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  • Bradford – Sunbridge Wells (Wallers Brewery)

    Bradford – Sunbridge Wells (Wallers Brewery)

    This is a slightly complex venue which is today a series of underground pubs and bars of various types. Originally this was built as a quarry in the thirteenth century, later becoming a dungeon and the largest air raid shelter in the city during the Second World War. In the 1960s it was turned into a nightclub which was operated by Shirley Crabtree (better known as the wrestler Big Daddy) although that lasted less than a year before the authorities had it closed down. Then the site was used as a dump for rubbish, which wasn’t ideal.

    A few years ago vast amounts of material were removed from the cellars (the stuff dumped there in the 1970s which included a lot of heavy rubble) so that they could be opened up for public access. Hence the pubs and clubs that are here now. The two photos above are of the two entrances to the vaults, with each of the individual freeholds having to be repurchased following their sale in the mid-twentieth century.

    The entrance corridor, suitably slightly haunting.

    Photos of the descent down to the ground floor. Apparently the local museum has helped to provide some of the items displayed on the wall, all of which have added some real character.

    I only visited one venue in the complex, as that was the only one that seemed open when I visited and also the only one that is listed on CAMRA’s Whatpub (some others are listed, but they’re marked as permanently closed). It’s a quirky venue, but it’d be hard not to be when you’re at the bottom of a complex like this. It’s a large pub and some people may say that there’s a very slight feel of damp, but I call that atmosphere. And who wants generic and sterile piffle. Back to the beer, I went for the Maiden Voyage from Bosun’s Brewery and it was entirely agreeable.

    There has been some controversy about this place and apparently some arguments between the tenants and landlords that I don’t understand and don’t really need to. However, it’s an interesting location to visit and definitely recommended. And it makes sense to have a beer when exploring, so a win-win. And here’s a BBC local news story about the opening a few years ago……

  • Bradford – Sparrow

    Bradford – Sparrow

    This is the Sparrow pub in Bradford, opened in 2011 and taken over by Kirkstall Brewery of Leeds a couple of years ago.

    Located in a former shop, it’s bright and airy, with extra seating available outside in the blazing hot sun (it’s been too hot again today). It doesn’t really have a feel of a pub and has more of a cafe bar arrangement to it, but everything was clean.

    The cask and keg selection neatly written up at the end of bar, with a decent selection of different beer styles. There seems to be a little cluster of decent bars here on North Parade, the Record Cafe is over the road and I’ve noticed a couple of other places I’ll hopefully get to visit.

    I went for the Black Band Porter, completely forgetting that I’ve had it before (at the Three Legged Mare in York) but it was equally good this time around, a nice coffee aftertaste. Those Seabrook crisps were delicious, I nearly got myself another pack but moderation is the key.

    Wheeling out my usual standard for a pub, I’d say that anyone moving to the area and coming to this pub to try and meet friends would be successful here. The member of bar staff was friendly, engaging and helpful, with the pub having a laid-back environment. Another rather lovely pub.

  • Bradford – Record Cafe

    Bradford – Record Cafe

    I still haven’t dealt with my blog post backlog from Leicester, but since I’m now in Bradford, I’d better start first with my little adventures here. This is the Good Beer Guide listed Record Cafe on North Parade, a mixture of Spanish restaurant, craft beer bar and record shop. That’s an intriguing mix by any measure.

    The beer list, which I thought was nicely put together with a range of beer styles. There’s also an ample list of cans as well, with some interesting and decadent imports from the United States.

    The service was excellent, with the staff member being friendly and engaging. I asked him which other pubs I should visit in Bradford and he gave me a few suggestions on top of the Good Beer Guide ones. He also suggested a venue over the road and checked with a group of customers in the pub when it opened, which was handy. The group probably thought I was following them when I then visited, but they were pleasant when I did, well, follow them.

    Anyway, the beers I had were a half pint of each of the Henry Hops from Mikkeller and the Brownie Hunter from Wilde Child Brewing Company, a micro-brewery from Leeds. The first was a keg beer and was fine, but the latter cask beer was excellent. It was full-bodied, smooth, inevitably decadent and if it had a slightly stronger aftertaste to carry on that beautiful flavour of chocolate fudge brownie then it’d be near perfection. Possibly a little too sweet for some, but absolutely not for me, a lovely lunchtime treat (and actually better than most desserts as far as I’m concerned).

    This is the sort of bar that I’m delighted is in the Good Beer Guide, as otherwise I’d have perhaps avoided it thinking that it was primarily a restaurant. It isn’t, I’d say that it’s a primarily a bar with food options and records for sale as well. Bradford should be proud of this pub, all nicely done.

