Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Camden (Borough of)

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Remnant Street

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Remnant Street

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    I noticed this street a few days ago when I was meandering about in London and I wondered about its history and whether there were a few tales to tell. I’m not entirely sure that there are, indeed, the street only took its current name in 1935 as before that it was defined as being an extension of Great Queen Street. The street got its name from James Farquharson Remnant, 1st Baron Remnant, a British politician and lawyer. He was the Conservative MP for Holborn (the area where the street is located) between 1900 when he was elected unopposed until 1928. His great grandson, Philip John Remnant, is still in the Lords as a result of the hereditary Peerage, although he’s one of the elected ones by fellow Peers and he will be removed soon as part of the Government’s changes to the Upper House. I had to look this up, but apparently Remnant comes as a name from the Middle English remenaunt(e) ‘remaining part survivor’ perhaps used for someone whose siblings had died in infancy.

    The street is the one in the middle of the image (the unnamed bit to the right of Great Queen Street). This map is from the 1880s and before they built the road known as Kingsway in the first few years of the twentieth century, which is what caused this stub of street to need a name of its own.

    Incidentally, we can tell that the street sign is before the 1965 borough changes, the year that Holborn, Hampstead and St. Pancras were all joined together to form the Borough of Camden. As an aside, in 1900 the Borough of Holborn was formed when the below parishes were all merged together:

    St Giles in the Fields and St George Bloomsbury
    St Andrew Holborn Above the Bars with St George the Martyr
    Liberty of Saffron Hill
    Furnival’s Inn (part)
    Gray’s Inn
    Lincoln’s Inn
    Staple Inn

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    And there’s Remnant Street in the middle, looking towards Kingsway (or the A4200 for those who prefer that). There was some excitement in November 1964, when the Daily Express reported that there had been an armed raid on the Post Office on the street, with a motorcycle escape by a gunman who took off with £240. And the News Chronicle reported in 1969 that self-service for postal orders had been introduced in London, at the Remnant Street Post Office. Indeed, nearly every mention of this street in newspapers on-line seems to be in reference to the Post Office. The building still stands, but the Post Office closed long ago and it’s now part of the Centre for Commercial Law Studies.

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    It’s not really the most exotic of streets, I could have chosen somewhere with a bit more obvious history, but there we go. I had thought that it might have been named as it was a bit of a remnant street, and although that oddly is indeed what it has become, that’s not the reason for its naming. There was some excitement at the other end of Remnant Street in 2018 though when the Co-operative Bank was shut and they opened up a Greggs in its place, but that’s about as far as I can go in terms of shattering stories about the street.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – The Seven Stars (Good Beer Guide)

    London – Camden (Borough of) – The Seven Stars (Good Beer Guide)

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    I’m slowly, but steadily, working on my project to visit every pub in the Good Beer Guide. This building, located on Carey Street near to the Hunterian Museum, is thought to have been built in 1602 although the bar is mostly Victorian. There’s no shortage of history to the pub, which was originally called the The League of Seven Stars in a nod towards Dutch geography (the Seven United Provinces of the Netherlands). I didn’t go up to the toilets in the pub, but they are noted for their steep stairs and a sign which requests customers not to swing on the rail. It’s located near to the Royal Courts of Justice so they are treated to a considerable amount of trade from the legal profession.

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    A range of Greene King and Adnams beers is not what I was hoping for as they’re so common in East Anglia, but it’s something perhaps slightly different for London. I went for a pint of Broadside which cost £6 and was well kept and tasted as expected. There are some reviews which mention, quite grumpily, that the pub doesn’t offer tasters and that is highly unusual. Anyway, the service was friendly and engaging, so the atmosphere felt inviting.

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    The slightly infamous pub cat visible in the background. It’s said that Shakespeare might have visited the building given that his plays were performed at Middle Temple, although that’s perhaps a little fanciful. More likely is that the pub was used as the inspiration for The Magpie & Stump featured in Pickwick Papers. The building is listed in CAMRA’s list of outstanding interiors of national historic importance and they note:

    “The frontage bears the date 1602 but the building itself probably dates from “only” the 1680s, and was extended into the building on the right in 1878. The core of the pub is the part with doors embellished with etched and gilded glass, declaring ‘private counter’ (on the left) and ‘general counter’ (right). These names are probably unique, certainly in the experience of the writers, and correspond to the more commonly used ‘private bar’ and ‘public bar’. So there were evidently two separate areas fronting on to a common servery and divided, no doubt, by a timber screen. The counter (a plain affair) and bar-back are Victorian and the coloured advertising panels in the head of the latter are typical of the period around 1870-1890. The pub further expanded into the building on the left hand side in relatively recent years to form a cosy drinking area called the ‘Wig Box’.”

