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  • Greater Anglia : London Liverpool Street to Norwich

    Greater Anglia : London Liverpool Street to Norwich

    The Prime Minister’s announcement at the weekend meant that I abandoned my travel plans for the month, and indeed the rest of the year, so this was my trip back to Norwich. It was another £10 fare even though I booked it quite late.

    It wasn’t the busiest of trains, just a few people in each carriage. Everything functioned as it was meant to, the power worked and this was a train with tables (Greater Anglia sometimes operate Stansted Express trains on the London to Norwich route, which are annoyingly missing tables).

    And back into Norwich at 23:30, just a couple of minutes late. The railway station was quiet, the barriers were open and I imagine there will be few passengers over the next month.

    At least the next few weeks gives me some time to finish all the blog posts that I never quite got around to writing over the last few months……

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Brompton Cemetery (Alfred George Auger)

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Brompton Cemetery (Alfred George Auger)

    Sapper Alfred George Auger was born in 1924 and was the son of Joseph Auger and Ellen Gertrude Auger. Alfred joined the Royal Engineers and was part of the Bomb Disposal Company, not a role that was ever going to be anything other than risky. He died on 18 April 1945, alongside Sappers George Raymond Lewis and Mark Pierce, although I’m not sure what this incident was.

    The inscription on his grave is “gone from my home but never from my heart, mother” which is one of the more personal that I’ve seen. Alfred’s mother lived until 1981, when she died in London at the age of 95.

  • London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Holiday Inn Express

    London – Newham (Borough of) – Stratford – Holiday Inn Express

    I booked this hotel as there was a 5,000 points IHG rewards bonus on it, which is pretty generous as 10,000 points can get a free room. It was the cheapest IHG hotel in London, coming in at just under £40 for the night, including breakfast. That’s a bit more expensive than the endless Accor hotels that I’ve been booking, but it’s a modern and clean hotel.

    The dining and bar area of the hotel. It was never particularly busy, but it’s a pleasant environment for guests who want somewhere to sit.

    A water feature. How decadent.

    The room, which I’d booked as a family room to myself, as it was the same price as the other rooms. All bright, clean and comfortable. The television was meant to allow casting from my phone, but it didn’t work and I couldn’t be bothered to make it work. The remote control was also wrapped up in a little bag which was very thoughtful in terms of the health issues.

    The rewards voucher. I’ve never lost the key folder before, but I managed to last night, I have no idea where it went. Luckily the keycard wasn’t in it and I remembered what room number I was in. In the morning, a cleaner came into the room (well, she didn’t, she couldn’t get past the key chain thing), just as I was leaving it. She looked horrified but said she thought the room was meant to be empty. Her timing was fortunate though since I was leaving, but it would have been annoying if I was having a lie-in.

    The welcome drink, this was the best I could find. It’s something a little different, although I found it a bit drab. Anyway, it was free, so I won’t complain. Well, not much.

    The breakfast arrangement.

    The hot food was served by a staff member, who was very generous on the beans front. The ingredients were of a decent quality and if it was self-serve then there might have been a lot more bacon on the plate. There was only one other hot option, which was scrambled egg, but I’m not much of a fan of that. The croissants and muffins were a bit drab, but at least the hotel had made an effort with putting some sort of breakfast on.

    And this is my final hotel of 2020. I have a trip to Bilbao booked on 3 January 2021, although given everything I’m really not sure that this will actually happen. Anyway, I’d stay here again, although I’m not sure why I’d be in the Stratford area of London….

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Ibis Styles Kensington (Sixth Visit)

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Ibis Styles Kensington (Sixth Visit)

    My sixth visit to this hotel, which I wasn’t going to write up as I was meant to be coming back for a seventh visit during the week. Unfortunately, given the latest news, I’ve cancelled that and been refunded, so this will be my final Accor hotel of the year…. And that deserves a quick mention (to amuse me, not necessarily anyone else).

    This was an upgrade from a single room to a basic twin. I can’t complain, before loyalty discounts, this room cost £19 per night. Even the staff member was surprised at this pricing.

    The room from another angle, with my welcome drink of a Tiger beer. I’ve commented before that the drinks could be a bit more inventive, so I won’t drone on about that again….

    The breakfast, and I’m pleased to see that the Coco Pops are back. All rather satisfactory for £19 and the room was clean and tidy once again. It’s probably true, as a few reviewers have noted, that the breakfast offered could have been varied a little more, but this solution was convenient.

    For the first time, I had a look at the six buildings which make up this hotel, all knocked through to create a maze of corridors. The 1939 register shows the variety of people who lived here before the Second World War, it’s possible to work out who lived in each building and from this who used to likely occupy each of the now hotel rooms. Anyway, this hotel has been a useful base for my stays in London, I’m sure I’ll be back in 2021……

  • London – Hammersmith and Fulham (Borough of) – The Dove

    London – Hammersmith and Fulham (Borough of) – The Dove

    I walked to this riverside pub as it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide, a short walk from the centre of Hammersmith. There’s no shortage of history to this pub either, which was first opened in 1740 as Doves Coffee House. It became a pub in 1796 and it has been visited by Dylan Thomas, Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway and Alec Guinness.

