This is a rather lovely touch of history in the hamlet of Hellmans Cross, near to the village of Great Canfield. It’s the remains of the peace tree that was planted in 1919 to mark those who lost their lives in the First World War.
The local village website notes:
“The young oak came from the estate of the Revd. Maryon Wilson, rector and squire of Great Canfield. The rector with the help of some seven other residents of the parish planted the tree. After the planting and to replenish their exhausted strength, the rector produced “a bottle” from which all involved assuaged their thirst. When the bottle was empty the rector suggested that all present should write down their names on a piece of paper and place it in the bottle. This was done and the rector asked Mr. Dudley Smith to bury the bottle in the roots of the tree, which he did.
The names of those present at the planting included the Revd. Maryon Wilson, William Smith, Dudley Smith, Bill Barwick, Tom Yeoman and Will Easter.”
Unfortunately, they had to cut the tree down in 2011 due to a fungus infection, but they planted the Jubilee Tree in 2012 to replace it.
It’s a little hard to read on the plastic protective screen, but the village used this opportunity to commemorate the lives of the local men who died during the conflict. They were:
One of the interesting parts of the Stansted Stagger challenge walk (a separate post is coming on that) was this former railway line from Braintree to Bishop’s Stortford. It always struggled and was closed in 1952 as the area around it was too rural to justify a service. Now, there’s a slight irony that around 500 metres to the right of this photo is Stansted Airport and this railway line would have been potentially enormously useful for that.
This is the site of Stane Street Halt railway station, which was added to the line in December 1922 in an attempt to boost passengers numbers. A full station couldn’t be justified here as the population was too small, but they hoped to encourage some of the Takeley residents to use it. The station was named after the nearby Stane Street Roman Road which went from Ermine Street in Hertfordshire to Colchester in Essex.
The introduction of these halts, which were by request only, meant that they had to change the rolling stock to allow passengers to disembark without a platform to disembark onto. Although all rather positive in terms of trying to increase usage, the line was closed to passengers in March 1952. It continued to be used by freight services until 1972 and then it was all ripped up and all evident of the halt removed.
There were services to Northumberland Park, where Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane football stadium was located, directly from the halt which showed some initiative in getting people straight into London. The Westminster Gazette made reference to it in 1926 noting:
“It is not more than 30 miles from London, and it has a railway station – if such a name can be applied to Stane Street Halt, whose only evidence of being a station is a little platform barely ten years long.”
The Friends of the Flitch Way helped to restore the station halt back in 2011. They also added a useful information board which gives some more details about the history of the halt, which is a really helpful thing to add.
As Liam and I were coming back from London we did our usual thing of visiting a pub from the JD Wetherspoon chain which I haven’t visited before. The Rose and Crown, located on the town’s main road of the High Street has the bonus of being a Good Beer Guide listed pub to add to my little collection.
The pub was operated by Punch Taverns until 2013, but was taken over by JD Wetherspoon in 2014 (opening in June 2015 after they had spent £1.6 million on the redevelopment) and they did an extensive amount of archaeological work and they’ve put a lot of that on-line, once again one of the few pub companies that takes the heritage of their venues very seriously. The structural heart of the building is from the sixteenth century, but it was extensively remodelled in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It has been a licensed premises since around the 1780s, although there’s not a vast amount of information I can find about its history over recent decades.
Part of the beer selection, there were a choice of six different ales when I visited, although there were no darker beers. I liked they must have got bored when putting the little jars with colour samples of the beer in front of the taps.
The rest of the bar and advertising that from this week they’re selling 1664 and Poretti, although it’s unlikely I could taste these riveting lagers from each other. Anyway, there’s something for everyone….
A taster of the Midnight Bell beer from Leeds Brewery which I’ve had before a few times, a dark and malty ale which is rather agreeable.
Half a pint of the Copper Cascade from Stewart Brewing, which I haven’t had before, but was clean, malty, refreshing and it had a slight taste of toffee.
The side of the pub and there’s a beer garden at the rear. The staircase to the toilets is quite narrow and relatively steep, I suspect they must have found it quite a challenge to insert that sensitively into the historic building and there are numerous low ceilings dotted around the place that taller customers need to be careful of.
