Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • London – Shepherd’s Bush – Brewdog

    London – Shepherd’s Bush – Brewdog

    Still working through the Brewdogs in the UK, the Shepherd’s Bush location has gone through a few incarnations of pubs over the years, but has been part of the Brewdog empire since 2013. This bar is well-reviewed on-line and has managed to pick up nearly no negative reviews, an impressive effort. Some of the negative reviews they have got are ridiculous, one accusing them of charging more than another pub for a beer, which was one Brewdog don’t even serve anyway.

    Brewdog customer service is usually excellent and there was no exception here, with a couple of engaging and helpful staff. There was an extensive and well-measured beer selection as usual, with some interesting and exciting options. There were some tempting more expensive beers, but I managed to resist the allure of the pricey….

    There’s the usual modern decor in the pub with a variety of seating, including tall tables and more comfortable lower level seating. All on-trend, clean and crisp.

    This is the Plum Pudding Porter from Wiper and True, I thought it was served marginally too cold (and I hope a certain someone doesn’t read this and tut) as the flavour was just a bit weak. There were elements of coffee and plum, which were pleasant flavours, but there wasn’t much of an aftertaste. Not a bad beer at all though, I’d have just like some stronger flavours.

    The environment of this Brewdog is relaxed and comfortable, although that was aided by there only being a few people in it, as that does help with the peaceful element. I’m sure it gets busy in the evenings, but I like the vibe to the bar, all seeming well managed and welcoming.

  • London – Westminster – Tate Britain (Portrait of Elizabeth Roydon by Hans Eworth)

    London – Westminster – Tate Britain (Portrait of Elizabeth Roydon by Hans Eworth)

    This painting of Elizabeth Roydon was completed in 1563 when she was aged 40. The artwork was painted by the Dutch-born Jan Eeuwowts, better known in English as Hans Eworth, and there are over 40 paintings by him that have survived. It’s not known for sure, but it may have been that Eworth was the court painter during the period of Queen Mary I’s reign between 1554 and 1558. Roydon was wearing all black as her second husband, Cuthbert Vaughan (1519-1563), had just died in a military engagement in Le Havre in France. She was though later to remarry a final time, to Sir Thomas Golding in 1564.

    This is beyond my art knowledge (as most things are), but the gallery notes that “the present painting is in extremely good condition for its age and, with its very fine brushstrokes, is carried out in a technique similar to that of a miniaturist. The translucency of the paint in the flesh areas means that the freely drawn underdrawing is now visible”.

    The heraldic arms in the corner of the painting were also added later on, for reasons likely related to wanting to prove some heritage line. The Tate acquired the artwork in 1972, when it was bequeathed to them by Miss Rachel Alexander and Miss Jean Alexander.

  • London – Westminster – Tate Britain (A Young Lady by Artist Unknown).

    London – Westminster – Tate Britain (A Young Lady by Artist Unknown).

    It’s not known who painted this artwork (given by the Friends of the Tate Gallery in 1961), which must be annoying as the Tate says that the same artist was thought to have had quite a body of work from the 1560s. It’s thought that the sitter was likely the Swedish-born Helena Snakenborg, later the Marchioness of Northampton, who was to be the chief mourner at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth I.

    The painting is also a reminder of the corset and bodice arrangement that was likely seen as a fashion necessity by women of wealth and prestige at this time. The artwork is from 1569 and, two years later, she married the Marquis of Northampton who was a fair bit older than her. The gallery notes that the carnation behind her ear was likely a symbol of that betrothal.

  • London – Westminster – Tate Britain (A Man in a Black Cap by John Bettes)

    London – Westminster – Tate Britain (A Man in a Black Cap by John Bettes)

    This is the oldest artwork in the Tate’s collections, painted by John Bettes (?-1570) in 1545. It’s not known who the sitter was, other than he was aged 26. Bettes was a court painter for King Henry VIII, so likely to have worked with Hans Holbein the Younger and records note that Catherine Parr paid Bettes for several of his paintings in miniature.

