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Category: UK

North Walsham Pub Day – King’s Arms Hotel

Our second pub of the day had what I considered to be the most interesting building, the substantial structure of the Kings Arms Hotel. It was constructed in the seventeenth century, although was much modified in the following century, but that’s still plenty of heritage. The pub’s web-site claims that Horatio Nelson might have popped in for a drink which is not entirely fanciful as he was at Paston Grammar School which was located next door, although he left there when he was 12 so who knows….

There are plenty of pubs which were formerly hotels and keep that word in their name, not least the Bell Hotel in Norwich, which seems a little confusing to me. However, the King’s Arms still welcomes overnight visitors and the reviews for their accommodation seem broadly positive with all the guest rooms located on the first floor.

There were three real ales available, Timothy Taylor’s Landlord, the Ghostship from Adnams and Abbot from Greene King, with prices feeling around average. I’m somewhat out of date with my knowledge of shots as it’s a long time since I’ve run anything which sells them, but the Dead Man’s Fingers rum looked intriguing in their garish packaging. But Julian and I were sticking to the beers and didn’t want to get distracted with shots, a sign of our professionalism to our day trip.

We didn’t have a food plan for the day, so I asked if they were serving food and these menus were supplied. As they looked suitably interesting we decided to get food here.

The problem a large pub has is ensuring that it feels homely and that there doesn’t seem to be tumbleweed floating across the plains of the carpet. There were no such difficulties here, there were plenty of customers from all age groups with this being one of the more comfortable environments we found during the day. I went for the Landlord from Timothy Taylor’s Brewery and this tasted as expected, at the appropriate temperature and well kept.

Historic photos of the pub.

A little shrine of pub history, I liked it.

This sign was more confusing than it needed to be (or to me at least, I’m easily confused), but the ladies and gents were to the right.

The pie is listed on the menu as traditional British, which frightened me slightly, but I asked and was told that they had beef or chicken. I wasn’t entirely sure that this sounded entirely tempting, but I went with the chicken pie and had suitably low expectations of a sub-optimal experience. I needn’t have though, this was a perfectly good meal with the chicken pie being sizeable, the chips being firm on the exterior and fluffy inside alongside peas which retained some bite. But the star of this little show was the gravy which was served in a large quantity and had an onion taste to it which added positively to the whole arrangement. Although the chicken pie did seem to have been brought in, the meal was filling and tasty so I had no complaints. There was also a check back during the meal and I got the impression that the pub would have promptly fixed any problems. Julian went for the scampi and chips which was also served as a large portion, indeed so substantial that he was defeated towards the end, but he mentioned the quality of the food.

The pool table area of the pub, one of several separately defined areas of the venue.

I very much liked this venue, it had lots of character, the service was polite and the surroundings were comfortable. The food exceeded my expectations and I rather got the feeling that I was carrying on the tradition of generations of enjoying sustenance in this pub. And just perhaps I was sitting in the same place as Horatio Nelson, who knows….

April 8, 2023
North Walsham Pub Day – White Swan

The first pub in our little day trip was the White Swan, a listed building located opposite the church and a hospitality venue since the end of the eighteenth century which is also from around the period it was constructed.

There were two real ales available, the Black Sheep Best Bitter and the Hobgoblin Gold, with prices being towards the higher end of the scale.

We were drinking half pints for reasons of economy and the Black Sheep Bitter was adequate but I’m not sure it was at its absolute best, but the bacon fries helped to lift things a little.

The interior was quite eclectic, but this was a pub that seemed to have a broad trade base and was trying to cover the needs of those wanting to watch sport, listen to live music, play pool or have a quiet pint. The environment was welcoming and the pub was clean, with the service always being friendly with a community feel to it.

I was pleased to see numerous photos around the pub of how it once looked, with this one being from the period that it was operated by Bullards. Apparently in August 1977 the landlord of the White Swan, Barry Cunningham, organised a race where drinkers pushed a pram around the pubs of North Walsham having a pint in each. It sounds an interesting affair, especially as there were once more pubs in the town than there are today.

Pool tables make an appearance in nearly all of the pubs in North Walsham. Shame they don’t have a bar billiards table, but that’s a different matter.

I know that pianos in pubs were once far more commonplace and secretly I’m glad that this is no longer the case, as drunken people banging about on the keys would disrupt my analysis of beer. This reminds me of how many pianos were smashed up in the 1980s in the name of sport, something that seemed to be a common event at village fetes. I’m not really interested in things that involve destruction, but whatever amused people at the time I suppose.

But, back to the pub and away from my flights of fancy, this was a traditional community pub which offered a comfortable environment and broad appeal.