Since this is a JD Wetherspoon venue, I thought I’d see if there were any reviews that would surprise and delight me. The pub is rated towards the higher end of the spectrum for pubs in the chain and I got a positive vibe about the arrangements. It wasn’t spotlessly clean, but the team members were friendly and engaging.
“Used to be good, I do believe it’s a case of which manager is on, my order was taken correctly then on two occasions it’s came out wrong , had to watch my friends eat , 25 mins later mine comes out. I didn’t eat it as i felt awkward and stressed because of service. No refund given, shame”
I wouldn’t have felt awkward….
“the pub not very comfortable Atmospheric should really be sold on to a freeholders that runs a grate pub with brilliant food and can attract the best out of people not the worst catal grid experience roll on new owners good bye nice but dim tim the present owner”
Hmmmm.
“Staff are dreadful. One of them is a complete liar & behaves inappropiateley. Dreadful place.”
I wish people would give more information when they post reviews like this, a bit of drama is always exciting.
“Rubbish beer, rubbish service by surly children. There are far better pubs in Maldon, spend a bit more and enjoy those instead of this place.”
Rubbish beer? Hmmmm.
“I had to take the seal of the source”
I don’t know how some people manage to be so brave.
“Full of men”
Occasionally this happens in any pub….
“Didn’t go there”
Very helpful.
“My partner food had aluminium foil stuck on the bottom of it, do your staff know how dangerous Ingestion of aluminium foil is !!!!!!! Perhaps Tim Martin would like to reply”
Tim Martin didn’t reply and there was a photo of the foil which was an absolutely tiny piece. And it’s not dangerous at all, it’s non-toxic.
Anyway, I digress once again. I liked this pub, it had a sense of history to it, the team members were friendly and the beers were well-kept. We didn’t have a need to eat on this occasion, but the food coming out look well presented and everything felt well managed.
I’ve already mentioned the limited gate size at Berlin Brandenburg, but the Ryanair side of matters was efficient and timely. There was a delay on the aircraft which worried me slightly as I wanted to catch my bus to the bustling rural hotspot of Braintree, with a wait of nearly two hours if I didn’t catch it. However, that 30 minute delay was clearly communicated and the boarding process was efficient.
The aircraft is EI-IJN, I don’t think I’ve been on it before, although it’s relatively new as it was only delivered to Ryanair in January 2024. The flight was, once again, not particularly worthy of note as everything went as it should and the flight caught up a few minutes en route. The random seating Gods had given me a middle seat, but it’s a relatively short journey.
I’ve never been so pleased to see a bus to Braintree. I caught this with just a few minutes to spare, I was fortunate that we weren’t delivered to a gate at a satellite terminal and that the border was relatively quiet.
The fare from Stansted Airport is just £2 thanks to the ticket cap, which is unfortunately rising to £3 in January as the new Government continues its attack on public transport. To be fair, for this journey, that’s still very good value and I mustn’t get political.
We were delayed just slightly as they were putting Christmas lights up, but it livened the journey up a bit.
I seem to have had a run of Travelodge giving me rooms with extra beds. Anyway, safely at Braintree Travelodge and that’s the end of the Berlin trip…… All really rather lovely and my little birthday treat to myself.
I suspect my two loyal blog readers thought that this Tallinn series would never end. Well, whilst I was trying to be decadent in the lounge, Bev was having a lovely time judging by this photo that Steve sent. I didn’t say anything.
We were all reunited once again, at least for a short while. Bev and Susanna, who are quite upmarket, had paid for the posh bit of Ryanair and we were separated via this glass screen. I think Bev rather enjoyed being with the elite, but I’m used to being in the poor section.
And ready to board, aircraft EI-DHX, not an aircraft that I’ve been on before (although as I’ve mentioned before, my records are a little incomplete). The aircraft is 19 years old and is a Boeing 737. Anyway, slightly geekiness aside.
The flight itself was uneventful, I was fortunate that although the flight was busy I had no-one next to me so the whole arrangement was suitably comfortable. I’ve had plenty of trips with Ryanair recently, but although their reputation isn’t always great, I’ve found no issues with them. We got delivered back in the satellite terminal which delayed matters somewhat and because Susanna and Bev dithered we had to wait for them after the border. Ross rushed off to get his train, we didn’t see him again…. I sat at the back of the shuttle and it’s mildly entertaining to watch it go along, like a DLR in reverse.
