Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Bassingham

Bassingham – St. Michael and All Angels Church

The Church of St Michael and All Angels in the Lincolnshire village of Bassingham is Grade II* listed and has elements from as early as the eleventh century and it was also listed in the Domesday Book. Much of the older section of the church dates to the thirteenth century, but it was extensively restored in 1860 under the supervision of JH Hakewill.

The design drawings prepared by JH Hakewill in advance of the 1860 restoration. During this work they discovered two Anglo-Saxon grave covers which are now located near to the altar, used as a table for the sacraments.

The entrance gate to the church from the road, with the rear of the churchyard reaching the River Witham.

The pretty long graveyard leading to the church from the road.

The rather blocky tower was rebuilt in 1782.

The south porch.

We weren’t able to visit inside the church, but the listed building record notes that there are the remains of a fifteenth century screen, the altar rail and organ are from the nineteenth century, the nineteenth century pulpit has a panel from 1674 and the alms box is from 1668. Also inside the church is the bell from the minesweeper HMS Bassingham, which was given to the community in 1999 after it was decommissioned by the Royal Navy. It was explained at the service that at the time, minesweepers were named after villages which ended in ‘ham’.

June 7, 2023
Bassingham – Bugle Horn

I suspect some local wags and pesky kids might well have been having a go at the pub signage of the Bugle Horn, a Good Beer Guide listed pub in the Lincolnshire of Bassingham. The pub has been serving alcohol to customers since the seventeenth century, it’s a sizeable building and there’s also a large beer garden. I’ve tried to work out the reasons for the pub’s name, but I can’t see any local military connection and the actual reason is likely lost to history.

Here it’s the Te Buge Horn.

Here the Ugle Horn.

And here the Bugle Orn. It’s like something out of Fawlty Towers and the kids changing the letters on the sign. But, I won’t linger any further on the external signage.

This wasn’t what I expected to see from a Good Beer Guide listed pub if I’m being honest, especially as this appears to be a free house which isn’t manacled to a pubco or brewer. As there was another bar where more exciting options might be available, I asked if there were any other ales to choose from.

The friendly staff member, who I assume to be the landlady, politely pointed me straight towards the keg options from Beavertown. I’m not averse to these, although I’ve obviously worked through them all before, so I was hoping for a local beer that I might not get anywhere else. Prices of these were towards the higher end of the scale, but I liked the inviting nature of the pub so I felt it was a price worth paying to not have to drink Greene King IPA.

I went for the Bloody ‘Ell from Beavertown, an entirely agreeable blood orange keg IPA. It’s a nod towards craft beer, I approve of the pub’s attempts to widen their beer range.

There are two separate bar areas, the one in which we seated was comfortable enough but they do perhaps need a refurbishment as some of the seating is heavily stained and things are a bit wobbly in places.

Having said that, the pub still felt traditional and if there is a refurbishment, I hope that it doesn’t change the layout and separate areas of the interior that currently exist.

Liam’s gammon (that’s a description of the food he ordered, not his politics which are far more reasonable), delivered just seconds after he had gone off to explore the toilet facilities in the pub.

Although the Beavertown beers might have been just a little decadently priced, the meals certainly weren’t, this fish and chips was at the very agreeable price of £10. The home cut chips are mostly hidden here by the fish, but there were more than I could eat and so I let Liam finish them up. For the perfect arrangement, the fish could have been drained better and the oil could do with changing, but the batter had a decent depth of flavour and the fish flaked away. I think they’re using some form of margarine on the bread, that wasn’t a highlight if I’m being honest. But, for the price, this was a satisfying and filling meal, if I was a local I’m fairly sure I’d eat here on a regular basis.

The pub is well reviewed on-line, with the staff member giving the atmosphere a family friendly atmosphere where customers feel welcome being there. They’ve built up a reputation for large portions of home-cooked food at reasonable prices, which is quite a selling point as far as I’m concerned. Although I can’t say that I was surprised and delighted by the range of real ales, they’ve made an effort with offering Beavertown beers as an additional option. Definitely recommended, although some form of minor renovation might improve the ambience, as it’s an element customers have mentioned on-line for a few years. But, times are hard for pubs, and at least they’re keeping the food prices down. It felt like a proper pub to me, a phrase that’s over-used I admit, but some things are timeless and too much change here would be a bad thing.

June 6, 2023
Bassingham – Five Bells

The Five Bells at Bassingham looks like a rural pub should perhaps look like, although the foliage is rapidly consuming the venue’s signage. I can’t say I’m overly taken with the pub’s opening times which are caveated with “we may close earlier on very quiet nights or open later if need be”, which don’t exactly make planning entirely easy.

Anyway, gripes about opening times put to one side, the pub felt an inviting place to visit and my hopes were high.

I was a little disappointed with this to be honest, as ideally a venue with four different real ales would have something a slightly more interesting available. No local breweries, no milds or dark beers, all just a little generic. But, at least they have a choice and if that’s what the locals want to drink, perhaps I shouldn’t complain. Although I will.

I went for the Timothy Taylor Landlord, with a food pairing of Mini Cheddars, with the beer being well kept and tasting as expected. The Mini Cheddars were delicious as ever.

The pub did have plenty of character, including the hops above the bar, and a tree. I’m reminded of the rather larger tree in the Raleigh Beer Garden, a venue I’m keen to go back to. But I digress, dreaming of the United States once again.

All very British, there was a pleasant atmosphere to the pub. Well, there wasn’t from a few drunken customers loudly announcing they were from London who were busy upsetting some locals, but these warm days seem to bring out these type of arguments. The staff didn’t seem to notice an awkward altercation between the two groups, which fortunately didn’t develop further so peace of sorts was maintained.

The pub was once owned by Highwayman Inns who in the 1980s specialised in offering steaks and seafood. The pub itself was built in 1815, although it does feel older because of how the interior has been designed.

The service in the pub was friendly and what I think was the manager asked how we were, it all seemed authentic and genuine. There’s quite a wide menu, perhaps priced a little towards the higher end of the scale, and food is what many customers were coming in for during our Saturday early evening visit. It is very well reviewed on-line, so they seem to be doing a marvellous job in serving the community and the environment felt warm and cosy. Definitely worth a little visit for anyone in the area, if time hadn’t been pressing I would have liked to have spent longer in here.

June 6, 2023