Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: London

  • London – Havering (Borough of) – Upminster – Upminster Windmill

    London – Havering (Borough of) – Upminster – Upminster Windmill

    There are some more rural parts to Upminster that I had expected and this is a mill which was constructed between 1803 and 1805. It was badly damaged during storms in 1899 and the costs of reconstruction were thought to be too high, but members of the public donated half the cost of repair. The mill then stayed in usage until 1934 and there were plans for the site to be turned into housing. These plans didn’t come to fruition due to local opposition, with Essex County Council taking over the site just before the Second World War.

    The council didn’t do a great job, they left the outbuildings to fall into disrepair, requiring them to be demolished in the 1960s. They also lost some of the equipment, but in the 1970s volunteers started work on a project to restore the mill. It was fully restored and complete, but there’s a current restoration effort which has meant the top section has been temporarily dismantled.

    And an information board at the site. The mill is occasionally open to the public, although not until 2021 due to the current health crisis.

  • London – Havering (Borough of) – Upminster – Crumpled Horn

    London – Havering (Borough of) – Upminster – Crumpled Horn

    As a slight declaration of interest, I received a free drinks voucher for this pub, hence why I thought I’d pop in. The pub is run by Marstons and the voucher should have been for a free pint of any ale. I can’t really complain that they didn’t have any, since I was taking their free gesture anyway, but Marstons are a big brewer and it isn’t ideal they had entirely run out.

    The welcome was very personable, with the staff here seeming particularly friendly. There was an elderly customer that they spent some time on, it all seemed a pub that the community could call their own. The pub was also clean and the staff were taking the health situation seriously.

    I could have had a pint of Fosters, but that thought really didn’t appeal, hence the free white wine. I bought the crisps and they were rather lovely. I’m not really a wine person, but it tasted OK, that’s about my limit of comment on that. The pub is reasonably well reviewed, but there are a few comments running through that they’re offering no craft beer and their choice of real ales is either weak or not there at all. Unfortunately, this is a lager-led pub, but then again, if that’s what keeps them busy, I guess that’s working for them. But, for decent beer, I’d recommend the Upminster Taproom.

  • London – Havering (Borough of) – Upminster – Clockhouse Gardens

    London – Havering (Borough of) – Upminster – Clockhouse Gardens

    Clockhouse Gardens are laid out on the former site of the moated property New Place, which was demolished in the early twentieth century. It’s possible to walk around the water which was once the moat and it’s a quiet and peaceful area in what is now quite an urban environment. The site was used to grow vegetables for the war effort during the Second World War, but has now been returned to a park for use by the local community. It’s a bit hidden away, but is a rather beautiful area, although some people have complained about the number of rats which have found a home here. The site isn’t huge, around three acres, and there’s also a bowling green laid out at the site.

  • London – Havering (Borough of) – Upminster – Upminster Taproom

    London – Havering (Borough of) – Upminster – Upminster Taproom

    This is the only Good Beer Guide listed pub in Upminster and, according to CAMRA, the first micropub in the area. And, without wanting to veer into politics, I’m disappointed that the pub clashed with local councillor Ron Ower, who the owners barred. Ower opposed the opening of this excellent bar against the advice of council officers, which is perhaps now one of the best establishments in the area.

    The interior is quirky and full of upcycled materials.

    As can be seen from the lights on the ceiling.

    This wasn’t under-poured, I only took the photo mid-way through the drink. It’s The Brazilian porter from Colchester Brewery and it had a richness to it, with a strong flavour of coffee and notes of vanilla and chocolate. It’s the third different drink I’ve had from this brewery and they produce some intriguing flavours.

    Anyway, the pub was welcoming and I was served by the co-owner. Everything was managed professionally and it’s a relaxing environment. There were five different beer options and I liked how the owner had attached the pump clips to a stick and could then show that to customers. A nice idea and there were a range of different beer types, so I was pleased that they had the dark option which I went for.

