Bulldozers have begun demolishing a pub that has stood in Uxbridge for decades.

The Prince Albert, in Pield Heath Road, was built for the now defunct Isleworth Brewery and went on to become independent.

It closed in January, following in the footsteps of other pubs nearby, including the Orange Peel Hotel, only a few doors down.

The Prince Albert pub has stood in Pield Heath Road for decades. Credit: CAMRA
Credit: Pete Williams - The pub has now been reduced to rubble

Ward councillor Brian Stead said he was sad to see the building being torn down.

He said: “I sat outside there having a glass of lemonade about 60 years ago.

“Obviously you don't like to see any attractive building demolished.”

Credit: Pete Williams - The Prince Albert, in Pield Heath Road, is being demolished, almost a year after it closed

Roy Tunstall, pubs officer for the West Middlesex branch of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) group, echoed that sentiment, saying: “It had some wonderful stained glass windows so it's a real shame to lose that.”

He added: “They've lost so many pubs in Hillingdon.”

Credit: Pete Williams - Bulldozers at the Prince Albert pub, in Pield Heath Road

Records suggest the site was home to a pub as long ago as 1866, although the existing building is understood to date back to the 1930s.

Pete Williams, who lives on the road, said fewer and fewer people had been using the pub.

Mr Williams, 67, a retired service duty manager with the London Underground, said: “It was quite a lively pub at one stage.

“It's sad, but at the end of the day, how many people actually went in there on a regular basis?"

He added: “The days of the local pub being the centre of the community I think are over now.”