Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands

    London – Tower Hamlets (Borough of) – Museum of London Docklands

    After my trip to the Museum of London a couple of weeks ago, it reminded me that I hadn’t visited the Museum of London Docklands for eight years. Located near to Canary Wharf, it first opened in 2003 in former sugar warehouses and it’s an extensive collection that looks at the history of shipping and trade in London. It’s well put together and there’s plenty of material that is accessible to younger visitors, such as a recreation of a dockside scene.

    The museum ticketing process was all well managed and they didn’t have many people in the building at one time, I’m not sure whether by design or lack of demand. Like the Museum of London’s main location, they scan visitors in and out so that they know how many people are in the building. A visit here is likely to take a good ninety minutes or so, perhaps longer, with the museum being free of charge.

    The museum is very well-reviewed, they’ve only picked up three very poor reviews on TripAdvisor, which is some going. One of those was last week because someone came with a cabin bag and was confused they couldn’t get in, despite the museum making that clear in advance. Another person objected to being asked if they’d make a donation and the remaining negative reviewer complained that they spent thirty minutes in the cafe nearly to the last entry of the day and then were refused access to the galleries.

    Anyway, I digress. Here are some photos…..

  • Hull – Mysterious Door on The Pathway

    Hull – Mysterious Door on The Pathway

    Located down The Pathway in Hull is this strange door, partly bricked up and looking rather mysterious. I’m sure that it’s intrigued many people over the decades, but it was originally a back entrance to 16 Bowlalley Lane. This is now a residential building that has been split into flats, but it was once a much grander single property and this side door in the passage was used by tradespeople to avoid using the main front entrance.

  • London – City of London – Police Call Box

    London – City of London – Police Call Box

    This police call box, which is no longer in use, is located where Aldersgate Street joins St Martin’s Le Grand. It was installed here in 1935 and the listed building record notes that it’s a relatively rare survival. It’s a chunky piece of iron and although bits have dropped off, the instructions for use have apparently remained. They were once a handy way of alerting the police to an incident and there was no charge made for using them. They were taken out of usage in the 1960s and most were destroyed, but a handful still remain in the city.

    The police box from the side, which has recently been painted a much lighter shade of blue that it had previously. This is deliberate as paint analysis was done on these boxes and it was discovered that this was closer to the original colour scheme.

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Frank Pick Memorial at Piccadilly Circus

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Frank Pick Memorial at Piccadilly Circus

    There’s a new one-way system at Piccadilly Circus which is of no relevance here other than it meant I had to go a different way to enter the underground network. Which meant that for the first time I saw this rather lovely tribute to Frank Pick, the first Chief Executive of the London Passenger Transport Board. He oversaw the introduction of new modern station buildings, new fonts and also the now famous roundel used across London Transport.

    This installation was opened on 7 November 2016, commemorating the 75th anniversary of Pick’s death. Apparently a quiet and thoughtful man who shunned publicity, he declined a knighthood and a Peerage when they were offered to him. Nikolaus Pevsner, who as far as I’m concerned is the final word on matters such as this said:

    “He is the greatest patron of the arts whom this century has so far produced in England, and indeed the ideal patron of our age”.

    A true honour from such a respected man as Pevsner.

  • Hull – Lion and Key

    Hull – Lion and Key

    This is a pub that I hadn’t been to on my previous visit to Hull and I hadn’t expected it to have so much character internally. There was a huge choice of ales, over ten, with three darker options. The staff member was helpful and engaging, being able to make a recommendation when I asked what they had.

    The suggestion was the Peculiar from Cathead, which I only discovered after is made in house at the brewery they own themselves. I went for half a pint of this and it had a pleasant taste, but it wasn’t in great state and I thought it was on the turn. Or, perhaps, just not pulled through as we arrived soon after the pub had opened. Either way, it didn’t really meet my expectations, but was still drinkable.

    And some photos of the pub, with the labels on the ceiling adding a huge amount of character. Although, that Fosters one seems a little out of place. It’s great to see pubs with such an innovative interior and there was a homely feel, with plenty of reserved tables from those planning to dine. The pub is well-reviewed and their food seems to be quite acclaimed, so perhaps I’ll visit again for that next year. I’m not sure why the beer I had wasn’t perfect, but the selection of beers was substantial and much wider than I would expect from a pub.