April 8, 2023
North Walsham Pub Day – Two Julians

Firstly, apologies to my two loyal readers who are faced with my out of sequence posting, but I’ll try and get this series of posts all completed this morning. It’s from the day trip of Thursday this week with my friend Julian to the city centre of North Walsham in North Norfolk. We were planning to visit six pubs in North Walsham, finishing at the Good Beer Guide listed Hop In. We boarded the Sanders Rocket in Norwich with the journey to the provincial capital of North Norfolk taking just over 50 minutes.

The pubs we were visiting (and I’ll link these in when I’ve finished posting) were:

Black Swan (third pub visited in the day)

Hop In (sixth pub visited in the day)

Kings Arms Hotel (second pub visited in the day)

Market Tavern (fourth pub visited in the day – although closed)

Orchard Gardens (fifth pub visited in the day)

White Swan (first pub visited in the day)

There is also one more pub in the suburbs of this great regional metropolis, which is the Bluebell, but we didn’t have time to get that far. Julian did record some video of the day as we’re planning these days out to be a regular feature over the next few weeks and months. As things go, we’re planning Dereham for our next expedition. There are more photos from our day out in North Walsham at https://www.flickr.com/photos/julianwhite-uk/albums/72177720307312981/.

The new and improved X55 bus. Given that the £2 single fare cap is in place until the end of June, this is all making bus travel feel much more desirable.

And we arrived safely at North Walsham’s International Travel Hub. By travel hub, they mean bus stop as it’s nowhere near the railway station and there’s no other transportation departing from here other than cars. However, to be fair, they have arranged the bus stops and signage so that everything is clear and it feels safe.

April 8, 2023
Harwich – The Fish House

This was the best rated fish and chip shop that I could find in Harwich and also one that was open during the day. I was also pleased when I arrived to note that there was a small seating area, which meant that I didn’t have to brave the unbarred rolling plains of Harwich with its potentially aggressive herd of seagulls.

They had quite a stock of items already cooked, the chicken pieces were quite tempting, but I went with a medium chips and large battered sausage. The service was welcoming and friendly, with the environment feeling inviting and clean. The shop has a few negative reviews for not taking cards, but they certainly take them now so that must be a recent innovation.

Goodness knows what meat the sausage was made from, but it was neither decadent or particularly interesting. The batter was a little soft and flavourless, so there wasn’t much to be said for that sausage effort although adding plenty of vinegar improved things somewhat. The chips portion was too big for me and I didn’t finish it, although that’s obviously not a complaint. Perfectly decent chips, quite thick cut with a firm exterior and a fluffy interior, they were more exciting than the sausage element. It would have felt wrong not to have visited the seaside and then not purchased some chips, even though I felt a little exhausted for the rest of the afternoon.

April 7, 2023
Harwich – Old Naval Yard (King’s Yard) and Men-of-War Built

I like a good list and this sign shows all of the ships built at the Old Naval Yard (King’s Yard), with it being particularly active during the Anglo-Dutch Wars. The location didn’t have sufficient deep water access to the larger ships that were needed later on so its usefulness started to diminish. Unfortunately, I understand that every single ship constructed here has been lost whether sunk, scuppered, set on fire or broken up. The Navy used the dockyards between 1652 and 1713, with the site being used by private operators until the early nineteenth century. There’s more about the history of the site at https://www.harwich-society.co.uk/maritime-heritage-trail/the-navyard-wharf/.

April 6, 2023
Harwich – 1953 Flood Memorial

This rather lovely little garden is a memorial to those who died in the February 1953 floods and it was reopened just a few weeks ago following a restoration to mark the 70th anniversary of the disaster. There’s an extensive Wikipedia page about the flooding and there were nine Harwich residents who lost their lives. And here’s more about how the flood impacted on the town itself.

In the centre of the garden is a spherical sundial with seating placed around the exterior. It’s a fitting tribute and it’s located on Wellington Road, near to the Harwich lifeboat museum.

Information on how the disaster unfolded.

The names of the victims are listed along the pathway, this one commemorates the life of the youngest, who was just 16 months old. Peaceful and quiet, it’s a very respectful memorial and I like that they’ve made such an effort to add information about the flooding and its impact on Harwich.

April 5, 2023
Harwich – The New Bell Inn (Good Beer Guide)

From the perspective of visiting Harwich to go to all the Good Beer Guide listed pubs, choosing a Tuesday wasn’t ideal as that meant that 50% of the two pubs in the book were shut. This was all clearly advertised so I wasn’t surprised, but I suspect that I would have very much liked this pub from the reviews. They apparently usually have a mild on, as well as four or so real ales. The food prices are firmly towards the lower end of the scale, but the quality seems high, with reviews marking on the community feel of the pub.

The pub is the oldest one surviving in Harwich having been established in something like 1743 and there’s more information about its history at http://www.harwichpubtrail.co.uk/newbell.html.

Some not entirely cheery history on a plaque above the door which commemorates William Bamford, a weaver from Coggeshall, who was burnt at the stake in 1555. This location was chosen as the pub sits on the area that was once the punishment area in the Tudor period.