    All rather lovely, and a deserving entrant to the Good Beer Guide. And I’m glad they persisted to ensure that they opened a few years ago.

  • London – Hard Rock Cafe Oxford Street

    London – Hard Rock Cafe Oxford Street

    I haven’t grumbled about anything in a while, so now feels appropriate. I received an e-mail on behalf of Hard Rock Cafe saying that they had a 50% offer which was off all food in their Oxford Street location in London. This is a very good offer, as Hard Rock might be a little expensive, but that makes it quite a reasonable expedition to get food at half price. I’ve been to around ten Hard Rock Cafes over the years, with the service in Atlanta and Krakow being outstanding, and my visit a few months to Hard Rock Cafe Bucharest was also perfectly enjoyable.

    Anyway, after being quite interested in this offer, it was then noted that solo diners were excluded from taking part. So, group sizes of 2 to 6. I don’t much like this at the best of times, but it’s vaguely understandable as solo diners don’t make as much money. But, nor do three diners at a table for four. And, judging from recent reviews, Hard Rock Cafe Oxford Street is not exactly busy. Which is evident from their deluging food out at half price.

    I remember doing some work for a certain Italian restaurant a few years ago which was how to make solo diners welcome. This was marvellous, there are people who are on business trips, who might be lonely, key workers or just people who want to get out of the house. Ideally, the welcome should be positive and engaging for all of those, especially somewhere upbeat such as Hard Rock Cafe which can offer that friendly feel.

    Or, they could be like the management at Hard Rock Cafe in Oxford Street who puts two fingers up at solo diners. Unimpressed.

    Anyway, moving on, I can write about the rather lovely brewery I’ve just been to.

  • British Airways (Warsaw to Heathrow T5)

    British Airways (Warsaw to Heathrow T5)

    This was the British Airways aircraft in Warsaw, G-NEOY, one of the new Airbus A321-Neo aircraft and this was only delivered to BA on 15 June 2020. It wasn’t the aircraft that they expected to use, but the UK Government announced an end to the travel corridor from Poland and this was one of the last flights back to the UK that avoided this issue. So, the aircraft was entirely full.

    The gate was busy and the announcements were hard to hear as the tannoy wasn’t very loud. There was boarding via seat row and this seemed sufficiently well managed.

    The free snacks provided en route, although three customers near to me tried to order food and drink from the Buy on Board service which has been suspended for some months. The crew explained that it was unsafe to serve customers food at the moment, and one customer asked why they were serving food then. It isn’t an unreasonable question (and the crew member couldn’t answer it), although I’m happy with the current set-up.

    This was one of the tensest flights that I’ve been on with British Airways and it’s clear that some passengers were on edge throughout. A passenger opposite me who reclined his seated immediately and then hugged the seat in front of him was one of the more selfish I’ve seen, but I was pleased he wasn’t near to me. This same customer also irritated a member of cabin crew who ordered him over the tannoy to sit down after we had landed otherwise he’d suspend the disembarkation process. It was the same customer who talked over the safety announcements and ignored the crew throughout, then seemed confused why he was being called out for standing up whilst taxiing to the gate. I quite liked the drama to be fair.

    Overall, this wasn’t an expensive flight as I booked early, although the last few seats were costing hundreds of pounds each for those who needed to return home before 4am on Saturday when the travel corridor option was slammed shut. The problem with this new aircraft is that it’s not very comfortable when it’s at this capacity. There’s not enough space and things such as the at-seat power didn’t work, which it really should have done given how new the aircraft was.

    But, having written that, I was just pleased to get back out of Poland given the travel corridor issue, and British Airways didn’t let me down there. The flight was around thirty minutes late in departing due to a delayed outbound flight to Warsaw, but our aircraft arrived just one minute later than timetabled as they were able to make the time up. It was a slight shame that the aircraft landed at C-gates, as that’s a bit of a trek back, but the airport wasn’t particularly busy. So, all sufficiently pleasant, but not my best flight with BA.

