Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Camden (Borough of)

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Goodenough on Mecklenburgh Square

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Goodenough on Mecklenburgh Square

    I’ve been meaning to use up one of my hotels.com reward nights for some time, which was a free hotel stay up to the value of £53. That meant I had to find a hotel that cost at least that much to get value for money, with this one coming in at around £60, so it only cost me a few pounds. It’s the hotel attached to Goodenough College and the building stretches across five town houses, most of which were used as nurse’s homes after the Second World War.

    The grand entrance to the building, with an air of formality about the hotel, but the member of staff at reception was friendly and engaging.

    The single room, which I struggled to find, because the hotel numbering system gives each one of the five buildings a number, so a room number beginning with 4 is in the fourth building and not on the fourth floor. It was all a bit complex for me….. The room was clean, compact and at the appropriate temperature, with a modern bathroom. I dread to think how much this cost to convert the building, but it has been done tastefully and sensitively. There isn’t though a lift, as no doubt the building would never have been able to accommodate that, so there was a fair amount of walking up stairs, all useful training for the LDWA 100.

    The hospitality tray in the cupboard.

    There was a choice of breakfast, either a simple continental breakfast served in a bag outside the room, or a cooked breakfast at the college opposite. The man at reception said that I couldn’t possibly get lost and that the cooked option was best.

    After I got lost and had to get a staff member to show me where to go, this is the Great Hall of Goodenough College, one of the nicer breakfast surroundings that I’ve had. There was no-one else around, other than for a personable and helpful manager and a member of serving staff, both of whom offered another friendly welcome.

    The breakfast quality was a bit marginal in terms of the ingredients, but it was pleasant enough and I liked the dining environment. Not at all bad given that the breakfast price is included within the room rate and it isn’t far to walk.

    I’m not sure that the hotel normally has room rates this low, circumstances have rather forced lower prices upon them. Often used by academics and students at the college, the hotel probably doesn’t usually have such availability, so this was a useful time to try somewhere new. Anyway, all rather lovely.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Holborn – The Holborn Whippet

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Holborn – The Holborn Whippet

    This pub in Holborn has an interesting name and, more importantly, is listed in the Good Beer Guide. As an aside, the 2021 edition is out next week, so I might be visiting locations that have already been removed from it. Such is the jeopardy I live with…. Or something like that, but anyway, I digress.

    There’s a focus on small craft breweries, with the prices being reasonable given the central London location. I opted for the Railway Porter from The Five Points Brewing Company, a small brewery from Hackney. It was a solid porter with a richness to it and plenty of chocolate flavour, although the aftertaste was a bit limited. Still a decent option though.

    The pub wasn’t particularly busy and drinks were brought to the table with customers asked to scan a QR code to order. Service was polite, but perhaps routine, and it felt a comfortable location to be in. This was previously one of the small chain known as Father’s Study, a slightly bizarre concept which didn’t last long. Before then the location was used as a cafe called Yum Nation.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – King’s Cross Railway Station – Nigel Gresley Statue

    London – Camden (Borough of) – King’s Cross Railway Station – Nigel Gresley Statue

    The rather beautiful extension to King’s Cross railway station, which opened in 2012 as part of a refurbishment of the building.

    The statue of Nigel Gresley, which was unveiled here on 5 April 2016, to mark the 75th anniversary of his death. There was quite an argument, which led to resignations from the Trust behind the statue, when grandsons of Gresley wanted the duck figure removed from the statue as they thought it was demeaning. Perhaps there are better things to worry about, but the end result was to remove the duck. I think I’d have left it as it might have encouraged more children to meander over to see what it was and they might then want to know what Gresley did.

    And there’s information about the engineering career which Gresley had, namely the Mallard and the Flying Scotsman.

    NB, as an aside, my friend Nathan grumbled that I didn’t link this post to the Nigel Gresley pub we visited in Swadlincote a few weeks ago. He was right to be fair, it is an omission of mine…

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – St Pancras Railway Station – Barrel Vault Pub

    London – Camden (Borough of) – St Pancras Railway Station – Barrel Vault Pub

    This is a relatively new JD Wetherspoon outlet at London St. Pancras railway station, located right near the back of the building. The pub is named after the station’s design, which is slightly elevated so that the huge undercroft could be used to store barrels of beer, mainly Burton Beer. In a running theme of things that British Rail wanted to demolish, this entire railway station was for a time at risk, but fortunately it has been saved.

    JD Wetherspoon had created a national pricing policy (excluding airports) for their extended eat out to help out campaign, meaning that London prices are now particularly cheap. This San Pellegrino cost 99p.

    And I’m still on my run of traditional breakfasts, with this being £2.99 instead of the usual price of £4.99. It was served promptly, although the staff member rushed off before I could get any sauces (which are now brought to the table) but it was otherwise all fine. Everything was hot that was meant to be and I liked that the toast was slightly burnt.

