Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Cambridge

  • Cambridge – Mill Road Cemetery

    Cambridge – Mill Road Cemetery

    Across the country, there were problems in the early nineteenth century with churchyards in cities becoming full. The cholera epidemic gave the dual problem of more burials, as well as the risk of spreading disease by burying bodies in city centres. So, in 1844, a decision was wisely made to acquire a site of land where burials could take place and the Mill Road site was secured. There was also the inspired idea that the 13 parishes of All Saints, St Andrew the Great, St Andrew the Less, St Benedict, St Botolph, St Clement, St Edward, St Mary the Great, St Mary the Less, St Michael, St Paul, Holy Sepulchre and Holy Trinity could share the land.

    The information board at the cemetery shows how the churches divided up the land to suit the needs of their own parishes. The land was consecrated in 1848 and then burials were moved to this site, thereby relieving pressure on the existing churchyards.

    The lodge was constructed before the land was consecrated, so that the custodian of the site had accommodation, but the building was also used as offices and as a mortuary chapel. It doesn’t sound the ideal place to live if I’m being honest, but each to their own and there would have been far worse accommodation in Cambridge at the time.

    Money was raised to build a chapel at the centre of the site as the existing lodge wasn’t sufficient in size. Finances were secured to get the services of George Gilbert Scott to design the chapel and it opened on 28 May 1858. The chapel was used until the 1940s, but then it fell out of usage and was badly damaged by a fire. In 1954, it was decided that it would be best to demolish it, something which I think was a palpably bad decision. There was an archaeological investigation in 2009 to map out the foundations of the chapel, and they’ve been marked with stones, a project which I think is a marvellous idea. There are some medium-term plans to do something with this site, although I can’t imagine anything will take place for some time.

    As for the rest of the site, it’s peaceful and calm, but some parts have become quite derelict. Some parishes had filled their land up by the early twentieth century, but a few burials took place until it all came to an end in 1949 when the cemetery was closed. There is some provision for people to be buried alongside loved ones, but today the site is operated by Cambridge City Council.

    Some photos of the cemetery….

  • Cambridge – Old Ticket Office

    Cambridge – Old Ticket Office

    Despite using Cambridge railway station relatively regularly, I’ve managed not to notice that this pub opened in June 2018. Its presence has only become apparent to me since it’s now listed in the Good Beer Guide and it has pleased CAMRA, who have given it numerous awards. The pub is operated by the City Pub Company, who now have fifty or so pubs, and I like what they’ve done with the Bath Brew House (in Bath), the Lion & Lobster (in Brighton) and St. Andrew’s Brew House (in Norwich).

    I’ve had a look through the beers that this pub has been serving and there’s lots of innovation. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the beer selection that was on when I visited, but I imagine that their trade is down and so this is the response that they feel most appropriate at the moment. Having written that, the Norfolk Topper from Barsham Brewery was a locally sourced beer and it was well-kept and quite drinkable.

    The staff here are way above average, really engaging and welcoming. This gave me an excellent first impression and indeed, positive impression throughout my visit. I can see why the pub is doing so well.

    The pub’s web-site doesn’t say much about the history of the building that they’re in, which is a shame as it’s quite glorious. The pub’s name suggests that it’s the station’s former ticket office and the transformation is quite beautiful as it almost looks like this bar was always here. The green is inspired by the colour scheme of LNER, the 1923-1948 one and not the current one.

    For those who like to people watch, the outside terrace is ideal. I sat outside and spent most of my time fending off a wasp, a reminder to myself that it’s safer for people like me to sit inside. Sod the continental approach, it’s rarer to get rain, wind and wasps when sitting inside.

    So, all rather lovely, hopefully their beer selection will be more exciting when things start to return to some form of normality. But, it’s clear that this pub has been doing some great things and it’s become increasingly popular, so this is a useful on-trend addition to the railway station.