April 5, 2023
Harwich – I’m Passionate that the Pub Should be Part of the People

I saw this on the side of a construction site and I think that the sentiment and the wording is really quite lovely.

April 4, 2023
Harwich – Alma Inn (Good Beer Guide)

This is the only Good Beer Guide pub in Harwich that was open during my visit to the town and although its frontage isn’t necessarily the most appealing I was aware from reviews that this would likely be a positive experience.

Customers need to walk down the little corridor and then into the bar area, ignoring the tempting doors to the side.

This range of real ale surprised me, five different options across numerous beer styles is hard to achieve and maintain quality. However, since they’re listed in the Good Beer Guide and the reviews are broadly positive, they’re clearly achieving that. The prices are high though, over £6 a pint for real ale is what I’d expect to see in London. However, this venue is primarily a restaurant and so I’m assuming those prices reflect that, although those just wanting a drink are also welcome and there are some stools at the bar for when they’re full of diners.

Not a very clear photo, but a sign showing how high the flood water rose in 1953.

The interior has plenty of character and feels homely. The service was informal and polite, although I wouldn’t say there was any attempt to much engage beyond the minimum needed. But, that’s fine, not every pub is going to be the Hop & Vine, a friendly welcome is sufficient for me.

I’ve had the Black Adder from Mauldons before and it’s a very good stout, a roasted flavour with a creamy texture, with the pint here tasting just as I expected. The crisps were also delicious and complemented the beer nicely.

Someone has added the word “beer” at the bottom, which isn’t a bad shout. The pub’s web-site has a section which has the title “Officially the finest pub in the East of England” underneath “CAMRA Real Ale Pub” but I can’t find any evidence of that on CAMRA’s area web-site. It did win the branch award seven years ago but I can’t find any regional awards, but perhaps they were from other organisations.

I’m slightly disappointed (and only very slightly, I have more pressing concerns) as well that the pub’s web-site mentions nothing of its history other than it dates from the 1850s. Instead, the Harwich Pub Trail has a full history of the pub which is interesting, particularly the reference to:

“As it stands the building dates from many different periods but it was probably built in 1464 as a house. By 1599 it was owned by Captain Twitt – a relative of Thomas Twitt (or Twytt) a merchant and brewer in the town. The Twitt family were well-connecting and well-known in the town and Captain Twitt’s daughter married Christopher Jones at St. Nicholas’s Church in 1593. Although Sara died aged 27 in 1603 her husband went on to own a rather famous ship named the Mayflower and used it to guide the Pilgrim Fathers to America in 1620.”

It was a Tolly Cobbold pub between 1957 and 1990, then Pubmaster before falling into the hands of the hopeless and hapless Punch Taverns who sold it in 2010. And there’s some more history and older photos here.

There’s elements of quirkiness that I like, such as the details of their six bedrooms where they note about the view from one that “it boasts a sea view and a view of a quite charming electrical substation“. I also hadn’t seen before the poster on the inside of the entrance to the toilet that said something along the lines of ‘let those coming in have priority, their need is greater than yours’. I like that informality, I think it gives a softer edge to the pub and makes it feel that bit more inviting.

As a random aside, it’s not my problem and nor indeed anything I’ll think about again after writing this, but I find the pub’s use of the CAMRA logo all over the place and on every page a little confusing, as well as the reference to their being a “CAMRA Real Ale Pub” without any links to the national web-site. It may be that CAMRA have authorised this use of the logo and wording, but it seems unusual terminology that I haven’t seen before.

The on-line reviews for the pub are very positive, so I’d say it’s a safe bet that the food is reliably good, whilst the clear fact they’re able to stock five real ales is showing just how much beer they’re selling. It’s one of the more expensive pubs I’ve been in for real ale, and actually the most expensive pub listed in the Good Beer Guide that I can recall and that includes tens of London pubs, but prices are rising and no venue is immune to them.

This is one of these pubs that’s worth coming to get a drink for just to feel part of the history of the building, but given the excellent choice of real ales and how well kept they are, that all comes together to feel like reasonable value for money. And I like the irreverent sense of humours that is evidence throughout the pub, all rather lovely.

April 4, 2023
Harwich – Statue of Queen Victoria

This statue spoke to me, albeit not literally, because it is a snapshot in time of the hopes that existed in Harwich in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century. The statue was placed here in 1904 and it was listed in 1994 which has likely made it easier to receive the repairs that it had urgently needed over recent decades. The statue was unveiled by the Earl of Warwick on 11 June 1904 and was funded by public subscription which raised the necessary £400. The Earl of Warwick said that he was personally delighted that “all classes have subscribed liberally towards it, showing their spirit of loyalty”.

If Queen Victoria could turn around a little bit, this is the rather beautiful view that she would see. I suspect that if there were requests for statues of Queen Elizabeth II then the population would likely give generously, but it seems that the great era for statues and memorials is perhaps over.

April 4, 2023