    Unsurprisingly, the pub wasn’t very busy given how few people are travelling at the moment. I quite like the review on TripAdvisor of when a customer was most upset when she wasn’t allowed to eat a croissant brought in from another station outlet, but otherwise there’s not much of excitement on there.

    The decor is a bit bland, although perhaps there’s not a great deal that JD Wetherspoon could do with the space. The staff were friendly and everything was clean, with it being hard to complain with a breakfast and drink for under £4. I didn’t order alcohol, but they had 11 different real ales on, but the range of beer styles was poorly managed so there was a lot of duplication and no dark beers.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Euston Road Pret

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Euston Road Pret

    Pret have kindly appeased my random mutterings and whingeings of yesterday, so all is well with the world again. And, I wasn’t going to write about these Pret visits, but this one did a kind thing today and that’s nice….

    As an aside, I’ve become a fan of pumpkin spiced lattes. I probably need to get out more to be honest, but there we are.

    Anyway, my riveting story, which I feel I’m over-selling as it is. There was an elderly lady, and I need to use those words to paint at least something of a picture, who came in and looked as if she needed help choosing what to get for her breakfast. A staff member noticed, went over and spent a few minutes with her explaining the options. She then came over to the table, offered help and went through the food options again. The customer seemed rather pleased, with the staff member then coming over with the hot food she ordered and her coffee. As a gesture of goodwill, which Pret staff can do, the lady was given her coffee free of charge. A lovely gesture and it’s reassured me once again about Pret….

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – London St Pancras YHA

    London – Camden (Borough of) – London St Pancras YHA

    I’m booking a bit day to day at the moment, but returned to the YHA yesterday and their hostel which is located opposite the British Library and just a short walk away from King’s Cross St Pancras railway station.

    These are not good times for the YHA as they can’t let out dorm rooms (or at least, they’re not letting them out if they’re allowed to). This meant that this en-suite four-bed dorm room cost me £22 for the night, something which I’m not sure was ever in their financial plan for the year.

    The now switched-off air conditioning unit which is one of the largest I’ve seen and must have been from a previous incarnation of the building. There was also a working heater and fan in the room though to manage the temperature.

    My own Dyson hand dryer for the evening.

    And a rather lovely view from the window. That’s the British Library on the left, reminding me that I haven’t used my Reader’s Card recently. The building on the right is the St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, the hugely impressive hotel designed by George Gilbert Scott. It’s out of my price range as it’s five-star luxury, but it’s worth noting that British Rail tried to demolish it in the 1960s. Great foresight as ever.

    And the same view at night.

    The staff at the hostel were friendly, engaging and helpful, with everything being clean and organised. Hostels aren’t quite the same when they’re nearly empty, but that did at least mean that it was all quiet and calm. I also liked the sound of traffic outside, but it wasn’t that loud as there was some sound protection going on with the windows.

    As an aside, this is a really well reviewed location as well, one of the highest of its type on TripAdvisor in London. It’s picked up just 17 one-star reviews over the years, a really low number given the variety of things that can go wrong in hostels. Although one person left a one-star review saying that she had stuff nicked from her bag, just as she had done in the same hostel the year before. She was brave to return. The guest that wrote “the ceiling collapsed leaving my bed filled with water and items of clothing and accessories were stolen from my case” didn’t seem to have had the best time….

    Anyway, I thought it was excellent value for money, all rather lovely.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Camden Road Draft House

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Camden Road Draft House

    This is a sizeable pub in Camden, located opposite Camden Road Overground Station. I never knew this until today, but the Draft House chain is now part of Brewdog (they bought it a couple of years ago), which explains why they share so much in terms of branding and beers. I wonder if they’d have been better of swapping buildings with the smaller Brewdog Camden, but there we go….. According to WhatPub, this has gone through a few incarnations over the years, “formerly the Eagle, then Rosie O’Grady’s, then Mac Bar, then Grand Union”.

    For those who don’t want to sit inside, there is outdoor seating on the pavement where you can enjoy traffic fumes and noise. The set-up here allowed me a suitable compromise, the ability to people watch, but with a lovely sheet of glass to keep out traffic and cigarette fumes.

    All modern and on-trend, as well as being quiet which is a little unfortunate for the pub. I imagine it’s a busy place on weekends and evenings though given it’s in a fashionable area. The staff member was friendly, so all welcoming and comfortable.

    The tap list on screens.

    Ordering was a bit of a faff, their system isn’t the most logical (there are lots of steps) and they had to explain it in some detail to a neighbouring table where it failed. Anyway, I got there, but was slightly annoyed that the prices on this tap list don’t match the prices on the app. The pub was serving food and I was amused (because it reminded me of someone….) that the couple near me ordered cauliflower wings as it’s buy one vegan side and get one free on Thursdays. I didn’t partake, although I might have done if it was Wednesday as they have unlimited chicken wings on, rather replicating the Brewdog theme.