    The background was painted with smelt, a blue pigment, but this has over the centuries turned brown. Which isn’t ideal, although some Holbein’s paintings of King Henry VIII have avoided that fate and have retained their blue.

    It’s only through this painting that anything at all of use is known about John Bettes, as he wrote on the back of the artwork “done by John Bettes, Englishman”. This, along with the 1545 date on the front of the painting, meant that a few other artworks could be credited to Bettes as well. His son, John Bettes the Younger (?-1616) also became an artist who worked in London.

    The Tate acquired this artwork in 1897 and it’s oil painted onto oak.

  • London – Canary Wharf (Couple on Seat by Lynn Chadwick)

    London – Canary Wharf (Couple on Seat by Lynn Chadwick)

    This pair of figures are located in the heart of the Canary Wharf development and, like many things, they confused me as I knew that I had seen something similar before. And, this is why I keep a blog, to remember the things I keep forgetting. I was able to establish that I had seen the Pair of Walking Figures before back in Norwich, at the Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts.

    For rush hour Canary Wharf, it wasn’t the busiest…..

    Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003) produced numerous sculptures with a heritage similar to that of Henry Moore, with this design created in 1984. There are six bronze castings and they were produced in the Morris Singer Foundry in London, with one of them selling for £1.4 million in 2006.

  • London – Canary Wharf (Floating Hot Tub)

    London – Canary Wharf (Floating Hot Tub)

    Whilst taking photos of Canary Wharf, there was a noticeable murmur of interest in what was passing by, visible in the centre of the above photo. It’s a floating hot tub, operated by Skuna Boats, which is an interesting concept, although I can think of slightly less public places to do it.

    And here’s the boat and its happy occupants, without much privacy and there were a fair few people taking photos. For those not facing a hot tub boat, there’s also a BBQ boat and the theme of that is fairly self-evident. The experience lasts for ninety minutes, with 75 minutes of that being floating about in the freshwater of the hot tub, replaced after each use.

    For anyone tempted, it costs between £225 and £250 per session for the entire boat, which is a bit over £30 per person if it’s at its maximum capacity of seven people. Booking is at https://www.skunaboats.com/, although I’m not entirely sure that it’s for me…… Having written that though, the reviews for this experience are very positive and it’s certainly something a little different.

  • London – Canary Wharf

    London – Canary Wharf

    Just photos in this post, as I wanted to visit Canary Wharf to see how busy it was at the moment. Despite going in what would normally be the rush-hour, it was relatively quiet and peaceful. Although London’s economy inevitably can’t take much more of this, it does make it a much more relaxing visit.

  • London – Pimlico – Cask Pub and Kitchen

    London – Pimlico – Cask Pub and Kitchen

    This was one of the nearest Good Beer Guide listed pubs near to Tate Britain, where I had meandered around all morning, so since it was not just in the book, but also a past winner of the South West London CAMRA pub of the year, it seemed a sensible choice for lunch.

    I got there just after 12:00 and had expected it to be busier, but I was the first customer of the day. It did get a little busier, but the landlord mentioned that their trade was down at the moment, a consequence of the health situation and fewer people travelling into London. I won’t repeat how much down trade is, as I’m sure he doesn’t want that shared everywhere, but it certainly sounds a challenging position to be in.

    Some of the beers that were available and the staff member seemed knowledgeable and keen to engage. Indeed, he was very customer service driven and was warm and personable, making everyone feel welcome I thought. I like it when staff are able to welcome customers, talk to them and then say goodbye when they’re leaving, it’s not done by a high number of pubs.

    The rest of the beer selection, quite an impressive range given that their customer numbers are down and it must be challenging to try and keep up this many options. There’s also a series of fridges behind the bar with cans and bottles, as well as another fridge to the left of the bar. There were some tempting more expensive options, indeed many temptations, but I didn’t feel the need to spend a large sum on one drink.

