Walking. Gossip. Travel.

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  • Bristol – Edward Colston Statue

    This is the controversial statue of Edward Colston which is located in Bristol city centre. The local Labour MP, Thangam Debbonaire wants it gone. However, such a move might be divisive, so why not do something artistic which tells the story rather than airbrushes it? That’s the plan here anyway.

    And here it is. Using the old overhead view of how slaves were forced into a small spaces during transport, it has been brought to the modern day by referring to jobs such as kitchen worker, sex worker and fruit picker. These jobs can be related to modern slavery and what a wonderful way of using art to tell a story.

    These 100 figures were part of the anti-slavery day which was held in October 2018, although I can’t find out which artist was responsible for it. Whoever it was, it’s a brilliant reinterpretation of the statue which doesn’t take away from history, but adds to it.

  • Bristol – Small Bar

    The pub name of Small Bar refers to the concept that small businesses focus on being the very best that they can be, rather than the size of the venue which is actually relatively large.

    I’m very much in support of this, which is any business being brave enough to be cash free. It means that people don’t have to carry about money, pubs don’t have to have money on site or transport it to banks and then pay to change it. It’s easier to be transparent with card only payments and it’s just quicker.

    This is why I don’t like pubs like the Jubilee in Norwich which still surcharge for card payments (or at least they did a few months ago, I’ve now stopped going in because of the surcharge despite it otherwise being a brilliant pub), even though the law has changed to prevent such price gouging.

    There are 31 taps available in the pub with the choices on chalkboards above the bar. The full list of bottled beers are available on a screen to the side of the bar, all very modern. It’s also much easier to keep a screen such as this up-to-date, it’s a shame that more locations don’t do this.

    And the crisps selection.

    The pub had a relaxing and on-trend feel to it, being both stylish and not over-stated. The beer quality was, as would be expected, excellent and the choice was considered and well thought through.

    Every modern pub needs some books. The pub served food, and it was an on-trend (like most things about this pub) menu based around Asian chicken. We weren’t ready to eat when we visited, but it did offer a tempting selection.

    Overall, a rather lovely pub, perhaps one of my favourites from all those that we visited over the weekend. Although it had a modern feel to it, there was no element of pretentiousness or excessive hipster atmosphere, just a comfortable and welcoming environment.

  • Bristol – King’s Head

    There’s some history to the King’s Head on Victoria Street in Bristol (it has its own Wikipedia page) which was a long time ago a private property, but which was later turned into a pub. And the Victorian interior which dates to around the 1860s is gorgeous and remains relatively untouched, sufficient for the pub to be listed on the National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors.

    There’s a corridor along the side of the pub which runs to the back of the building, with the Tramcar Bar taking up the central space. It’s really quite staggering that this was never removed during the twentieth century in the name of progress, as it is a bit clunky, but historically it’s marvellous.

    A photo of the aforementioned corridor.

    It was towards the end of the night, so the photos aren’t quite as straight as perhaps I’d ideally like. But another photo of the historic interior.

    Underneath the old mineral waters sign is this old Dublin Stout sign, which I assume was from Burton Ales.

    I didn’t place the drinks order, but I think from memory I had the London Pride (or at least it tasted like London Pride, so my money would be on it being London Pride), which was well-kept and at the appropriate temperature. There was nothing there which was particularly unique, although it was nice to see a beer from Harvey’s Brewery in Lewes as I was in the town just a couple of weeks ago.

    The service was friendly and I can imagine the furtive conversations which have been held here over the last couple of centuries. It’s a comfortable environment, although the pub is relatively small, so there isn’t a great deal of space.

     

  • Aldershot – Garden Gate

    There are now just two pubs in Aldershot which are in the Good Beer Guide, and only one of them was near to the centre of town. This was the Garden Gate, which unfortunately didn’t open until 17:00, although since my train left at 19:00, I was able to get time for a visit.

    Slightly blurry, but this is the image that customers get when they first enter the pub. It’s a good first impression in my opinion.

    Pubs have to be brave to put up material such as this…..

    Although this was amusing (to me anyway), captioned “is my friend in the bunker or is the bastard in the green?”.

    The welcome in the pub was friendly, and they had a beer from the St. Austell Brewery and as that was the darkest they had, I went for it. It tasted fine and was well-kept, although I would have ideally liked a more inventive beer selection. The welcome seemed genuine though, although it was a customer who answered my question about what dark beers the pub had.

    A slightly old-fashioned interior, but that absolutely suits the style of the pub, which is a comfortable location for locals and visitors alike. There’s a feeling of tradition here and it’s only through good management that the pub has remained trading, as its future looked in doubt just a few years ago.

    I liked how the staff member offered me a friendly farewell as I left the pub, it’s never a very good final impression when staff just let customers walk out without making some sort of effort to thank them. Overall, it’s a decent pub and one which I imagine has a real community feel to it.