  • Leicester – Cavendish House

    Leicester – Cavendish House

    Located on the Leicester Abbey site are the remains of Cavendish House. This property was constructed in the late sixteenth century from the stone taken from the abbey, which had been closed down as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The above photo is taken from what was once inside the property and it’s also the location of where the Abbey’s main gatehouse would have been located.

    And from outside of the grand house, which had been purchased by William Cavendish (1593-1676), the first Earl of Cavendish, in 1613. In 1634, Cavendish spent £15,000 entertaining King Charles I, which would have been an enormous sum at that time. He must have been considerably annoyed when he wasn’t rewarded with any important job or role. He remained loyal though to the King and during the English Civil War, this property was the headquarters of Charles I before the Battle of Naseby in 1645. That battle was lost by the Royalists and Parliamentarians soon destroyed and set fire to Cavendish’s property.

    And it has remained in this burnt out state since 1645. At the Restoration in 1660, Cavendish got most of his assets back, but this property was never rebuilt.

    There are still blackened areas around the windows, evidence of the fire. Abbey House was constructed at the beginning of the nineteenth century to the side of this burnt out structure, but this section was never incorporated in. In the last few years there have been a few concerns about the stability of these ruins, but some money has been spent on ensuring that they’re protected.

  • Leicester – Newarke Gateway

    Leicester – Newarke Gateway

    This is the Newarke Gateway in Leicester, also known as the Magazine Gateway. It was first built in around 1400 and it was designed to be a fancy first impression for visitors to the College of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as there was no city walls or the like attached to it. Horses and later vehicles could use the big gate and there’s a smaller pedestrian gate as well, with ground floor rooms for the porter. The College was demolished after it fell victim to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but the structure of the gateway survived. During the late sixteenth century, it was used to house Catholics at a time when they deemed to be a threat to the nation state.

    This is the inside of the gateway and it’s known as the Magazine Gateway at it was used to store arms and munitions during the English Civil War.

    The interior of the three-storey gateway is unfortunately closed and only accessible on Heritage Day weekends and the like. I’m not sure what the rooms above the gateway are now used for, but this would make a very nice pub…

    It’s something of a miracle that this structure has survived, as its demolition has been suggested on more than a few occasions. Purchased by the County Justices in 1888, it was mentioned at the beginning of the twentieth century that a decision to keep the gateway had been made and it was noted that the street level had risen several feet over the centuries which made the gateway look somewhat less impressive in terms of its size. It appears that this problem has today been fixed, as it’s evident in the above photograph that the level of the floor is now below that of the road.

    The structure was repaired in 1922, with Leicester County Council saying that they hoped it would survive for many decades to come. By then the stonework had been damaged and the renovation work seems to have been considerably overdue. In 1964, police rushed to the scene as two students had climbed the structure and were throwing flour, toilet rolls and streamers at those below. The police weren’t impressed and the matter went to court, with each student being fined £10.

    More recently, the council had a great idea that they’d build a roundabout and underpass around the gateway, making it difficult to reach and isolating it away. At least they decided not to demolish it….. The building was at this point used as a regimental museum, although this was moved in 1996 to the impressive Newarke Houses Museum which is just a short walk away. In 2007, the council accepted that a mistake had been made by their planners, with the underpass being filled in and the gateway now made accessible once again. The appalling decision made in the 1960s can be seen at the photos on this web-site https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2021/april/the-covers-are-off-200000-works-on-15th-century-magazine-gateway-at-top-of-dmu-campus-are-completed-by-city-council.aspx. What a way to treat an historic building….

  • Leicester – Head of Steam

    Leicester – Head of Steam

    On 5 April 2018, what I consider to be one of the best pub chains in the country opened a grand new pub on Market Street in Leicester, a craft beer delight. Plenty of money was spent on the interior to give it an on-trend and cutting edge feel to it. It lasted for just nine months when the owners Camerons turned into The Sanctuary, a different brand they also operated, which in turn survived for just a few weeks.

    I asked a few people this week what happened to the Head of Steam and why it closed. There was universal acceptance that this was a great pub, but that it was ahead of its time and simply the wrong building for the brand and in the wrong part of the city. It seems that the pub was well managed, it got positive reviews and looking through their beer list, they were doing a marvellous job. Unfortunately, the customers just didn’t come and even the launch party was heavily under-attended.

    The premises became used by a steakhouse which only lasted a few months, but after a couple of years of remaining empty, Olivia’s Townhouse have now moved in. This one looks destined to fail as things stand, they’ve been hit with a series of negative reviews and I suspect that they might struggle as well to make this site work. They’re aiming at a very different demographic to me, namely 18-21 year old women judging from the marketing with no real ale or craft beer available.

    Perhaps if Head of Steam had opened a smaller outlet, more similar in size to their Hull premises, then it might have survived and prospered. Sadly, this transpired to be an expensive mistake from the chain and I can imagine that the losses here were significant. Hopefully one day the Head of Steam will return to Leicester, but perhaps in a more manageable location.

