Royal Hotel, Purfleet  

Purfleet is an old village nestling beside the Thames, the M25 and the A13. It's best known as the English home of Bram Stoker's Dracula (there were a number of Conservative Party election posters around). Nowadays, it is a pretty quiet, desolate place, though when we arrived on Sunday, an evangelical church meeting was drawing to a close with clapping and loud cries. The Royal Hotel is the only pub in Purfleet: a large riverside place (part of which is grade II listed) which offers accommodation for the weary and a separate restaurant area for a meal out, as well as a downstairs bar. Of course, it is mainly locals who come here for a drink. We sensed a certain pride and community amongst the clientele, who literally seemed to know everyone else in the bar. The drink on offer is nondescript: no real ales, a few wines, Breezer clones in the chiller. While the bar menu is similarly unimaginative, we were pleasantly surprised by the freshness of our meals. Bland, modern furnishings (garish carpet - check) and the usual piped fodder (Minogue, Daniel Bedingfield) didn't help the atmosphere, especially in such a venerable building. The big beer garden and terrace offer a cracking view across the Thames: Erith, Dartford salt marshes and power station, and the Queen Elizabeth II bridge; Jerome K. Jerome territory it is not.

reviewed:
19/05/2005

pub features:(click on an icon to see an explanation)

Sky TV (big and small screens)

medium function room for hire

beer garden

pool table

riverside

karaoke

quiz night Wednesday

separate dining area

30 en-suite rooms available

darts

disabled facilities

ATM on premises

WiFi hotspot

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