    There is mention on-line, and indeed by the pub, that King Charles II and Nell Gwyn visited here, although I’m struggling to see how since they lived 100 years before the building was constructed. That link is just a bit too tenuous… There’s also a suggestion that James Thompson wrote the lyrics for ‘Rule Britannia’ when living here, although there’s not much evidence for that either. But it’s a nice thought.

    I was seated in the small bar which is said to be the smallest public bar in London, with five tables in it. There’s a larger dining area down some steps at the rear of this photo, but this remains a relatively small pub. I try to avoid taking photos with people in them, but I couldn’t avoid it with this one, hence the professional editing out.

    The bar was all nice and cosy, with half a pint of ESB, which is the best drink I can find in most Fuller’s pubs, and another pack of crisps. Main meals are served as well, although the prices are towards the higher end of the scale, £15 for mains and £8 for desserts, but the reviews of them are positive. The service I had was fast, efficient and polite, with the pub being clean and organised. I suspect it’s normally hard to get a table here given the decent reputation and it was full on Saturday afternoon, with some diners being fortunate enough to get a river view.

    Anyway, an interesting pub to visit…

  • London – Hammersmith and Fulham (Borough of) – Margravine Cemetery (Sign)

    London – Hammersmith and Fulham (Borough of) – Margravine Cemetery (Sign)

    That worked out well…..

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Earl’s Court Pret Update

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Earl’s Court Pret Update

    As an update to the situation at Pret Earl’s Court….. There’s now a gap in the display above the counter where the pumpkin spiced latte poster was, it has been removed. I was humoured though that the two people in front of me in the queue still tried to order the drink.

    This is about the most excitement that I get at the moment given the Government’s announcement….

  • London – Hammersmith and Fulham (Borough of) – Craft Beer Co

    London – Hammersmith and Fulham (Borough of) – Craft Beer Co

    This should have been the week when I finally managed to have visited every outlet in the Craft Beer Co chain, but it looks like the Prime Minister has put a stop to that. But, nearly there anyway, and I will get there…..

    Unfortunately, it wasn’t as busy as it deserved to be for a pub of this class. It’s listed in the Good Beer Guide and quite deservedly so. A few customers came in, and they all seemed content with what they had, but I can’t imagine a great deal of money was being made here for a Saturday afternoon.

    Nathan will mutter and tut that I say that this pub was a friendly and welcoming environment that I’d come back to. But it was, the sole staff member was engaging, conversational and keen to help. Comfortable and exciting, I liked it here. It’s interesting that the pub is located in a shopping centre, that’s unusual, but perhaps brings this type of beer to a new clientele. There are also numerous plug sockets dotted around the place which is useful.

    The beer menu was excellent, lots of different beer styles and some classy options. I couldn’t stretch to the decadence of the very expensive beers, but the Some People Are Immune to Good Banana Stout from Evil Twin Brewing was a delightful treat in itself. And, I’ll do my annoying thing of saying that it was rich, with a minimal taste of banana initially until the aftertaste kicks in, along with a smoothness that meant even the slightest sip was a delight. Right, I’ll stop there. I will have to get to the Evil Twin Brewing tap room in New York….

    I do hope that the Craft Beer Co can expand, they’re constantly surprising and delighting me at the moment.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Strawberry Tree

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Strawberry Tree

    I have very little knowledge about trees and flowers, but I quite liked this one at Brompton Cemetery. I obviously didn’t know what the tree was without assistance, but the cemetery had helpfully included a sign mentioning what it was.

    The Latin name is Arbutus unedo and the fruit of this tree is apparently edible, although I didn’t try. Wikipedia notes that it’s often used in jams and I don’t disbelieve them on this occasion.

    And the tree, quite a handsome addition to the cemetery.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Brompton Cemetery (Alfred John Weston)

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Brompton Cemetery (Alfred John Weston)

    This grave at Brompton Cemetery commemorates the life of Alfred John Weston. He was born in 1896 and he joined the Royal Fusiliers and was a private in the First Battalion. Alfred died on 2 February 1915 at the age of 19, being buried on 6 February 1915. His address was given as St Mark’s College Hospital, Chelsea, which was being used as the Second London General Hospital.

    There’s no next of kin mentioned on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission web-site, but if I’ve got the right person, at the 1911 census Alfred lived at 53, The Broadway, Ealing, along with his parents Edward Bradley and Elizabeth Bradley, although I’m unsure why the surname differs. His father, a naval pensioner, was thirteen years older than his mother, so I can only assume he remarried.

    And there another story ends, the usual places don’t mention what happen to him and his service records aren’t available. Unfortunately, 60% of these service records from the First World War were lost during air raids in the Second World War, so I assume that’s what has happened here. Alfred has also been given a new gravestone recently, although I don’t know the back story to that.

    Hopefully one day I’ll find out more about Alfred, it’s sad that a 19-year old died from his injuries likely incurred on a foreign battlefield and there’s little known about him. At least his body was buried in a local cemetery though, something which many families didn’t get.