The second pub on our little Oulton Broad expedition was the Flying Dutchman and I have been here a few times before. Formerly known as the Flying Dutchman Hotel, it was opened at the end of the nineteenth century and as its name suggests, it offered accommodation.
Unfortunately, this is another one of those venues where the newspapers seem to just report bad things that happened nearby. In 1912, Fred Richmond who was the eight year old son of a local fisherman was playing at horses by the pub before running into the road and being hit by a car owned by Lieut. Henry Thomas Gartside-Tipping (1848-1915). He’s interesting in his own right as he came back from retirement to serve in the First World War, aged 75, but he was killed in action. His widow was also killed in 1917 when serving with the Women’s Emergency Corps.
Back to the pub though, and there’s a little snapshot of what would have been in the private accommodation at this time as the retiring landlord Joseph Balls put it all up for auction in 1923. It consisted of:
“HOUSEHOLD FURNITURE, including: Suites in Walnut and Mahogany. Sideboards, Coat, Hat and Umbrella Stand, Dining, Loo Card and other Tables, Fenders, Hearthrugs, Carpet and Linoleums. Fine Toned Trichord Check Action Iron Frame UPRIGHT PIANOFORTE in Walnut (by Schreiner). Polyphon, Gramophone, Chimney Glasses, Pictures, Grandfather Clock in oak case (chimes 5 tunes), Plated Articles, Cutlery, Feather Beds, Bolsters and Pillows, Bedsteads, Wire Spring and Wool Mattresses, Old Spanish Mahogany Wardrobe, Dressing Glasses, Commodes, Bidet, Mahogany Duchesse Dressing Tables and Marble Top Washstands, Chests of Drawers, Cupboards and Cabinets, Glass and Earthenware, Cottage Mangle, Kitchen and Culinary Articles, and Outdoor Effects.”
Back to today, it’s owned by Admiral Taverns and it seems to have a decent reputation locally for being a solidly run community pub.
The bar is bright and welcoming, although the drinks choice was a little more limited with no real ale and some generic national brands. There was though at least Guinness and I thought that I’d just go with that.
There’s my Guinness waiting for the two part pour.
Some very decent prices here, especially on Monday when pizzas are just £5 each. We already had a food plan for the evening, but this looked very tempting.
The Guinness was all as expected and I’d paired it well with some Mini Cheddars.
There was a bit of a dining vibe to the internal arrangements, but it was all clean and welcoming.
And some quizzing excitement.
I liked this pub, it’s a clearly popular community pub with numerous events, keenly priced food and an inviting environment. The idea of having affordable food which is of a decent quality to bring people in seems a really good one, with a number of events and live sports as well.