  • Hull – George Hotel (Second Visit)

    Hull – George Hotel (Second Visit)

    This is my second visit to the George in Hull, I first visited late last year. This was what I considered the pub most fortunate to be in the Good Beer Guide, with a rather generic selection of beers. It’s a Craft Union pub, which seem to me to be on a downwards trajectory to say the least, with the ‘craft’ in their name being a complete mystery to me.

    Social distancing was being enforced and the staff member was helpful and engaging. The beer selection was similar to that last year in terms of there being little of interest. The Wainwright from Marston’s Brewery was well-kept, but I didn’t find much of interest with the beer. I’m guessing the problem here is the Craft Union selection of beers is limiting the pub from offering anything innovative, local or unusual. Another customer called the Wainwright “rubbish” when the member of bar staff offered it to him, he went with the Brain’s Bitter instead, with Adnams Ghost Ship being the other choice. There were no dark beers available.

    It’s a fascinating building though, especially with their smallest window in the UK claim to fame I mentioned last time I posted.

    I think it’s fair to say that this isn’t a pub for me.

  • Hull – Wake Up Hull Protest

    Hull – Wake Up Hull Protest

    The police carefully watching over a demonstration in Hull which was telling the people of the city to wake up and not wear face masks or believe the Government hype about the current health situation.

    I’m disappointed to hear media reports that some on the protest decided to berate passer-bys, but perhaps that’s all part of the media cover-up that they’re talking of. Individuals can make their own mind up about this little arrangement, but to be fair to them, they did have around 50 people or so there, which is more than I thought they would have got.

  • Louth – The Joseph Morton

    Louth – The Joseph Morton

    Whilst in Louth, we popped in the JD Wetherspoon outlet in the town, the Joseph Morton which is named after a local ironmonger. The pub opened in 2011 and it’s a sizeable affair, with a large ground floor area that has been created from former residential and commercial properties.

    The rear part of the pub, with nearly all customers for some reason being in the front section. The pub, which was relatively quiet, had a bizarre set-up where customers had to wait at the entrance for a member of bar staff to shout from behind the bar to say that they could go in. The customers therefore just stood there for no reason before being told they could take a seat, all the time getting in the way of customers trying to get sauces which are located in the same area. Anyway, that’s a matter for the pub to deal with, although they should perhaps check with a little more care whether customers are filling in track and trace.

    This is the upstairs of the pub and I’m assuming that there are usually a few tables here, as otherwise they have a grand entrance area to their toilets.

    Richard went for a decadent hot chocolate drink, which he had to make for himself from the coffee machine. He looked initially scared, but after plenty of time stirring the chocolate lump in, he was more than content with the quality of the drink. I went for half a pint of the Honey Porter from Milestone Brewery, a decent beer that was keenly priced at just £1.

    I had a little look on TripAdvisor, where the pub isn’t doing what could be termed as brilliantly, as I find reviews intriguing and I accept that I should probably get out more. Anyway, I wish I knew more about the back story behind this 1/5 review…

    “Odd to ban my 17-year old daughter for a genuine complaint articulated politely and courteously.”

    I’d very much like to know what the complaint was…. JD Wetherspoon don’t let pubs reply now on TripAdvisor, which makes it harder to understand what has happened. One review, which seemed believable at first sight, was met with:

    “I understand that you were offered free drinks, a refund and apologised to profusely. The statement above has been taken out of context to my knowledge. The staff member on shift after offering multiple things didn’t know how to resolve this to make you happy so said that statement “what would you like me to do”.

    Which probably gives customers the context that they need to understand what went on here…. Although I think I’m with the customer on this one:

    “We went for lunch and ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad, which came as: lettuce, croutons and chicken pieces. Full stop. “Sorry we’ve run out of Caesar Dressing.” So why accept the order?”

    I liked this one though:

    “My very mature 16 year old daughter and her equally mature 16 year old friend went to Joseph Morton tonight for a celebration. The waitress refused to serve them because they hadn’t taken their passports and therefore couldn’t prove they were both 16.”

    I’m frequently bemused as to how many people think it’s reasonable for what might be two younger teenagers in, for all the pub know, and then get angry that the pub wants ID to ensure they are 16.

    I’m not sure that the new manager should have posted this though in a response to another complaint as the previous manager would unlikely be impressed with it:

    “We have recently had a change in both front and back of house management and we are currently trying to build the reputation of the pub back to where it was.”

