Walking. Gossip. Travel.

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Charlecote House – A Bird’s-eye View of Charlecote Park (1696)

This is a rather interesting bird’s-eye view of Charlecote Park from a perspective which is commonplace now, but which was a little less usual at the time, although some landowners liked being able to see the extent of their land and the grandeur of their properties. The painting is located in the Grand Hall of the building and it’s thought to have been painted in around 1696. The gardens have changed somewhat as this formal style, which I rather like, was removed by Capability Brown in the 1760s and then changed again in the 1820s. The artwork has been credited to the Dutch artist Jan Stevens (?-1722) as he painted numerous other artworks in this style, but there’s no evidence that he actually painted this one. But, in the absence of any other information, it might as well be attributed to him. I’m not sure that’s how an art historian would think, but I’m not an art historian so that solves that one.

Here’s a better image of the house as it once looked. It shows the core Elizabethan house built by Sir Thomas Lucy I in the 1550s, before the significant Victorian alterations undertaken by George Hammond Lucy and his wife Mary Elizabeth from the 1820s onwards.

April 30, 2025
Charlecote House – Dining Room

I think it’s quite intriguing to see a room in a National Trust property looking like this. This is the dining room at Charlecote House and it’s a key room in the property, reached from the Great Hall. This section of the property isn’t part of the Elizabethan core, it’s part of the west wing extension that was added in the 1830s by George Hammond and Mary Elizabeth Lucy.

And here’s the problem, they’ve had a leak. As the signage notes, there was a small leak from a gutter which led to a leak that went unnoticed until the wallpaper started to peel off the wall and mushrooms started to appear. I was visiting the property with Richard, who is on his big diet, and reading that managed to make him hungry. He’s distracted by anything even vaguely food related at the moment….

That’s their issue. Although it’s worth noting the rather impressive ornate plaster ceiling in the room.

They’re on the second stage of fixing the rather sub-optimal arrangement.

I rather like that they’ve decided to keep the room open so that visitors can see the work that is ongoing. The wallpaper is by Thomas Willement, it’s all a bit opulent for me, but I think that was likely the intention at the time.

It’s a huge undertaking to fix a relatively small problem, although such is the challenge in historic buildings. If this building was in private hands, the cost of the repairs would perhaps be too onerous, but it certainly looks like the National Trust are doing a thorough repair job.

April 30, 2025
Norwich – Hop Rocket (Two Julians)

Starting with an apology that Julian and I visited the Hop Rocket in February, so it’s both taken me time to write about this visit and it also means that the photos were taken in the dying days of my last phone so the quality is sub-optimal. Anyway, the Hop Rocket is relatively new in this building on Unthank Road which was previously briefly Oliver’s Cocktails, before that it was the Amnesty Bookshop and going back further it was a bakery and cafe so it’s been a little of a chameleon of a venue. I’ve also got nothing against trendy and expensive food venues, although I’m unlikely to visit them, but it’s a delight to see this becoming a pub and indeed something of a decent one.

When we were in the York, Tom had mentioned that the venue was holding its first birthday party, so it seemed an opportune time to visit as I know what Julian is like when there’s free cake.

The beer choice was solid, a pretty even mix of cask and keg, with a number of local breweries and some national delights. It was a well curated beer list with numerous tempting options, all feeling rather on-trend, but there is also plenty of additional choice in the beer fridges.

Behind the bar and there was an upbeat vibe to the venue, although it likely helped that they were celebrating their birthday. It was busy, but the service was efficient and polite, with the team member being knowledgeable about the beer range. The interior is cosy and there’s also a small outside drinking area.

I went for the 11th Birthday Cake Celebration (Mango, Pineapple, Coconut & Lime Ice Cream Cake with Vanilla Pastry Sour) from Amundsen Brewery, which was a beautiful little number. Lime and coconut elements, this was smooth, decadent and juicy, although Amundsen does frequently surprise and delight me.

And we did leave clutching our birthday goodie bags.

I’m not sure that the venue refers to itself as a micropub, not least as it’s not a small venue, but it does have that sort of ambience. It’s well reviewed on-line (although there’s a bizarre review from a customer who let their dog urinate in the pub twice and seems perplexed that this wasn’t considered ideal, but my two loyal blog readers can read the full version on Google Reviews) and attracts a varied crowd, but it has a strong contingent of younger drinkers (as in early 20s, not a load of 12 year olds). They don’t do food beyond basic bar snacks, but they do let customers bring their own in and they’re pet friendly. I very much liked this venue, it’s a bit of a hike for me to get there, but I’m sure that I’ll meander again there soon. All really rather lovely and this feels like the independent pub, which I think is owned by the same people as run the Brewery Tap, that I hope lots of people support.

