Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Cambridge

  • Cambridge – Fitzwilliam Museum (William Glendonwyn by Sir Henry Raeburn)

    Cambridge – Fitzwilliam Museum (William Glendonwyn by Sir Henry Raeburn)

    The reason I pondered this painting is that I’m not sure that by today’s standards that Sir Henry Raeburn (1756-1823) has portrayed Glendonwyn well. There’s not much to be readily found out about Raeburn’s subject, other than Glendonwyn was a wealthy Scot and his surname is linked to the Glendinning family.

    The notes by the painting mention that the light falling on his forehead is deliberate, it’s meant to show that the subject has intelligence. I’m not sure that this effect still holds, although this was painted in the 1790s and things were just a little different then and now he looks more aloof. Raeburn, who became the official portrait painter in Scotland to King George IV, painted over 1,000 artworks during his career and he rarely used preliminary sketches.

    The painting came up for sale at Christie’s on 22 February 1890 and was then in turn acquired privately by the Fitzwilliam Museum in 1892. At the same auction in 1890 the accompanying portrait to this, that of Glendonwyn’s wife, was sold, but the whereabouts of that are unknown.

  • Cambridge – Fitzwilliam Museum (After the Wedding by Laurence Stephen Lowry)

    Cambridge – Fitzwilliam Museum (After the Wedding by Laurence Stephen Lowry)

    This artwork was painted by LS Lowry (1887-1976) in 1939 and as the name suggests, it’s themed around the wedding that is taking place. Well, and the Corner House pub. Lowry had started to paint these matchstick men in the early 1920s and they became the imagery that is mostly now seen to define his career. I’ve been meaning to visit the Lowry Gallery in Salford, but have never quite got round to it.

    I can’t add much to this as the Fitzwilliam’s image database is down for security issues, so all I know is that it was given to the gallery by Mrs FJ Collard in 2002. I don’t know whether the Corner House pub actually exists, or whether it was a figment of Lowry’s imagination. I like that, despite the overall theme, the top half of the artwork is all about pollution and industry, the wedding isn’t given automatic prominence here. And, indeed, even the wedding party aren’t seen as the main central characters, everyone seems to have a purpose here and is no more important than anyone else.

  • Cambridge – Cambridge Brew House

    Cambridge – Cambridge Brew House

    The Cambridge Brew House is another of the pubs which is operated by the City Pub Company, which includes the Old Ticket Office in the city, and it has obtained itself a decent reputation. I decided to book a table for myself and had to make sure I got there, as there’s a £10 deposit per person which is charged for no-shows. I can understand why they do that though, it must be a nightmare to get a heap of no-shows.

    I wasn’t entirely thrilled at this as, personally, I think this is a slightly unbalanced choice of beers with nothing remarkable. I’m sure others would disagree and I’m conscious at least they’re making their own beer.

    The decor is all modern in its style, with everything feeling clean and organised. Incidentally, I liked the table I was given as it gave a vantage point over the pub. It reminded me that recently pubs and restaurants have been very good at giving me a decent table despite sometimes booking just for me. I’m hoping gone are the days that sole diners are shoved in a corner near the toilets on a wonky and rickety table.

    The strong point of the pub was though the staff, they were exceptional in terms of their engagement, helpfulness and welcome. There were certainly no issues with customer service that I noted during my visit. I was also pleased to note that the City Pub Company were giving customers £5 off if they used the pub’s app, so along with the Government’s ‘eat out to help out’, this was making it a good value expedition.

    The King’s Parade from Cambridge Brewing Company, which is the brewery that is attached to the pub. It was fine and had a malt flavour of some depth which let me pretend that I was eating biscuits, although there was a limited depth of aftertaste.

    The starter of crispy salt and pepper squid with chilli mayonnaise. The squid was well cooked and evenly coated, although there was no evident salt and pepper taste to it that I could discern. The mayonnaise was rich and the squid did have that melt in the mouth texture, with the dish being well presented.

    OK, I probably didn’t need fish and chips for the second time in one day. The fish was slightly over-cooked, but at least they’d drained it properly and so it didn’t make the chips greasy. The fish was of a high quality, but I’m not convinced that batter was fresh, it was lacking in flavour and was quite bland (and the batter should be the tastiest bit as far as I’m concerned). The mushy peas were though decent and the tartare sauce was marvellous, I liked the chunks of capers and gherkins, two of my favourite items.