  • Cambridge – Cambridge Blue

    Cambridge – Cambridge Blue

    This is a Good Beer Guide listed pub, located a relatively short walk from the railway station. Originally opened in the 1860s and formerly known as the Dew Drop Inn (which a few people have suggested is a Victorian play on the words of ‘do drop in’), the pub has a solid reputation within CAMRA given all that I’ve heard.

    I’ve been to the pub before, but I haven’t realised in the past just how big a beer garden they have.

    And a quirky interior. The staff members were friendly and there was one of the best attempts to manage social distancing in a pub that I’ve seen. Everything was clean and organised, with a really laid-back calm and relaxed atmosphere.

    I wasn’t sold on the beer options, there were no dark beers at all (there’s one on tomorrow), which is a disappointing imbalance of beer styles. The Hop Kitty from Animal Brewing was fine though, a hoppy beer with clean tastes. I liked the atmosphere and comfortable nature of the pub, as well as the friendly staff, but the beer range was a bit pointed at Belgian beers and light beers for my liking, marvellous though that it is. But perhaps there are supply issues at the moment, this is a challenging time for pubs in very many different ways.

  • Cambridge – Tram Depot

    Cambridge – Tram Depot

    I didn’t have enormously high expectations for this pub, but I liked its heritage as it’s the former depot for the horse-drawn trams. However, the welcome from the staff member was immediate and authentic, and I started to think that I could rather like it here. The pub was clean throughout as well and they were operating the track and trace effectively.

    I was seated on a low down sofa, but I looked enviously at those high tables with power and ability to tap piffle on my keyboard. I was willingly allowed to move.

    And here we are in my new location, overlooking the bar in what is quite a spacious place. There was table service offered throughout and the staff member was suitably engaging and welcoming. I liked this place sufficiently now to get food as well.

    Quirky buildings often make for great venues, although it’s a shame that the pub makes nothing of this on their web-site. In short though, this was the depot of Cambridge Street Tramways which operated horse-drawn trams between 1880 and 1914. This was required as the railway station had been built around a mile out of the centre of town, which wasn’t exactly ideal.

    The reviews of the pub are pretty high, no real issues there, although one customer complained they were barred and I liked the manager’s direct reply of:

    “Hi Colette. You know full well why you and your partner are barred, due to you[r] abysmal behavior on previous occasions.”

    I like direct.

    And then reviews like this, to which the manager didn’t reply, which seems to forget that licensing often dictates these things, not “evil” and “disgusting” pubs.

    “What kind of an evil place advertises pizza outside to then let you come in, sit down and be denied service because you have a teenager and an 11 y/o? I understand a no children behind the bar rule, but if you serve food, you should not discriminate. Never seen a pizza place for over 18s only, disgusting.”

    Excuse the poor quality of my phone’s zoom, but there was a reasonable range of beers on. Actually, the selection was well measured with a variety of different beer types.

    Titanic is one of my favourite breweries, so I was pleased that the pub had their stout available.

    The Big Tram pizza, with toppings of pulled pork, pepperoni, Prosciutto and chorizo. The quality was very high, particularly with reference to the toppings, and chorizo on top of a pizza is one of those gifts from the Gods. Perhaps it could have been just a little tiny bit bigger, but this was better tasting than I had expected. Indeed, the pub hadn’t disappointed me on anything, a reminder not to judge a book by its covers.

    The other bonus here was that the Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ kicked in to reduce the pizza price from £11.95 to £5.97, with the beer taking it to £10.10. The next excitement was that Amex Shop Small then kicked in, so this expedition cost me a grand total of £5.10. I’d say that’s a pretty good deal.

    This was one of the better pubs that I’ve been to in Cambridge and, if it was anything to do with me, I’d want to see it in the next issue of the Good Beer Guide.