  • Leicester – Ibis Leicester City

    Leicester – Ibis Leicester City

    This is the sort of centrally located (it’s very central if you’re at the railway station, more like 10 minutes away from the city centre) Ibis Hotel in Leicester. It has 94 rooms and is part of the Accor hotel and I’m pleased to add that I no longer need to start posts with a mention of problems with their customer service (since my long standing issue seems to have now been resolved).

    Guests entering on the ground floor see this little reception type area, although the main reception and all of the staff are on the first floor. The check-in process was all efficient and the staff member seemed very keen to be helpful, a kind and warm welcome.

    The Ibis room, which is pretty much like all the others in the chain around the world, although the television was a little small (not that I ever turn them on anyway). I wouldn’t say that the room was spotlessly clean, but it was sufficient for me.

    The view out of my window of the railway station. I was pleased that the window opened, the sound of trains was quite smoothing. Well, the sound of what sounded like a freight train braking at 3am was less exciting, but it’s all part of the character of the area.

    The welcome drink of Boddingtons, which I consider to be an acceptable option, so that keeps everyone happy.

    I had a look at the reviews of the hotel, and it’s pretty much in the middle of ratings, it’s managed to upset a fair few people, but also pleased quite a lot. Alongside some of the ridiculous reviews, such as an angry guest who was annoyed that the hotel wouldn’t put balloons in their room, there are more worrying ones such as one which says a previous guest had been smoking in the room and the hotel didn’t resolve the smell issue, with another guest mentioning that the light switch was hanging off. If there’s a smell of cigarette smoke then I’d refuse the room, and I’d expect that the hotel would find another room even if that was in another hotel. The hotel is within its rights to charge the previous guest for their costs. Anyway, I’ve digressed again.

    Incidentally, the hotel doesn’t advertise car parking as they have five spaces which aren’t accessible spaces, but they’ve had several guests turn up, park in a neighbouring car park and complain they’ve been fined. Sounds like an interesting drama to listen into at reception….

    There were minor internal noise issues on one night, although nothing that troubled me. Others might not have liked the noise of the railway and road outside, but I like such external distractions so all good. There wasn’t air conditioning available in the room, just a centralised air warming and cooling system. However, with the window opening, it wasn’t difficult to regulate the temperature.

    Anyway, all good and reasonably priced. I’d suggest that this is likely a reliable option for anyone wanting relatively inexpensive accommodation near to Leicester city centre.

  • Leicester – The Globe

    Leicester – The Globe

    This was the first pub we visited this week on what proved to be an expedition to all of the Good Beer Guide pubs in central Leicester.

    My first impressions were all very positive as the building looked interesting and there was also an information board outside about the pub’s history. It has been serving beer since at least 1720 with ales once brewed using the well which is still located beneath the building. It’s possible that the pub’s name comes from the larger glass globes of water that framework knitters placed in windows to help give them more light to work by. The current building dates from the late eighteenth century and its been owned by Everards since the late nineteenth century.

    The snug area towards the front.

    Despite the threats of ghosts, we decided to sit in the snug….. So very brave. I can report that no ghostly activity took place that we were aware of. On this whole haunting matter, the pub’s web-site mentions:

    “Prior to becoming a public house, the Globe had several interesting uses, including a cattle merchants and accommodation for women awaiting impending execution at the hands of the noose man in nearby Gallowtree Gate. This may go some way to explaining the reported haunting within the premises, which includes the ghost of a woman on the stairs, two disagreeing brothers that argue over the bar and a young boy in the cellar who turns off the beer!”

    The beer selection wasn’t ideal for my tastes, with no darker options although the Old Original from Everards was acceptable enough. The pub is operated by Ever So Sensible which has twelve or so sites, but they seem to be restricted to beers from Everards.

    The service at the bar was friendly and the environment seemed welcoming and comfortable. Food is served here throughout the day, although I only saw one person ordering a meal, but the reviews are mostly positive. As an aside, the pub has a few negative reviews that really aren’t ideal, I’m never sure that chains like this should have a blanket policy of not bothering to reply. There’s an allegation of an assault that took place recently at the pub, and although review sites aren’t perhaps the place to air these things I’d like to see the venue at least suggest that they’re taking it seriously, even if they don’t comment on the actual incident.

    The pub was clean and it’s great that such an historic building is listed in the Good Beer Guide, I like to see pub heritage. There was nothing wrong for me to comment about on the visit, but ideally I’d have liked some slightly more exciting beer options, but they seem to be tied to Everards which perhaps gives them little freedom.