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    A rather better cat photo than my efforts.

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    I did try though.

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    I couldn’t quite understand these chairs, as one customer tried to sit on them and nearly fell off before meandering to one of the tables. The tables have table-clothes on so it wasn’t entirely clear to me whether drinkers were allowed to sit at them. The pub is primarily food led and there’s a blackboard which is chalked up with the daily menu. I must admit, the whole arrangement felt a little uncomfortable so I wouldn’t want to linger, but it’s a popular venue. Most surfaces were sticky which made it a little challenging to find somewhere to stand and not stick to something, but the food is very well reviewed and I’m sure it’s marvellous. Anyway, another Good Beer Guide venue ticked off.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Skinners’ Arms

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Skinners’ Arms

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    Another one ticked off in my never-ending quest to visit every Good Beer Guide pub in the country…. This Skinners’ Arms is located on Judd Street, near to King’s Cross railway station, with the road name being relevant here as its commemorates Sir Andrew Judd, the donor of the estate to the Skinners’ Company.

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    The bar, tastefully decorated and with some suitable heritage elements. There were six real ales on which was an excellent selection, although there was nothing overly decadent there was at least Timothy Taylor’s Landlord.

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    There hasn’t been any excessive attempt to modernise the interior design and it’s all the better for that. They were serving food when I arrived and are meant to until 20:30, but before that time was reached a gentleman who sat down and was waiting for table service was told that they had stopped serving. He looked disappointed but left quietly, I felt quite sorry for him. Anyway, the food prices are around £12 to £15 for main courses which is reasonable for the King’s Cross area and the reviews for food are generally very positive.

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    I went for the Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, a reliable beer that was well kept and at the appropriate temperature.

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    The King’s Cross area has seen many traditional elements swept away, but the Skinners’ Arms hasn’t lost its heart. The interior was warm and comfortable, allowing customers to forget just what a busy part of London they’re located in. The service was efficient and polite, with the atmosphere feeling inviting.

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    Fair enough…..

    Having a little look at the reviews, a customer posted:

    “Very patronising and horrible bartenders who might be the 2 managers? In there 50’s lecturing on how I should relax! I was just looking arround to find a sit quietly. But I’m speedy in nature which is how I am and love being speedy it suits my adhd energy, so I walk and move fast and I am fidgetty. Slowing down stresses me out, it’s a constrain. Felt very regretful to have come here and being received by somone who suggest that I tone down my rhythm. Not coming back here”

    There’s likely an interesting back story here, but it sounds as if this customer presented something of a challenge to the management. They weren’t disappointed at his announcement that he wasn’t returning, noting:

    “Chooc – probably for the best”.

    Actually, they’re quite forthright, another customer posted:

    “Rude manager wouldn’t let me finish my coffee as I walked in before trying to order a pint so I won’t be coming back here. Weird vibes from him as well made me feel unwelcome. Plenty other good pubs around so I’d not bother with this one.”

    This sounds like the customer walked in with a coffee from another venue and was annoyed that the manager wasn’t impressed. The pub certainly aren’t very apologetic and I think they sound right:

    “Matthew – I think you going elsewhere is a grand idea”

    Another customer posted, and I’d note that most reviews are positive, with a rather direct:

    “Poor service and rude staff. Would give zero stars if possible.”

    This is one of the best replies that I’ve seen on Google:

    “Tom – I think Google should have minus star ratings – then you could really vent your feelings”

    That’s a classy response. I already liked this venue, but I liked them a bit more after reading this.

    Overall, I very much liked this pub and its traditional interior design. There was a choice of beers, the prices were moderate for central London and the staff for friendly. A worthy addition to the Good Beer Guide and certainly worth visiting for anyone who needs to get a train from Euston or King’s Cross St Pancras.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – The Hardy Tree (A Bit Fallen Down)

    London – Camden (Borough of) – The Hardy Tree (A Bit Fallen Down)

    In a quick departure from my US trip content that I’m droning on about, I was saddened to hear that the Hardy Tree in London has fallen down. The Tweet below shows the state of it now….

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Shaw Theatre (Recording of the Unbelieveable Truth)

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Shaw Theatre (Recording of the Unbelieveable Truth)

    I saw an advert last week to get free tickets to be in the audience for a few BBC radio shows and television programmes being recorded this month, all advertised by Lost in TV. I applied for a couple of things and got them both, this one being the recording of BBC Radio 4’s comedy The Unbelieveable Truth. I’ve heard it before on a few occasions, although I hadn’t realised that it has been going since 2007.