April 30, 2025
Coventry – Hops D’Amour Micropub

Richard and I had time for one more Coventry pub and so it seemed sensible to visit another venue, a micro-pub no less, listed in the Good Beer Guide, in my never ending quest to try and visit every pub in the book. Hops D’Amour was the first micro-pub in Coventry having been opened in May 2021 by a local couple, Gregg and Vyx Spencer.

The beer list at Hops D’Amour and this had a range of beer styles and types, with a mix of cask and keg alongside a fair number of ciders. I was eyeing up the Birthday Cake from Vocation, but that had just run out when they were serving the previous customer. The pub has won numerous CAMRA awards over the last couple of years, including being the local cider pub of the year.

The back bar and they were very apologetic when my replacement choice of Banoffee Pie from Yonder Brewing ran out. Not that they needed to apologise, especially when it was clear there was enough left of the beer for me to at least try. The team members were polite and helpful, having an excellent beer knowledge and I felt that the recommendations were appropriate.

And there’s what they had left, with the beer being punchy in its banoffee flavours. There was a taste of caramel, banana and a fair chunk of biscuit as well, decent.

I told Richard that he kept looking miserable in the photos, so he looked more cheerful in this one. His diet seems to have given him a resting angry face, but I didn’t tell him that as I only want to encourage people. The beer from Yonder was the Peanut Butter and Jelly and it had a jam tasting finish, being sweet with plenty of chocolate and jelly flavours, although not much peanut butter.

The interior of the venue which remained busy throughout our visit. The Singer (of sewing machine fame) sign on the wall is a throwback to the previous occupant of this shop, with Singer having had a long presence here over the last couple of decades. There’s also an external area, which seemed to be primarily used by smokers, which was also busy during the time that we were there. There was no music playing and no television screens, which is exactly the ambience that I would have expected from a micro-pub.

Some of the previous pump clips were being used as decoration and there are some decent brewers there, not least Castle Rock, DEYA, Thornbridge and Yonder.

The pub is open every day of the week, but they don’t go for late closing hours and that seems a very sensible decision, there’s inevitably always a challenge from late night drinkers and this isn’t the sort of venue that needs that trade. I very much liked it here, the atmosphere was welcoming, there was an excellent beer choice, the service was friendly, the prices were reasonable and so another excellent recommendation from the Good Beer Guide.

April 28, 2025
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 7 and China Wok

And the next in our series of James and I visiting every food stall at Norwich market (again) was China Wok. Last time I did this in 2023, this was the period when Nathan and I did them and it was the first one that we went to. That was over two years ago and the prices here have remained moderate, with a price increase of just £1 since then so at least some things haven’t been ravaged by inflation.

The concept is to pay for a base of either rice or noodles and then select a choice of three different toppings. We started off well as we queued at the wrong end, which was some navigational brilliance of ours that felt slightly sub-optimal. I recall this being the only food stall at the market which doesn’t accept cards, but fortunately we had just enough cash on us.

It’s a solid food rating which is reassuring enough.

The food offerings aren’t huge in number, but they had a suitable number of chicken permutations for me. There was a choice of chilli beef, chicken curry, chicken black bean, sesame chicken, sweet & sour chicken, salt & pepper chicken and fried vegetables. There is also the option of adding on chicken balls or spring rolls. The service was polite and efficient with a relatively brief wait in the queue. The nature of the service means that there’s no wait for the food as it’s served up immediately when ordering.

From left to right, this is the chicken black bean, the sesame chicken and the salt & pepper chicken, with the meal costing £7.50 as we went large. On reflection, I would have asked for the chicken black bean sauce to be poured along the top as the rice down one end was quite dry, but the sauce added some depth to the arrangement. The chicken was all tender, a little firm with the sesame chicken, but the tastes and flavours were all there. There’s a handy and civilised area to eat our food at the end of the stall, so we didn’t have to go and face the wild pigeons, seagulls and other aerial rodents of Norwich.

James and his artistic efforts. He had to edit me out and I rejected his later offer to draw me back in, as I would have likely been highly offended and annoyed at the results. I asked him to sum up his thoughts about the food and he replied:

“Ah, the anticipation of discovering the culinary treasures held within the unpretentious confines of a simple metallic vessel is a pleasure in itself. Upon parting the folded edges, one was immediately greeted by a generous and inviting panorama: a substantial foundation of perfectly prepared farinaceous strands, serving as a delightful canvas upon which a triptych of savoury delights was artfully arranged. It was clear from the outset that this was a collation designed for substantial enjoyment, promising a diverse exploration of textures and flavour profiles within its humble, yet effective, packaging.

