Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Leicestershire

  • Leicester – Travelodge Leicester Central

    Leicester – Travelodge Leicester Central

    Not to be confused with the nearby, new and what I consider to be the inadequate Travelodge Leicester City Centre, this hotel is older and I think that it’s much more functional and welcoming. Some of the public areas need something of a refurbishment (particularly the carpets in the corridors), but the staff were friendly and helpful.

    The view from my room, perhaps not the most exotic and decadent. However, the window opened and there was a fan in the room, which is all that I need to control the temperature to suit my needs.

    The room, all to brand standard. Perhaps not entirely spotless, but clean enough. They’re using sheets on the bed rather than duvets, although the duvet is in a bag in the corner.

    One of the older style Travelodges which still has a bath rather than just a shower. I liked this hotel and it’s moderately well reviewed, although there are a fair few comments about the rooms needing modernisation. Some people don’t like the lack of air conditioning, but I’m not sure that that will ever be the preserve of the budget hotel, it can’t be a cheap thing to implement and maintain in every room. I didn’t encounter any noise issues internally, and I rather liked hearing the city itself when opening the windows, I don’t really like being hermetically sealed into a room. Apparently there’s sometimes a nightclub open nearby, which I can’t imagine is ideal for some guests, although it wouldn’t annoy me.

    I noted the review that said:

    “The reception didn’t let me in, and the two ladies at the reception was very rude to me. So she rang the police, and the police had arrived and I had been escorted out, and the police brought back my items from the room.”

    I’d very much like to hear the other side of that story, it sounds intriguing. Unfortunately, Travelodge have got bored of replying to reviews over the last couple of years (although before then they were generic responses which added little value anyway), so there’s not much that can be ascertained here.

    Anyway, this was a reasonably priced night and I’d stay here again, especially as it’s usually the cheaper of the two Travelodges in the city.

  • Leicester – Travelodge Leicester City Centre

    Leicester – Travelodge Leicester City Centre

    This is from my stay in early September 2021, the nearly new Leicester City Centre Travelodge. I’ve been deeply impressed this year by much of what Travelodge are doing, but as far as I could see this hotel was ineptly managed. Firstly, it took me the best part of half an hour to get in, as there is no working intercom at the front door. The shopping centre entrance was closed when I visited, so the only way in was via the car park entrance. That required me to press the buzzer to the car park, which is privately operated, who let me in so that I could walk around to the hotel.

    I got to reception and there were no staff, just a queue of other annoyed guests. The staff member seemed perplexed that the buzzer wasn’t working, although it transpired it had been broken for some days, it hadn’t occurred to them to put a sign up. The staff member mentioned I could have phoned the local number on the sign at reception, but I wasn’t entirely sure how she thought I was going to have seen that, and the phone number in the booking was a premium rate one. The reason I must admit to being annoyed at the management is that guests the next day still couldn’t get in, so I wasn’t convinced they were in the slightest bit interested.

    The hotel was clean and organised, although I was already pre-annoyed at the whole set-up by this point.

    This whole set-up is odd, the exit is on the ground floor, but can only be accessed via the first floor. Anyone with disabilities needs to use stair lifts to get from the entrance to the first floor lift, or use the shopping centre when it’s open. This isn’t Travelodge being awkward, it’s a former office block being converted into hotel use, but it means a clunky set-up to get in. It all felt slightly too unsafe for my liking, especially given the indifference of the management here.

    The conversion from an office block has meant that the rooms are larger than usual size and they look really quite barren. I don’t use the television in hotel rooms, but it looked a little ridiculous that tiny thing on the wall. The windows are sealed and the air quality in the room is poor, with loud and clunky air conditioning. The whole arrangement was way too sterile for me, although the hotel room was very clean, perhaps inevitable given how new everything was.

    I wouldn’t stay at this hotel again, partly because I wouldn’t be comfortable that I could actually get in, but also because of the sterile rooms and the poor air quality. There is another Travelodge in the centre of Leicester, more on which shortly, which was older but which I much preferred. This hotel was very reasonably priced, but perhaps this whole set-up would have been better turned into residential accommodation.

