Not only is this pub a grade II listed building, it is also recognised by CAMRA as having a historic interior of local importance. The listing description is as follows: “Hotel and public house. Later 1880's-mid 1890's, minor additions and alterations c1900 and later C20. Corner site with Sycamore Grove. Red brick ground floor and dressings, stock brick returns, rendered upper storeys, applied timber dressings, tile roofs. Asymmetrical plan of two, two and a half and three storeys. Public bar to left with corner entrance. Former hotel to right bay. Canted corner bay, with pair of gabled wings to right, that to far right set forward with deep eaves. Tall gabled left hand return with further entrance under porch. Public bar entrance has segmental canopy with modillion cornice on paired shafts on red brick and rendered base. Pair of part glazed doors with fielded lower panels. Main front ground floor of finely jointed soft red brick framing pairs of windows under wide segmental arches. Public bar windows of etched plate glass under scrolled heads with small paned overlights. Upper canted bay with small paned sashes at first floor, in flush red brick surrounds rising as quoins to upper storey, the window arches in soft red brick. Upper floor paired small paned casements between shafts at the angles. Modillion cornice supports conical roof with flagpole. Gabled bay to right has pair of small paned sashes with slender glazing bars at first floor,behind terracotta balustrade. Central small paned canted oriel possibly added, on bracket beneath gable with applied timber. Right hand gabled wing, set forward, with flush red brick quoins, contains hotel entrance similar to bar but with flat canopy benath three light overlight in eared architrave. Pair of ground floor windows similar proportion to bar, but with triple small paned lights, also with finely jointed soft red brick dressings. First floor oriel, in manner of Norman Shaw, with moulded architraves and small leaded lights some coloured, with curved rendered soffit. Flanked by oculi in red brick architraves,each with tall keystone. Applied timber gable over moulded bressumer supported on carved brackets enriched with flowers. Deep oversailing eaves again with carved brackets enriched with flowers. Left return in three storeys under tall, wide asymmetrical gable with applied timber to forward gablet. Ground floor in stock brick. Pair of wide segmental headed windows similar to those to front bar, with soft red brick dressings. Pair of sashes, the upper sash small paned, in red brick dressings the arches of soft red brick. Pair of first floor sashes with glazing bars with red brick dressings. Moulded plaster cartouche inscribed The Royal Oak Hotel. Second floor triple casement set under gablet, possibly added, and oculus in red brick architrave with tall keystone rising to soffit of gablet. Deep eaves with moulded brackets similar to hotel bay. Brick stacks have moulded collars and wide moulded caps. Rear two storey service wing terminating in similar stack. Gabled porch possibly c 1900, in timber on brick base, with elaborate shafts and dentil conrnice. Ground and first floor sashes with glazing bars. Right return has similar ground floor windows to front elevation, first floor timber casements in large red brick architraves.

Interior Public bar subdivided by panelled partition with small door. Large horseshoe shaped bar. Fireplace with cast iron grate to left of lobby entrance. Doorcase with shallow canopy and modillion cornice Screen with coloured glass panels. Lounge has panelled alcove behind round arched architrave, the left side a panel with glazed leaded lights some coloured, beneath fine fanlight with painted flowers to each segment. Panelled dividers between perimeter seating with coloured glass panels. Altered chimneypiece with copper hood. Open well stair with heavy moulded square timber newels, moulded rail and iron balustrade rises to function room. Five bay upper hall with oriel window. Shallow vaulted ceiling with curved, possibly laminated beams, supported on flat kingposts rising from splayed struts, possibly later strengthening. Pair of chimneypieces with timber architraves with shaped heads and beaten copper panels. Iron grates, possibly added, within replaced green glazed tile slips. Gallery at west end, reached by stairs from upper lobby. Splat balustered balustrade boarded over. Panelled doors, those to centre with heavy brass plates, those to side with thin beaten copper plates. Panelled linings and shutter boxes to oriel window. Adjacent room includes corner canted bay, retains doors, door furniture and cornice. Ground and first floor panelled doors with brass plates some with curved handles.”

The WhatPub link is here: WhatPub/Royal Oak

The Royal Oak featured on the Three Salmon, Several Ks, and a Tun: Daytime Crawl of Kingston, Malden Manor, and New Malden in October 2010, and the Hostelries Along the Hogsmill: Daytime Pub Tour of Kingston and New Malden in February 2020.