Exploring the varied landscape of toppings proved to be a most gratifying endeavour. The purported sesame-infused avian constituent offered a delightful chewiness, a robust texture that provided a gratifying counterpoint to the yielding nature of the noodles, while its glaze contributed a pleasant, sweet depth. Beside it lay the bovine offering, exhibiting an exquisite tenderness that truly impressed, each morsel dissolving with minimal persuasion, complemented by a subtle, beguiling warmth that stimulated the palate without overwhelming it. The third element, the alternative gallinaceous preparation, proved equally commendable, presenting succulent pieces of poultry enveloped in a perfectly balanced seasoning of crystalline sodium and pungent piper nigrum, showcasing a simple yet profoundly satisfying flavour harmony.

Collectively, this assemblage within its unassuming conveyance proved to be a truly gratifying collation. The interplay of the silken substratum with the distinct characteristics of the three proteinaceous components – the delightful chewiness of the sesame chicken, the melting tenderness of the chilli beef with its gentle thermal caress, and the succulent, well-seasoned salt & pepper chicken – created a harmonious and deeply satisfying gastronomic experience. It was an exemplary execution of comfort cuisine, demonstrating that even within modest presentation, genuine culinary pleasure can be found in abundance.”

Anyway, enough of James. Overall, I thought that the food was of a decent quality and represented value for money. Not accepting cards is a reason I might not rush back, not out of any annoyance about their decision, just that I don’t tend to carry much cash so it is a slight logistical challenge. However, it was a filling lunch, the service was friendly and we didn’t have long to wait. Given all of that, I’d recommend this stall to others, there appears to be some consistency to the arrangement and I like that reliability in this unpredictable world.

April 28, 2025
Coventry – Gatehouse Tavern

After an NEC evening meal, my friend Richard demanded that we go to a pub in Coventry city centre and so I decided I would be helpful in accompanying them. The Gatehouse Tavern is a Good Beer Guide listed pub and has appeared regularly in the book. The building was formerly the gate house to the Leigh Mills, a worsted and cotton manufacturer (or whatever the right word is there) and it was turned into a pub in the 1980s, although with some significant modifications.

A map from the 1870s, the pub is just about the second ‘T’ on Hill Street.

The beer selection with around seven real ales available. The service was friendly and warm, it felt a welcoming pub to visit.

The interior is atmospheric and comfortable. I didn’t investigate, but there’s also a large beer garden and judging by the on-line reviews they seem to do keenly priced food at lunchtimes.

Stuff that’s on in the next few weeks, there’s regular live music here.

The first beer, the Waves from Twisted Barrel which was a lemony and sessionable pale ale, pleasant but a little thin. Incidentally, Richard was happier than the photo suggests.

The second beer, the Mild from Silhill Brewery which had roasted flavours and a slight creaminess to it. Both beers were well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and the glasses were clean.

This is a rather lovely pub and it’s another one of those venues that I might have walked by if it wasn’t listed in the Good Beer Guide, but I’m glad to have visited.

April 28, 2025
Bletchley – Captain Ridley’s Shooting Party (JD Wetherspoon)

With an hour to kill in Bletchley, I thought I’d visit this JD Wetherspoon pub located on Queensway for the first time. I’ll use the history of the pub from their web-site to explain the name:

“Bletchley is best known as the World War II headquarters of Britain’s famous codebreakers – Bletchley Park. Sir Herbert Leon, a wealthy stockbroker, had bought the estate in 1882 and was key in its development. In 1937, the estate passed into government hands. Then, an undercover MI6 group arrived using the name ‘Captain Ridley’s Shooting Party’, with ‘an air of friends enjoying a weekend at a country house’. Their real purpose was to see whether Bletchley Park would work as a wartime location.”

The first building here was Halfway House which was constructed in 1870 when the area was effectively all fields. This became the New Inn later in the Victorian period and the pub was entirely rebuilt in the 1930s and that style is distinctive. During the 1980s, the pub was run by the wrestler Johnny Kincaid for a few years, back when it was named the Bletchley Arms. JD Wetherspoon took over the pub and renamed it in 2017, spent £2.4 million on the building and the refurbishment, but the heritage of the 1930s building remains.