    Anyway, I digress. All in all, this is a pleasant pub, although it could have been a little cleaner and the track and trace needed better supervision. They are also operating with the new JD Wetherspoon menu and I’ve yet to work out how the chain decide which pubs get selected for this. But, it has to be said, the half-pint of Honey Porter for £1 really is excellent value, and it’s positive to see that these real ales can be ordered via the app now.

  • Hull – Atom Brewing at the Corn Exchange (Visit 2)

    Hull – Atom Brewing at the Corn Exchange (Visit 2)

    This is another repeat visit, as I came to Atom Brewing at the Corn Exchange last year.

    The choice of beers is chalked up on blackboards, but they’re also printed it out to go on tables. There was a nicely balanced selection of beers, with a couple of darker options, with decent guests as well. The staff seemed engaging and knowledgeable, with table service being offered at the moment given the current health issue.

    For the second time, I didn’t actually order a beer from Atom, which is moderately ridiculous and I will correct that next year if I come again. This is the Ripple Twister from Brew York, who are undoubtedly one of my favourite breweries, which is a beer style I don’t tend to rush towards. But this IPA had lots of fruit behind it and the promise of an ice cream flavour, so I couldn’t resist. I managed to get a taste of grapefruit, which is one of the few fruits which doesn’t seem to be in it, but it was light and refreshing. Not a great impact of taste initially, but the aftertaste was rich and full-bodied.

    This was the last weekend of Shop Small, where if you spend £10 using Amex in a participating small business, then you get £5 off. So, I ordered food so that my bill came to £10.20, meaning I’d only have to pay a total of £5.20. Rather pleasingly, this means that I got ten of these £5’s off from Amex, which is the maximum anyone can have. The food was offered by the Pattie Shack and they had some flatbreads, patties, grilled sandwiches and a few larger meals, something a little different.

    The flatbread and the biggest problem here is that it took nearly an hour to arrive. This is understandable as it transpired we’d ordered after a rush, but we should have been told about the wait at some stage. But, it was worth the wait, the ndjua sausage had quite a lot of spice to it and the rocket added some peppery elements to the flat bread, which was delicious. The flatbread also had some firmness to it, but without being so hard that it would snap if bent.

    Overall, this remains a very decent pub and it was pleasing to see that it was busy and seemed to be doing well. There was an excellent selection of drinks from across different styles, with the staff being engaging and keen to help. The environment was clean, comfortable and welcoming, and I look forwards to returning and this time actually having a beer made by Atom. Most lovely.

  • Hull – Ibis City Centre (Visit 2)

    Hull – Ibis City Centre (Visit 2)

    This is my second visit to the Ibis in Hull city centre, I’ve already wittered on about my first visit.

    The reception area has been turned into a queueing area similar to that at an amusement park, and although I appreciate the effort, I didn’t see anyone use it and they queued in a different manner. As an aside, the hotel has been responding to my e-mails promptly, but my booking was a postponed one and it has been lost on the Accor system now, so I suspect I’ll be e-mailing them in a few days.

    The stairs, I don’t know why I liked this imagery of the stairs…. Anyway, I digress.

    The room was sufficiently clean and comfortable for my requirements, but some surfaces clearly hadn’t been cleaned. Towels and bedding was all clean though, it was perfectly adequate for me.

    The view from my room, with that building at the back being the rear end of Wetherspoons.

    The coffee and tea selection has been put into a bag. I don’t quite know how this helps to be honest, but it’s pleasing they were still supplying hot drinks.

    The light fitting was slightly broken, which isn’t ideal.

    I no longer get overly excited by these in an Ibis hotel as there’s rarely much of note. The hotel did though offer Boddington’s last year, which I can tolerate, so I was sufficiently pleased by that.

    And, I feel the need to comment negatively again on the range of drinks offered by Ibis, especially now the Boddington’s option has gone. Their selection looks ever more dated compared to other pubs and hotels, with a total defiance against stocking anything which might be considered as craft beer or real ale. This was the best of a bad lot, and I didn’t finish it, it’s what I would consider another generic lager (and Nathan can tut all he likes that it’s a slightly above average generic lager). It is a shame that Accor is trying to rebrand Ibis into something more on-trend, but yet soft products like this remain entirely off-trend.

    All told, for the price, this was a marvellous location and the hotel staff were friendly and engaging. I would have to note here though, there was a murder in the hotel a few years ago in room 231, and given that one of our party (not me) was woken by police in the early morning in case he’d heard anything in a neighbouring room this time, there seem to be some challenging issues for the hotel.

    My final comment about the hotel is that the welcome gift appears to have been scrapped. Disappointing….