  • Leicester – Cavendish House

    Leicester – Cavendish House

    Located on the Leicester Abbey site are the remains of Cavendish House. This property was constructed in the late sixteenth century from the stone taken from the abbey, which had been closed down as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The above photo is taken from what was once inside the property and it’s also the location of where the Abbey’s main gatehouse would have been located.

    And from outside of the grand house, which had been purchased by William Cavendish (1593-1676), the first Earl of Cavendish, in 1613. In 1634, Cavendish spent £15,000 entertaining King Charles I, which would have been an enormous sum at that time. He must have been considerably annoyed when he wasn’t rewarded with any important job or role. He remained loyal though to the King and during the English Civil War, this property was the headquarters of Charles I before the Battle of Naseby in 1645. That battle was lost by the Royalists and Parliamentarians soon destroyed and set fire to Cavendish’s property.

    And it has remained in this burnt out state since 1645. At the Restoration in 1660, Cavendish got most of his assets back, but this property was never rebuilt.

    There are still blackened areas around the windows, evidence of the fire. Abbey House was constructed at the beginning of the nineteenth century to the side of this burnt out structure, but this section was never incorporated in. In the last few years there have been a few concerns about the stability of these ruins, but some money has been spent on ensuring that they’re protected.

  • Leicester – Newarke Gateway

    Leicester – Newarke Gateway

    This is the Newarke Gateway in Leicester, also known as the Magazine Gateway. It was first built in around 1400 and it was designed to be a fancy first impression for visitors to the College of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as there was no city walls or the like attached to it. Horses and later vehicles could use the big gate and there’s a smaller pedestrian gate as well, with ground floor rooms for the porter. The College was demolished after it fell victim to the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but the structure of the gateway survived. During the late sixteenth century, it was used to house Catholics at a time when they deemed to be a threat to the nation state.

    This is the inside of the gateway and it’s known as the Magazine Gateway at it was used to store arms and munitions during the English Civil War.

    The interior of the three-storey gateway is unfortunately closed and only accessible on Heritage Day weekends and the like. I’m not sure what the rooms above the gateway are now used for, but this would make a very nice pub…

    It’s something of a miracle that this structure has survived, as its demolition has been suggested on more than a few occasions. Purchased by the County Justices in 1888, it was mentioned at the beginning of the twentieth century that a decision to keep the gateway had been made and it was noted that the street level had risen several feet over the centuries which made the gateway look somewhat less impressive in terms of its size. It appears that this problem has today been fixed, as it’s evident in the above photograph that the level of the floor is now below that of the road.

    The structure was repaired in 1922, with Leicester County Council saying that they hoped it would survive for many decades to come. By then the stonework had been damaged and the renovation work seems to have been considerably overdue. In 1964, police rushed to the scene as two students had climbed the structure and were throwing flour, toilet rolls and streamers at those below. The police weren’t impressed and the matter went to court, with each student being fined £10.

    More recently, the council had a great idea that they’d build a roundabout and underpass around the gateway, making it difficult to reach and isolating it away. At least they decided not to demolish it….. The building was at this point used as a regimental museum, although this was moved in 1996 to the impressive Newarke Houses Museum which is just a short walk away. In 2007, the council accepted that a mistake had been made by their planners, with the underpass being filled in and the gateway now made accessible once again. The appalling decision made in the 1960s can be seen at the photos on this web-site https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2021/april/the-covers-are-off-200000-works-on-15th-century-magazine-gateway-at-top-of-dmu-campus-are-completed-by-city-council.aspx. What a way to treat an historic building….

  • Leicester – Head of Steam

    Leicester – Head of Steam

    On 5 April 2018, what I consider to be one of the best pub chains in the country opened a grand new pub on Market Street in Leicester, a craft beer delight. Plenty of money was spent on the interior to give it an on-trend and cutting edge feel to it. It lasted for just nine months when the owners Camerons turned into The Sanctuary, a different brand they also operated, which in turn survived for just a few weeks.

    I asked a few people this week what happened to the Head of Steam and why it closed. There was universal acceptance that this was a great pub, but that it was ahead of its time and simply the wrong building for the brand and in the wrong part of the city. It seems that the pub was well managed, it got positive reviews and looking through their beer list, they were doing a marvellous job. Unfortunately, the customers just didn’t come and even the launch party was heavily under-attended.