And to my great delight: luxury of luxury, Susanna had parked her car in the posh part of the airport so we could just walk there. I had tried to take us to the shuttle bus just assuming we were in some cheap car park. I was fortunate that everything went to time as I had only three hours before I got back to work, but Susanna dropped me off with at least a little time remaining. All told, this was another quite marvellous trip and I’m pleased to report that the group is next year going to what is likely Ljubljana and Slovenia, so I’d better start planning that. And thanks to Susanna, Bev, Steve and Ross for their company, I have many happy memories of Tallinn and look forwards to returning. I’m also pleased to report that the whole adventure went very well as Bev managed to catch the plane this time and there were no issues at the end like in Gdansk when Susanna and Bev slept in after their wild night out. Once again, Steve and I were inspirational, but we don’t like to go on about it.
There were numerous things that I still wanted to post about, I might get around to adding them in some sort of special feature, but now it’s time to start another exciting series of posts 🙂
As I get £18 discount on my meal here with Priority Pass, it was where everyone agreed to meet. Well, it’s where I said to meet, but that’s the same thing.
Ross isn’t being anti-social, we had just moved to a bigger table and he was waiting for his food to arrive at the one he had ordered to. Bev was in good form, she didn’t need accessibility assistance on this trip. Steve rather enjoyed pushing her around last time in her wheelchair as it meant he got through everywhere faster in the airport.
Latte. Rich, tasty and only lacking in the JD Wetherspoon option of having free refills. The ordering process here is a little convoluted, Ross ordered on-line and found it easy, I had to order at the bar and found it easy although time-consuming, Susanna ordered at the bar and found it easy, Steve ordered at the bar and had a long wait, whilst Bev ordered on-line and spent five minutes moaning about how difficult it was. It boded well for the week, although when Bev is around the air often hangs thick with the scent of indecision and confusion.
This is the small breakfast and I heard that one customer was annoyed they wouldn’t make substitutions to his breakfast in the way that chains such as JD Wetherspoons might. I feel the pain for the restaurant, I’ve heard swaps from customers in other places such as “no beans, add a couple of sausages” or “no tomato, add two rashers of bacon” which don’t seem entirely in keeping with a smooth stock control system and ease of service. I can’t say that I’m too enthused by mushrooms and I would have rather have the bacon burnt a bit more, but it’s not a bad little arrangement here. The service time was reasonable, the staff were friendly, the venue was clean and Bev didn’t complain too much.
I fear that I’ve resigned myself to knowing I’ll never catch up on this blog, as I type slower than I travel. The poor neglected blog languishing in the digital dust as my tapping away is too pedestrian, it’s all a bit sub-optimal. Anyway, let’s see how far we can go on the group trip to Tallinn with Steve, Susanna, Bev, Ross and myself. I’ve skipped my Belfast trip, maybe I’ll one day get back to it.
My expedition started with Liam driving me to Stansted Airport on Sunday evening, he’s very good like that. I’m hoping Liam thinks I just really enjoy his company rather than his chauffeuring services, although both of course are true.
Once more unto the breach…..
I know that standing in Stansted’s mid-stay car park at midnight might not sound appealing, but it means travel beckons, so it becomes just a little ethereal.
I ponder who has tagged this sign. They’ve come all the way to Stansted Airport mid-stay car park to do that. It feels just a little desperate, it’s not exactly Banksy is it?
All aboard the midnight express to Stansted’s terminal building.
And safely in the coach station for three hours. I had crisps, I had water and I was using one of the few power points available, what more could I really want from life? Sleep maybe, but who needs such luxuries really?
On the bright side, my wait wasn’t substantial, the flight was the first of the day.
The security lines opened at 03:00. There was a rather tumultuous rush to get through, although I’m not sure where any of the passengers thought they’d be getting in such a hurry. Airports seem to bring out extremes in people, some remain placid and care-free, others are barging around with an unseemly haste.
This is what happens when you get through in a hurry. Nothing is open and there are around 500 seats available.
The calm before the daily Stansted storm.
