Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Peterborough

2023 Peterborough Beer Festival

I’ve never been to Peterborough Beer Festival before and it’s been an event that I’ve been excited to try and visit. It’s an annual event operated by CAMRA and held on the week running up to the August Bank Holiday and takes place in marquees on the Peterborough Embankment.

Emma, the owner of Boudicca Brewery, escorted me to the event as it’s important that there’s a supervisory adult when I attend these things. There are two large marquees, one with music and this one with all the beer. I paid an entrance fee of £1, which is the reduced amount for CAMRA members. Like a child, I was genuinely excited at this stage and was scouring the free programme to see what beers would excite and delight me.

The second stage and I was privately quite pleased there was no lunchtime music. I like a bit of peace…..

Inevitably my first port of call.

I don’t keep festival glasses any more as I can’t cope with any more of the things, but it’s a clean design.

They think that they have the longest continuous bar of any beer festival in the country, with this one coming in at 105 metres. There’s not a huge amount of seating available outside, but they do their best and there’s of course plenty of grass to sit on outside.

Some of the beers racked up.

I was pleased to get a behind the scenes invite and that’s how they’re cooling the beers, lots of ice bags. It always add something to any event to be able to see how they’re running things and everything seemed organised and in control.

They then pull the barrels forwards when one runs out. That’s the end of my technical explanation of how they look after the beer, but I will say everything was all well kept and at the appropriate temperature.

This was all whetting my appetite for the Norwich Beer Festival at the end of October, where I’m volunteering all week.

There was a lovely atmosphere at the festival with a large amount of outdoor space. There’s the beautiful Peterborough Cathedral in the background.

I spent some considerable time working out the food options and in the end, Emma and I went for the same food stall. She went for beef in black bean sauce, I went for the old reliable chicken in black bean sauce. It cost £10, but the rice element was filling and the chicken was tender and flavoursome, so I was happy with the whole arrangement. It was also rather lovely to catch up with some of the CAMRA members from Norwich, some of whom were attending all week.

Back on the customer side of the bar. Excluding Boudicca, which is obviously the best brewery at the beer festival, my favourite beers of the day were Tonkoko (Brew York), Bakewell Tart Stout (North Riding Brewery), Blood Orange Pale (Three Acre Brewery), BlaX Forest Stout (Xtreme Ales), 1837 Double Brown Stout (Ridgeside Brewery), Haast’s Eagle (Brew York) and the best of the lot was the Chocolate Old Peculier from Theakston. As can be guessed from how many beers I’ve just listed, I certainly had a good attempt at trying a range of different styles from numerous breweries. I was impressed at how far some of these beers had come from, it’s not just a festival for local brewers.

There are a number of rides which are just ideal for those who have had too much to drink….

Emma looking excitedly at a dog.

Look at how much space they have for their glasses! I’m jealous, as we’re rather more restricted at Norwich Beer Festival. Although, we are in the historic St. Andrew’s Hall which is hardly a hardship. It won’t be a surprise to anyone for me to write this, but the volunteers were all helpful and enthusiastic. There were plenty of suggestions for different beers, lots of conversation and all the hard work that the volunteers put in was very much appreciated. The prices for the beers were also reasonable, with customers being able to pay at the bar using either cash or card.

All told, I had a rather lovely day, with Emma and I having some time to visit some pubs in the town and there was even an run for the last train (that’s a long story but Emma will calm down soon about the amount of running she had to do). I was hoping to be able to go a second time in the week, but couldn’t tempt anyone else to go, as there were some beers I left untried and some pubs I didn’t get chance to visit in Peterborough. But there’s always next year!

August 28, 2023
Peterborough – Blind Tiger

Richard and I tried to visit this bar in a previous trip to Peterborough, but due to some poor planning on our behalf it was about to close so I didn’t get chance to go in. However, in Peterborough on my own for the day, I saw their Untappd list of beers in advance and was suitably impressed.