    The first thing I misunderstood is how early people get here for these performances, I thought that I was arriving early by being thirty minutes before the time required by my ticket. Nonetheless, I go and stand at the back of the queue and wait patiently. A staff member was walking down the queue and that was useful as she told me that I had a priority ticket. I hadn’t given much thought to that, but the people with these decadent tickets are guaranteed a seat and they wait in another area, whilst the hopefuls can queue up to see if they can get a seat. Hence why the queue had formed early.

    The queue that I should have been in was much shorter which was rather lovely. I’m not sure why I had a priority ticket, but that was very useful. The location for all of this is the Shaw Theatre which is about a two minute walk from King’s Cross St. Pancras railway station.

    Everything seemed to be run like clockwork and I got my seat without any issues. There were two episodes being recorded back to back for the next series of the show, even though the current series only starting to air this week. Nothing like advance planning…..

    I noticed that two people were taking photos with flash during the performance and others were recording bits, I’m not sure if the production company noticed or whether they weren’t too bothered. I suspect there isn’t a huge market for advance clips of a Radio 4 show, but I’m sure it’s not ideal. Either way, since lots of photos were taken between the two episodes (and I’ve seen several on social media already, which is the reason I’m justifying posting my photo), and therefore here’s mine. Incidentally, a lot of audience members seemed to think that the bit between the two shows was time to get drinks and have a long toilet break, with David Mitchell commenting an unusually number of people were leaving. But, they came back which was probably a relief to the production company, although the recording wasn’t held up to wait for that.

    I’m sure the contents of the show are not for public consumption yet, but I was impressed with David Mitchell in particular. And I was pleased to see Alan Davies was one of the panellists, but it was all really rather lovely from everyone of course. The producers weren’t sure when the episodes would be broadcast, but I’ll try and remember to listen in to hear just how much gets cut out of things like this. This was also a pleasant evening’s entertainment, especially since it was free.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Euston Travelodge Central

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Euston Travelodge Central

    Travelodge had an offer on a week or so ago which was get one night half price when booking at least two nights, which meant that this hotel became really quite affordable despite its central location. It’s literally a one-minute walk from Euston railway station, and around five minutes from King’s Cross St Pancras railway station, so ideal for those needing to catch a train.

    When I entered the hotel I was surprised and delighted to see that they had ripped up most of the floor, and even more surprised when I left to go out two hours later and they had restored the flooring. Whatever work they were doing, the tradespeople were very efficient at least. The staff member at reception was helpful and everything seemed in order, other than I struggled to hear her amidst noises of the floor being ripped up. No mention was made of breakfast or the cafe, which was of no relevance to me anyway as I wasn’t using them, but I was slightly surprised there was no upsell tried. Although, to be fair, the staff member already could hardly hear themselves think with the sound of their floor being ripped up around them.

    The room is standard Travelodge fare, but actually it was entirely satisfactory and I had no complaints. The window opened and the air conditioning was very effective, something that I don’t necessarily expect in budget hotels. There was a bath in the bathroom, another feature that many hotels lack. I was given the quiet side of the hotel, although I don’t mind road noise, but reviews of the hotel are littered by complaints about the sound of traffic keeping people awake.

    The hotel has started to renovate its rooms and they have the SuperRooms which you pay a bit extra and get a decadent coffee machine and a KitKat. I decided against going for such luxury. I didn’t have any noise problems internally or externally, despite this seeming to be the most common complaint from guests.

    As for the reviews, the staff are being creative with excuses and not blaming Covid for shortages:

    “Rooms are unvacuumed and dirty. Toilet is dirty. Shower curtains ( bleurgh) Rooms are sprayed liberally with air freshener instead of cleaned and it’s suffocating. The reason, apparently, is ‘Brexit’.”

    Firealarmgate doesn’t sound ideal either…..

    “Finally, on the second night when I was getting out baby ready for bed, the fire alarm went off. I scrambled to get us both semi-decent and grab the essentials, then ran down to the foyer. I didn’t take the room key as I thought there was a fire tearing through the building. The fire alarm stopped on the way down. I reached the foyer, and stood there, with a half-dressed baby and myself shoeless, for 20 minutes with no sign of staff.”

    And I know some people like this:

    “I spent half of my time going down to the reception to complain about something.”