  • Leicester – The Salmon

    Leicester – The Salmon

    Continuing with our trip to every Good Beer Guide listed pub in Leicester, this is the Salmon on Butt Close Lane (I make no comment on that, but it isn’t perhaps an ideal residential address). As with the King’s Head we visited yesterday, the pub is operated by Black Country Ales who I’ve become quite impressed with.

    The pub had a slightly quirky feel to it, but in a positive way and the staff member was enthusiastic, polite and engaging. I’ve noted that a few pubs in the area serve good value cobs, here there are £2 options which include cheese & onion or ham & tomato amongst other options. It’s best I don’t start buying these, as I’d likely end up buying about four.

    I was very impressed with this list of beers, lots of different styles and three darker options. These screens make it so much easier for customers to see what’s available, I’d like to see set-ups like this more often.

    And what a drink to start with, the Creme Bearlee from Beartown Brewery, a milk stout that was as smooth as Michael Gove’s dancing in Aberdeen. Rich with tastes of molasses, vanilla and coffee, this could be a dessert if someone shoved a flake in it. Glorious tasting little beer.

    I was only going to stay for one, but I felt the need to just work through a couple of other options on the beer menu. I have to note that this drink was served with a hair in it, which wasn’t ideal, but I let that matter fly (and indeed the hair). This is the Dragon Smoke from Beowulf Brewing Company and it had a beautiful smoky flavour as its name suggests, a touch of decadence.  There was some coffee evident in the taste, with a richness of flavour, although the aftertaste didn’t linger quite as much I would have liked. But still delightful.

    Finally, the New Alchemist from Plan B Brewery, a microbrewery from Newport, this didn’t have quite the richness I expected, but it was suitably refreshing.

    Back to the pub, I really liked it here, evident as I stayed longer than expected. Other customers spoke to me, the barman was friendly and this was another pub which felt like somewhere that a newcomer moving to the area could visit and find friends. This is an essential factor in a decent community pub in my mind, somewhere which serves its locality and brings people together. Another really delightful entry into the Good Beer Guide and it’s unlikely that I’d have found it otherwise as it’s very slightly off the beaten track. All very lovely.

  • Leicester – Wygston’s House

    Leicester – Wygston’s House

    Our Good Beer Guide expedition around Leicester took us to this quite glorious building, which is the oldest residential property still standing in the city, dating back to the fifteenth century. This pub has a restaurant upstairs, so we decided to visit that for the full experience of the venue. I had made an advance booking and wasn’t quite sure where to go, but the staff member at the downstairs bar quickly acknowledged us and explained to amble up the stairs (I’ve added the word amble there, this is a place that shouldn’t be rushed).

    The upstairs grand hall of the property, which was built for Roger Wygston, although it’s not known why this building survived when so many others were taken down. Like many buildings of this age, it has gone through numerous transformations as shops, offices, residential accommodation and now as a pub.

    As for the drinks, I went for the tasting selection, which was one third of three different beers. I like these flights (three beers for me to list on Untappd and so more badges to collect, and I admit given that I need to get out more….) and the friendly staff member tried to tell me which each beer was, eventually willingly just leaving me with her scrawled note so that I didn’t forget. The beers were all enjoyable, although if I was being a bit picky, I would have preferred a wider range of beer styles. From left to right there’s the ‘What the Fox’s Hat’ from Church End Brewery, then ‘Blue Fox’ from Charnwood Brewery and then the ‘White Rat’ from Ossett Brewery. They were all well-kept and at the appropriate temperature, with the three drinks costing £3.90. I did like that the beers were from different breweries, not just a job lot from one place.

    I went for the fish and chips, which was well presented and the triple cooked chips were delicious with their fluffy interior and crispy exterior. The fish flaked away, all tender and the batter had a pleasant flavour to it. There were proper mushy peas, but there was a flavour that I couldn’t discern (that wasn’t pea I mean, I could identify that) and didn’t overly like, I think I’d rather have had a minty element to them. Much more excitingly I suspect that the tartare sauce was homemade, it was very moreish. I would have rather had a slightly larger portion of chips, there was a bit too much blank space for my liking on the plate, but it all tasted fine and there was an appropriately timed check back.

    The Eton mess, which was neatly presented again, or at least, as well as you can present a mess. I would have liked a bit more meringue because I’m greedy like that, but it was a suitable way to end the meal.

    The service was attentive and welcoming throughout, but the restaurant area remained relatively quiet during our Friday evening visit. As for the beers, there was a choice and they were well-kept, although there was perhaps nothing exceptional that I’d mention. I’m definitely pleased that this is in the Good Beer Guide as I don’t think that I would have gone in otherwise, and I would have missed the over 500 year history of this building. I’d recommend this pub to others, the dining environment particularly was comfortable and relaxing, I liked the laid-back atmosphere to the whole arrangement.