An inviting and organised set-up, with the screen behind the bar showing the Untappd list of beers. The staff member was knowledgeable and welcoming, with me being the only customer amidst the Coronation excitement going on across Peterborough. In terms of the choice of beers here, this must be one of the best in Peterborough and it has been well curated.

The set-up is bright and informal, catering for a slightly younger audience and offering an extensive range of cocktails. It all feels on-trend and perhaps Richard would have enjoyed sitting on the swing benches.

I went for one half pint and two 1/3 pints. Starting on the right, that’s part of the Ultimate Bar Snacks range from Northern Monk, this one the Scampi Fries beer. The staff member said that it was like a Radler and he was right, but it was better than I anticipated with somewhat of a depth of flavour rather than just a taste similar to a shandy. It’s tacky, but to be fair, it wouldn’t be the first time that I’ve ordered a beer because it’s tacky.

The beer in the middle is from Three Hills Brewery, who produce some of the best stouts going, and was the Arctic Fruit Rice Pudding sour. This worked for me, I like rice pudding and the flavours didn’t disappoint.

It’s the beer on the left though that was the star of my little line-up, again from Three Hills and it’s the Summer Fruits Custard Crumble. The smell of this was like a fruit smoothie, it was thick, luscious and had a backdrop of custard flavour along with tastes of blackberries and blueberries. This was a complete delight, what a way to celebrate the Coronation.

It’s a well reviewed bar, which is unsurprising given the effort made to supply interesting and quirky beers, alongside a wider choice of drinks. It was closed off during my visit, but there’s a large cellar bar which is available to private groups, with some external seating. As an aside, I also got an Untappd badge for checking in here, not many places offer that, so perhaps I’ll revisit to get my second level of the Tiger Stripes badge. Very impressed.

May 7, 2023
Monday : A Day in Lincoln and the Cardinal’s Hat

My plan for the next few days was to visit Lincoln, which was the first casualty of Covid a couple of years ago, when I had to cancel my hotel and train bookings. It was also the only money I lost on travel, an £18 pound rail ticket to get there wasn’t refunded, but the return was, as train services were cancelled during that weekend because of the Covid worries. In fairness, compared to what others lost, that was trivial and I was very fortunate with Covid relating bookings. Anyway, back to the present (well, back to three weeks ago, as I’m still catching up with this blog), leaving the Travelodge, I walked past the queue for a passport, which even at 08:00 was wrapped around the Passport Office building in Peterborough.

Wetherspoon breakfasts are getting too decadent in price for me now, so I just settled down with my £1.20 unlimited coffee and waited for the train to Lincoln. I can’t complain about the value for money on hot drinks in the pub, especially as I used their power sockets to keep my devices charged up.

Fun fact, Peterborough is twinned with Bourges in France and also Vinnytsia in Ukraine. I’m surprised that the city leaders haven’t twinned the city with one of the Peterboroughs in the United States, or even the one in Ontario in Canada, as that would have made for some interesting holidays, or business trips, whatever they’re called.

The railway station, in all its glory. Located 120 kilometres north of London on the mainline, there are frequent services up to Scotland, although I was getting ready to board a more provincial train.

I was quite taken with this LNER clock, but then again, I’m easily pleased.

I had obtained my train ticket to Lincoln for under £5, another rail sale ticket, and it was all clean and comfortable (the train, not the ticket). I had a reserved seat on this train and also had the entire table for four to myself which was handy.

Lincoln railway station and note the professional photography skills of my finger over the camera. I’ve got used to the phone now, so photos shouldn’t be obscured in future. Hopefully and I can’t promise anything. Formerly known as Lincoln Central, the station was constructed in 1848 for the Great Northern Railway company. There was another railway station nearby, Lincoln St. Marks, which was closed in 1985 and for a change, this decision made sense. But more on this in tomorrow’s riveting update from Lincoln.