    The Brewdog Oatmeal Stout, a perfectly acceptable drink, at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature and although not silky smooth, it had a certain richness to it.

    It’s all a decent modernisation of a Victorian pub, without its heritage being entirely destroyed. Spacious and with a suitable range of beers, all rather lovely.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Brewdog

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Brewdog

    And another day in London, so another Brewdog for my little collection…. This one is located in Camden and was formerly the Laurel Tree which had closed and then been turned into a restaurant. Brewdog were given permission to return it to use as a pub in 2011 and it became their first outlet in London.

    The pub is bright and modern in feel and although there’s a basement level, it isn’t the largest Brewdog in the estate. The staff member was friendly and helpful, with the appropriate health protocols all being handled professionally.

    The beer choice was wide, although there were no interesting dark beers from guest brewers, which is a little rare for Brewdog. Anyway, they had their own beer of Pudding Face which I haven’t had before and this was a quiet remarkable drink, as it tasted of a chocolate eclair. Beer shouldn’t have to taste like this, but I’m pleased when it does. It was certainly just a little decadent and there were tastes of pastry, chocolate and toffee, all coming together beautifully in a beer. I’m now rather glad that there weren’t any guest beers to try, as I would have missed out on this. Brewdog isn’t trying to be the cheapest option for beers, and this was towards the higher end of the scale, but the quality was high.

    As an aside, a senior person from Brewdog came in when I was there, but not many other customers did, only two during the time that I was there. I can see why so many pubs are deciding not to open at all at the moment in London, these are still challenging times.

    When walking to the toilets I was confronted (from the other direction) with this ladder and I suspect a customer who was slightly (well, very) drunk would have marched straight up it. It’s just their store-room up there and the ladder had been left down, so I was pleased I realised to walk around it rather than straight up it.

    Anyway, it’s another perfectly decent outlet and the beer is, as usual, towards the excellent end of the spectrum. The staff member was friendly, the pub was clean and so that’ll do me….

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Victorian Urinal (Star Yard)

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Victorian Urinal (Star Yard)

    OK, this might not be the most riveting content ever, although that’s something I write on a semi-regular basis…. This is Star Yard, in what is now an area associated with the judicial process. And, there’s a listed structure here which is perhaps noteworthy.

    And here it is, a Victorian urinal. Made of cast iron, it was installed here in the late nineteenth century as part of a vague attempt to improve sanitation in the city. There are numerous decorated panels and it’s quite a sturdy structure, evident that it has survived for this long.

    Like most public conveniences in the city, they’re now permanently closed and have been for some time. They’re now just locked shut, although it’s not entirely clear what the owners can do with them other than just use them as some storage shed. The area around them is now all relatively modern, so they’re a reminder of what once was here.

    And here’s the area 100 years ago, the toilets are located where it says Star Yard on the map. The bank on the nearby corner is now a JD Wetherspoon outlet, the Knights Templar.

  • London – Camden – British Museum (South Metopes)

    London – Camden – British Museum (South Metopes)

    I have no in-depth knowledge of these, but there’s plenty of information at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metopes_of_the_Parthenon about these metopes. They were carved in around 446BC and have had quite the adventure over the centuries.

    But, the bizarre situation now, and without getting political, is that the main sections of some of them are in the British Museum and the heads of these figures are still in Athens (and some are dotted around other parts of Europe).

    This is South Metope VI (SM7) and the catalogue description for this reads as follows, split into three different sections.

    Parthenon SM.7 (Acropolis)
    Title: Parthenon, South Metope 7
    Collection: Athens, Acropolis Museum
    Subject: Centaur head

    Parthenon SM.7 (Paris)
    Title: Parthenon, South Metope 7
    Collection: Paris, Musee du Louvre
    Subject: Head of Lapith
    Subject Description:
    The head of a young Lapith belongs to metope S7, now in the British Museum. He has short hair, large eyes rimmed with thick lids, a mouth with a full lower lip and no beard. The head is represented in an almost frontal view, though the left side is not completely finished.
    Condition Description:
    Head in relief, broken across back. Nose in broken and worn. Heavily weathered

    Parthenon SM.7 (London)
    Title: Parthenon, South Metope 7
    Collection: London, British Museum
    Subject: Lapith and Centaur
    Subject Description:
    Centauromachy: Lapith (left) charges against Centaur with left arm forward, mantle clasped at right shoulder. Centaur (right) rears up, his left foreleg against stomach and groin of Lapith, his cloak flying out to right.
    Form and Style:
    Note veins in left arm of Lapith — a Severe Style trait.
    Condition Description:
    Missing: upper right corner of slab, most of right leg, left foot, right hand, and lower mantle of Lapith, left rear foreleg and left arm of Centaur. Heads in Athens and Paris (Louvre Ma 737). Surface abraded.

    So, anyone who wants to see study this metope will have to pop along to the Louvre, the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum. It’s not ideal….