    There are over twenty reviews of guests who have been given keycards to already occupied rooms, something which I still think is unforgivable incompetence from a hotel. I merrily barricade a room with a chair behind the door to try and prevent such things, but I’d be demanding my night be refunded should it ever happen…. Fortunately, it hasn’t (although it has to Nathan, he gets all the excitement….).

    Although one customer was livid about a series of things and noted:

    “We advised of the issues and all they were able to do was give us a handful of free Kit Kat’s, not exactly a suitable response.”

    That would have won me over…..

    Anyway, I liked this hotel as it was central, clean and quiet, although I likely won’t stay here again as it’s normally relatively expensive. I understand that there are some rooms in the cellar and that doesn’t sound ideal, probably best to try and refuse those at reception if possible.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Euston Tap

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Euston Tap

    Continuing my mission to visit all the Good Beer Guide pubs in London, I haven’t been to the Euston Tap for many years. There are two parts of this, the opposite lodge is separated by a bus lane, and the other half now has the same name, although I remember that as the Cider Tap or something similar. The two lodges are both listed buildings (under the same listing) and they were built as detached structures to the railway station in 1870. They were built with Portland Stone and were designed by JB Stansby who was working for the London & North Western Railway. As is noted on the listed building record, this is all that remains from the 1870 railway station, given the destruction of the Euston Arch (and indeed, everything else).

    I won’t stray onto the matter of the Euston Arch, which stood here until Ernest Marples, one of the most incompetent, morally bankrupt, corrupt and deceitful of British politicians, ordered it to be taken down. I feel I’ve said enough about the odious, fraudulent and disgrace that was Ernest Marples, as it’s important to be balanced about individuals and not just see the bad in them. Anyway, I’ve digressed onto one of my favourite subjects, so back to beer, another one of my favourite subjects.

    The beer selection was chalked up on a board and I haven’t seen this in a while, with on-line ordering systems rather taking over during the last year. An interesting selection of different styles, although lacking in darker beers. Prices are reasonable given the quality available and also the central London location of being just outside a major railway station.

    It wasn’t very busy inside, although it was considerably busier outside. There’s a screen showing football to those seated outside, which isn’t visible to those who are located inside. This, speaking just for me, is the ideal compromise. Put smokers and football watchers outside to deal with either the cold or the wasps when it’s hot, leaving craft beer “connoisseurs” inside. Well, something like that anyway…..

    I opted for the Fruju pale ale from the Big Smoke Brew Co, which was OK, but I wasn’t getting the depth of flavours that I anticipated. There was a rich mouthfeel, and I note that the brewery mention they put added oats in to achieve this, a process that I hadn’t realised. There were some stoned fruit flavours, but the aftertaste was all a little weak, so I’d say this was just an average beer for me. But, interesting to try it.

    Overall, this is a bit of a local tradition in terms of pubs and absolutely recommended, not least as there’s a bit of heritage and quirkiness to the arrangements. The staff member was knowledgeable and helpful, it was a comfortable and clean environment, and although it’s small inside, at least there’s plenty of space outside and ideal for those who like bus spotting (I don’t, but I don’t judge, I knew someone who spent hours faffing about with Pokemon, and I rarely commented on that….).

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Craft Beer Co. Covent Garden

    I’ve got myself a bit muddled up (again) as I didn’t realise that The Craft Beer Co. had this bar, which they call Covent Garden, but I associate with being in Holborn (it’s actually between the two, so they’re completely right). This is relevant, as I muddled it up with the outlet on Leather Lane, which is also near to Holborn, and thought for some reason it was the same place. That boring little story aside, it means that I had to go and visit this bar I hadn’t realised existed to ensure that I didn’t miss out on anything. As an aside, it’s also in the Good Beer Guide, so that’s another one visited.

    Staffing engagement was excellent, with the team members being friendly, knowledgeable and keen to help. The bar was busy, but they found me a decent seat by the window, with table service being offered. There were plenty of team members around to assist customers, with the atmosphere feeling laid-back and vibrant.

    Another outlet in the chain earlier in the week didn’t have an up-to-date beer list, but they did here. I’m happy with this beer selection, a nice mixture of different beer styles.

    As an aside, that’s the bar’s licence taped to the window on the right of the photo. At least ten people came to have a look at it when I seated there, I assume thinking that it was a menu. I liked that the bar remained busy throughout my visit, as although it’s a central London location, these are tough times.

    I only had one drink here today, as I was on a mission to get food elsewhere, but I went for the Atomic Crush from Amundsen Brewery. It’s a raspberry, peach and vanilla pastry sour, which is becoming one of my favourite styles of beer now. I’ve been well advised I think to have got a taste for this beer style, with Amundsen being a well regarded brewery from Oslo in Norway. As a beer, it was excellent, with a strong raspberry hit, then the sourness bites before the more subtle flavours of vanilla and stoned fruit become evident.

