[I originally posted this piffle in August 2018, but have reposted it to fix the broken image link]
Just as an aside, this is a Polish company that deals with road works and road safety. But I couldn’t help thinking of an episode of Friday Night Dinner and the gift of the schmoigle…..
[I originally published this in August 2018 and have reposted it to fix the broken image links. A lot has happened since then, I was one of the people who complained heavily when Greater Anglia tried to demolish the station and it’s now in one hell of a state since a bit of it fell off]
It was too hot in Cambridge, so I felt a visit to Brandon was in order.
This rather attractive little railway station was opened in 1845 and was part of the Norwich & Brandon Railway. The railway station services the town of Brandon and there is an interesting quirk that the station is in Norfolk whilst the main part of the town is in Suffolk.
Brandon railway station in 1845.
Brandon railway station in 2018. Sadly entirely boarded up, it has been staffless since the 1970s.
A view towards Cambridge.
It’s sad to see the buildings all boarded up, but at least they’ve tried to brighten it up a little.
The frontage of the railway station, just used as a car park now.
The railway station has been adopted, so at least there are some people taking care of it. The Brandon Heritage Centre mentions on their web-site that the group who adopted the station tried to take over and protect the buildings, but the landowners refused. Perhaps one day it’ll be able to re-open in some form….
[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.
[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].
[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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