  • Cambridge – Free Press

    Cambridge – Free Press

    I’ve been here before, although I’ve come to Cambridge with so many people (well, nearly five) that I can’t remember who I went with. Anyway, I doubt anyone much cares about that, but the reason I came back is that it’s in the Good Beer Guide. The pub is named after a temperance movement newspaper, which managed to get to just one issue. The story goes that Sarah Horne established the pub in 1834 and she named the pub after the newspaper because she thought that this was ironic, and it is indeed quite humorous, although I doubt the editor approved.

    It’s a Greene King operated venue, so the beer choice wasn’t overly exciting, but the Timothy Taylor’s Landlord was well-kept and tasted as it was meant to. The staff member did recommend a bottled beer as I wanted something darker, so there was an effort made and the service was polite and helpful.

    The pub wasn’t very busy, this is the left-hand side front room. There’s lots of heritage here and it’s clearly been popular with locals and university students (and indeed university students who are locals) for many decades.

    In a nod to their printing related name, local customers have given the pub random photos and, to be honest, some junk, which is placed in type cases that were once used by printers. The Good Pub Guide, which is a book I don’t much like (unlike the Good Beer Guide, which is truly excellent), says that the pub “was a print shop for a local paper” which doesn’t appear to be true.

    The pub still has outdoor toilets, which is exciting insomuch that it doesn’t happen much any more, and there’s an external seating area. It was also raining, so this didn’t seem quite as appealing as it might do in the warm summers that the UK is not entirely renowned for.

    I suspect, and indeed know since the staff member told another customer, that the number of table bookings wasn’t very high at all, which is surprising given the eat out to help out scheme which is running. Although, I didn’t even realise they were serving food until someone ordered at the bar, there were no menus visible (or I didn’t notice any, but I might not have noticed them as I get distracted easily). The Scotch eggs looked good in photos though, a reliable bar snack option if they’re done right.

    So, it was all entirely acceptable and the staff members were friendly, so the environment was comfortable. The pub seemed clean, although it had the problem of having a toilet check-list that wasn’t being routinely filled in, so customers then can see that staff aren’t checking the toilets. But, I don’t let such things worry me (although I seem to have the need to comment on them) and there’s a quirkiness to this pub that I rather liked.

  • Cambridge – Brewdog

    Cambridge – Brewdog

    I’m slowly and steadily (which keeps reminding me of strong and stable) working through the Brewdogs in the world and this is one of their newer ones, opening in Cambridge in 2019.

    The beer board, with palpably enthusiastic staff serving customers. A nicely balanced selection of beers, although that’s no surprise in a Brewdog.

    The bar is laid out over two floors.

    I had a nice little table reserved upstairs near to the front of the pub. The staff members upstairs were helpful and friendly, this is a very laidback pub, but it still seemed efficiently run to me.

    This is the Cranachan Killer, a fruit beer which isn’t normally what I gravitate to. But, I liked the description which mentioned the raspberries, honey, toasted oats and cream. So, it’s an oatmeal pale ale, with a rich taste of raspberries running through it and a slightly sweet flavour. Served at the beautiful moderately chilled temperature, this was well measured and not too sweet with a pleasant and smooth aftertaste. Nice.

    Both of these burgers are mine, they were buy one get one free as part of Brewdog’s Vegan Monday offer, then the Government’s eat out to help out kicked in. So the burgers, also reduced by the Government’s VAT cut, cost just over £2.30 each and the beer was about £4, so a total meal cost of £8.60 or so. Marvellous value.

    I didn’t order fries or any sides, since I thought two burgers would be enough. They’re both vegan burgers and I thought now would be a good time to try them, although I had low expectations.

    The one at the front is the Temple of Seitan, which was rather creative. The seitan has a texture and coating sort of similar to chicken, although it’s not quite there. But the kale added texture, the tomato chutney added some sweetness and flavour and I liked the hummus. A perfectly acceptable burger. Both of the burgers came with a vegan beetroot brioche bun, which retained its texture and tasted fine.

