Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • Thetford – Church of the Holy Sepulchre

    This priory was founded in 1148 and it takes its name from the Augustinian order of the Holy Sepulchre, of which there are no other remains in the country. The order didn’t have the wealth of other religious establishments, such as St. Mary’s Priory, and failed to grow in size and power. They did own the comb of Thomas Becket though as one of their most holiest of relics.

    The Reformation inevitably wasn’t kind to the order  and the building was seized by the Crown and the order dissolved in 1536. The nave survived and was turned into a barn, but the structure of the building continued to decline.

    This entrance was built in the eighteenth century when the building was used as a barn, and then subsequently blocked off. Parts of the building were also used as ornamental gardens.

    There was a lot of structural work going on when I visited in 2018, with some of the information signs being inaccessible. The site is now managed by the English Heritage, with no charge being made for admission.

  • Thetford – Thetford Grammar School

    Thetford Grammar School is, as the plaque notes, one of the oldest schools in the country. It has been educating children for over 1,400 years, which is quite a claim for any educational establishment to have.

    The actual date of the school’s foundation is rather unclear, which is inevitable given the sort of periods of history that are being referred to. There are some who claim it was founded in 631AD as it’s known that Sigebert, the King of the Angles, wanted a school creating in his court.

    Some date the school to the late eleventh century and relate the school to being run by Herbert de Losinga. He is an important figure in Norfolk as he was the first Bishop of Norwich, but he had previously been the Bishop of Thetford. The Cathedral of Thetford, which is a strange concept to write, existed from 1072 to 1094 and Thetford Grammar School was built on the site of the building.

    The school had some turbulent times around the period of Reformation, but it continued in operation in its one room until the late eighteenth century. The facilities were improved at that point, in conjunction with the Victorian Girls’ Grammar School which was opposite, with the two schools later merging.

    Perhaps one of the most well-known of the school’s former students, and I’m sure many would disagree, is Thomas Paine. A controversial figure who went from a quiet upbringing in Thetford to being one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, before he upset lots of Americans with his religious views.

  • Thetford – Captain Mainwaring Statue

    This statue of Captain Mainwaring from Dad’s Army was unveiled in 2010 and it was located next to the Anchor Hotel in Thetford, where many of the actors stayed when filming. This was a wonderful (although admittedly a little run down) eighteenth century building which appeared in the opening scene of the first episode of Dad’s Army, so it was a very suitable location.

    There had been a hotel and pub on the site for 400 years, so Breckland District Council bought the site and knocked the hotel down. The site is now home to a bland Travelodge, but not to worry, they’ve put a plaque up in the hotel to note the area’s history. And at least the area is decently landscaped now.

    A close-up of the statue and visitors to the area can sit next to it on the bench. The statue was unveiled in the presence of Bill Pertwee, who sadly died in 2013, who played the ARP Warden Hodges in the series.

  • London – Forgotten Streams by Cristina Iglesias

    This photo dates back to January 2018 and it’s an art installation by the Spanish artist Cristina Iglesias which is located at the relatively new Bloomberg HQ in London. It’s designed to mark where the Walbrook River once flowed, a river which was covered over relatively early on, during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

    The art installation is made from cast bronze and there are strands of this material used throughout, so the water flows to create small pools.

  • Leek – Cobblers

    This small pub is located on a side street near to Leek town centre and it had a welcoming and community vibe to it. I liked the pub’s policy that there are no televisions, something I’d prefer most pubs to do….

    There were a few real ales to choose from, although nothing that really interested me as everything was either a bit generic or quite light. However, the beer I ordered was well kept and was at the appropriate temperature.

    There was a little snug area to the rear of the pub which had a number of board games, including Connect 4, Guess Who, chess, dominoes and so on. There were a few dogs in the pub and most customers seemed to know each other, so I imagine it’s a popular pubs amongst locals. All in all, this is a decent community pub and the prices were towards the lower end of the scale. Friendly, clean and comfortable, all rather lovely.

  • Leek – Google Car

    This is the first time I’ve seen the Google Streetview car in some time (it’s not very clear in the photo, but it’s the lane to the left of us at the front). Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have been recording…..

  • Leek – Market Cross

    Leek’s five-metre high Market Cross is post-medieval and probably dates to around the sixteenth century. Nearly every market would have once had one of these crosses although many have been lost, damaged or altered over the centuries. The plinth of the cross is nineteenth century and there have been later repairs to the entire cross.

    The market cross was moved from its current location to Cemetery Road in 1806 and it remained there until 1986 when a decision was made to return it.

