A gem hidden in plain sight, now sadly shut. On the inside this bar wasn’t short of square footage and was very well kitted out. Knick-knacks were strewn at every space, wall and shelf.  At the entrance lay a snug precisely decorated to replicate your grandmother’s parlour. Taxidermy animals leapt off the walls bearing their teeth. Heavenly high-backed chairs stood tall over their tables and its wooden ceiling was higher than most. The Richmond was home to a rather unusual smoking area: a car park with a detached veranda housing comfortable seating and long wooden tables. In high summer it was a most superb sun trap and the few patrons that basked in it kept it a secret all too safe, R.I.P. 

Converted (as of 2019) into: the intriguingly named 'Bonobo's – the name may be the best thing about it, as it looks to be an attempt at becoming the Bernard Shaw of the Northside. As bad luck would have it, the Bernard Shaw itself is now transporting to the Northside (and just in time for Christmas 2019). Bonobo is a bar exactly like many thousands of other bars worldwide - no character of its own, nothing unique, a McDonald’s kind of bar. And yes, fear not, you can get fries with your drink.

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