    I like the modern design, it sits surprisingly well with everything else.

    My preferred beer option had just sold out, so these are half a pint of Pump Up the Jam from the ever wonderful Tiny Rebel Brewery, and half a pint of the Fellowship from Redemption Brewing. My camera has distorted the size a little, but they are both half-pints. Both were well-kept, at the appropriate temperature and served in clean glasses. The Pump Up the Jam had its usual sweet flavour and authentic taste of doughnut, which is a winner as far as I’m concerned. The Fellowship was better than I had anticipated, quite a strong taste of liquorice and some chocolate in there as well.

    My camera has again distorted the size of this, the portion of chips was very generous and the burger was larger than it looks here. I’m not really one for chips, I’m more a fries person, but these were exceptional and I can see why the pub has become renowned for them. Firm on the exterior, fluffy on the interior and having a richness of taste and flavour, very moreish. The burger seemed to have been made with some quality beef as it had a meaty flavour and was appropriately juicy. I was less sure about the brioche bun as it got a little moist from the juices of the burger and disintegrated a little, but overall, this was way above what I expected.

    Thanks to the Government, I got the food half-price as part of the eat out to help out scheme, so the burger was reduced from £12 to £6 and the two beers cost around £5.25 between them. And, as another little bonus, the £5 Amex Shop Small credit then kicked in, making the total come to £6.25 for the burger and two drinks. A bargain. Incidentally, the concept of specialising in just one type of food, in this case burgers, is a sound one as far as I’m concerned and it’s one that more pubs should do.

    There’s a modern design to the interior of the pub, but the stairs down to the toilets have been adorned with some old enamel signs.

    They haven’t got many negative reviews, but some of the ones that they have got are ridiculous. One reads:

    “With the amount of competition in the area I’d expect them to be doing much more… The bar stocked 10 Cask ales that I wouldn’t touch if they paid me, with the amount of custom they have and the lack of attention the staff pay I can’t imagine the beer being up to standards. Highly disappointing visit, I hope the management see this and it helps them moving forward.”

    How the bloody hell does that help the pub move forwards? One of the best beer selections in the area and a review seemingly from someone who doesn’t like craft beer (they ordered a lime and soda and complained about the price) and so it’s slightly confusing why they ever went in there. Anyway, it takes all sorts.

    I very much liked this pub, which was one of the first craft only bars in London. It had a sense of self-confidence to it, but not any arrogance and it was keenly priced and remained on-trend. Perhaps there are now more fashionable places to go in London, but this is still a pub offering some decent choices of beer and a food menu which is focused on just one food, all with a friendly customer service ethic.

  • London – Pimlico – Girl on Roller Skates

    London – Pimlico – Girl on Roller Skates

    I couldn’t see anything near to this sculpture as to who designed it, but it’s located where Moreton Street meets with Vauxhall Bridge Road in Pimlico.

    It’s quite a fun and powerful piece and, fortunately, there’s information on-line about it otherwise I would have been none the wiser. It was designed by the London artist André Wallace and was installed here in 2010 as part of the art development requirement when constructing a nearby housing project. It got delayed when the 2008 financial crash hit the housing market and then someone built a lamp-post on the site, so it all took a little time to fix.

  • London – Lambeth – Imperial War Museum (Margaret Thatcher Spitting Image Puppet)

    London – Lambeth – Imperial War Museum (Margaret Thatcher Spitting Image Puppet)

    I’m not sure that I expected to see this former Spitting Image puppet of Baroness Thatcher at the Imperial War Museum, although it’s with reference to her image as a strong war leader when the Falklands Islands were attacked by Argentina.

    The puppet is made from metal, copper alloy and polyurethane foam, with a latex skin. It’s just over a metre in height and it was shown in the television’s musical sketch, ‘Go Now’. It appears in the Youtube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCO5q1SQJNQ, although it’s shown there backwards in an attempt I assume to avoid copyright issues.