The view from the JD Wetherspoon’s Square Sail. I’m still ticking them off my list…. The reviews are fairly average for one of the chain’s venues and it has a modern feel to it and I liked these views from the upstairs tables. I had a little read through the negative reviews, as that’s the sort of thing that passes for entertainment for me on a Sunday evening now and I liked this 1/5 review:

“After waiting over half an hour we my Husband and I (10th Wedding Anniversary!), received 2 mugs of cold Tea, well stewed”

Puzzled as I am that they didn’t just get the tea as self-service and with no disrespect to Wetherspoons, but perhaps a special anniversary deserved a little more of a decadent venue.

This humoured me as well:

“The food was cold the hottest thing on my plate was the English mustard.”

The entrance to the Drill, a drama theatre. It takes its name from when the building was a Drill Hall and it has only recently re-opened following what was feared to be a permanent closure.

I rather liked the head, designed by Rick Kirby.

Located on Free School Lane and next door to the Drill is Lincoln library and I had a quick inspection of the local history section and I was suitably pleased with it. The building was opened as a library in 1914, moving from the Assembly Rooms.

The city’s war memorial which was repaired in 2005 after it started to fall into disrepair.

They took the iron railings during the Second World War to help the war effort and I’m not sure whether that was appropriate or not. Although, in the end, the bulk of this mass collection of metal that they took was just dumped.

And a quick visit to JD Wetherspoon’s, the Ritz. This felt a little bit more rough and ready than their other venue in the city, but I think I preferred this one as it had some characters in it. This former cinema, named Ritz which will come as no surprise, was opened in 1932 and the on-line reviews are again fairly average for the chain.

I’d agree with this customer, but am disappointed that they didn’t upload a photo of their mound of sausages:

“If you are out of a particular item, let the customer know rather than simply decide to substitute it. My mixed grill had no chicken and no lamb, and simply bunging on extra sausages doesn’t make up for that”

And in the middle of another review, someone was complaining in general about the pub and mentioned the pub’s:

“Professional coffee drinkers”

I think I manage that sometimes….

Some of the pub’s decor.

With that it was time to move onto the nearby Travelodge, where I had a cheap room for three nights. The Travelodge room did not surprise and delight me, indeed it annoyed me. This ground floor room didn’t have opening windows so I decided I’d be in a general mood about the room, which wasn’t in a particularly good state of repair and goodness knows what the stain on the curtains was. Anyway, it was cheap.

Departing from my decadent hotel room, I noticed the Lincoln Imps on this closed shop, which was a Boots until recently.

The war memorial again, with St. Benedict’s Church behind it.

This is Lincoln Guildhall, but what’s rather exciting (to me) is that this was the site of the gateway to the town on Ermine Street. The gateway was built in 211 AD and was known as the Stonebow, surviving until the fourteenth century. A new structure was completed in the following century and that in turn was faffed about with in the nineteenth century by the Victorians. It’s still where the meetings of Lincoln City Council take place, a building with considerable historic interest.

The Guildhall’s coat of arms.

George Boole (1815-1864), a local man who was mostly self-taught and he went onto become an important mathematician and philosopher, and I hope my friend Nathan is impressed that even I know of his importance to maths (Boole I mean, I’m not sure how important Nathan’s legacy is to the mathematical community).

Off to the Good Beer Guide listed Cardinal’s Hat pub, which I very much liked, with a suitably interesting keg and cask choice. The service was friendly and the whole pub felt historic and interesting.

Decadent surroundings to enjoy my Voodoo stout from Ossett Brewery, reminding me of my visit to the Rat & Ratchet pub in Huddersfield last year.

Lovely room, I like sitting by books.

The pub has a newspaper for a menu which has their food and drink list as well as some gossip about the pub. I like the idea of this, it might not be entirely practical, but it’s quirky and different.

And as I liked the pub so much, I went for a second drink, the Orbital Horizon from the wonderful Atom Brewery in Hull. Which then promptly reminded me of their pub in Hull, Atom Brewing at the Corn Exchange…. This was a very decent beer, a jam doughnut and chocolate sprinkle pale ale, this is just the sort of drink that I like. I am not threatened by beer with a flavour of doughnuts, indeed, I am very open to the concept.