The history sign outside of the pub which explains the heritage of the building.

The pub has this on display, noting it’s an Enigma Machine, although I don’t know of any more heritage than that.

The interior is clean and comfortable, with numerous power points dotted around which proved handy.

This JD Wetherspoon is on a lower price band so the 660ml of beer and steak & kidney pudding was just over £6, which is certainly good value. I set the bar quite low on this stuff, but the cutlery was dirty so required me to clean it before use. The drink is the ever reliable Elvis Juice from Brewdog, although the glass served was too dirty to use. The gravy isn’t defective incidentally, that’s just my obsession with black pepper everywhere.

The dessert of chocolate cookie crunch was under £2 and the half pint of White Dwarf from Oakham Ales was £1. The beer was OK, it was well kept and it had a citrus kick from the hops with pleasant end notes.

It’s a relatively very well reviewed JD Wetherspoon venue, one of the highest Google Review scores I’ve seen so things must normally be rather happy and content here. I thought I’d have a little read through though….

“Absolutely disgusting, sat at our table looking at food under a light on the counter, that we’d ordered for over 25 minutes before it was served to us. I complained that it had sat there way too long before being served to us & was asked to leave”

I wonder how strongly they complained to actually be asked to leave….

“Awful customer service, unfriendly atmosphere, untrained staff. We were delivered drinks to our table which we did not order and left untouched, then half an hour later a very unpleasant manager accused us of theft if we did not pay for the drinks. Your operations are completely inadequate and your approach to customers is aggressive and unjustified. Avoid if you don’t want to be scammed by rude servers and an even more ill-mannered and unreasonable manager”

If a team member served me drinks at a table and I just tacitly accepted them without saying anything I’d be expected to be asked to leave when they realised….

“No stirrers for tea/coffee (wood stick things) very very disappointed.”

Customers are sometimes very brave to deal with such inconveniences…

“Geeky looking guy”

I didn’t bother copying the rest of the review, but this one is easy to identify who is at fault and it’s not the team member…

“Me and me mate where going to go in there got id now we are both are in are 50s don’t go out much were not impressed as we don’t carry id on us so they didn’t let us in apparently door staff said they have to do this now since when”

There’s a heap of reviews like this stating that they are IDing absolutely everyone. This feels rather sub-optimal for the pub to do this at the door, although secretly I’m always pleased to be asked about my ID since I never am any more :/ But, looking at this news article, I can understand the issue.

“We will never go back again we were only allowed 3 drinks each”

Hmmmm, I think I can guess what’s happened here.

“Asked for a pint of cider from who I believe was the shift manager, she gave me a large head on it and was very rude when I mentioned that I had asked for”minus the head please” and commented that it was the best she could do”

How on earth have they served a customer a cider with head? I’m with the customer….

“Questioned about a cider with a meal for my boy, maybe I’m mistaken but looking at government legislation says: However, if you’re 16 or 17 and accompanied by an adult, you can drink (but not buy) beer, wine or cider with a meal???”

Definitely mistaken, it’s up to the pub and isn’t some sort of human right. If there were human rights about beers, they should be about not serving Madri.

Anyway, I’ve digressed again. I rather liked the pub, although the glass and cutlery could have been cleaner, the service was friendly, there was value for money and the real ale was well kept. I like the effort made with the heritage of the pub and changing the name to honour those who worked at nearby Bletchley Park.

April 26, 2025
Basel – A Choice of McDonald’s From Three Countries

Inspired by Dreiländereck, I could choose a McDonald’s in Switzerland, France or Germany. Easy decision for Germany, it’s my tradition of always having a McRib within 24 hours of entering the country…. And they were the only one of the three countries who let me download their app to get vouchers so they were by far the cheapest of the three countries…. So, forget diplomacy, my choice was purely based on superior digital infrastructure and bargain hunting. And the McRib of course. That’s the kind of high-octane travel blogging you get here….. Oh, and the McRib was lovely, with the usual excessive amount of sauce.

April 25, 2025
Basel – Dreiländereck

I’m not sure that many people would be excited to see the three country point where Germany, Switzerland and France meet. But, as my friend Liam often tells me, I’m not most people.

It’s a bit of a trek there from Basel, about a 40 minute walk, but it’s pleasant enough walking along the Rhine.

Standing look out, that’s France on the left, Germany on the right and I’m standing in Switzerland. Actually, that is a slight limitation with the monument, it’s actually entirely in Switzerland as the meeting point of the three countries is in the middle of the river.

