Walking. Gossip. Travel.

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  • Sheffield – Kelham Island Tavern

    Sheffield – Kelham Island Tavern

    This is the only pub that has won the CAMRA national pub of the year for two consecutive years and it has won a host of branch and regional awards as well over the years. It was a derelict pub pulled back into use by Trevor Wraith in 2001, a perhaps unlikely location at first sight to have been saved, with the landlord only retiring earlier in 2019. Under new landlords, the pub has continued its policy of having around thirteen real ales available, with a mild and porter always on that list of options.

    We were delayed a little by a rather out of their depth group of customers who seemed to be already intoxicated and loud, being demanding and frustrating to the staff. However, once free of them, the atmosphere at the bar improved somewhat.

    The selection of beers, an excellent choice which is to be expected from a pub with such a positive reputation. I went for the Dead Disco from Chin Chin Brewery, which was fine but it was called a Mexican stout because of the chilli, and that element was perhaps just a little lacking. Anyway, a rather special pub and they have a collection of old Good Beer Guides and it was very lovely to be in such an award winning location.

  • Norwich to Gatwick Airport by Overnight Train

    Norwich to Gatwick Airport by Overnight Train

    The train from Norwich to London Liverpool Street wasn’t very busy, around a handful of passengers in each carriage. Although, slightly irritatingly, I had to change carriage after getting all comfortable as I discovered the power didn’t work in the one that I had chosen. The conductor was a friendly and affable man, with the train being spotlessly clean since the cleaners spent around thirty minutes on it, cleaning it both inside and out.

    Safely at London Liverpool Street, arriving on time. I noticed customers in two carriages couldn’t get out, an unfortunate side effect of these slam shut doors. I, being ever helpful, opened one door when walking by, whilst the others managed to unfree themselves from their trap.

    Although I had a ticket to use public transport from London Liverpool Street to London Blackfriars, the underground was just shutting down and the times suggested by GWR didn’t seem to actually correspond to any underground trains. So, since I like walking, I went for the option of the 25-minute walk across the city.

    I’ve never seen the above church, which is St Ethelburga’s at Bishopgate, near to Liverpool Street station, which just goes to show how unobservant that I can be… It’s one of the few surviving medieval churches in the city centre and there were once two shops at the front of the building, but these have since been removed. It was also one of the churches which allowed divorcees to remarry, which wasn’t quite within the rules of the time. Although the building has mostly survived, even through the London Blitz, it didn’t entirely make it through an IRA bomb placed outside in 1993, which destroyed 70% of the building.

    The Bank of England.

    St. Paul’s Cathedral.

    Safely at Blackfriars station, where I promptly went up the wrong escalator and reached the platform for trains to Luton Airport. Hopefully no-one noticed me going up one escalator and then straight back down the one next to it.

    This was awkward, I’d reached the correct platform, which was Platform 1, and noticed there was a train ready and waiting to depart to Three Bridges. This is also the train to Gatwick Airport and the passenger in front of me ran for the train, where as I thought I’d have a little meander around as I was hardly in a rush. And then I heard the station staff call out that they’d hold the train for me, so I do a slightly fast walk to get a train that I didn’t really need to get.

    I thought I looked quite smooth and nonplussed in walking towards the train, although I might have actually rushed and been less lackadaisical if it was a train I was actually trying to get.

    On board the Thameslink service from London Blackfriars to Gatwick Airport.

    The train arrived on time at Gatwick Airport.

    Inside the terminal, one of the few times that the ticket machines are so underused. Incidentally, my railway ticket failed to open the barriers and I noted that Gatwick Airport had employed a member of barrier staff who didn’t burden himself in using his customer service skills. But, since he was standing there at 01:00 in the morning, perhaps it’s not entirely fair to expect him to be anything other than fed up.

    And here we are at Gatwick Airport arrivals at South Terminal, arriving around 30 minutes earlier than expected as I accidentally caught a train I hadn’t intended to get at London Blackfriars. The ticket cost just over £20, which I think is reasonable given the distance travelled and the comfort provided. It just now means I have to faff about for my flight, but I like the adventure really….

     

  • Sheffield – Shakespeare Pub

    Sheffield – Shakespeare Pub

    This pub, which is now in the Good Beer Guide, has had a difficult few years involving closure and a substantial refurbishment before it reopened. But, it’s now an established and popular pub again, with an entry into the Good Beer Guide.

    This is a marvellous thing to see on the entrance into the pub, although perhaps Ross might have privately disagreed…..

