Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Author: admin

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Victoria (Paddington)

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Victoria (Paddington)

    This is part of my continued meander around Good Beer Guide pubs and it’s located a relatively short walk away from Paddington railway station. It is named, as so many things are, after Queen Victoria and it might have opened on the same day as she was born. But this might be a myth, but it’s what CAMRA say might be true….

    The inside of the pub, which is listed on the CAMRA’s list of nationally important historic interiors. Much of what remains is mid-Victorian or inspired from the period, with the pub having avoided the modernisation that so many other locations have suffered from.

    The pub didn’t have any dark beer options, for which the staff member apologised and explained they weren’t busy enough to get the throughput that they’d need at the moment. So, I settled for half a pint of Fuller’s London Pride and some Mini Cheddars. The drink was as good a pint of London Pride as I’ve had, but it was just a little disappointing this was as exciting as it got.

    The service though was marvellous, engaging and helpful, with the staff being friendly and polite. It was clear that most of the customers were locals, but the pub still seemed to be offering a warm welcome to all. I think that the staff member who served me was actually the operator and if so, they’ve been here for over fifteen years. Fuller’s do perhaps need to take off their web-site though that this was their pub of the year in 2007 and 2009, there’s a limited amount that customers can do with that information given it is now ten years out of date.

    As an aside, CAMRA notes that Charles Dickens might have written some of his works here and, in 1966, David Bowie hosted a gig here. Certainly, an interesting pub and it justifies its place in the Good Beer Guide, but hopefully, they can return to a wider selection of drinks as things get busier again. The pub is well-reviewed (and the owner takes great care in responding to feedback which I like) and they were also taking trace and trace seriously, with everything seeming to be managed in a professional manner. All rather lovely and a comfortable location to have a drink or two.

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Brewdog Paddington

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Brewdog Paddington

    I’m still working my way around Brewdogs in the UK, although, unfortunately, not quite as fast as I’d like. Anyway, this is their outlet in Paddington, a sizeable affair located by the Floating Pocket Park. There’s some work going on outside the front of the pub, but it is in there somewhere on this photo.

    This is probably a better photo, it’s what the Brewdog looks out onto.

    The beer list and I went for The Boogie Below, a milkshake IPA from New Bristol Brewery. They did have a very tempting imperial stout, the Brush from Omnipollo, but it was £8 for a third of a pint and I’m not as decadent as Nathan. Anyway, back to the drink I actually did have, it was suitably summery and refreshing with the pineapple and coconut being evident in the taste. A lingering aftertaste and at an appropriate chilled temperature, all rather lovely.

    This is a good idea, something that probably works alongside Deskdog, which is an area that people can get work done. I’m not sure how popular a designated separate area would be, as I like sitting in the main part of the pub, but it’ll be interesting to see how it evolves.

     

    And the interior is so on-trend it slightly hurts, but it’s still comfortable, welcoming and fun. The beer choices were excellent and there was a range of different styles, with the staff being knowledgeable as usual. This is rather a decent addition to the Brewdog chain, although it wasn’t particularly busy when I visited on a Tuesday lunchtime.

    The staff were friendly and engaging, with the track and trace requirements being met and everything was clean and organised. Brewdog took over here from Draft House, who still operate a few pubs across London, in early 2019. All told, a rather lovely visit.

  • London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands

    London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands

    After my trip to the Museum of London a couple of weeks ago, it reminded me that I hadn’t visited the Museum of London Docklands for eight years. Located near to Canary Wharf, it first opened in 2003 in former sugar warehouses and it’s an extensive collection that looks at the history of shipping and trade in London. It’s well put together and there’s plenty of material that is accessible to younger visitors, such as a recreation of a dockside scene.

    The museum ticketing process was all well managed and they didn’t have many people in the building at one time, I’m not sure whether by design or lack of demand. Like the Museum of London’s main location, they scan visitors in and out so that they know how many people are in the building. A visit here is likely to take a good ninety minutes or so, perhaps longer, with the museum being free of charge.

    The museum is very well-reviewed, they’ve only picked up three very poor reviews on TripAdvisor, which is some going. One of those was last week because someone came with a cabin bag and was confused they couldn’t get in, despite the museum making that clear in advance. Another person objected to being asked if they’d make a donation and the remaining negative reviewer complained that they spent thirty minutes in the cafe nearly to the last entry of the day and then were refused access to the galleries.

    Anyway, I digress. Here are some photos…..

  • Hull – Mysterious Door on The Pathway

    Hull – Mysterious Door on The Pathway

    Located down The Pathway in Hull is this strange door, partly bricked up and looking rather mysterious. I’m sure that it’s intrigued many people over the decades, but it was originally a back entrance to 16 Bowlalley Lane. This is now a residential building that has been split into flats, but it was once a much grander single property and this side door in the passage was used by tradespeople to avoid using the main front entrance.

