Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • Ashill – White Hart

    Ashill – White Hart

    I can’t say that I was entirely confident that this would be a great pub when looking at the exterior, but I’m pleased to note that not only is it listed in the Good Beer Guide, it’s a really decent venue.

    Some of the reason for it not looking perhaps as decadent as it might is that it’s not the original pub from the late eighteenth century. The pub had a little issue when it burnt down in the late 1930s and so it was rebuilt between 1938 and 1939. It went from the Bullards brewery set-up to Watney Mann and then it found itself lumbered up as part of the Pubmaster estate before they were able to make a bid for freedom and it became a freehouse.

    Someone thought it was a good idea to name it as McTaggarts between 2011 and 2020, but, fortunately, wiser heads prevailed and it went back to its old name. Matters have clearly improved since it reopened in 2021 as CAMRA have awarded it a series of accolades and awards over the last few years.

    There were five real ales available which is quite something for a country pub. There was a range of styles and local and more further afield breweries, so it all felt well curated.

    I went for the Dirty Diesel from Steam Shed brewery, a small outfit from Swaffham who brew some very decent beers, as I hadn’t had that one before. This was a very acceptable beer with chocolate and coffee flavours. As an aside, although they might look premium, I’m not a huge advocate of Salty Dog crisps, I find them a bit bland in taste.

    It might not have been a very suitable option for a cold Saturday in January, but the pub does have a nice little beer garden.

    Overall, this venue certainly did surprise and delight with an excellent selection of real ale for a country pub, a friendly service and a clean and comfortable environment. A very justified entry into the Good Beer Guide.

  • Saham Toney – The Old Bell

    Saham Toney – The Old Bell

    The next pub on our little meandering around West Norfolk was the Old Bell at Saham Toney. As an aside, I like the village name with its first word being Saxon and then the second word being a Norman word shoved on.

    Back to the pub, originally known as just the Bell Inn (as it obviously wasn’t old when they opened it), and this has been a licensed premises since the late eighteenth century, being owned over time by the Watton Brewery, the Wymondham Brewery, Morgans, Bullards and then Watney Mann who closed it in the early 1980s. It remained closed for a few years and was then reopened, which feels like a fortunate thing for the village as it could have easily been permanently lost. This is another pub that once had accommodation available upstairs, but I don’t think there are rooms now for visitors.

    Arthur Lister ran the pub briefly in 1937 and early 1938, but it didn’t go entirely well and he ended up bankrupt. It was something of a tale of woe, he decided to also go into farming and decided to rear ducks but his 1,000 birds died from illness and he lost £200. He then got some pigs and fed some of his dead ducks to the pigs, which then in turn got ill and died. He decided to move onto something else and grew sugar beet and then that crop promptly failed. He was able to get alternative employment and the brewery let his wife run the pub for a short while.

    As an historic aside, pubs were often held for inquests and that was the case in 1870 when a local woman Ann Payne the wife of the local shopkeeper, died. It was concluded that after being in a low and desponding state for some time, she had deliberately drowned herself. The newspapers are full of this sort of story in the nineteenth century, the levels of depression must have been high and it’s certainly not a new thing.

    I didn’t get a photo of the real ale selection, but there were three to choose from, including the Woodforde’s Wherry. I went for the Proper Job from St. Austell Brewery which was light, fluffy and well-kept, with the French Fries adding a certain extra charm to proceedings.

    It’s a long pub with the bar opposite the main entrance door, with a TV and small sports area to the far end. Food is served here most lunchtimes and evenings.

    Large fireplace.

    A map of the old parish of Saham Toney.

    A little out of date perhaps, but an award’s an award.

    There’s a pleasant outside area, although that’s closed off at this time of the year. There’s also a large mere at the back of the pub and I had to look up what the difference between a mere and a lake was, but it seems to be primarily that the former is shallower.

    Anyway, I wasn’t sure what this pub would hold when we approached, but it felt like a friendly venue and the atmosphere was welcoming. The team member at the bar was personable, there was a decent choice of real ales and the beer that I chose was well-kept. The selection of bar snacks was above average and I rather enjoyed this visit.

  • Watton – Kings Arms

    Watton – Kings Arms

    The next pub on the Jen, Roy and Julian expedition was to the Kings Arms in Watton. This is a wet-led pub which is listed in the Good Beer Guide, so that’s another one to tick off for me.

    This has been a licensed premises since the late eighteenth century, initially owned by the Thetford Brewery before becoming part of the Youngs, Crawshay and Youngs pub estate and then Bullards, Watney Mann and Brent Walker, although it’s now a freehouse.

    There was some excitement in 1866 when Charles Clements pinched a basket of eighty oranges owned by the dealer Thomas Newman and in court, he said that “it was just a joke”, with the newspaper noting that the court accepted that. I’m not entirely sure that the owner of the fruit thought that, but the miscreant had to reimburse him.

    It was traditionally known as the Kings Arms Inn and so would have had accommodation and in 1989 they were advertising their four bedrooms and good food. The venue doesn’t seem to offer this accommodation now, but they do have a large function room for events.