    The kegs and casks list, all very clear and I like the title of Shakesbeers.

    The Milky Joe coffee milk stout from Ridgeside Brewery, an entirely acceptable beer with a pleasant flavour, although it lacked the depth of taste that I’d have ideally liked. However, still drinkable and it was at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature. The service was polite and efficient, with the staff being keen to help and offer assistance to customers.

    The external yard of the pub, where the stabling was once located for the horses when it was a coaching inn. The interior of the pub has been knocked about since it was opened in the early nineteenth century (although I had thought it was an earlier building, it had that sort of atmosphere), although I didn’t spend long trying to work out what went where. There are though several smaller rooms, with the whole pub having a real character to it, although I’d like to return when it’s quieter as I didn’t really get chance to have a proper look around the building. Another very deserved entry in the Good Beer Guide, which notes that this pub has served over 5,000 different beers over the last seven years.

  • Sheffield – Unit

    Sheffield – Unit

    Our choice of dining location for our first evening in Sheffield was the burger restaurant Unit. I think that it’s fair to say that it’s not in the most salubrious of locations, and Liam was unsure at first whether he had actually navigated us to the right place. However, inside this restaurant is on-trend, modern and the atmosphere was clean and comfortable. I quite liked the chipboard walls in the restaurant, although I understand that opinion is a little divided on this matter.

    The menu, which was of a limited size, usually a positive sign. The service here was excellent, with the staff member being engaging, attentive and helpful. The only time where we got marginally confused was when no-one told us to pay at the counter, rather than to wait at the table. But, otherwise, the whole process was seamless. There was a marginal problem that some of us, namely Liam and Scott, had eaten beforehand as they got over-excited, but we all managed to order and get through a main course.

    I went for the Buff Ting chicken burger and this was way above average, well presented, a fair portion size and all at the appropriate hot temperature. The chicken was tender and moist, with the coating being rich and flavourful. The gherkins were battered and complemented the meal well, with the fries being firm on the exterior and slightly fluffy on the interior. The salad elements added texture and the mayo added flavour, with the whole meal representing good value for money. I was the only one of the five of us to go for a chicken burger, but I’m reliably informed that the beef burgers were also excellent.

    I have to admit that I failed to notice at the time that the promised coleslaw wasn’t served with the burger, something I’ve only realised as there are several other complaints on-line about this made against the restaurant.

    A tempting range of ice creams were at the front counter. Unit isn’t licensed, so there aren’t any alcoholic drinks, with their dining atmosphere being somewhere between a fast food outlet and a restaurant, although it was spacious and table service was offered.

    Overall, all very lovely, failing solely on missing the coleslaw from the meal which is a little bizarre since it seems to be such a common complaint made against the restaurant. The restaurant is also doing well as there have been 150 reviews for them on TripAdvisor and they haven’t yet picked up a 1 out of 5 star, which is quite an achievement in itself.

  • Sheffield – Bar Stewards

    Sheffield – Bar Stewards

    Excuse Scott in the above photo, he’d just had two half pints of beer in under an hour. This micro-pub opened in 2016 in what had previously been a boarded up row of shops.

    The keg and cask beer list with what I thought was a well curated choice of options.

    The bar of this micropub and shop, which is relatively small in size, but it has a quirky and laid-back feel to it. My only comment is that it is a micropub, as if it wasn’t listed in the Good Beer Guide, I might not have visited it because initially I thought it was primarily a shop. The service was efficient and the staff members seemed knowledgeable about the beer options, although I’d have been rather surprised if they hadn’t been.

    This is the Festive Star from Northern Monk brewery, which confused me for a while as I couldn’t work out what the taste was that I wasn’t getting. It transpired to be cinnamon, probably because that’s not a flavour that I’m used to in beer. When I realised what it was (only after Nathan had told me) it made much more sense and had a very Christmasy feel. This is certainly a beer which would go brilliantly well with a Festive Bake from Greggs.

  • Sheffield – Crow Inn

    Sheffield – Crow Inn

    Formerly known as the Sleep Hotel and the Old Crown Hotel, the Crow entered the Good Beer Guide in 2019. The building has a rather more murky past, as a drinker was murdered here in 1859 when sitting in one of the pub’s snug areas. It was also a pub used during the Chartist protests and also suffered during what are now the infamous Sheffield Gang Wars in the 1920s.

