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Ely – Ely Stones

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

I thought that this was an interesting idea, they’re stones placed into the brickwork of the market which reflect various parts of the town’s history and heritage. Some of the stones were under the market stalls when I visited, but the above sign names the 12 different stones.

The stones are:

(i) City of Ely Crest

(ii) Ribe Crest

(iii) East Cambridgeshire District Council Crest

(iv) Ely Cathedral

(v) Cambridgeshire Regiment

(vi) Showman’s Guild of Great Britain

(vii) Princess of Wales Royal Air Force Hospital

(viii) HMS Walpole

(ix) Barrell and Grapes

(x) Eels and Basket

(xi) Windmill

(xii) Wheatsheaf

The Ely Cathedral stone.

The Showman’s Guild of Great Britain stone.

August 18, 2025
Ely – Oliver Cromwell’s House

[I originally posted this in July 2018 relating to a visit from 2016. I’ve reposted it to fix the broken image links]

This property was the former residence of Oliver Cromwell, the only former residence of the Lord Protector which still exists, with the exception of his brief time at Hampton Court. The property has had numerous uses over the years, having been turned into a pub by the nineteenth century. The property was also used as a vicarage for the adjoining St. Mary’s Church and is now used as a museum and tourist information office.

Cromwell inherited this property in 1636 and also took on the responsibility of being the collector of tithes for Ely Cathedral. The timing was fortune for Cromwell who had fallen on hard times and had to sell his properties in Huntingdon (for which he was the MP from 1628 until 1629). His restored wealth and importance was of a benefit to him when he became the MP for Cambridge in 1640.

This plaque reads “the home of Oliver Cromwell and his family. Cromwell rose to power during the English Civil Wars, to become ‘Lord Protector of the Commonwealth’ during England’s brief period as a republic in the mid-17th century. The Cromwell family lived in Ely for some ten years from 1636 until 1646”.

The entrance to Cromwell’s bedroom.

I didn’t see a ghost…..

A wooden statue of Cromwell.

A fireplace in the family’s kitchen.

Displays of food that might have been eaten at the time that Cromwell’s family lived here.

A period recreation of Oliver Cromwell working in one of the rooms, of which there are eight in the museum. There are also numerous inter-active exhibits and displays to hold the attention of children.

The museum uses its displays to tell the story of Cromwell and for visitors to make their own decision on whether he was a good man or a bad man. As usual, these things aren’t black and white, but the displays are thoughtfully put together.

There are displays which tell the history of the building, as well as the story of how Oliver Cromwell came to prominence. There’s also an explanation of the English Civil War and Cromwell’s importance in that.

There’s an admission charge of £5 for adults and £3.50 for children, with a visit lasting for around an hour. [As of 2025 it’s now £8 for adults and £5.50 for children].

August 18, 2025
Ely – Hereward Pub

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

This is another Stonegate pub in Ely and although it seems to be suffering from some poor reviews at the moment, I thought it only fair to try it for myself.

The bar was tidy and organised, and a staff member came over to serve me when she saw I was waiting. All very efficient and the staff member was friendly and engaging, so it felt a welcoming pub.

An offer that has limited availability during the week, but that’s a good ideal when the offer is on.

Unfortunately, there was just one real ale which was actually available, which was the Jenning’s Cumberland beer. It’s a golden ale which is middle of the road, but it was keenly priced and tasted well-kept.

The lunch offer was better advertised than in the Minister Tavern that I had visited just before, which is also Stonegate. Again, fairly priced and the real ale I had was discounted because of my CAMRA membership.

The interior is functional and clean, although there’s little of historic merit. I actually thought that this pub was better than some of the reviews suggested. I visited on a quiet Friday afternoon, but I got the impression that this was a much livelier venue in the evenings, which might explain some of the more negative reviews.

The service was warm and friendly, the tables were cleared down regularly and the atmosphere was welcoming and comfortable. The selection of real ales, down to just one, wasn’t great, but the staff member apologised for that so I assume there’s normally a wider choice. But, it’s a perfectly acceptable pub and worth visiting.