    It was a little challenging to see what real ales were available as it’s one of those venues which has customers sitting at the bar right in front of them. But there are three real ales, Greene King IPA, Eastern Gold from Barsham and the Golden Bicycle from Fixed Wheel Brewery.

    I went for the Golden Bicycle from Fixed Wheel Brewery which was a well-kept and gentle beer with a fruity edge to it, paired beautifully with the Wotsits.

    It’s a relatively large venue and there’s a pool table in the back room. The service at the bar was friendly, with the venue having a welcoming and inviting feel to it. I like that carpet and wooden flooring combination, it looks modern and warm, whilst also being functional.

    There’s no food, but there is a shots menu.

    Bottomless beer and chicken wings, what could possibly go wrong?

    The nicely decorated ceiling and the male toilets had a similar design set-up.

    This feels very much a community driven venue with darts and pool teams, as well as regular board games evenings. The venue is proud of their real ale selection and I liked their choice which had a couple of local beers alongside one which was from further away. All really rather lovely.

  • Thompson – Chequers Inn

    Thompson – Chequers Inn

    Next on our meander around pubs in West Norfolk was the Chequers Inn in the village of Thompson. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the beautiful exterior and we weren’t initially confident that it was even open.

    The building dates from the sixteenth century and it has been a licensed premises since the late eighteenth century. Throughout its history it has mostly been owned by the landlord so it’s been a free house that hasn’t fallen into the hands of any breweries.

    The venue struggled by 1997 but was taken over by new owners in 1998 and given a new lease of life by Heather McDowell and Richard McDowell and they’re still there today, so that’s some considerable achievement. There had traditionally been accommodation here and there remain three rooms that are let out on a bed and breakfast arrangement.

    There was a friendly and immediate welcome, with the pub having an inviting atmosphere. There was a selection of three real ales, but there was only one that I was really drawn to (my eyes were immediately drawn away from Greene King IPA) and that was the Tally-Ho from Adnams which I don’t think that I’ve had before. I cautiously had a half pint of this 7.2% ABV barley wine style beer, although Roy was merrily going for a pint of it which seemed brave as the second beer of the day.

    It’s the first time that I’ve had Tally-Ho and it didn’t disappoint, it was punchy, strong and had a touch of sweetness. Walkers isn’t my preferred crisp brand, but it did pair well with the beer.

    There’s a dining area and also a snug, but this room is the only bar area and it’s certainly quite compact. I did warn Roy to be careful when he stood up, but he forgot and hit his head on the low beam. As an aside, I noticed that there were a couple eating in the snug and their food looked really rather lovely and the online reviews look positive.

    The pub is used to customers hitting their heads, despite their warnings….

    I very much liked this pub as it felt genuinely friendly with customers talking to each other in the small bar area. The staff member was welcoming and personable, with the whole arrangement being clean, comfortable and organised. The prices were reasonable and I’ll remember this pub positively.

  • Wretham – Dog & Partridge Pub (now closed)

    Wretham – Dog & Partridge Pub (now closed)

    This feels really quite sad, it’s the Dog & Partridge pub in Wretham, located right by the Peddar’s Way path (here’s some information about that courtesy of the LDWA). It first became a licensed premises in at least the 1780s, but it finally closed its doors in 2019 and is now a residential property.

    In 1904, the local press reported that Charles Crook, a local man aged 74, had died suddenly whilst walking along the road. His body was taken to the Dog & Partridge where it was laid to rest whilst waiting for an inquest. I can’t imagine that JD Wetherspoon would be entirely pleased if that was the policy today and someone died near one of their pubs.

    More recently, the pub has had a troubled history. It closed in 2002 for four years, before being brought back to life. The owner claimed that the smoking ban caused issues and despite updating the accommodation in 2010, it wasn’t enough to make the venue profitable.

    The owner told the local press at the time:

    “There have been several attempts to have traditional pub darts and pool teams but the villagers themselves asked that such activities be stopped so that they didn’t clash with similar activities already undertaken at the village hall.”

    I’d suggest that’s a sub-optimal arrangement as a pub with accommodation might have been more useful to the area than a village hall, but who am I to comment…… Anyway, it limped on for a few years and they couldn’t sell the venue, so it closed for good in 2019. Much as I’m sure the perfect operator could have made it work, it would have required a huge effort given its location and there aren’t many perfect operators about.

    I’ve cycled and walked Peddar’s Way, so I would have gone by here in the past, but, I can’t remember this village. The pub did have some accommodation, but I’m not sure how many users of the path would have used it. The road is the A1075, which is relatively busy, but it’s not the major route into Norwich.

    What might have saved this pub is if Wretham and Hockham railway station had survived, as that would have allowed walkers to access the beginning of Peddar’s Way by staying here. Unfortunately, the Crab & Winkle railway line which ran between Swaffham and Thetford closed in 1964, another poor transportation decision. It wouldn’t have taken long to walk from the railway station to the pub.

  • Great Hockham – Eagle Pub

    Great Hockham – Eagle Pub

    The expedition for the day on Saturday was with friends Roy and Jen to a number of country pubs. There is a logic for choosing these pubs that Roy has, but I’ll leave that to another post to explain. I was surprised and delighted at their proposed list as there were so many pubs that I hadn’t been to.