  • Random Post – Barcode Scanners and White Stripes

    Random Post – Barcode Scanners and White Stripes

    Well, you learn something new every day…. I’m not sure how useful this knowledge is in my day to day life though.

  • Hull – Furley and Co (Second Visit)

    Hull – Furley and Co (Second Visit)

    This is my second visit to this Good Beer Guide listed pub in Hull, having already visited here in late 2019. I liked the laid-back atmosphere and felt that it was a suitable place to return to. The welcome given on entry was polite and helpful, with our pre-booked table being ready on the first floor.

    Two photos of the first-floor dining room, which remained empty until just as we were leaving. I think it was going to be a relatively busy lunch-time for them though, it was just that some customers had reserved tables for a little later on.

    How lovely. The ordering process works by ticking boxes on a piece of paper and then going back down to the bar to order. This was fine, although I wasn’t entirely thrilled at having to carry the tray of three drinks and a bottle up to the first floor, not out of laziness, but through being concerned that I might drop the bloody thing. I did hint that I wasn’t entirely delighted at this arrangement, but, fortunately, all went well.

    To be honest, this air conditioning unit looks like I’ve fitted it. But, that also means that I was entirely happy with how it looked jutting out as it does.

    And my meal, I went for a lighter snack of salt and pepper chicken wrap and this was sufficiently well presented. I’m not a big fan of smaller plates as there’s less room to cut things (and one of my fries fell off the plate onto the floor when the waitress placed it down), but the meal was more substantial than it looked when served. The chicken was tender and the fries were very moreish, although I find that they generally are. The others ordered the boar burger, which was apparently also entirely satisfactory which was very pleasing.

    The beer, which I didn’t photograph as I think I needed a rest after carrying the tray up the stairs, was Port Out from Half Moon Brewery. They’re a micro-brewery from Ellerton, which isn’t a huge distance from Hull, with the beer being rich and having a pleasant chocolatey finish to it. It seems that the pub are making a real effort to source beers locally, a plan which should be applauded.

    Everything was well managed in the pub and the range of beers was well measured with a variety of different styles available. I also like that their on-line booking system allows customers to choose their own seating in the pub, so that they can sit wherever they like without that being chosen for them by the staff. On that theme, the staff were friendly and this was a comfortable place to spend an hour. All very lovely.

  • London – City of London – Police Call Box

    London – City of London – Police Call Box

    This police call box, which is no longer in use, is located where Aldersgate Street joins St Martin’s Le Grand. It was installed here in 1935 and the listed building record notes that it’s a relatively rare survival. It’s a chunky piece of iron and although bits have dropped off, the instructions for use have apparently remained. They were once a handy way of alerting the police to an incident and there was no charge made for using them. They were taken out of usage in the 1960s and most were destroyed, but a handful still remain in the city.

    The police box from the side, which has recently been painted a much lighter shade of blue that it had previously. This is deliberate as paint analysis was done on these boxes and it was discovered that this was closer to the original colour scheme.

  • Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day 176

    Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day 176

    The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the current health crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored….

    Kingdom Come

    Another cheery little definition from Grose, he defines this as “he is gone to kingdom come, he is dead”. It’s better known now as a computer game franchise and also as a phrase in the Lord’s Prayer, although there it’s a reference to the Kingdom of God that will come in the future. This future state of glory is also relevant to the meaning of the phrase, it just means the next phase and in human terms that means being dead.

    The phrase had fallen out of favour, but its new meaning has seen a recent rise in usage.

  • Craft Beer and Brewing – Melvin Me, Myself and Thai

    Craft Beer and Brewing – Melvin Me, Myself and Thai

    I’ve decided, I need to spend several weeks in the United States next year. I keep reading Craft Beer and Brewing magazine and there are hundreds of beers that I want to try. The people of Alpine, Wyoming should feel very pleased to have this sort of innovation. Just remember that the people of Bury St. Edmunds have Greene King IPA.

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Frank Pick Memorial at Piccadilly Circus

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Frank Pick Memorial at Piccadilly Circus

    There’s a new one-way system at Piccadilly Circus which is of no relevance here other than it meant I had to go a different way to enter the underground network. Which meant that for the first time I saw this rather lovely tribute to Frank Pick, the first Chief Executive of the London Passenger Transport Board. He oversaw the introduction of new modern station buildings, new fonts and also the now famous roundel used across London Transport.

    This installation was opened on 7 November 2016, commemorating the 75th anniversary of Pick’s death. Apparently a quiet and thoughtful man who shunned publicity, he declined a knighthood and a Peerage when they were offered to him. Nikolaus Pevsner, who as far as I’m concerned is the final word on matters such as this said:

    “He is the greatest patron of the arts whom this century has so far produced in England, and indeed the ideal patron of our age”.

    A true honour from such a respected man as Pevsner.