    I noticed a negative review from three years from an angry person who said they looked forwards to the demise of this chain (they might have a long wait) which had some drivel about watering down beer. I like how the bar replied:

    “The above could not possibly be referring to our pub where we sell the finest and largest range of quality beers in the whole of the UK at very reasonable prices.”

    Nice  🙂

    I remain a fan of this chain of bars, all on-trend, well reviewed, exciting and offering something new every time. I’ve checked (more carefully this time) how many more bars I have left to visit in this chain, and it’s just the Brixton one. I’ll fix that omission this week. Definitely recommended, and I’m very pleased that it’s in the Good Beer Guide, and this is a different sort of bar to the usual ones listed.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – The Swan

    London – Camden (Borough of) – The Swan

    On my continuing journey of Good Beer Guide pubs in London, this is the Greene King operated (yes, I know) Swan near Holborn. It all looks welcoming from the exterior, well, other than it’s got a Greene King sign on it. I’m not sure how old the building is, but unlike its neighbour, it’s not listed.

    An interesting pub interior and a very friendly staff member came over to welcome me at the door, so it was all efficient and inviting. The France and Hungary football match was showing and I was asked if I’d like to watch it, which I thought was nice to check. It wasn’t that busy in the pub, although it was a little busier with customers sitting out the front. I liked that the football was showing for those who wanted it, but without the volume being so loud that it meant everyone in the pub had to listen to it. Life is a careful balance as they say (well, they might do, I don’t know).

    The app told me that Greene King IPA was available, but I was hoping for an alcoholic drink and I’m glad that I checked, as the staff member told me that there were a couple more options to choose from. I don’t want to moan (but, yet here we are….) but Greene King are meant to be a brewer of beer (and Greene King IPA) and they have hundreds of products listed on their app, but they don’t bother listing the ales (other pub companies seem to manage….). They hamper their staff unnecessarily, but I was pleased to note that they had the N1 from Hammerton Brewery. That’s a perfectly decent beer and a nod towards sourcing from local suppliers, so this pleased me. It was well kept, at the appropriate temperature and was nicely refreshing, as well as being reasonably priced.

    Some of the interesting decoration in the pub, which was clean and organised throughout. Given the friendly welcome, a choice of ales and a quirky environment, it probably justifies being in the Good Beer Guide. There’s also traditional pub food available, and that seems to be well reviewed, so this is a safe choice for those wanting food and drink in this part of central London. In terms of service though, that was excellent here, so how lovely….

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – The Craft Beer Co Clerkenwell

    London – Camden (Borough of) – The Craft Beer Co Clerkenwell

    I have visited this pub before, but I haven’t been to any from the chain this year and I did wonder how they were getting on.

    Everything was clean and organised, with the barman providing a friendly welcome. The menus on the tables have gone thanks to Covid, so when the barman asked what I wanted to order I said that I’d have a look at the menu that I had noticed a QR code for on the table. Apparently that’s out of date, which isn’t ideal, so the barman suggested going to the bar to see what they had.

    There’s still a considerable choice of beers available, but the knowledgeable and helpful barman said that the only dark option was Broken Dream from Siren Craft Brew. This is a very good beer, but I’ve had it before on numerous occasions and was looking for something new.

    Not that it bears any relation to dark beers, but I went for the Electric Mayhem from Cloak and Dagger, a pineapple sour. I’m glad that I was talked by someone a couple of years ago into trying more sours, as I’ve become something of a fan of them. Cloak and Dagger are a brewery from West Worthing, producing beers from a wide range of different styles. The beer had a pleasant pineapple flavour and sourness to it, although it didn’t feel full bodied and the aftertaste was more subtle than the zing that had been suggested by the brewery. It didn’t taste its 4.5%, it seemed a little weaker, and the reviews on Untappd seem to push this into just being an average beer. Interesting drink though and I’m glad I had it, even though I didn’t get a stout to end the evening off with.

    I’m surprised that the chain hasn’t rolled out on-line ordering, or at least more of an effort to keep their beer menus up-to-date since they’re on-line. Seems a bit of a waste of time if there are QR codes on the tables for beer menus that are out of date, and I can see this is a problem with other outlets in the chain. Perhaps things are difficult for this chain at the moment, especially given they are nearly entirely located in London. The barman was excellent though, engaging, conversational and knowledgeable, so I’m sure that things will soon be back to normal here with that professionalism.