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  • London – Hackney (Borough of) – Shoreditch – Goose Island (Third Visit)

    London – Hackney (Borough of) – Shoreditch – Goose Island (Third Visit)

    This is my third visit to Goose Island this year as I think this might be my pub of the year and I need to ensure that I’ve made the right decision…… It might necessitate a fourth visit if I’m being honest, just so I’m entirely sure.

    The tap list behind the bar, but it’s also available on-line. Table service is offered by knowledgeable staff members, with the friendliness here being high, always welcoming. The staff seemed disappointed that the pub was quiet, but these are challenging times and London is in Tier 2. I suspect that in usual times that this pub would be full on an early Friday evening in central London.

    This is the pub’s new menu, from Nanny Bills and it’s primarily a burger menu. Interesting, although I’ve got my dining options sorted for the evening.

    The bar, all clean and organised.

    And my choice of beer, the Bangalore Breakfast from Goose Island themselves, a decadent milk stout. I limited myself to half a pint of this and despite someone else on Untappd saying it wasn’t very milky, I thought it was milky and smooth. Not quite as full a flavour as I’d been expecting, but suitably sweet to be moreish and sufficiently
    Epicurean. Although it was delicious, I did think that half a pint was probably enough, the sweetness did eventually become ever more apparent. It’s the same feeling that I get after accidentally eating two sharing packs (which is a stupid term, who shares them?) of Randoms.

    My friend Nathan gets annoyed that I keep saying just how good the Hop and Vine is (although it is), but he won’t mind me saying just how good this place is (he will be very slightly annoyed I’ve come here again though). Bearing in mind this is a relatively big bar in central London, the service element is perfect, the atmosphere is welcoming and the beer is delightful. Nicely beguiling, I’m happy here.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Leg Bones of John Fraser)

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Leg Bones of John Fraser)

    The National Army Museum is a perfect reminder of just how painful, messy and disastrous war is, there are a lot of stories of agony here. This one isn’t different, these are the leg bones of John Fraser who lost them in Gibraltar in 1782. He thought he’d like to keep them so that they could be interred with the rest of him when he died.

    Fraser served in Gibraltar between 1780 and 1782, but he came home after losing his leg, which seems sensible. He did though become a captain of an invalid unit and he returned to Gibraltar a few years later as a judge advocate. He was perhaps fortunate to survive such a loss, living until 1843 when he died at the age of 83. He was buried at St Barnabas’ Church in Kensington, leg included, but for some reason they decided to remove it again during later work at the church. I’m not entirely sure that he would have been thrilled….

  • London – City of London – The Telegraph Pub

    London – City of London – The Telegraph Pub

    Firstly, thank you to Fuller’s for my free drink, which will of course influence everything else that I now write….. This is one of what I consider to be their upmarket pubs, located near to Moorgate and likely popular with city workers when there are any workers in the city…..

    The lighting wasn’t ideal for these photos, but a shot of the interior.

    And the bar area.

    My free drink was a pint of London Pride, which was entirely acceptable. I treated myself to the cheese and onion crisps, which seem to be sold throughout the Fuller’s estate, although I wish they’d stock Brannigans. Not that they can because Brannigans have been discontinued, which I find very annoying indeed. And I’ll try not to complain about this savage decision from KP Snacks too often.

    The pub is a bit tucked away and visitors to London are unlikely to just stumble upon it, unless they get a bit lost. It had around ten customers on Friday afternoon, none of whom were dining, but the food menu was available. This is quite an expensive pub for food and drink (unless you get a free pint) and I found it just a bit formulaic. Given the history of the area, it’s all a bit sterile for my liking. The building itself is though new, built in 2003, replacing the Butlers Head pub which was demolished in 2002. The staff were though friendly and helpful, so the welcome seemed authentic and genuine.

    Anyway, since this was rather a cheap visit for me, I can’t complain.

  • Greggs – New Loyalty App

    Greggs – New Loyalty App

    I’ve rather abandoned Greggs recently, lured away by Pret, and this appears to be the response (I don’t mean to just me, but to the current crisis of people not eating out) that they’ve made. It means a free coffee and potentially more free chicken bakes and sausage rolls. Not as generous as Pret, but getting there…..

    —————-

    Greggs Rewards is changing

    Hi Julian,

    We’ve got a shiny, brand-spanking new version of Greggs Rewards, and it’ll be live on your device on 3rd November.

    So, what’s new about it?

    You’ll now get stamps for EVERYTHING (well almost everything). In the classic version we only have 1 stamp card, for hot drinks. Now you’ll get 6 different stamp cards in your app*

    Drinks – now for ALL drinks not just the hot ones; from your latte to your bottle of water
    Sandwiches and Salads – toasties to baguettes
    Sweet Treats – from doughnuts to cookies
    Breakfast – bacon butties to croissants
    Hot Food – a healthy soup, to wedges and chicken goujons
    Savouries & Bakes – from our famous Vegan Sausage Roll, to a slice of pizza and more

    The deal is ‘Buy 9 get your 10th for free’. Every time you buy a product you get a stamp. Collect 9 stamps and your next purchase in that category will be on us. Plus, you’ll still get your birthday treat and the odd little surprise.

    What does this mean for you?

    Your device

    The new app is now available for Android users! We’ll do the magic in the background, just make sure you’re using the most up to date version of the app.

    Your Rewards

    As you switch between old to new, we will transfer any pre-paid top-up balance as well as any of those well-earned Rewards. When it comes to your stamps, we have wiped the slate clean and given you a free hot drink Reward to say thanks.

  • Greater Anglia : Norwich to London Liverpool Street

    Greater Anglia : Norwich to London Liverpool Street

    So, back to London Liverpool Street today, and this is my train having safely arrived into the capital.