August 18, 2025
Food from Every Stall on Norwich Market (2025 Edition) – Week 26 and Ruby’s

This is week 27 of eating at every food stall at Norwich Market and the randomly drawn location this time was Ruby’s, which Nathan and I visited in 2023. I had a burger back then which I thought was decent, with Nathan having the BLT, so I had high expectations for this repeat visit.

The menu boards and there have been price rises of around £1 on everything since we visited in 2023, which is a larger percentage increase but these prices are still towards the lower end of the market pricing. I have to note that the prices for hot drinks are very low, just 70p for a tea and 80p for a coffee.

Not the fault of the stallholders, but there are bloody pigeons everywhere. Could be worse, there could be more seagulls. Note the signage on the left for quality, delicious beef burgers.

The burger which was nicely presented in a fresh roll and with salad which added taste and texture. I’m afraid to note that the burger itself was, if I’m being honest, sub-optimal, devoid of taste, seasoning and flavour. The burger was hot, properly cooked and all of that, just completely lacking in taste. By the end I was thinking they could have just ditched the burger and instead doubled the salad, which is a somewhat extraordinary thing for me to say given my life-long resistance to lettuce.

James had the cheeseburger and was also disappointed, replacing an experience he had at Reggies a few weeks ago.

Overall, the service here was friendly, the roll was fresh, the prices were reasonable and so that was all positive, although this wasn’t the burger taste sensation that I had hoped for. Either the burger quality has gone down, or perhaps I’ve been so surprised and delighted at the quality of the food stalls at the market that my expectations have increased.

August 18, 2025
Redhill – Garibaldi (Good Beer Guide)

The Garibaldi is a Good Beer Guide listed community pub located on Mill Street in Redhill, with a bit of a walk up a hill required to get there.

What’s on at the pub and a few copies of the Good Beer Guides. This is a small Victorian pub and it was nearly demolished a few years ago, but the community took it on and have been running it on a not-for-profit basis. They have a large garden area which has views over the local area, which also gives them something of a boost in terms of the seating numbers given that they don’t have a vast number inside. The pub likely takes its name from Giuseppe Garibaldi, the Italian revolutionary who came to the UK on a few occasions and seems to have inspired quite a few people to name pubs after him.

There were four real ales available, mainly local options. The service was warm and friendly, with the pub being moderately busy when I visited albeit with one quite raucous group in.

There were also a few craft keg beer options.

I stuck with the real ale and my first half was the Surrey session bitter from Pilgrim Brewery, a well-kept, light, clean and rounded beer with a slight biscuit taste.

My second half was the Shere Drop from Surrey Hills Brewery, which was clean, light and had a slight fruit edge.

This is a well-reviewed pub online and it does have a rather welcoming community feel to it, something perhaps evident by their meat raffle. Since 2017, it has been run as a community project on a lease from the amenable owner, but they’re now trying to buy the freehold to ensure the venue’s long-term viability and the MP, Rebecca Paul, mentioned the purchase of the pub in the House of Commons. It might not be the most central of pubs in the town, but it’s worth a walk up the hill to visit.

August 18, 2025
Norwich – Gentleman’s Walk and No Trams (Old Image)

This photo of Gentleman’s Walk is from 1938 and it doesn’t look far different today, just with fewer cars as the area by the market has effectively been pedestrianised. The saddest element of this is that the trams have gone, a decision made in 1933 following the purchase of Norwich Electric Tramways by Eastern Counties Omnibus. All the trams departed from Orford Place and this route would have been Haymarket, Gentleman’s Walk, the Market Place, St. Giles Street and then down Earlham Road. I also wonder how many of those market stalls sold food, I suspect not very many of them. James and I might have found it quicker to do our eating at every market stall thing back then.

August 16, 2025
Norwich – London Street / Guildhall Hill (Old Image 1919 and New Image 2019)

I’m not generally one of those people who looks at old photos and comes to an immediate conclusion that things were once better, but I have some sympathy with that argument with this above photo from 1919. The sweeping tram-line and the grand buildings give it something of a European feel. What is now the Leeds was once Dean & Palmer tailors and that was still going into the 1970s.

