The Red Lion, St. James's is not exactly hard to find, but the chances of happening upon it, are pretty remote. Crown Passage is a narrow alley running north through St James from Pall Mall to King Street. The passage still has gas lighting and the diamond-pattern, leaded windows of the Red Lion suit the Georgian lamps well.

It's almost as if the Red Lion is hiding, as the passage has such an anonymous entrance onto the tourist busy Pall Mall, that you wouldn't think to venture up it out of curiosity. (Crown Passage is below the blue and white flag of Quebec House).

The Red Lion has a local feel to it (they bill themselves as 'London's last village pub'), and has been pulling pints for hundreds of years. Its customers are fairly well heeled during lunchtimes and early evenings and it enjoys a regular crowd looking for a 'proper' pub. It's more of a melting pot than your usual - with tradesmen and the suitless, also much in attendance. No fancy food or drink - just lunchtime fillers and drinks that sell well.

The Windsor Castle is an unusual London pub, but courts controversy by filling the bar with enough memorabilia to keep your eyes wandering constantly. I've seen this in other pubs and it can quickly descend into tasteless tat - but not at the Windsor Castle. It's held together by a vein of humour and a 'let's do it' attitude to running a pub. "I was just thinking... shall we put a sentry out the front - in a box?" "Let's do it!..." etc.

There was a temptation to wander around museum-like, peering into the glass cases - I'm sure no-one would have minded. Like many of the pubs on the Inside Guide to London site, the customers are personable. It's easy to become cynical or bored in big cities - but a friendly, and non-generic pub always earns instant respect. It has a small range of beers, but they're well kept and also offers good food - Thai, which does seem oddly generic in a pub like this.