Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • Sheffield – Banker’s Draft

    Sheffield – Banker’s Draft

    The final stop of our first night in Sheffield was at Wetherspoons, for a number of reasons, but not least because they open late.

    The beer selection was fine, although unusually lacking in darker beer options. The service was though top notch, a friendly and engaging staff member who was keen to answer questions and to comment on Ross’s ridiculous beer selection. The Riders on the Storm beer was also fine, a decent enough golden ale.

    A spacious building with high ceilings, as can be guessed from the pub name, it was formerly a bank. Originally operated by the York & County Bank in 1904, it was used by the Midland Bank until 1989 and the building then became redundant. Wetherspoons have helpfully taken photographs of inaccessible parts of the building, including the stabling area in the cellars and the upper offices, a marvellous idea given the history of the pub.

    Anyway, onto TripAdvisor. The Wetherspoon’s Christmas meal has, I understand from listening to staff, been a repeat of last year’s debacle, where there’s no gravy provided and it’s all reheated in one go. But, it’s £8.75 including a drink, so there has to be some expectation management going on here. Anyway, one customer from last week isn’t pleased:

    “I came in bankers draft with my wife and my parents we all had Christmas dinner and the gravy was like water on 3 and my one had no gravy and told a member of staff about it they said they will get me some gravy but never did and the staff are incompetent as staff never came and asked if everything was ok and you should train your staff in good corporate hospitality and the meat was not from a turkey joint and it was processed meat you need to retrain all your staff from back of house to front of house”

    Not from a turkey joint, I can’t say that I’m surprised…

    Maybe we got lucky, but the service was some of the best I’ve experienced in a Wetherspoons, so all very lovely.

  • Sheffield – National Videogame Museum

    Sheffield – National Videogame Museum

    After it became apparent to me that the others wouldn’t consider spending eight hours in Greggs as a suitable activity for the day, we went to the National Videogame Museum. A slightly confused branding meant that they’re pitched it at children, but, fortunately, that wasn’t the actual reality and also, it didn’t matter as some of our group are childish anyway.

    Aaaah, an Amiga, such happy memories  🙂

    This was quite exciting, as although I’ve played this game many times, it has never been on an actual arcade machine. I can also see how much money these machines must have taken, as I kept on having another go to try and get just a little further each time. That was fine here, as there’s a one-off £11 fee to get in and then everything is on free play. As a place to take kids, it’s not bad at all, primarily as there’s no real way for them to spend more money, as long as they’re kept away from the small shop area at the end of the visit.

    Zool, which is one game that I remember, although I appeared to be no better at it twenty years on….

    Football Manager is perhaps one of the greatest games ever written as far as I’m concerned, very classy. I note that the author of the game, Kevin Toms, is on Facebook promoting a new app version of the game and I hope that proves to be popular.

    As with Space Invaders, I’d never played Tetris on an arcade version and it was no less addictive.

    The ridiculously difficult QWOP, which it’s fair to say that I didn’t manage to master. Nathan, irritatingly, was quite good at the game, although I suspect that’s because he’s spent weeks playing it.

    Nathan and Scott playing Guitar Hero, or something similar. I can’t remember who won, but they took it very seriously.

    Overall, it wasn’t difficult to spend a couple of hours here (although one of our party started to falter after around an hour) and some of us managed to relive our past….. There’s probably more that could be done at the museum given the floor space available to them, but there were numerous consoles and computers from different periods of gaming history, so there was a broad selection already. There’s also more that could be done to tell the story of gaming history, which isn’t really done at all, and that would justify the museum tag a little more.

    Hopefully, this is one of those locations which slowly but surely adds to its collections and therefore it gets a little better every year. Given a few more years, it’d be nice to think that all of the floor space is used and there is more of an informational feel to the museum, in addition to engaging children (and adults) with more games to play.

  • Nottingham – Graves at St. Nicholas’s Church

    Nottingham – Graves at St. Nicholas’s Church

    It’s fortunate that this church has survived at all, since there was talk of demolishing it in the 1960s. Due to slum clearance and the construction of a huge road right to the side of the church, the parish manages to have absolutely no parishioners within its official boundaries, which isn’t an ideal way to run things. It’s also positive that it’s clearly now a vibrant church, but I am saddened a little to see the state of the graves in the churchyard.