    As mentioned, the service was excellent and the environment was clean and comfortable. I liked the whole relaxed feel to the proceedings, a service style which was informal and that suited the environment. The total bill came to £10.50 (although that’s after the food was made half-price and they gave me £5 off), for two courses and a pint of beer, which I considered to be entirely reasonable. Other than the customer service, I’m not sure though that there was anything exceptional here as there were no beers I’d particularly mention to others and the starter was above average, but the main was firmly just average.

  • Cambridge – Boathouse

    Cambridge – Boathouse

    Another Greene King pub and as Nathan said when I told him, “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed”. This one has a beautiful location by the river and it’s also next to the boarded-up Tivoli (visible in the above photo) which is the JD Wetherspoon outlet that caught fire and never re-opened.

    Fortunately, this isn’t the pub’s name given what I think about snakes.

    I can’t keep going on about the dreadful choice of beer at Greene King venues. But here, once again, is the best choice of drink that I could find. A half-price, thanks to eat out to help out, Coke. It was fine.

    The staff were friendly and the track and trace procedures were being followed, with a staff member guiding me towards a seat outside after I expressed a preference for that. Which was very brave given that I’m normally attacked by wasps or other insects. I didn’t get any photos of the interior of the pub, but it’s quite a modern decor that looks like Greene King has paid a fair sum to a design agency. I wish they’d pay a fair sum to someone who would install some decent beer, but I’m labouring that point now unnecessarily.

    I braved the outside area, which has its own bar, although this was rarely used as most people seemed to be paying via the app. The river is off to the right, and that’s the much-missed (well, by me anyway) Tivoli behind, which would have at least had likely had some decent beer. Anyway, I’ve veered into that again. I have to be fair to Greene King though, at least they’ve given the pub a better name than when it was called the Rob Roy.

    The new temporary entrance to the pub, where they’ve built a little obstacle course of having a mini river of what smelled like beer in front of the steps up.

    The reviews for the pub aren’t great, indeed, they’re towards the lower end of licensed premises in Cambridge on that front. I was amused by the review, and this is the entirety of it, which said:

    “Ordered a mixed grill which says two sausages. Only came with one. Serving staff lied and are rude, avoid!!!”

    I love listening to drama like that, I wish I’d been there. And, yes, I need to get out more.

    All told, this is a perfectly acceptable pub for sitting and watching life go by on the river, with the staff being friendly and helpful. But, as I keep finding myself writing, there’s nothing particularly exceptional about the pub and it’s all a bit generic and formulaic.

  • Cambridge – Fitzwilliam Museum (A Village Festival by Pieter Brueghel the Younger)

    Cambridge – Fitzwilliam Museum (A Village Festival by Pieter Brueghel the Younger)

    This painting by Pieter Brueghel the Younger (1564-1638) is my favourite in the Fitzwilliam Museum, with its full title being “a village festival with a theatrical performance and a procession in honour of St. Hubert and St. Anthony”. It was painted in 1632 and came into the collections of the Fitzwilliam in 1927 when it was donated by the first Viscount Rothermere. Actually, that’s an awkward thing for the museum, as the politics of Rothermere are controversial to say the least, but there’s not much that can perhaps be done by the museum about that now.

    My photo of the painting isn’t great, but there’s so much going on that it’s like some epic by William Hogarth. It looks like a night out in the city centres of today, but then again, that’s often what fairs were like and the authorities were frequently appalled at what people got up to at them.

  • Cambridge – Fitzwilliam Museum

    Cambridge – Fitzwilliam Museum

    I’ll write about some individual items in the collection that I think are interesting in separate posts (everyone should contain their excitement….) but it’s fair to say that the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge was as quiet this morning as I’ve ever seen it before.

    I had a ticket, which are free of charge, to get in at 10:00 and the staff here are really very friendly and most welcoming. Some visitors were turned away as they didn’t have tickets and the museum clearly wanted to be very much in control of the numbers. I noted that backpacks had to be carried by hand, which would have been fine, but the most helpful lady near to the entrance was more than happy for me to use their free lockers and that made things much easier.

