Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • Cambridge – Calverley’s Brewery

    Since I was in Cambridge for a couple of hours today, I thought I’d visit another pub from the Good Beer Guide. This one seemed a little quirky, as the description said it was in a garage and I’d never heard of it. But, I like an adventure, so I thought I’d go along. From the exterior, I think it’s fair to say that it’s not the most obvious of locations.

    But, for the good bit. This is the best pub that I’ve visited this year, and I’ve gone to a lot, of which many are mediocre. The Old Post Office in Ingleton was my current favourite (and they e-mailed me after reading this blog, so I’m glad that my visit was positive), but Calverley’s is now right up there.

    I wasn’t quite sure where to go when I arrived, as there’s a small tap room and some outside seating, so I headed for the tap room and mentioned that I’d never visited before. The staff member was full of enthusiasm and gave me a beer to try straight away, which was the Star Dawg. This hoppy beer was refreshing and had an excellent depth of flavour to it.

    I was then offered a sample of the Goes-Uh when I mentioned I liked sours, and this was another top rate option. Wonderful afternotes, again a refreshing taste and full of flavour. Quite marvellous. I said in passing that I’d usually have a porter, but that as it was 11:30 in the morning, I didn’t think a 9% beer was appropriate. The staff member gave me a very generous sample anyway, and I have to say, that was a delicious porter.

    I ordered two thirds of the Goes-Uh and it was delightful.

    Motivational messages   🙂

    There hasn’t been a vast sum of money spend on the interior, but this is just perfect. It’s quirky, individual, independent, fun, welcoming and absolutely everything a pub should be. Sometimes I go to pubs and feel that my expectations are too high and that I should lower them just a little. Then I go to places like this and realise that it can be done. Quite brilliant and my new favourite pub in Cambridge, which is quite rightfully in the Good Beer Guide.

  • Heathrow T5

    I hadn’t realised that BA has introduced this into Heathrow T5, what could also perhaps be known as a job replacement programme. There were rows of manned check-in desks here once (well, last year), now just self-service kiosks for bag drop. Such is progress I suppose….

  • Heathrow T5 at Night

    I haven’t been at Heathrow T5 at night for some time and I had forgotten just how impressive a building it is. It has been open for twelve years now, but it still has a modern feel to it and it’s one of the more impressive structures when looked at from the side.

    Inside the terminal. I think that passengers are discouraged from staying in the terminal at night, instead it’s better to be at terminals 2 and 3 which have a more conducive environment for resting. T5 is big, empty and also quite cold….

    Looking down from the departures floor all the way down to arrivals, a reminder of just how big the building is.

  • Heathrow – Off to Luxembourg

    A quick breakfast in the BA lounge at Heathrow T3 early this morning, before my flight.

    Today I’m off to Luxembourg for the day, then getting the Flixbus to Bern. Given my past experiences with Flixbus, it’s anyone’s guess just whether I’ll actually reach Switzerland, but we’ll see. It’ll be an adventure.

  • London – Puma Court

    I walked down this street whilst following the Jack the Ripper Ramblers Route, otherwise I’m not sure that I would have ever found this street.

    It’s hard to imagine this quaint street is actually in the heart of Spitalfields. The street was formerly known as Red Lion Court and the Red Lion Court Chapel which was once on the street has long since been demolished.

    The text of this tablet reads:

    “These almshouses were erected in the year 1860 for poor inhabitants of the liberty of Norton Folgate in place of those taken down for the new street”.

    The original almshouses were in Blossom Street, but a road widening was needed there, so compensation and new land was provided to the charity.

  • London – Ramblers Routes

    I’m off to Luxembourg tomorrow and got the train today to my hotel at Heathrow. Inspired by the Hike Norfolk London trip on Saturday, I decided to follow one of the Ramblers routes which are available to members of the organisation via the national web-site. It’s a handy resource and the walks come with a .gpx file to follow, as well as the route description.

    This one is the ‘Jack the Ripper’ walk which is a 3.3 mile walk around the area in which the murders took place. There’s not a great deal to see of the murders, as obviously the areas aren’t what they wanted to preserve, but the walk does visit some of the parts of the city which the murderer and victims would have known.

    More of the walk itself in separate posts….

  • London (Central) – Kindertransport Statue (The Arrival)

    I don’t usually use this entrance into Liverpool Street Station, so have missed just how much of a wonderful statue this is. It’s a commemoration of the 10,000 Jewish children who were able to escape from Nazi Germany just before the outbreak of the Second World War and who arrived at the station.

    The statue was designed by Frank Meisler who as a child was evacuated from Gdansk (or what was then the Free City of Danzig) to London Liverpool Street station.

    There’s a parallel statue at Gdańsk Główny railway station (above photo which I took in 2016) by the same sculptor.

  • London (Central) – Frame Break by Jack West

    This sculpture at Spitalfields is entitled Frame Break, and was designed by Jack West and installed here in 1988. Personally I thought it looked confused, but I really like the premise behind it which is that it’s a reference to the Frame Breaking Act of 1812. This was introduced by the Government to increase penalties for those who damaged industrial machinery, mainly people known as Luddites. It became a capital crime to try and deter vandals from destroying equipment and along with other measures the action was generally successful in quelling the growing rebellion.

    I think I’d have liked something that looked less like a smashed up guitar and something which more resembled the looms from the period. It’s a really nice concept though, another reminder of the history of the area as it makes reference to the migrant Huguenot weavers who worked and lived in Spitalfields.

  • London (Central) – Wooden Boat with Seven People

    This interesting artwork in Spitalfields is an actual boat which was used to transport refugees from Turkey to the islands of Greece. It has a wider meaning of showing the suffering, terror and struggle of migrants around the world who have to make such perilous crossings.

    The artwork was created in 2011, although it has been in its current site since 2017. It was designed by Kalliopi Lemos, a Greek-born sculptor and painter, who specialises in artworks relating to the politics of forced migration.

    Very much a thought-provoking piece and the location in Spitalfields is also deliberate, it’s a reminder of how the area has been welcoming to waves of migrants over the centuries.

  • London (Central) – Truman’s Black Eagle Brewery

    There was a brewing industry at this site, at Brick Lane, in London in the sixteenth century and it continued until 1989 when this enormous brewery was closed down. For a period in the nineteenth century this was the largest brewery in the world, taking its name from the nearby Black Eagle Street.

    This map from the turn of the twentieth century shows just how big this brewery had become.

    Today the area has been repurposed with numerous restaurants, residential units and offices around the site. There’s something of a creative edge to it, with numerous art events and performances taking place.

    This is the former Head Office of the brewery, a sadly once grand site now looking a little forlorn. FWIW, which isn’t much, I think the site is seriously underused, there is no museum of the brewery or area, no explanation to its history and it seems primarily used for commercialised events which have a tenuous link to the local community.

    I’m sure that there are some marvellous businesses in the area which have taken the opportunity of being in one of the most vibrant parts of London, but I felt that this area was all rather underwhelming in terms of the brewery buildings themselves.