    The premises became used by a steakhouse which only lasted a few months, but after a couple of years of remaining empty, Olivia’s Townhouse have now moved in. This one looks destined to fail as things stand, they’ve been hit with a series of negative reviews and I suspect that they might struggle as well to make this site work. They’re aiming at a very different demographic to me, namely 18-21 year old women judging from the marketing with no real ale or craft beer available.

    Perhaps if Head of Steam had opened a smaller outlet, more similar in size to their Hull premises, then it might have survived and prospered. Sadly, this transpired to be an expensive mistake from the chain and I can imagine that the losses here were significant. Hopefully one day the Head of Steam will return to Leicester, but perhaps in a more manageable location.

  • Leicester – Ibis Leicester City

    Leicester – Ibis Leicester City

    This is the sort of centrally located (it’s very central if you’re at the railway station, more like 10 minutes away from the city centre) Ibis Hotel in Leicester. It has 94 rooms and is part of the Accor hotel and I’m pleased to add that I no longer need to start posts with a mention of problems with their customer service (since my long standing issue seems to have now been resolved).

    Guests entering on the ground floor see this little reception type area, although the main reception and all of the staff are on the first floor. The check-in process was all efficient and the staff member seemed very keen to be helpful, a kind and warm welcome.

    The Ibis room, which is pretty much like all the others in the chain around the world, although the television was a little small (not that I ever turn them on anyway). I wouldn’t say that the room was spotlessly clean, but it was sufficient for me.

    The view out of my window of the railway station. I was pleased that the window opened, the sound of trains was quite smoothing. Well, the sound of what sounded like a freight train braking at 3am was less exciting, but it’s all part of the character of the area.

    The welcome drink of Boddingtons, which I consider to be an acceptable option, so that keeps everyone happy.

    I had a look at the reviews of the hotel, and it’s pretty much in the middle of ratings, it’s managed to upset a fair few people, but also pleased quite a lot. Alongside some of the ridiculous reviews, such as an angry guest who was annoyed that the hotel wouldn’t put balloons in their room, there are more worrying ones such as one which says a previous guest had been smoking in the room and the hotel didn’t resolve the smell issue, with another guest mentioning that the light switch was hanging off. If there’s a smell of cigarette smoke then I’d refuse the room, and I’d expect that the hotel would find another room even if that was in another hotel. The hotel is within its rights to charge the previous guest for their costs. Anyway, I’ve digressed again.

    Incidentally, the hotel doesn’t advertise car parking as they have five spaces which aren’t accessible spaces, but they’ve had several guests turn up, park in a neighbouring car park and complain they’ve been fined. Sounds like an interesting drama to listen into at reception….

    There were minor internal noise issues on one night, although nothing that troubled me. Others might not have liked the noise of the railway and road outside, but I like such external distractions so all good. There wasn’t air conditioning available in the room, just a centralised air warming and cooling system. However, with the window opening, it wasn’t difficult to regulate the temperature.

    Anyway, all good and reasonably priced. I’d suggest that this is likely a reliable option for anyone wanting relatively inexpensive accommodation near to Leicester city centre.

  • Leicester – The Globe

    Leicester – The Globe

    This was the first pub we visited this week on what proved to be an expedition to all of the Good Beer Guide pubs in central Leicester.

    My first impressions were all very positive as the building looked interesting and there was also an information board outside about the pub’s history. It has been serving beer since at least 1720 with ales once brewed using the well which is still located beneath the building. It’s possible that the pub’s name comes from the larger glass globes of water that framework knitters placed in windows to help give them more light to work by. The current building dates from the late eighteenth century and its been owned by Everards since the late nineteenth century.

    The snug area towards the front.

    Despite the threats of ghosts, we decided to sit in the snug….. So very brave. I can report that no ghostly activity took place that we were aware of. On this whole haunting matter, the pub’s web-site mentions:

    “Prior to becoming a public house, the Globe had several interesting uses, including a cattle merchants and accommodation for women awaiting impending execution at the hands of the noose man in nearby Gallowtree Gate. This may go some way to explaining the reported haunting within the premises, which includes the ghost of a woman on the stairs, two disagreeing brothers that argue over the bar and a young boy in the cellar who turns off the beer!”