    I spent a couple of hours in the museum and, certainly, for the first hour, there were more staff members than there were visitors. Everything was spotlessly clean and it’s clear that great efforts have been made to try to work out the visitor flow. It’s not always obvious, but it mostly is, with the entrance being shifted to the courtyard rather than the standard main entrance area.

    Anyway, some photos of how the museum looked……

  • Imperial War Musuem – British Army Cadets in Cambridge During First World War

    Imperial War Musuem – British Army Cadets in Cambridge During First World War

    Rummaging once again through the photographic collections of the Imperial War Museum, these are some photos of officer cadets in Cambridge during the First World War. The photos were taken by Horace Nicholls, likely taken in late 1917. There’s a timeless feel to the backdrops of the photos, the troops though are the reminder of the tragedy that was taking place elsewhere.

    Cadets of No. 5 Battalion parading in the Great Court, Trinity College, Cambridge, for Divine service.

    Cadets of No. 5 Officer Cadet Battalion entering the chapel at Trinity College, Cambridge.

    Cadets of No. 5 Officer Cadet Battalion in the dining hall of Trinity College, Cambridge.

    Cadets of No. 2 Officer Cadet Battalion halted at the gateway of Jesus College, Cambridge.

    Cadets parading outside Ridley Hall (a theological college), University of Cambridge.

    Cadets parading outside Ridley Hall (a theological college), University of Cambridge. December 1917.

    Cadets of No. 5 Officer Cadet Battalion assembled in Neville Court, Trinity College, Cambridge.

    Cadets seated round the fountain in the Great Court, Trinity College, Cambridge.

    © IWM Q 30318

    © IWM Q 30323

    © IWM Q 30297

    © IWM Q 30298

    © IWM Q 30311

    © IWM Q 30320

    © IWM Q 30312

    © IWM Q 30317

  • Cambridge – Bath House

    Cambridge – Bath House

    This pub is located just a couple of doors down from the Eagle, which is also run by the same company, Greene King. In fairness to Greene King, most of their outlets are open all day, which isn’t the case with many pubs in Cambridge at the moment. And, I like that this has been a licensed premises since the seventeenth century, so I felt the need to visit it as I’ve never been here before.

    The mostly fake interior, but it’s still got some character to it despite being mainly modern. There’s a bar in the middle of the pub and it was all spotlessly clean and tidy. The welcome at the door was friendly and there was a comfortable feel to the whole arrangement. So, there was nothing particularly wrong here, although I’m not sure there was anything to write home about (I’ll ignore that I’m writing here).

    It’s a Greene King pub, so the best drink option is nearly always a soft drink. I’m not sure Greene King would honestly admit their beer choice is anything other than generic and dull. Well, they might not say that I accept, but I’m sure they’ll think it privately.

    The fish and chips and this would have been better if they changed the oil in their fryers. Having said that, the fish they used was of a decent quality and rather tender and delightful. The batter didn’t taste of much and the fish wasn’t drained before dumping it on the chips, so there was a moistness under it. Given that this was purchased under the Government’s ‘eat out to help out’, the cost of £4.55 was hardly unreasonable though but they’re pushing it at its full price.

    The reviews for the pub are pretty poor, I was humoured with the solitary chip reference here:

    “Nice old wood beam decor, drinks were good but the food was awful value and quality. Camden Beer and French white Wine was nice but the small plate fish goujons were awful value. Small plate is an understatement £4.79 for two goujons, each no bigger than two chicken nuggets, battered together with a solitary chip, served with a mushy pea croquette which was an inch long, that was it.”

    And probably the least thought about this review, the better:

    “Visited 14/4 man on next table bare feet which he was fondling while watching his lap top it looked like he was ‘getting off’ on it, complained to bar man 8pm who told me to find another table if I didn’t like it, the most disgusting thing I’ve ever seen in a pub.”

    Dating from the seventeenth century, the building was until recently known as the Bath Hotel, with a rebuild and extension taking place in the eighteenth century. And many restorations and renovations since…. There was a plan in 1973 to turn it into a grand steak restaurant, but this was refused by Corpus Christi College who own the land, with the pub owner at the time complaining (probably rightly):

    “The dons seemed to be examining our plans as a viable place for them to eat instead of examining them in terms of popular catering.”

