It’s Napoleon, who was exiled to Chislehurst in the 1870s, that this quaint pub is named after and so perhaps it is fitting (or not, I’m no historian) that I felt like the grand old Duke of York trying to navigate my way here.

For the route from the station contains a march up a mighty hill, mercifully not to the top but only half way up.

Inside on a pleasant Friday afternoon was not quite 10,000 men but a decent throng. And it made for a pleasant enough atmosphere too.

The Imperial Arms is not the world’s biggest pub, but with an L-shaped area around the bar it makes the most of its space.

Understandably the pub is excited about its refurbishment a few years ago which was undertaken by Martyn Lawrence Bullard, a family member of the publicans and a designer to the likes of Nicki Minaj, Sir Elton John and Tommy Hilfiger.

With that in mind, it’s probably more conservative than you would expect.

By my reckoning, where this pub really scores points is in its selection of food and drink and very pleasant staff. There’s plenty of choice on the bar – including Meantime Pale Ale, Budweiser, Aspall cider, Doombar and Harveys.

Similarly the menu is appetising and had my colleagues keen to return for Christmas dinner.

When we visited, there was no one crooning away – which I’m glad about – but if that’s your bag then there’s regular live music. For me, the juke box pumping out 80s tunes was plenty good enough.

The Imperial Arms, Old Hill, Chislehurst

How it rated:

Atmosphere **** Pleasant

Décor *** Nice but not overwhelmingly ‘wow’

Drink ***** A great selection

Price ** North of £4 a pint

Staff ***** Great