Ross arrived soon after and I could see on friend finder that Steve, Susanna and Bev weren’t far away. It was time for the new adventure to begin, a week of gossip, history, craft beer and food. How lovely.
I have yet to grow bored of walking down airport corridors such as this, they’re something of a endless stretch of anticipation and mild anxiety. I think it’s the excitement of people watching.
More time spent on the tarmac.
I always remember now to take a photo of the aircraft registration, just so I know if I’ve flown on it before. Me and my list ticking….. It’s EI-DHG and I don’t think that I’ve been on it before. It’s a Boeing 737 which has been in the Ryanair fleet since 2005 and the age does show compared to Wizz Air aircraft, which just feel more functional in terms of the internal fit-out. As a minor example, Ryanair tray tables are wonky, it’s an endless challenge to try and keep my phone sitting on them.
Safely in Katowice with my professional imagery making it look like the aircraft is defective. I took this from the shuttle bus which takes passengers about 75 metres to the airport terminal. I forgot to mention on my first version of this post that the aircraft had a failed landing, it was all quite exciting to hear the engines roar to get it back up again. It wasn’t ideal that the announcements weren’t audible in the part of the cabin that I was in, as I was hoping for some updates from the pilots, but I thought it added a little something to the experience. I mentioned this to a few friends who apparently wouldn’t consider this to be uplifting to their experience (note the very clever pun there) though.
48 minutes it took me to get through border control now I can’t use the EU lines….. This I consider to be sub-optimal.
Continuing with my run of posts with just one photo, this is because I hadn’t expected to get into the Escape Lounge with Priority Pass as I thought it would be pre-booking only. Anyway, I did, which was very fortunate as it made my three hour period before the flight rather more pleasant. However, I’ll rectify this lack of photographs omission in future posts as otherwise my two loyal blog readers don’t have much to look at. The lounge was probably at around 75% occupancy, so I’m not sure that they had many more seats to play with to allow walk-ins.
The breakfast options are cereals, pastries and some hot options, as visible in the only photo that I evidently bothered to take. As hot options go, they were fine, with the sausages being meaty, the bacon being slightly crispy, the potatoes having a firm exterior with a fluffy interior, whilst the tomato tasted like a tomato. The beer is Cruzcampo, which is generic rubbish if I’m being honest that is about as premium as Netto.
I’ll limit myself to simply noting here that I didn’t have any wait to get into the lounge and so it’s worth checking if there is availability. I always have low expectations of getting in, but I shall no doubt witter on about this several more times over the next year. More on this lounge in future posts.
I will stress here that I’ve revisited Camden Bar and Kitchen this week and have more photos of the venue, but for my first visit here, this is all that I have. I was using my new Priority Pass card where I can get £18 restaurant credit and hence my rapid visit here.
The welcome was immediate from the greeter standing at the door, although customers here aren’t taken to a table as with some other airport locations, but they are pointed in a vague direction on where to go. I found a table and it was clear that they wanted customers to order via a QR code rather than have table service, although they could go to the bar. I couldn’t access the menu as the Stansted Airport wi-fi was playing up and my mobile signal was too weak, but I had to go to the bar anyway as I needed to get my Priority Pass card validated. There was a wait of around six minutes in the queue, but the team member was helpful and polite.
To stay within the £18, I ordered a latte and an Eggs Benedict. The total came to around £17, which if I’m being honest I felt was a little steep for what was delivered. The presentation of the food didn’t look great, the ham looked a little plasticky and the Eggs Benedict didn’t appear entirely vibrant in their looks. The taste though was better, the eggs were runny so I had the oozing treat I wanted, the muffin was firm but fresh, whilst the sauce had some flavour. The ham was reasonable in terms of its taste, but the whole arrangement could have looked better. I wasn’t expecting an artwork, but JD Wetherspoons deliver it at least looking appetising. The latte was large and rich in taste, so felt a little more acceptable. Maybe though I’m being too picky and as I wasn’t paying, I wasn’t overly concerned anyway about getting value for money on this occasion.
I felt rather perched on a table by a busy customer throughway, so I decided against lingering and thought I’d risk instead trying to get into the Escape Lounge. For my two loyal blog readers, there’s a fuller post about this bar which I’ll get to soon enough…..