    These aren’t great photos, as they’re from 2016 and they’ve been compressed by Google Photos, but they tell a sad tale of their own. I like to think that the trend of embedding gravestones into pavements has long since gone, something seemingly relatively common in the 1970s, but I’m sure it won’t be the last time they’re treated in such a way. Someone at some stage likely paid out money that they couldn’t easily afford to pay for these stones for a loved one, a state of affairs that perhaps shouldn’t be forgotten in haste.

  • Nottingham – Gooseberry Bush

    Nottingham – Gooseberry Bush

    A big part of the reason for this blog is solely for me to remember where I’ve been, as I had forgotten that I went here back in 2017. Which isn’t exactly that long ago, but there we go….

    This pub was named Varsity for a while, primarily because it’s next door to Nottingham Trent University, but the Gooseberry Bush name is far better, named after the old maternity hospital which was previously on this site. The pub was opened in 1984 by Mansfield Brewery, a now defunct company which was formerly a major player in the area, although now subsumed by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, now better known as Marston’s Brewery. Wetherspoons acquired and modernised the pub in 2011 and it’s a slightly complex building as it has been built onto the site of a slope.

    It’s a pretty bland interior, but all entirely functional. I can’t remember the choice of real ales (I struggle to remember for more than five minutes, let alone over two years), but I do know that I had a pint of Guinness, but this was before I became stupidly obsessed with the range of real ales and craft beers that were available in pubs…..

    I had a little look on TripAdvisor for any reviews that intrigued me, and this one is actually quite good in terms of my being able to build up a picture of just what happened. Someone signed up for the site just to leave this review…

    “I was waiting just fine in the line for proper 15 minutes waiting for the lady who served me earlier to come back to her place in the till. Then this thin lanky short guy turns out of nowhere and starts using the draft beside the till. I politely asked him where the lady was and he was proper rude and replied saying he was busy. I was thoroughly disappointed with that male who started insulting me for just trying to talk to a lady staff member who had served me earlier. Honestly I wasn’t even talking to him. He was proper rude and started moaning about how his day has been busy and all. All I wanted to know was where was the lady who was there before him cause she looked more skilled. I did not want to be served by him and I saw no point in him shouting at me for asking him to serve me. Where as I wasn’t asking him to serve me in the first place. I did not sign up for that. This one star is only because there was no option for no stars. Also I did not want to be served by him anyway cause he looked like an armature by the way he was using the draft beer taps. The pitcher he made for us later was terrible and I wish I could’ve asked for a refund. Everyone agreed with that. Also he kept on moaning to his coworkers about what happened. What a big petty drama seeking liar. My mate was too drunk to see what exactly happened. The guy beside me just literally entered when this happened. I did not bother explaining myself to any of the people who were drunk there. I kept that bar tender to mind his own business as I wasn’t even talking to him in the first place but he kept on and on. The other staffs were good. Security guards were pleasant.”

    At least he was happy with the security guards.

  • Mansfield – Stag and Pheasant

    Mansfield – Stag and Pheasant

    Located just around the corner from another Wetherspoon pub, the Widow Frost, this pub takes its name from another licensed premises which once stood on the corner between the two venues. The current building dates from 1910 when it was opened as Palace Electric Theatre and later the Palace Theatre, but it closed in 1949. A new frontage was added to the building in the 1960s, hence the rather strange look of having a modern exterior and an older interior. Its time as a theatre came to an end and it was then converted by Wetherspoons into this pub.

    The pub didn’t have any dark beers, but this one seemed an interesting option. The branding of this beer confused me a little, it wasn’t clear to me what Chapter 8 was and the barman was equally unsure, but it seems that the beer name was the Jammy Dodger and the brewery is Fuggle Bunny. The beer was excellent, a sweet taste with some caramel flavours, a very drinkable ale.