  • London – Waltham Forest (Borough of) – The Drum

    London – Waltham Forest (Borough of) – The Drum

    This is one of the oldest pubs in the JD Wetherspoon estate (opened in the mid-1980s) and it’s one of their smaller locations as well. Since I was staying at the Ibis Styles nearly next door, this proved to be a convenient breakfast option and it’s the best part of a decade since I was last here.

    As an aside, this is the opposite side of the street, and in the middle (with the white doors) is the former JD Wetherspoon pub that was known as The Auctioneers. That pub was even smaller than The Drum, which is named incidentally as the former owners had a collection of commemorative drums hanging from the ceiling.

    Photos of the interior and this is about the entire size of the place. It was all sufficiently clean, the health protocols were followed and the staff member was personable and helpful.

    A dray delivery arrived when I was there, which meant closing off the bar area and pretty much suspending service as well.

    And the traditional breakfast, purchased under the bargain JD Wetherspoon £2.99 for a traditional breakfast which is running at the moment. This is as good as their breakfasts get, the egg was runny and the bacon was crisp, with everything served hot. There were a couple of other customers in the pub, but it was otherwise quiet when I was there, although that was between 08:00 and 09:00 to be fair….

    I think this is one of the better pubs in the JD Wetherspoon estate as it retains some atmosphere to it, unlike some of their larger more sterile pubs. Having written that though, I think it fills up quickly, so it’s probably a nuisance to get a seat quite a lot of the time. As a piece of JD Wetherspoon history, it’s interesting though, and perhaps an unusual survivor.

  • Heathrow T5

    Heathrow T5

    Just some photos from Heathrow T5 today, it didn’t feel that busy anywhere.

  • London – Shoreditch – Goose Island Brewpub (Visit 2)

    London – Shoreditch – Goose Island Brewpub (Visit 2)

    I’ve pinched this exterior photo from my first visit to Goose Island, but the rest are from my second visit. I went as I had a voucher for a free drink, so thought this visit would be a marvellous idea after arriving into London Liverpool Street railway station.

    The tap list, which had a wide range of different beer styles including from Goose Island themselves and also guests. And, this is what I have to say annoys me a little about other pubs. I don’t expect country pubs to have this spectacular array of drinks, but it’s a shame that some make nearly no effort other than to offer some bland mass-produced IPA. Especially given a lot of this stuff is also available in cans, making it easy to store and with long best before dates.

    It wasn’t overly busy.

    The service was exceptional and the barman knew his stuff about the beers, which was a delight in itself. It’s rather lovely when the staff don’t just name beers, but also really engage about them. I know a barman in Norwich who was moderately good at doing this, but I won’t name him here….. The health requirements were well managed and one customer who came in and didn’t want to use his phone to sign in, instead wanting to write his name down, was refused entry.

    I went for the Eric by Brewski and the Forty Watermelons from Goose Island themselves, being rather delighted that one was free. The other drink isn’t a gin or tonic, it’s a water since I picked two different beer types and wanted something between them.

    The Eric by Brewski was decadent, a word I’ve been using too much recently, but absolutely appropriate here. Rich, smooth and a flavour of coffee and chocolate running through, with a slightly sweet aftertaste. The Forty Watermelons was a bit complex with its strong flavours of watermelon and mint, being rather quite sour, although that’s not a bad thing since it is a sour. Not quite as packed with flavour as I had expected, but still very drinkable and a nice contrast to the imperial stout.

    The bar is doing money off food and soft drinks at the moment, 25% off and this is a continuation of the Eat Out to Help Out campaign. I didn’t eat today, although I know from my previous visit that the food is excellent. Anyway, this is a quite beautiful bar and it’s another place which is on-trend not because that’s how they’ve designed it, but because others are following this sort of style. The staff members were knowledgeable and helpful, so this was another pretty much perfect visit.

  • London – Thames Photos

    London – Thames Photos

    Back in London today, giving me an opportunity to take more night-time photos by the River Thames, a little further downstream the river than last week.