    The local media reported the 1859 murder:

    “About ten o’clock on Monday night James Lindley, saw-grinder, was shot while sitting at the Crown Inn, Sheffield. The ball entered his left temple and lodged behind the eye. He is expected to die. Lindley had previously been shot at, and attempts had been made to blow up his house, and he has now, no doubt, been shot for refusing to join the Sawgrinders’ Union”.

    The union was also known as the Ratteners and was a violent organisation, it attempted to destroy residential and commercial buildings, with violence and injury being commonplace.

    Anyway, enough of the history of the building and back to the present. The selection of keg beers was well measured and interesting.

    I had some difficulty photographing the pump fronts as it was busy, but I had the Praline Stout from Lost Industry brewery. This was excellent, although I notice that some on-line reviews don’t agree, with a depth of taste to it and a flavour of sugar and nuts (the beer I mean, not the on-line reviews).

    The pub was welcoming and the staff member at the bar was friendly and efficient, with the prices being reasonable. It was busy during our visit, but we were able to find a table after a while, and the atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming. A well deserved entrant into the Good Beer Guide.

  • Sheffield – Smoke

    Sheffield – Smoke

    For our second evening in Sheffield, we went to one of the better reviewed restaurants in the city, Smoke, which specialises in BBQ food. The signs for this chain are perhaps slightly ominous, as they’ve closed two of their three outlets and this is the only one remaining. However, it appeared busy when we entered and there was a relaxed vibe and atmosphere.

    Although we had changed the booking size to five, the restaurant still thought we were six and they seated us a high table. We were fortunate that it was five of us, as the table didn’t really hold six comfortably and it seemed a bizarre placement from the manager as it would have verged on being uncomfortable. However, for five, all was well.

    The service was attentive and polite throughout, with the staff member being knowledgeable and keen to help. It all contributed to the relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant and other groups seemed to be enjoying their experience.

    There’s a nice touch of free glasses of popcorn.

    The biggest problem, for me anyway, about the restaurant is that their beer choice seems poorly collated in my view. Byron do this as well, a selection that seems to be disjointed, with a few mediocre options and no dark beers at all. It’s like having a wine menu with two poor white wines, four good white wines, one rose and no red wine. So, I had water. What was marginally more irritating is that they had a decent beer on their on-line menu (which transpired to be from a previous year), but that didn’t appear on the menu in the restaurant.

    The chicken was excellent, the exterior was crisp and flavoursome whilst the meat itself came off the bone. The chips were twice cooked and weren’t greasy, whilst the onion strings had a crunch to them but they still maintained the texture of the onion. There was a BBQ sauce available on the table which had been prepared for the restaurant and this was rich and added to the proceedings. The portion size was perfectly reasonable for the £13 that was being charged and the food was well presented.

    Overall, the food was well above average and represented decent value for money, so we felt that we had chosen correctly. The downside was the beer as I can think of few US restaurants that would offer such limited options and it’s also lazy to have a different menu on-line to what is in the restaurant. But, the service was friendly, the wait time was minimal, the environment was on-trend and the food exceeded my expectations, so I’ll forgive them the beer.

  • Beccles – Border Bus

    Beccles – Border Bus

    Needing to get back from Beccles I had a choice of getting the train via Lowestoft, using First Bus or Border Bus, a relatively new bus company operating primarily around the Norfolk and Suffolk borders. A single by train, via Lowestoft, costs a ridiculous £9.80, it’s a secret on First Bus and it’s £2.80 by Border Bus.

    I know it’s £2.80 as Border Bus have gone for a clear and coherent timetable which, perhaps radically, includes the times and prices on it. First Bus have, in my view, arrogantly decided that they don’t need to bother to tell customers how much single fares are (either on timetables or their web-site), so it’s not possible to get the right change ready in advance. And, single tickets can’t be purchased via their m-ticketing system, so that’s not an option either. Although, First East Anglia are doing better than First Cymru Buses, who received a large fine in court today for “failure to meet the needs of the travelling public”.

    And safely into Norwich, on time and without any issue. The bus was clean, well presented and the driving seemed safe enough to me.

  • Hull – William de la Pole Statue

    Hull – William de la Pole Statue

    The statue of Sir William de la Pole, who served as the city’s first Mayor between 1332 (or 1331, history is often a bit vague) until 1335. He was very friendly with King Edward II, something which certainly did his political career no harm at all. He was equally helpful to King Edward III, who had managed to use his royal crown as collateral in a loan from the Archbishop of Trier, but de la Pole paid that debt off to prevent embarrassment. He might be buried in Hull Minster, but no-one is quite sure, but there’s a tomb there for him anyway, just in case.