The removal of the tram-lines was a dreadful mistake and it’s likely now too expensive the fix that decision. The buildings remain grand as they’re the same ones, but it feels a little less charming without the decorative shop displays. Here’s a 1939 colour photo of those shops (one of very few he took) taken by the great George Plunkett shortly before war was to break out.

August 15, 2025
Norwich – Ferry Road (Old Image)

I’ve never seen this image before, but it’s Riverside Road in front with Pull’s Ferry at the rear. The road that the photo is taken from is Ferry Road.

And here’s what that looks like today. I hadn’t noticed, but that wall on the left does look pretty old.

August 15, 2025
Ely – The Minster Tavern

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links]

This Stonegate pub is located near to Ely Cathedral and the building looks interesting and well presented. It seems that the pub was formerly known as the Greyhound in the nineteenth century, but it hasn’t retained any of its historic interior.

I didn’t sense any ghosts or hauntings during my visit…

There was nothing particularly interesting in terms of real ale, but there was a choice of four different ales, which is a reasonable number. The Hobgoblin was the darkest they had during my visit and it tasted well-kept and was at the appropriate temperature.

The bar was organised, the staff were serving customers in turn and it all looked clean and tidy.

I had intended to get food, but there were signs for their Friday special offer of a meal and a drink, but few menus actually available to explain what was on that offer. Indeed, I found the menu too late, otherwise I’d have ordered from it.

The main menu was quite reliant on their two meals for £9.49 or £10.49 and all their desserts were two for one. This inspired thinking makes the menu mostly useless for one person, so I abandoned my plans to eat there which was a little frustrating. The entire menu, especially the breakfast selection, does though seem rather dated and tired, similar to what Wetherspoons were doing fifteen years ago. Having said that, I didn’t notice anyone seeming to be unhappy with their food, so it seemed to be meeting expectations.

The pub was advertising its music quiz.

There was a quieter area to the rear of the pub, which was extremely hot during my visit, but this was during the summer heatwave and so wasn’t really the pub’s fault.

Overall, the location was pleasant and the prices were towards the lower end of the scale for pints. They also offer a discount for CAMRA members which makes the pricing even more acceptable. The staff were also friendly and helpful, so there was a welcoming feel to the whole pub.

August 15, 2025
Ely – Drayman’s Son

[I originally posted this in July 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image links. I didn’t note at the time, likely as I didn’t know, that this is the taproom of the rather wonderful Three Blind Mice brewery]

I had intended to visit Ely museum and some other historic sites today, but it’s too hot, so I decided to visit some pubs instead. This wasn’t a difficult decision if I’m being honest.

The Drayman’s Son was the pub that came recommended, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed with my visit. It was on-trend, friendly, innovative and interesting. Ely isn’t perhaps overwhelmed by pubs like that, so I hope that this one does well.

The barman was helpful and engaging, and actually responded to my question of “do you have any dark beers?” in an enthusiastic manner. Sometimes the response in summer to that question is more like I’ve stabbed their kitten to death on the bar. He was conversational and engaging as well, it was an excellent first impression. There’s an interesting beer selection as well, there were numerous options on there that were tempting.

They had Prasto’s Porter from Boudicca Brewery, so I didn’t feel I couldn’t order that (I’ve rather overdone the negatives there…). Emma should be pleased with me! The porter was excellent, served at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature and having a rich and pleasant taste.

A map of where customers to the pub had come from. It’s a nice idea that works well in a pub like this. And, given the ridiculous heat when I visited, that fan was really appreciated.

Quirky and interesting, it’s a well thought out use of this former shop.

I like the railway memorabilia, it’s appropriate to Ely and it adds extra character to the pub. The pub also offers a discount to CAMRA members who show their card.

It’s only a small pub and there are just individual toilets, but they’re clean and functional.

I liked this pub, it’s contemporary without feeling forced or staged, and the service was friendly and engaging. The beer selection had been thought through and the pint I had was well-kept. In a town where pubs can fall into the trap of being just too generic, this was perfect.

August 15, 2025