    So, the pub was all inoffensive, friendly and quite safe, with numerous children seeming quite happy with their food, so it’s family-friendly. There are quite a lot of other pubs in Cambridge though that I think I’d suggest are better bets, such as Brewdog and the Pint Shop, both just a few metres away. And, since everything was half-price, I only spent £6, which was entirely reasonable.

  • Cambridge – Mill Road Cemetery

    Cambridge – Mill Road Cemetery

    Across the country, there were problems in the early nineteenth century with churchyards in cities becoming full. The cholera epidemic gave the dual problem of more burials, as well as the risk of spreading disease by burying bodies in city centres. So, in 1844, a decision was wisely made to acquire a site of land where burials could take place and the Mill Road site was secured. There was also the inspired idea that the 13 parishes of All Saints, St Andrew the Great, St Andrew the Less, St Benedict, St Botolph, St Clement, St Edward, St Mary the Great, St Mary the Less, St Michael, St Paul, Holy Sepulchre and Holy Trinity could share the land.

    The information board at the cemetery shows how the churches divided up the land to suit the needs of their own parishes. The land was consecrated in 1848 and then burials were moved to this site, thereby relieving pressure on the existing churchyards.

    The lodge was constructed before the land was consecrated, so that the custodian of the site had accommodation, but the building was also used as offices and as a mortuary chapel. It doesn’t sound the ideal place to live if I’m being honest, but each to their own and there would have been far worse accommodation in Cambridge at the time.

    Money was raised to build a chapel at the centre of the site as the existing lodge wasn’t sufficient in size. Finances were secured to get the services of George Gilbert Scott to design the chapel and it opened on 28 May 1858. The chapel was used until the 1940s, but then it fell out of usage and was badly damaged by a fire. In 1954, it was decided that it would be best to demolish it, something which I think was a palpably bad decision. There was an archaeological investigation in 2009 to map out the foundations of the chapel, and they’ve been marked with stones, a project which I think is a marvellous idea. There are some medium-term plans to do something with this site, although I can’t imagine anything will take place for some time.

    As for the rest of the site, it’s peaceful and calm, but some parts have become quite derelict. Some parishes had filled their land up by the early twentieth century, but a few burials took place until it all came to an end in 1949 when the cemetery was closed. There is some provision for people to be buried alongside loved ones, but today the site is operated by Cambridge City Council.

    Some photos of the cemetery….

  • Cambridge – Old Ticket Office

    Cambridge – Old Ticket Office

    Despite using Cambridge railway station relatively regularly, I’ve managed not to notice that this pub opened in June 2018. Its presence has only become apparent to me since it’s now listed in the Good Beer Guide and it has pleased CAMRA, who have given it numerous awards. The pub is operated by the City Pub Company, who now have fifty or so pubs, and I like what they’ve done with the Bath Brew House (in Bath), the Lion & Lobster (in Brighton) and St. Andrew’s Brew House (in Norwich).

    I’ve had a look through the beers that this pub has been serving and there’s lots of innovation. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the beer selection that was on when I visited, but I imagine that their trade is down and so this is the response that they feel most appropriate at the moment. Having written that, the Norfolk Topper from Barsham Brewery was a locally sourced beer and it was well-kept and quite drinkable.

    The staff here are way above average, really engaging and welcoming. This gave me an excellent first impression and indeed, positive impression throughout my visit. I can see why the pub is doing so well.

    The pub’s web-site doesn’t say much about the history of the building that they’re in, which is a shame as it’s quite glorious. The pub’s name suggests that it’s the station’s former ticket office and the transformation is quite beautiful as it almost looks like this bar was always here. The green is inspired by the colour scheme of LNER, the 1923-1948 one and not the current one.

    For those who like to people watch, the outside terrace is ideal. I sat outside and spent most of my time fending off a wasp, a reminder to myself that it’s safer for people like me to sit inside. Sod the continental approach, it’s rarer to get rain, wind and wasps when sitting inside.

    So, all rather lovely, hopefully their beer selection will be more exciting when things start to return to some form of normality. But, it’s clear that this pub has been doing some great things and it’s become increasingly popular, so this is a useful on-trend addition to the railway station.