    I hadn’t realised when I visited here that Mansfield were holding their Christmas lights turning on, so I abandoned staying any longer in the town as I thought it’d be too busy. Certainly, Wetherspoons was nearly full, although I noted that they seemed to have more customers than the number of people listening to the live acts in the market square.

    It’s a Lloyds pub and so I assume that there’s a vibrant atmosphere on weekend evenings, especially since Wetherspoons have the advantage of another pub around the corner for those who prefer something quieter. The inside of the pub has an historic feel and there are a couple of tables on the upper tiers which look out onto the ground floor. Service in the pub was also helpful and friendly, there was a relaxed atmosphere despite how busy it was.

  • Nottingham – The Company Inn

    Nottingham – The Company Inn

    I’ve visited this Wetherspoons before and it’s one of the quietest that I’ve been to in the chain, so I’ve wondered before whether it’s one which might get sold off at some point.

    Looking down over the bar area and ground floor. The pub is located in a former warehouse belonging to the Trent Navigation Company, hence the Company Inn name which was chosen by Wetherspoons.

    This pub was in some difficulty when I visited as the temperature had gone out of control, it was like being in a sauna and I’ve never been in such a warm pub environment. Apparently there was a temperature issue, which had also caused problems in the male toilets as the water from the taps was not far off boiling. A customer commented to a staff member that some of the surfaces in the female toilet were hot to the touch, so I dread to think what the pub’s heating bill was for that day. There’s a TripAdvisor review from the day after my visit which complains that “it’s like a fridge”, so I imagine they decided to turn everything off.

    The pub has a friendly environment and I waited here for my train, drinking numerous cups of coffee to help me stay awake for the train journey back to Norwich.

  • Nottingham – Canalhouse

    Nottingham – Canalhouse

    I had a couple of hours to wait in Nottingham for my train, so I couldn’t resist going back to one of my favourite pubs in the country. Located in what was originally a canal museum, the Canalhouse became a pub in the year 2000 and is the only location that I know of which has a canal barge in the actual pub.

    The Black Band porter from Kirkstall Brewery, an above average dark beer with a rich flavour.

    There are discounts for CAMRA members and it’s one of the more unusual drinking environments. I’m entirely unsure why this pub isn’t listed in the Good Beer Guide though, it’s quirky and charming, but I’m sure there’s a reason why the denizens of CAMRA Nottingham decided against it.

    Looking out onto the barge. I didn’t have anything to eat on this visit, but there’a food menu and this is available throughout the day.

    A photo taken from the bridge which is inside the pub.

    Tynemill pubs no longer exist, they were renamed as Castle Rock in 2007, one of the better pub chains in the country and I’ve been to many of their Nottingham locations.

    Service in the pub was in line with my previous experiences, which was friendly, polite and helpful. The prices charged are reasonable and the selection of beers was excellent. It’s quite a spacious pub internally, but there aren’t a huge number of tables inside, although the external seating area is relatively extensive.

  • Mansfield – Widow Frost

    Mansfield – Widow Frost

    Some thought went into the naming of this Wetherspoon’s pub located on Leeming Street, with the company saying:

    “This pub is named after the 18th-century landlady of The Mason’s Arms which stood on this site. Widow Frost was probably the first to run The Mason’s Arms after its name was changed from The Horse and Jockey in 1780.”

    A 1913 advert in the local newspaper noted that the pub was being refurbished, with the stabling still in operation and the entrance for where this was is still visible on the pub’s frontage. The advert also informed customers to enter via Clumber Street, which happens today to be the location of another pub, the Stag and Pheasant, operated by Wetherspoon’s. More on this in another post, but this is a complex site and the original Stag and Pheasant pub was located on the corner of Leeming Street and Clumber Street.

    The Sleepy Badger beer from Little Critters Brewery, an oatmeal stout, which I thought was much better than some of the on-line reviews suggest. Malty and not inconsiderably chocolatey, an impressive beer at the usual low Wetherspoon’s price point.

    I had a little look at their TripAdvisor reviews, which are mixed, pretty usual for Wetherspoons. I liked this one:

    “My partner and I have ordered the skinny steak and quinoa salad since 2006-but standards have slipped think armageddon!!!”