  • Aldershot – Stones Outside Princes Hall

    I guessed that these stones were once part of the original entrance to the barracks, but it’s disappointing that there isn’t more information about them actually at the site.

    Fortunately, they were listed in 1982 and so there’s a description of them on the Historic England page. The text reads:

    “Two carved stone plaques, mounted on low bases, being the surviving elements of the former gateway, at this point, to the East Cavalry (Warburg) Barracks. Rectangular white stone blocks, with cambered top edge. In high relief carving, each has the initials VR (Victoria Regina) enclosed within an oval wreath of oak leaves, with crossed ribbons; on each side a branch of laurel leaves. At the foot, incised letters with the words, in one case ‘EAST CAVALRY BARRACKS’, and in the other ‘ERECTED AD 1859’.”

    And here’s what they used to look like when the barracks were still standing.

  • Aldershot – Former Grosvenor Road Methodist Church

    Located on Grosvenor Road, this Methodist church was built in 1877 and was used as a soldiers’ home and hall for over a century. It closed in 1989 as the Grade II listed building was too expensive for the local Methodists to support, but fortunately it was saved by converting it into offices and retail space.

    The foundation stone of the church was laid in 1875 and the building was constructed with a range of architectural styles, including Gothic, Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular. The 1990s conversion has been sympathetic and the exterior of the building does still look like a church, which is more than a church conversion I saw by Tesco did….

  • Aldershot – Princes Gardens Bandstand

    Located in Princes Gardens this bandstand is decorated with poppies, appropriate for my visit to a military town near to the date of Remembrance Day.

    Rather lovely.

  • Aldershot – The Victoria

    Once a Hogshead pub, The Victoria is now operated by Greene King and it appears to have been refurbished and renovated recently. Rather awkwardly an elderly lady decided to rush to the door to open it for me, which was perhaps not necessary, but it was a nice thought for another customer to have.

    This is a pretty disappointing real ale selection, I’m aware it’s a Greene King pub, but a little innovation is surely in order. The Abbot did though taste fine, although it seemed quite lively watching the staff member pour it.

    The bar, all looking modern and fresh. The pub was clean throughout and it was a comfortable and modern environment, and the staff member was really welcoming. I guessed that she was the landlady, but she had the personality of someone running a pub that you’d want to return to.

    The food menu was the generic Greene King offering, but the prices were realistic and I can imagine that it’s a safe pub environment that would appeal to many customers. I’d happily return to the pub given the decor and friendly service, although I’d ideally like a wider selection of real ales.

  • Aldershot – The George

    The George is located in the centre of the town and is operated by Stonegate, probably the nearest chain there is to JD Wetherspoon in terms of prices. The interior of the pub is spacious, but it does need a refurbishment as the carpet was not inconsiderably sticky and the toilets seem to have had all the hand wash containers smashed off.

    The staff member was friendly and I liked that she was able to take an order whilst serving the previous customer, as there’s no point standing pouring one drink when you can do two. I had a half a pint of the 4.5% Hobgoblin and it tasted fine, well-kept and at the appropriate temperature.

    I like signs such as this, making clear that customers can use power sockets and using some humour to show that. And they were usefully located near to the tables and it didn’t require the unplugging of any AWP machines.

    Spacious and not particularly busy during my visit. There were menus on most of the tables and the food options looked generic, but they were keenly priced. The customer service was above average and I liked the engagement and body language of the staff, they did seem focused on the customers.

    For anyone wanting a low priced drink in the centre of the town, it’s a perfectly acceptable choice, although a refurbishment could perhaps really enhance the pub. The nearby Greene King pub has received a refurbishment and I can imagine that it’ll take some of this pub’s food trade.

    CAMRA note that Stonegate restored the pub’s original name when they completed their last refurbishment six years ago, as it had previously been known as the Goose. I agree with CAMRA that this is positive, although I’m surprised that the last renovation was as recent as six years given the look, and feel, of the carpet.

  • Aldershot – Alexandra Hotel

    Located opposite a Travelodge hotel this pub, also known as the Alex, doesn’t to my knowledge still offer accommodation. It’s a Craft Union pub, which I have to say usually isn’t always a great sign, although to be fair, some licencees have made that set-up work for them and their customers.

    The pub is named after the cinema and theatre which was once located next door to it and it is rumoured that the pub still has a ghost relating to that period. I’m unsure of how long the Alexandra has been a pub, but it dates to at least before 1870.

    The pub appeared to be very much a locals pub, but the welcome from the staff member was friendly and prompt. There were three real ales and although nothing was particularly interesting, the London Pride was well-kept and served at the appropriate temperature. And half a pint of London Pride cost £1, which seemed rather cheap, but certainly not a reason to complain.

    The pub was pretty full when I visited, which was late afternoon on a weekday, with several customers having bets on the various horse races which were being shown.

    I quite liked the pub, it was friendly and clean, with very affordable prices. I’m not sure there’s anything exceptional to tempt customers in from afar, but it’s a useful location for a drink for those staying in the hotels over the road.