    This is a hugely challenging time for country pubs, so it’s really good to make an effort to come and see different venues. This one also had the advantage that it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide, indeed for the ninth year running, so that’s another one ticked off for me.

    This has been a licensed premises since at least the 1840s and it became a Steward & Patterson free house, before being taken over by Watney Mann and later it became part of Punch Taverns. Fortunately, it’s now free of Pubco interference and is free of tie.

    In 1909, the landlord Frederick George Thompson had the indignity of finding himself in the Norwich Argus with the headline of “an unsuccessful publican” which feels a little harsh. He had found himself in financial difficulty and invested in a horse to cart his beer about. Anyway, that went wrong and in court his representative mentioned “it was a pony that was a very poor beast and took two hours to go a mile and a half” to which the newspaper reported that there was laughter….. He left the pub the following year.

    There was a good choice of real ales, including Old Speckled Hen, Woodforde’s Wherry and Best Bitter from Black Sheep, although there are usually five different real ales. The keg options were a little Hawkstone heavy for me, but each to their own.

    I’ll note now that I was on half pints at every pub during the day, Roy went for pints, but he’s always been tough like that. This is the Best Bitter from Black Sheep, it was well-kept although served very cold, although that’s hardly surprising given the outside temperature of our visit. It was bitter and inoffensive, it’s not the most exciting beer in my mind, but it’s a decent sessionable offering.

    Their pie weekend sounds really quite decadent, they have a huge choice of pies during the weekend and it’s become something of a thing in the local community’s calendar.

    We arrived shortly after opening and were the first in, but there was another customer who came in soon after us and it had a welcoming community feel. Down the other end of the pub is a games area with a pool table. Incidentally, I’m a fan of carpets in pubs and like that they give it an element of warmth.

    They serve food and there’s an extensive dining room area. There is also a fire and I won’t mention in public about burningchildschristmascardgate…..

    And another one of the pub’s achievements. On this note, I’d suggest that this is a great shout for being in the Good Beer Guide, there was a friendly welcome, clean environment and a choice of well kept real ales. The prices were moderate and it had a proper community feel.

  • Norwich – Bar Billiards Singles Tournament

    Norwich – Bar Billiards Singles Tournament

    Today was the excitement of the first round of the Norwich Bar Billiards singles tournament. For anyone interested, the results will be at https://www.norwichbarbilliards.co.uk/Singles. Oscar calmed my nerves with some sensible beer selections and managed to miss all my great shots, but I didn’t say anything.

    Thanks to Oli and Emma for their scoring assistance. This is an unusual cluster of balls all where I didn’t want them…. And I’m still surprised I went for a very difficult 200 shot, which went in, at a critical point in the game. As I said to Zak, I’m crediting him with teaching me how to be brave. I don’t think I’ll be being brave again for a while, I’ll go back to my 10s.

    OK, I didn’t expect a 3-0 win, but I’ll take it….. My aim is to score 1,000 in each game and I was surprised and delighted to achieve that. Thanks to Katie for a great game and I am sort of looking forwards to the second round in late February.

  • Norwich – 1848 Map

    Norwich – 1848 Map

    This is the 1848 map of Norwich that was produced by Jarrold and here’s a link to a 1781 map of the city.

  • Peterborough – Stoneworks Closed

    Peterborough – Stoneworks Closed

    I’m rather sad to hear that Stoneworks in Peterborough has closed. I thought that was the case earlier in the year, but as the furniture and the like was still in place, I hoped that it was a more temporary closure.

    Here’s when I visited back in 2018.

    Here’s the sales details for anyone interested in letting the venue, the rent is £25,000 a year. That’s not entirely unreasonable for a bar in the heart of Peterborough, but these are tough times for pubs….

  • Norwich – Norwich Castle Museum (Cromer by James Stark)

    Norwich – Norwich Castle Museum (Cromer by James Stark)

    This is an artwork by James Stark (1794-1859) which is in the collections of Norwich Castle Museum. It was purchased for the museum in 1975 with grants from the Art Fund, Watney Mann (I don’t specifically know why the brewery contributed to this) and the Victoria & Albert Museum.

    Stark was a Norwich School landscape painter, best known for his big and usually windswept skies along with his slightly melancholy countryside scenes. He trained in Norwich, showed at the Royal Academy, and later taught drawing, including a spell as a master at Queen’s College, Cambridge.

    In terms of this rather serene artwork, in the bottom-left of his painting there are some fishermen going about their business in what would have been a very different town. With no bus or train services at this point, this would have likely felt a rather remote destination.

    Stark painted this in the mid-1830s, at a time when Cromer was starting to evolve as something of a summer tourist destination for those in Norwich and environs. The railways didn’t arrive here until the 1870s, so the town would remain relatively unchanged for some decades.

    Of course, I feel the need for AI to join the party and this is what it believes the scene would look like today if painted in a similar style. I rather like this. The addition of Cromer pier, constructed in 1901, is an accurate one even if some other elements aren’t exactly perfect here.