It had started to rain by the time I left the pub, which was far from ideal. I’d recommend the Cardinal’s Hat and the building is authentically old, having been built in the fifteenth century as a residential property. It was used as an inn from 1521 until the beginning of the nineteenth century, when it became a shop. After the Second World War, it was acquired by St. John’s Ambulance and has recently been restored back into a pub, and a fine job they’ve made of it.

I had wanted to go to another pub listed in the Good Beer Guide, but it was closed due to be short staffed, more on that tomorrow. This is the rear of Lincoln Guildhall.

St. Mary’s Conduit, named after St Mary-le-Wigford’s church which is sits in front of.

The conduit was used from the sixteenth century until the turn of the twentieth century (1906 to be exact) to supply drinking water to local residents. They built it by pinching bits of the stone from the Carmelite Friary which has been dissolved following the Reformation, hence the rather quirky looking nature of the structure. There’s far more information about this at https://www.thecollectionmuseum.com/assets/downloads/IS_arch_19_st_marys_conduit.pdf for anyone interested.

June 12, 2022
Sunday : Off to Peterborough on the Train

Using the railways seemed exciting a few weeks ago, there was a rail sale, the network seemed in good shape and I got a ticket to go from Norwich to Peterborough for just £4. Rolling forwards, there looks like a summer of turbulence on the rail network with strikes and other outages, it’s really not ideal for those without cars. On a brighter note (for me, as I’m not sure anyone else would care), this was the first day with my new phone, so the photo quality may, or indeed may not, be marginally better. Just to show how unobservant I am, this is the first time that I’ve noticed you can sponsor a flower box (or whatever they’re called) in front of the railway station.

The train on the left is going to London Liverpool Street and the train on the right, which I was catching, was going to Liverpool Lime Street. I mention this as the conductor made three announcements on board about the difference, so there must have been a number of passengers getting confused. It made me wonder which destination I’d prefer, and I’d be happy with either, but I think it’s time that I go to Liverpool again. Although there’s a direct train there, it’s usually cheaper and even quicker to go down to London and back up. Actually, it’s a shame that the conductor didn’t give some numbers about how many people got on the wrong train, to spice the story up a bit. Is this a regular problem he has?

It was a relatively quiet service and these trains must be some of the last not to have power sockets of some kind. The conductor, who seemed quite chatty with his announcements, also mentioned at Ely not to be worried that the train goes into the railway station in one direction and then back again in reverse on the same track. I have mentioned to people in the past not to be worried about this (not pro-actively, I don’t tell people on the off-chance they don’t know, they have to look concerned for me to intervene) so I liked that the conductor explained the reversing technique used here.

We arrived on time into Peterborough and this pleased me, as there’s little point in hoping for Delay Repay when the ticket only costs £4. I’ve been to Peterborough on numerous occasions before and surprised and delighted my readers (or reader) with stories of the previous expeditions, so I won’t linger unnecessarily.

The frontage of Peterborough Cathedral, one of the more underrated religious buildings in the country. Incidentally, I was pleased during lock-down to be asked by the cathedral if they could some of my previous photos on their blog, always useful to know someone is reading something on here.

I didn’t go in again, but I’d recommend going in as it’s free of charge, and the guided tour is only £5 and that gives an extra depth to the history of the building.

The main square in Peterborough, with the sun still shining.

Back in the Travelodge at Peterborough and they kindly gave me a heap of milks and decaff coffees on request. Richard decided to come to Peterborough for the evening, reliving his nearly weekly trips to London last year to hear what gossip was going on about him, and we were both highly amused (admittedly one of us more than the other) when he found that in his room they hadn’t put any cups, coffees or teas, although they had remembered the kettle.

After Richard had arrived into Peterborough and had a good laugh about his room (and got replacement things at reception), we had a quick walk around the Cathedral.