    I’m not entirely sure that Armageddon is really being used appropriately here, but, as the staff member politely replied, the pub chain had only served quinoa salad for a few months when this review had been written in 2018 and the poster didn’t realise skinny steak meant it came with salad, not that it was skinny.

    Anyway, service in the pub was warm and friendly, with no real delays at any point. It wasn’t the cleanest pub I’ve seen, but it was warm and comfortable. Certainly a decent selection of beers and the pub deserves its listing in the Good Beer Guide.

  • Croydon – Ibis Styles

    Croydon – Ibis Styles

    I’ve stayed at this hotel before as it’s a useful accommodation option which is located between Gatwick Airport and London. It’s also quite a quirky hotel, a cross between somewhere where clearly money has been spent and where shortcuts have also been taken.

    A sink pedestal which is the wrong shape for the sink and the newly painted ceiling in the bathroom was also badly flaking.

    The room itself though was clean and well presented, with a modern feel to it. The television seemed slightly small, but since I never turn them on, it didn’t make any difference to me. The coffee here is dreadful though, I don’t know where they’ve got their sachets from. I made a cup of coffee and had to immediately pour it down the sink after trying it.

    The welcome drink is generous in terms of the options and this was provided without my needing to ask for it. There was no welcome gift, but these are often missing in Ibis Styles and Ibis Hotels. The check-in process also required me to present ID, which was fine as I had my passport as I was coming back from Spain, but I’m not sure why they were doing this and it concerned me that they’ve been having problems. It’s also the first Accor Hotel in the UK that has sought to check my ID before, a habit they could perhaps abandon or explain.

    There was a choice of Becks or Stella in terms of the beer, both options which are, well, not exactly to my palate. The staff member sat for 75 seconds (yeah, I timed it as I’m dull like that) staring at his phone before he noticed me at the bar.

    The hotel clearly doesn’t have any Becks glasses, as that’s what I ordered and was poured. That’s a mispour, way too much head and no attempt to correct it. But, to be honest, it was more than enough Becks.

    The breakfast was included in the room rate and was entirely adequate. There’s no cooked breakfast, which is fine by me, but there was ham and cheese, along with muffins, pastries, fruit salads and yoghurt. The fruit salads were quite bland, as were some of the pastries, but the ham and cheese was of a decent quality. The hotel staff did get a complaint when I was there that there was no hot option, but taking the price point of the hotel into account, this doesn’t feel unreasonable to me.

    My healthy choices….

    I had a little read of their TripAdvisor reviews as I like a bit of drama.

    “Just left the hotel and I’m so upset needed a nice hot breakfast this morning to come to the restaurant and have hard bread and a little piece of cheese and ham and cereal was not what I needed”

    Do people really get “so upset” about this? Although, actually, since I get grumpy when I’m given a cold chicken bake at Greggs instead of a lovely hot one, I take their point….

    “I didn’t realise the rooms where like a attic the Ceiling was very low. I felt costa-phobic. I asked the reception if I can be moved they said all rooms are booked now. I couldn’t really sleep much as I felt anxious.”

    Costa-phobic? I quite like attic rooms, adds a bit of character, as long I don’t hit my head.

    Overall, I don’t entirely get this hotel, there are some excellent intentions and some mixed service standards from the staff. But, bearing in mind the price point, it’s hard to really complain, especially as the room was clean and the bed was comfortable.

  • Edwinstowe – Major Oak

    Edwinstowe – Major Oak

    This substantial oak tree is, according to legend, where Robin Hood and merry men rested. The tree is approximately 800 to 1,000 years old and there’s a substantial and complex scaffolding arrangement to support the branches which has been in place since the Victorian period. Sitting under the tree for a picnic was also a very fashionable thing to do, and a newspaper in 1863 said that “the tree may yet stand for many more generations”. At the beginning of the twentieth century, some tree expert decided that it would be a marvellous ideal to pour concrete in the trunk to help protect it, which was perhaps not entirely the most sensible thing to do.

    There was another tree, known as the Shambles, which is where the merry men hang their venison. Unfortunately, although this tree became a little bit of a celebrity icon, or something like that, in the nineteenth century, it fell down in the 1960s.