  • Leek – Peak Weavers

    Peak Weavers is a B&B and restaurant where we had a large booking for an evening meal. The building was once a grand private residence, more recently a convent and today it’s well maintained and has an inviting feel to it. Having said that, my first impressions weren’t entirely positive as the welcome seemed just a little stilted. However, the restaurant area was clean, tidy and organised.

    This is the potted slow cooked ham hock and it was excellent, with the ham being tender, flavourful and light. The ham fell apart and it was complemented by the egg sauce which topped it in the pot. The garnish added to the presentation of the dish and there were capers which gave additional texture to the meal. The sour dough bread was light and perhaps home-made, with the price point of £7.50 being entirely realistic.

    This salmon dish had a tomato crust alongside a new potato and pea shoot salad. We also had vegetables and potatoes for the table which were plentiful and which were well seasoned, although I didn’t photograph these. The portion of salmon was generous and it was perfectly cooked and had a depth of taste. The salad added texture and it was all well presented and at the appropriate temperature. For the price of £15.95 this again was perfectly priced given the additional sides which were offered.

    I couldn’t find fault with the food, which I admit is quite rare for me, although I’d have liked a little more black pepper. The black pepper wasn’t on the table, but a staff member brought a pepper grinder over on request when I asked for it with the starter. I kept it for the main course, but the manager seized it and when I asked for it back the request wasn’t fulfilled. I’m a little unsure why the restaurant is so protective of its black pepper, but nonetheless, this was an excellent meal.

    I liked that the menu was relatively limited in size, so that there was a focus more on quality. There wasn’t though any nod towards locally sourced ingredients on the menu, which I’d have ideally liked. The service was professional, although not particularly engaging, but the food was served promptly and we were never left waiting for service (well, I was left waiting for the black pepper, but I won’t dwell on that).

    Certainly for the quality of food being offered the prices actually seemed just a little low, but I can understand the need to be remain competitive in terms of price. All very professional and I’d recommend this for a leisurely group meal.

  • Downham Market – Whalebone

    This JD Wetherspoon pub opened in March 2018 and it was the only one in Norfolk which I hadn’t been to. It’s a relatively large pub and a couple of other publicans in Downham Market have blamed it for closing down their premises. It was busy when we visited and slightly grubby, although staff seemed to be doing their best.

    The pub as it is now is formed of two buildings, the taller building on the left is a former residential property, whilst the right hand-side part of the building has been trading as a pub since the 1740s. The pub name comes from the local whale trade and there was a whalebone placed outside of the pub in the late nineteenth century.

    The interior of part of the pub, it still looks modern and contemporary with the restoration of the building seeming sensitive. There are some narrow stairs in the pub, perhaps the narrowest that I’ve seen in a Wetherspoons conversion.

    My standard option of a chicken wrap and I still bemoan the lack of pastrami bagel on the menu. The presentation was slightly messy, but the food tasted fine and represented the usual good value for money. It was also brought over promptly along with the lemonade that I’d ordered via the app. There were also numerous different elements to the building with some private seating areas. The pub seems quite badly reviewed on-line for a JD Wetherspoon outlet, but I found everything acceptable.

  • Leek – Green Dragon

    The Green Dragon, formerly known as the Swan for a time, has been trading as a pub since at least 1693. It was reopened by JD Wetherspoon in 2013 and the refurbishment they undertook was clearly costly as it looks like they’ve done a marvellous job.

    An historic plaque outside the pub.

    The real ales were mostly generic and there was a surprisingly dull selection for a Wetherspoons pub. The service at the bar was unfortunately inept as I was served out of turn. This in itself really isn’t a problem, but when there are only two people at the bar, it’s not difficult to avoid this. Anyway, I just left the staff member to serve the other customer and this customer then moved along the bar as he wanted to order another drink. The staff member then told him to wait as she was serving another customer. He reminded her that he was the customer that she was already serving, but by this point it was clear the staff member was entirely lost, so I just left and ordered by the app at the table.

    The staff member who served us the food and drink was on the other end of the competence spectrum. He was engaging, conversational and had a real presence within the pub, although he didn’t seem to be a manager. His check back seemed authentic and he cleared the plates promptly. The chicken wrap was fine and represented decent value for money.

    The interior of the pub, which was largely devoid of customers when we visited, but it was spacious and clean. There were a range of different types of seating areas, and the pub appeared modern in its design without losing any of its historic integrity.

    I’ll ignore the staff member at the bar, as she seemed out of her depth, but the other staff members were friendly, helpful and engaging. It was an intriguing pub and although the beer selection was disappointing, it felt like a professional and thorough conversion by JD Wetherspoon.