When I visited Peterborough before a couple of years ago, my favourite bar was Stoneworks. The service here was excellent again, but I don’t like entirely their way of displaying beers, it’s not easy to read like that, but they also don’t mention what type of beer each one is. The staff member did offer recommendations, but it’d be much better to display whether it’s a sour, porter, IPA, or whatever.

Trying to unpick their menu, and they really should be on Untappd, meant I ended up with the Sup from Whiplash, which was fine, but I’d had it before, and I suspect there were better options on the menu. No doubt Nathan would have been able to tell me what every beer was, since he seems to have stored most of Untappd in his memory. The bar has quite a rustic design to it and it’s also one of those places which feels ideal for a relaxed Sunday afternoon, so I still like Stoneworks and would recommend it. And I also like the effort they’ve made in having branded glasses.

A perhaps slightly over-engineered sculpture which is meant to commemorate Henry Penn, a local man who cast bells in his foundry. There’s plenty more information about this man and his work at https://www.pennhenry.co.uk/. And I can’t really complain about this artwork, even though I just did, as it taught me something new and that can’t be a bad thing. By writing that, I more mean that artworks should educate or inspire in general, not be specifically designed to teach just me things. I have to clarify, as otherwise someone will email me.

Next was a repeat visit for me to Charters, which has a bar and restaurant on different floors.

I’m pleased to say that Richard didn’t get seasick, although I think the boat is pretty rigidly placed in the water and doesn’t much move at all.

As a comment more about my phone camera, I’m pleased that it doesn’t blur the light around bulbs and the image quality is much cleaner than my previous phone. Technology is moving on quickly and it’s hard to see how phone cameras will be able to improve in the future, although I’m sure that they will.

The boat sitting (I’m not very nautical, I don’t know the official term) happily in the River Nene.

I made a mistake here as I was excited to see a bar in Peterborough where I hadn’t been and listed its beer on Untappd. We decided to spend some time here after popping into the Wetherspoons next door where I could choose what beers I wanted from their Untappd listings. To cut a long story short, we entered Blind Tiger and they then told us that they were closing so couldn’t serve us. In fairness, they closed at their advertised time of 20:00, I just hadn’t guessed that they’d shut so early on a Sunday, which is my fault, not theirs. I was disappointed, I was already expecting to write in some detail (it’s relatively rare to find any venue in provincial towns that list their beers on Untappd, and rarer to find their logo on the window) about the bar, but, it wasn’t to be. It also meant that I didn’t go anywhere new during the evening, but there we go, this was near to being a venue that I would have perhaps returned to on many occasions.

It was too early to go back, so we went to the Ostrich Inn pub where the service was friendly and attentive. I’m puzzled by the placement of this board, as I couldn’t read it when we got to the pub because people were seated in front of it. It’s a nicely laid out board when visible though.

I won’t linger writing about the pub given I already have in the past, but I went for the Chop & Change from Vocation Brewery which was well kept. There’s an informal atmosphere to this pub and although its live music isn’t my thing, it’s clearly got a strong backing from the local community. Some interesting decor, history about the venue and a laid-back vibe, all rather lovely.

And photos of Peterborough whilst playing with my new phone, checking how they came out in the dark, and I thought the photos looked OK. Expect to see lots more photos in the near dark over the coming weeks until I get bored on testing the image quality.

And a final drink of the night in the College Arms, a JD Wetherspoon pub, where I went for a well-kept Benchmark from Bedlam Brewery, alongside a rather delicious pack of Mini Cheddars. It shows how decadent Richard is, not only did he order a jug of cocktail, but he also then complained when he didn’t get a glass. I think many of their customers would have happily drunk their cocktail either directly from the jug or by using the straw, but Richard was having none of it.

June 11, 2022
Peterborough – Bishop’s Road Gardens (War Memorial)

This war memorial is located in what was many centuries ago the gardens of the Abbot of Peterborough Cathedral, which led down to the River Nene. Some of that area is now a small well-presented park (and other parts of the former gardens now include a large car park and a road, which are rather less tranquil), which has this war memorial in a prominent location. The rocks which comprise the memorial are from the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland, an element of peace which contrasts to the two soldiers who died in the Province during The Troubles.