    The beer selection wasn’t ideal for my tastes, with no darker options although the Old Original from Everards was acceptable enough. The pub is operated by Ever So Sensible which has twelve or so sites, but they seem to be restricted to beers from Everards.

    The service at the bar was friendly and the environment seemed welcoming and comfortable. Food is served here throughout the day, although I only saw one person ordering a meal, but the reviews are mostly positive. As an aside, the pub has a few negative reviews that really aren’t ideal, I’m never sure that chains like this should have a blanket policy of not bothering to reply. There’s an allegation of an assault that took place recently at the pub, and although review sites aren’t perhaps the place to air these things I’d like to see the venue at least suggest that they’re taking it seriously, even if they don’t comment on the actual incident.

    The pub was clean and it’s great that such an historic building is listed in the Good Beer Guide, I like to see pub heritage. There was nothing wrong for me to comment about on the visit, but ideally I’d have liked some slightly more exciting beer options, but they seem to be tied to Everards which perhaps gives them little freedom.

  • Leicester – The Salmon

    Leicester – The Salmon

    Continuing with our trip to every Good Beer Guide listed pub in Leicester, this is the Salmon on Butt Close Lane (I make no comment on that, but it isn’t perhaps an ideal residential address). As with the King’s Head we visited yesterday, the pub is operated by Black Country Ales who I’ve become quite impressed with.

    The pub had a slightly quirky feel to it, but in a positive way and the staff member was enthusiastic, polite and engaging. I’ve noted that a few pubs in the area serve good value cobs, here there are £2 options which include cheese & onion or ham & tomato amongst other options. It’s best I don’t start buying these, as I’d likely end up buying about four.

    I was very impressed with this list of beers, lots of different styles and three darker options. These screens make it so much easier for customers to see what’s available, I’d like to see set-ups like this more often.

    And what a drink to start with, the Creme Bearlee from Beartown Brewery, a milk stout that was as smooth as Michael Gove’s dancing in Aberdeen. Rich with tastes of molasses, vanilla and coffee, this could be a dessert if someone shoved a flake in it. Glorious tasting little beer.

    I was only going to stay for one, but I felt the need to just work through a couple of other options on the beer menu. I have to note that this drink was served with a hair in it, which wasn’t ideal, but I let that matter fly (and indeed the hair). This is the Dragon Smoke from Beowulf Brewing Company and it had a beautiful smoky flavour as its name suggests, a touch of decadence.  There was some coffee evident in the taste, with a richness of flavour, although the aftertaste didn’t linger quite as much I would have liked. But still delightful.

    Finally, the New Alchemist from Plan B Brewery, a microbrewery from Newport, this didn’t have quite the richness I expected, but it was suitably refreshing.

    Back to the pub, I really liked it here, evident as I stayed longer than expected. Other customers spoke to me, the barman was friendly and this was another pub which felt like somewhere that a newcomer moving to the area could visit and find friends. This is an essential factor in a decent community pub in my mind, somewhere which serves its locality and brings people together. Another really delightful entry into the Good Beer Guide and it’s unlikely that I’d have found it otherwise as it’s very slightly off the beaten track. All very lovely.

  • Leicester – Wygston’s House

    Leicester – Wygston’s House

    Our Good Beer Guide expedition around Leicester took us to this quite glorious building, which is the oldest residential property still standing in the city, dating back to the fifteenth century. This pub has a restaurant upstairs, so we decided to visit that for the full experience of the venue. I had made an advance booking and wasn’t quite sure where to go, but the staff member at the downstairs bar quickly acknowledged us and explained to amble up the stairs (I’ve added the word amble there, this is a place that shouldn’t be rushed).

    The upstairs grand hall of the property, which was built for Roger Wygston, although it’s not known why this building survived when so many others were taken down. Like many buildings of this age, it has gone through numerous transformations as shops, offices, residential accommodation and now as a pub.