    The base of the statue, designed by William D Keyworth Jnr, which was paid for and presented to the city by Alderman Robert Jameson. The statue was initially placed at the Town Hall, but that got demolished by the council, so the city authorities moved the statue around the city for a while. One of the locations was when it was moved to a prominent location at the junction of King Edward Street and Jameson Street in 1901 and it then came to its current location on Nelson Street in 1920.

  • Hull – A Potted History to Kingston upon Hull

    Hull – A Potted History to Kingston upon Hull

    And so, this is my (very) potted history to the lovely city of Hull.

    Other than for some pesky raiding parties from the Vikings, there wasn’t a great deal of pre-Norman activity in what is now the city of Kingston upon Hull. But, I feel I’m friends with the city, so I’m just going to call it Hull.

    The foundation of Hull was really down to the monks at Meaux Abbey. They fancied a port so that they could do some trading with mainland Europe, so they built themselves one. They called it Wyke on Hull and it was quite successful. As an aside, when the Dissolution of the Monasteries took place a few centuries later, the King had their abbey demolished and used it to strengthen Hull’s fortifications. There’s gratitude for you…

    In 1278, the city was allowed to hold a fair and a market, and they’ve been holding the fair ever since. And a market come to that. Then King Edward I fancied the port town as he had an eye on attacking Scotland. So he bought it and after some consideration, he demanded that it was called King’s Town. Seems fair since he bought it, with the monks being pleased with the money that they received. The eagle eye reader will now know that King’s Town became Kingston, and then when that became too long to bother to say, it became Hull.

    Hull was a forward thinker when it came to fresh water and the city authorities spent no end of money on building a fancy new system of pipes. They were very proud of that, but then the War of the Roses came along and the city ran out of money. So they dug the pipes up and flogged the lead off, but the initial idea was a good one.

    The Dissolution of the Monasteries was a bit of a challenge in Hull, as many of the locals didn’t like it. Fearing that some of the church’s wealth would be stolen and sent to London, the local authorities quickly sold off what they could and spent the money on improvements to their city. Good plan.

    The denizens of Hull were still a bit unconvinced by the Monarchy and this was shown in 1642 when Sir John Hotham, the city’s Governor, left King Charles I standing at the Beverley Gate. He was refused access to the city, so he tried to besiege Hull, although that didn’t work. His forces tried again the next year, under the leadership of the Earl of Newcastle. That failed too, so there was some resilience to these Hull folk.

    William Wilberforce was a major player in politics during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, primarily with his campaigns to end slavery. Initially this looked like an unwinnable campaign and in 1791 he led a debate in the Commons to get Parliamentary support for his plans, but he failed by quite a majority. He battled on and in 1833, the Slavery Prohibition Act was eventually passed, with nearly 50 years of campaigning led by Wilberforce to get there. Unfortunately, he died three days before the vote took place. Irritating….

    The railway came to the city in 1840, connecting Hull to Selby, and there was a brand new railway station opened in 1847. That railway station, now knowingly as Hull Paragon Interchange, is still standing, although I’d rather it was just called Hull Station to avoid confusion. But it’s a bus and coach station too, a rare piece of joined up thinking from a city.

    The twentieth century saw some bad times for Hull, it was attacked by zeppelins during the First World War and then suffered economically during the great depression following the end of the conflict. But, disaster was to hit the city during the Second World War, with half of Hull’s residents ending up homeless and only around 6% of housing remained undamaged. Reporting restrictions during the war meant that the rest of the nation didn’t realise the damage that was being caused, but few other cities suffered as badly. Incidentally, there is still one building, the National Picture Theatre which was bombed and never repaired. To this day, the burnt out remains stand on Beverley Road and relatively recently a decision has been made to keep them in that state.

    Patrick Abercrombie came up with a plan, alongside Edwin Lutyens, to transform Hull and this planning work was started during the Second World War. Fortunately the residents and businesses of the time rejected the plans, which shunned history and heritage to try and make way for the motor car. The city is fortunate that the plans weren’t implemented, as much of what did remain of Hull would have been lost.

    More recently, Hull has been doing a bit better, although it is under some pressure financially as so many other cities also are. The city’s main church, Holy Trinity, has been transformed into a Minster and it still has the honour of being the largest parish church in the country. The city is also perhaps more respected now following its designation as the UK City of Culture, which it pulled off with some success. It has numerous free museums and a strong cultural scene, with plans announced in October 2019 for a new sector to the city, the £1.5 billion Lagoon Hull project. It’s all very exciting…