The architect of the memorial was Columb Hanna and the Bishop of Peterborough was present at its dedication on 30 September 2001.

Corporal Michael Boddy was killed in Belfast on 17 August 1972, aged 24. He was killed by a sniper’s bullet whilst serving for the 2nd Battalion of Royal Anglian Regiment.

Lance Bombardier Stephen Restorick was killed in Bessbrook on 12 February 1997, aged 23. He was also killed by a sniper’s bullet whilst checking documentation at a checkpoint and he had been serving in the 3rd Regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery. Stephen was also the last soldier to be killed by the Provisional IRA before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. This case proved a difficult one at the time, as Bernard McGinn was sentenced to 490 years in prison for this killing, and numerous others, but he was released a year later under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

More recently, a third name has been added to the memorial, Company Sergeant Colin Beckett, who died at the age of 36 in Helmand Province on 5 February 2011. The Ministry of Defence issued this statement at the time:

“Company Sergeant Major Beckett deployed to Afghanistan on 15 October 2010 as Company Sergeant Major of C Company, 3rd Battalion The Parachute Regiment (3 PARA). He was based at Patrol Base Folad in the Nad ‘Ali district of Helmand province. On the morning of 5 February 2011 he was deployed on an operation to interdict the movement of insurgents into Shaheed, a village on the Nahr-e Bughra canal where C Company have been developing a protected community. At 0834hrs Company Sergeant Major Beckett was fatally wounded by an improvised explosive device which detonated as he was moving into position to cover his fellow patrol members.

Company Sergeant Major Beckett, known as ‘Tom’ in the Army, was born on 20 February 1974 in his home town of Peterborough. He joined the Army in July 1990 and was posted to 3 PARA on completion of his training. A strong performance on the anti-tank cadre in 1993 saw him take the first steps down a specialisation in which he would become a master, leading anti-tank soldiers at nearly every rank. Company Sergeant Major Beckett’s outstanding command ability was recognised early and he moved up the ranks swiftly, excelling on anti-tank and rifle command courses as he went, all fitted around operational deployments to Northern Ireland and Kosovo.

It was as an Anti-Tank Section Commander that he deployed to Iraq during the first Operation TELIC in 2003 but he had been promoted by the time he deployed as a Platoon Sergeant with C Company on Operation HERRICK 4, 3 PARA’s first deployment to Helmand in 2006. He was soon back in Afghanistan on Operation HERRICK 8, again at the forefront commanding his soldiers, this time as a Fire Support Group Second-in-Command during 3 PARA’s tour as Regional Battle Group South. After promotion to Warrant Officer Class 2 in 2009, Company Sergeant Major Beckett took over as Company Sergeant Major of C Company in the vital lead-up to operations. It was in this most challenging role that he deployed to Afghanistan in October 2010 as part of the 3 PARA Battle Group, Combined Force Nad ‘Ali (North).”

April 5, 2021
Peterborough – Rule Breaking Pigeons….

This amused me for a short while. I accept that I clearly need to get out more….

April 4, 2021
Peterborough – LNER’s Luxury Seating

I can’t help but think that perhaps LNER, the operators of Peterborough railway station, could invest in seating that was just a little more comfortable.

And, LNER’s frugality with seating has meant they’ve had to put a sign up warning parents to look after their children when using the luxury seats. I assume this is because children quite often fall off the bloody things. Travel in luxury with LNER….

October 23, 2019
Peterborough – Draper’s Arms and the Quiz….

I don’t much like pub quizzes, although I manage not to harbour a grudge against those pubs who hold them, since they do play a part in pub life. And anyway, life’s too short when I can complain about the lack of dark beer in pubs. But, I’ve still yet to discover a Wetherspoons where they run a pub quiz and it’s actually popular, although I don’t deny for one moment that such a mythical beast exists. Indeed, the quiz in the Draper’s Arms, which was littered with inaccuracies (I had to listen in so that I could complain to myself about the situation) was busily attended by four tables (and a man on a stool) and it managed to disturb the entire pub. I noticed four customers walk in and walk out, primarily because their preferred table was in the middle of the fallout area of the unnecessarily loud sound system which had been rigged up.