The monument which was erected here in 1957, with the three wings of the rocket looking thing representing each country. When it was constructed, Europe was very different and I’m not sure many would have imagined that the borders would have come down between these three countries. Incidentally, it looks relatively lightweight but it weighs 8 tonnes and had to be hoisted into place by crane. Apparently, a Hungarian mathematician, Istvan Csontos, who had fled to Switzerland, was involved in painstakingly calculating the complex curves of the monument.

From another angle.

The monument from another perspective, it’s visible in the centre-left of the photo with Germany on the left, the monument in Switzerland and France on the right. I’m overly excited by stuff like this…..

April 25, 2025
Basel – Basel Minster

This is perhaps the major landmark in Basel, the medieval Minster, located on Münsterhügel (or Cathedral Hill). The first religious building on the site was probably constructed here in around the ninth century, but it was expanded and rebuilt a few times until and a grand new structure was completed in something like the 1220s. The cathedral sort of, well, fell down in the 1356 earthquake, but they built back better and stronger. The first phase of reconstruction finished in 1363 and by all accounts, it was once again a grand Minister.

In the fifteenth century, the rebuilt Minster became the backdrop for a major event in European church history, the Council of Basel. Convened initially by Pope Martin V in 1431 (who promptly died shortly thereafter), the Council aimed to address church reform (which seems rather aspirational to me) and resolve the Hussite Wars. Held within the Minster’s walls, the Council became a focal point for the Conciliar Movement, which asserted the authority of church councils over that of the Pope. This whole arrangement placed Basel and its Minster at the epicenter of ecclesiastical power struggles, attracting dignitaries and theologians from across Christendom in the debate between whether the Pope was all powerful or not. What happened, like after most things created to end disputes, was that there was a huge schism and decades of arguments.

But, there were huge changes to come, as the Reformation hit Basel with some force in 1529. The Minister found its statues smashed by the local populace following a surge in religious fervour, and realistically a load of alcohol, with altarpieces destroyed and substantial damage to the building and indeed other churches in the city. In many cities, the organ was smashed up as part of this revolution, but the populace quite liked the music that came out of Basel Minister, so they kept it. What it meant was that the Catholic church lost their Minster, but the Protestants gained one. The two towers are called Georgsturm and Martinsturm, the former dates to 1430 and is 67.3 metres high, whilst the latter was finished in 1500 and is 65.5 metres in height.

This bit of action on the front of the Minister is St. George slaying a dragon and the sculpture is thought to date to around 1450. Although, and not being critical, it looks like a baby dragon that isn’t very ferocious, but the Swiss have always been a peace loving nation and perhaps this is the most that they could muster.

The north aisle in the Minister.

The nave, with the post-earthquake Gothic ribbed vaults.

Some choir stalls which seemed to have some age to them.

The tomb of Thüring von Ramstein who died in 1307 and he was the Dompropst, or ‘Provost of the Cathedral Chapter’, a senior ecclesiastical official just below the Bishop.

The St. Vincent Panel (Vincentiustafel) located in the north aisle. The relief depicts the ‘Martyrdom of St. Vincent’ (Martyrium des HL. Vincenz) of Saragossa, a deacon who was martyred around 304 AD in Valencia in Spain, during the persecutions under the Roman Emperor Diocletian. This sculpture is important as it was created in around 1100 and was installed in the cathedral which partly fell down in the earthquake, so it’s one of the oldest artworks still in the building.

Looking towards the choir and apse, it’s a grand affair.

A stained glass rose window in the south transept with the stone tracery depicting the Star of David.

Looking back down the nave and the stone pulpit, dating to 1486 and designed by Hans von Nussdorf, is visible.

Looking up to the impressive mid-nineteenth century stained glass above the apse.

Stained glass dating from the nineteenth century,

Look into the crypt from above.

The font is carved from sandstone and dates from around the early sixteenth century. There’s a grander font in the crypt, which isn’t accessible at the moment, but this is the one now used for baptisms and it’s octagonal and highly decorated.

A side door on the West Facade and there used to be a statue of the Virgin Mary here, but that went during the Reformation. The reddish sandstone used on the exterior is mainly sourced from quarries in the nearby Wiesental and Degerfelden regions across the Rhine in what is now Germany.

It’s not a very clear image, but the roof has a rather lovely decorative pattern.

It’s certainly worth visiting and there’s no admission charge, although it was a shame that the crypt was shut for the winter months and slightly odd that there was no history anywhere about the building.

April 25, 2025