    This wasn’t ideal when I arrived at Norwich railway station at 11:05, my train had been cancelled. I say not ideal, I wasn’t that displeased, as that means a delay repay gets triggered.

    I was travelling First today, which wasn’t some decision to switch to a more decadent lifestyle, but just because the price was pretty much the same as standard. I don’t think I’ve been in First on the new trains, they look all smart and tidy.

    The individual seats and I like these raised ones, there’s a ledge for my bag and also easily accessible power points. Despite the service having to cater for the 11:30 passengers as well as the 12:00 passengers from Norwich, it wasn’t overly busy.

    First class passengers get free snacks and drinks, so I merrily meandered to the cafe bar to collect my refreshments for the journey. There was a very friendly staff member at the cafe bar, although he told me something which I’ve suspected, which is that the InterCity 125s now removed from the route were more stable than the current new trains. He mentioned this as he was being flung about, as was I, and I can’t imagine how difficult it is to try and work like that. I had wondered if the trains were going faster and that was the problem, but he thought not. So, all that money and Greater Anglia have bought more rickety trains than the ones they already had.

    These new trains don’t really seem to be perfect in numerous ways, it was a train fault that caused the cancellation of my 11:30 journey. The automatic announcements also went wrong as it kept repeating that we were stopping at stations that we clearly weren’t (stations such as Goodmayes and Romford are not stops which this service ever calls at to my knowledge), which led to the driver (or guard, whoever does the announcements) having to clarify the situation. The train was though clean and all was comfortable.

    The fare for this journey was £18, more than the usual £10 that I pay. The train delay means that I get 50% back, so the journey cost me £9, which is entirely agreeable to me. So, all rather lovely.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Child’s Shoe from Siege of Cawnpore)

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Child’s Shoe from Siege of Cawnpore)

    This is another emotive exhibit in the collections of the National Army Museum, a child’s shoe recovered from the well at Cawnpore. This was an uprising in India in what is now known as Kanpur, where for numerous reasons, there was a siege which forced British troops and residents to defend themselves. Nana Sahib led the rebellion against the British, seemingly as he hadn’t received a pension from the East India Company that he had wanted.

    Anyway, making a long story quite short, Sahib’s forces killed hundreds of women and children and threw their bodies into a well. The British soon recovered the territory, and committed a brutal shock and awe policy in retaliation with many locals humiliated and killed. This shoe belonged to one of the children who was killed, a reminder of a bloody siege.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Earl of Uxbridge Loses his Leg)

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Earl of Uxbridge Loses his Leg)

    Here’s a lovely cheery display at the National Army Museum, the saw which was used to cut the Earl of Uxbridge’s leg off. The note by the exhibit explains that “the Earl remained composed throughout the operation and his only comment was that the saw appeared somewhat blunt”. A stiff upper lip and all that… I can say, with some confidence, that if I was in the military I would be more vocal with my annoyance about such a situation.

    The little incident took place during the Battle of Waterloo when a cannon ball, one of the last to be fired that day, hit the Earl in the leg. It’s said (well, it’s written on Wikipedia) that he turned to Wellington and said “By God, sir, I’ve lost my leg!” and the response was “By God, sir, so you have”.

    The glove that was worn by Thomas Wildman, the Earl of Uxbridge’s aide, which got covered in blood when his master’s leg was sawn off. What a delightful day that must have been for all concerned. The Earl of Uxbridge, more commonly known as Henry Paget, was born in 1768 and he died in 1854.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Brompton Cemetery (Joseph Thomas Bowskill)

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – Brompton Cemetery (Joseph Thomas Bowskill)

    This grave at Brompton Cemetery commemorates the life of Joseph Thomas Bowskill, born in 1923, the son of Joseph and Alice Bowskill. He was married to Marjorie Ruth Bowskill and they lived in Brighton.

    He was part of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was a leading aircraftman, service number 1385868, working from RAF Weston-on-the-Green. Joseph died at the age of 22 on 1 April 1945 when his aircraft crashed shortly after take-off near to his airbase, also killing his two fellow crew members, William Callander and Harry Norman Skelton. He was buried on 7 April 1945, just a few weeks before VE Day and the cessation of military action in Europe. Marjorie, his wife, died in the Westminster area in 1973 at the age of 51.

  • London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Ruhleben Fighting City)

    London – Kensington and Chelsea (Borough of) – National Army Museum (Ruhleben Fighting City)

    This sign at the National Army Museum is from the area of Berlin that the British used to train for any attack on the city from the Soviets. The sign dates from around 1985 and the site was made to look like a city centre, even with some train carriages to add to the realism. The United States military had their own mock-up city nearby, known as Doughboy City. Ruhleben has survived today and is used by the German police for shooting practice.

    If the Cold War had taken place and fighting had broken out in Berlin, the troops that trained here would have been the ones who were called into action. Today, the area is a little more mundane, there’s a McDonald’s and an Aldi nearby. There’s a lot to be said for peacetime….

    https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_City#/media/Datei:Fighting_city_ruhleben_Berliner_Polizei.jpg

    And here’s what it looks like today. Well, in 2018 I think.

  • Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day 209

    Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue – Day 209

    The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue was first published at the end of the eighteenth century, and given that the current health crisis is giving too much time to read books, I thought I’d pick a daily word from it until I got bored….

    Mobility

    This is defined as “the mob: a sort of opposite to nobility”, as opposed to the current meaning of ‘mobility’ relating to free movement which is a relatively new definition. And this would have likely been pronounced differently, so the ‘mob-ility’, a nice way of defining the different classes in society at the time.