Perhaps it’s often more popular, and to be fair, they had reserved off three tables in what appeared to be an unusually aspirational move since the quiz was half-way through and there were still no patrons at those tables. On the inaccuracy front, even I was puzzled by what the “Gatsby Plot was” (I was trying to work out if it was to do with F. Scott Fitzgerald), although fortunately one of the quiz entrants told the pub’s quiz host that it was the Catesby Plot. One table (well, one person at the table, although I suppose that was enough) was cheating throughout by looking at their phones for the answers, so I assume that this quiz isn’t for big money.

I also looked like I was cheating since I had a laptop on the table, but I overcame that worry. I liked the knockout round at the end where if you answered a question and got it wrong then you lost all your points. A bit like bar billiards I thought. And on that point, perhaps they could get rid of the quiz and replace it with a bar billiards table. Win win.

Incidentally (and irrelevantly, as is usual with my posts), I have a good record at pub quizzes. Not because I’m any good at them, but primarily as I manage to get on teams with someone who is clever and good at quizzes. That’s the key to winning quizzes, not being clever.

October 23, 2019
Peterborough – Brewery Tap

I’ve managed to miss visiting the Brewery Tap during my previous visits to Peterborough, but it seemed well reviewed and worth trying. They stock beers predominantly from Oakham Ales and the pub is also known for its Thai food, which did look rather tempting. It was formerly an employment exchange and CAMRA note that the building was recently nearly demolished.

I asked if there were any dark beers on, but there weren’t. I didn’t have huge expectations of that given it’s the height of summer, but I went for Citra which I’ve had before. It was at the appropriate temperature and it tasted well kept, but I was surprised at how lacking in taste it was. Personally, I thought the brewery notes of the beer having a “pungent grapefruit, lychee and gooseberry aroma” as perhaps just a little aspirational. Citra hops are a bit of a US thing, and my experience of similar beers there is that they have a much punchier citrus flavour and a more refreshing taste.

Anyway, back to the Brewery Tap. It was pretty much empty when I visited, which is a shame as it’s a sizeable venue and the lunch menu looked interesting and creative. The staff were all friendly and helpful, with the pub being clean and well presented.

Being honest, it all felt a little tired and behind the times, but it was comfortable and clean. The food seems really well reviewed and it seemed a shame that their pub was pretty much empty, but perhaps it’s a lot busier in the evenings. Certainly a good location though for a larger group as it’s spacious and everything seemed organised. I only discovered later on that there is a discount for CAMRA members and also a reduced price beer of the month.

June 28, 2019
Peterborough – Peterborough Cathedral (Mary, Queen of Scots)

Peterborough Cathedral was, for a short while, privileged to be the burial site of two Queens, Katherine of Aragon and Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary was born in 1542 and was rather a threat to Queen Elizabeth since they both have rival claims to the crown. On 8 February 1587 Queen Elizabeth decided that she would have Mary beheaded, whilst she was being held at Fotheringhay Castle.

From Fotheringhay Castle, Mary was brought to Peterborough Cathedral to be buried, with a grand service being authorised by Queen Elizabeth. There was though some delay with these proceedings, with the body not being brought from Fotheringhay to Peterborough for over five months. It’s also thought that her heart and organs were buried near to where she was executed.

James I decided to bring his mother’s body to Westminster Abbey in 1612, where her tomb remains to this day. The tomb that he created at Westminster is rather grand to say the least and was designed by William and Cornelius Cure. Peterborough Cathedral was left with just one Queen, which is still more than most cathedrals in the country can offer.

An information board located near to where the tomb of the Queen was. It’s marked today by Scottish flags which are placed in the nave.

January 3, 2019