it down so patrons can hear each others conversation will be met with the universal comment, 'No one else has complained.'

Gone is the cosy atmosphere that made it so appealing. The interior decorator have robbed the place of its soul. There are no more quirky individual pictures on the walls. Why they had to do this is a mystery. The place was always full! Last year there was a board outside proudly proclaiming ONLY FOOTBALL FREE PUB IN RICHMOND. What will it proclaim this year?

Richmond has such a wonderful heritage. It has history and two theatres. Instead of playing up to this, in the pace of ten years, it has been wrecked. Gone is Masquerades the basement wine bar in the Orange Tree. Next to go was Boswells which looked, as one person in the writers group said, as if was the place where revolutions had been plotted. Then The White Swan down Old Palace Lane was redecorated and the beams were painted vomit green and the place resounded with music suitable for airheads. Magnums, an atmospheric wine bar, now looks like a bathroom and sells take away cocktails at drink in the Ritz prices.

Where can anyone go for a quiet drink in Richmond? If anyone knows please tell me quickly.