    As for the drinks, I went for the tasting selection, which was one third of three different beers. I like these flights (three beers for me to list on Untappd and so more badges to collect, and I admit given that I need to get out more….) and the friendly staff member tried to tell me which each beer was, eventually willingly just leaving me with her scrawled note so that I didn’t forget. The beers were all enjoyable, although if I was being a bit picky, I would have preferred a wider range of beer styles. From left to right there’s the ‘What the Fox’s Hat’ from Church End Brewery, then ‘Blue Fox’ from Charnwood Brewery and then the ‘White Rat’ from Ossett Brewery. They were all well-kept and at the appropriate temperature, with the three drinks costing £3.90. I did like that the beers were from different breweries, not just a job lot from one place.

    I went for the fish and chips, which was well presented and the triple cooked chips were delicious with their fluffy interior and crispy exterior. The fish flaked away, all tender and the batter had a pleasant flavour to it. There were proper mushy peas, but there was a flavour that I couldn’t discern (that wasn’t pea I mean, I could identify that) and didn’t overly like, I think I’d rather have had a minty element to them. Much more excitingly I suspect that the tartare sauce was homemade, it was very moreish. I would have rather had a slightly larger portion of chips, there was a bit too much blank space for my liking on the plate, but it all tasted fine and there was an appropriately timed check back.

    The Eton mess, which was neatly presented again, or at least, as well as you can present a mess. I would have liked a bit more meringue because I’m greedy like that, but it was a suitable way to end the meal.

    The service was attentive and welcoming throughout, but the restaurant area remained relatively quiet during our Friday evening visit. As for the beers, there was a choice and they were well-kept, although there was perhaps nothing exceptional that I’d mention. I’m definitely pleased that this is in the Good Beer Guide as I don’t think that I would have gone in otherwise, and I would have missed the over 500 year history of this building. I’d recommend this pub to others, the dining environment particularly was comfortable and relaxing, I liked the laid-back atmosphere to the whole arrangement.

  • Leicester – Tamatanga

    Leicester – Tamatanga

    Although tempted to eat in a pub, we felt that we might have overdone that a bit this week. A slight lack of forward planning also meant that we hadn’t reserved anywhere, so we went with the Indian restaurant of Tamatanga which encourages walk-ins. They’re a small chain of three restaurants, the other two are in Birmingham and Nottingham.

    The restaurant looked full when we arrived with just a few seats outside. The staff member at the entrance was engaging and helpful, saying that we could sit outside immediately or wait up to twenty minutes for a table. I asked if it was OK to wait and the staff member was very keen on that, with a few updates offered during our wait. We only had to wait twelve minutes before being taken to a table by a window, all very efficient. I actually think we were lucky with the table that we were given, as it was out of the way a bit, which made it quieter and I could watch people out of the window.

    Incidentally, I felt a little for the barman who was making a cocktail by shaking it and the top flew off it and most of the cocktail went over him. It’s not ideal when people are watching, but he still smiled.

    The menu, quite a range of different Indian food. Service was personable and conversational, especially given that the staff were busy and it’s a fast moving environment. There’s a similar set-up here to wagamama that service is quick and so they can turn over each table probably four times in an evening if guests don’t faff about. We were never rushed during our visit, but we only stayed for an hour in total including the wait for a table.

    My only minor negative comment about the restaurant is that the craft beer menu is smaller than on the web-site, and then they didn’t have most of them. Anyway, there’s some attempt at craft beer so I’ll give them credit for that. As another side, I’m not sure why the restaurant only has one floor and a mezzanine for the toilets, it looks like they could add an extra floor if they wanted. Perhaps they prefer the more open space, which did have character to it. Or perhaps they don’t have a fortune to change the restaurant layout, but at least there might be an expansion option for the future as I suspect that this chain will continue to do well.

    The food portion didn’t look that large at first, but it was much more filling than I thought. This is the chicken khurana, which had a suitably rich taste with numerous flavours. The sweet potato added texture and the chicken pieces were tender and moist. I’m never convinced about salad as it scares me, but it tasted as expected, with the rice again being a bigger portion than this photo suggests.

    Prices are reasonable given the quality of the food and drink, especially given that this is a prime location and the rent can’t be cheap. One of the glasses we were given was a little dirty, but there were no other issues and the restaurant itself seemed very clean. The reviews are broadly positive, there are a few not happy with the noise, but this isn’t really designed to be a quiet and peaceful place. I’d quite happily return here or recommend it to others, with the option of just turning up working out for us.