    But, that’s not the burger I want to write excitedly about, it’s the one at the back, the Beyond Meat Burger. It came with vegan Gouda cheese, chipotle slaw, roasted red peppers and pickles. Pickles are a delight with nearly any meal (particularly chicken bakes), and the peppers added some sweetness and the slaw some crunch, but they weren’t the main part of the excitement here. That vegan burger was a joy to behold (OK, I’m going a bit far now, I wasn’t at Greggs) as it had the texture of meat, a similar flavour and, actually, I think I preferred it to meat. I’d quite happily sub out meat burgers if this is the quality of the vegan alternative. It’s like the Greggs vegan sausage roll all over again, tremendously exciting.

    Gloriously creative from Brewdog and they’re rolling out more vegan and vegetarian options next month which keeps them on-trend and intriguing. But, anyway, this pub was clean, the staff were engaging, the food was marvellous and I couldn’t find any fault here worth noting. I’m not sure Brewdog get much better than this, everything running to a high standard. How very lovely.

  • Cambridge – The Eagle

    Cambridge – The Eagle

    I like to start on a positive, but unfortunately, this pub is operated by Greene King, who have provided a pretty dreary selection of beers. I can ignore that though, because otherwise the pub is a magnificent piece of history. It’s where Francis Crick announced to the assembled company that he and James Watson had figured out the building blocks of DNA.

    The pub’s long history, closely linked in with Corpus Christi College.

    To be fair to the pub, it was busier than this, but I’ve managed to ensure no people are in these photos. These are the front two rooms of the pub, I’m sure they must be packed with atmosphere during the winter months when the fires are on. I liked them though and I can imagine tourists to Cambridge from shores far away must like it too.

    The back room. The staff member on the front door was full of enthusiasm and was happy to keep explaining the pub’s health procedures in a friendly and personable manner to every new customer. I got the impression that she was very proud of the pub and that came across, so this was a welcoming place from the outset. The pub was also impressively clean and tidy, with plenty of staff around all seeming to be busy. To be fair, Greene King has got this sorted out nicely.

    The outside seating area, which is where I went until I got annoyed by people smoking (they’re allowed to there, I just get irritated easily). Uninspired with the pub’s beer selection, I opted for that traditional drink of lemonade…. It was helped that it was half-price as part of the Government’s eat out to help out, and it was a poor lemonade that primarily tasted primarily of soda water.

    The RAF bar, right at the back of the pub past the courtyard. The writing on the ceiling is that of RAF and USAF airmen during the Second World War, which probably annoyed the staff at the time, but it now a snapshot of a time gone by and their bravery. It was lost under a veneer of nicotine in the years after the war, but it was uncovered during a major restoration of the pub.

    I had a little look at TripAdvisor and I’m not sure I want to comment in too much detail about the disabled man who had to wee in a plant pot as there was no disabled toilet. I was humoured though by the review which complained about the fish finger sandwiches, noting:

    “3 fish fingers in nasty thin “plastic” brown bread, not crusty, not artisan, not Ciabatta, but thin processed slices of brown bread!!”

    That wasn’t the bit I liked though, it was the pub replying:

    “I’m sorry you didn’t enjoy your fish finger brioche”.

    I quite liked the photo, in the review entitled ‘Appalling Portion’ where someone had paid £3 for 3 medium-sized chips and a handful of very small ones. For anyone with a few minutes spare, it’s worth finding that review  🙂

    Anyway, I digress. This was an absolutely wonderful pub (other than the drink element) and it’s an omission that I’ve never been here in all my previous visits to Cambridge. So, recommended, just try and forget it’s a Greene King operated pub. I wish Greggs ran it.

  • Cambridge – Pint Shop

    Cambridge – Pint Shop

    There are a surprising number of Good Beer Guide listed pubs in Cambridge which are closed at the moment, a few because they are usually shut on Mondays, the rest still not re-opened after the health issue. So, it seemed a good moment to go with Nathan’s recommendation of the Pint Shop.

    There’s a restaurant area upstairs, this is the ground floor bar area and it’s a comfortable and clean environment. It was surprisingly quiet, especially as it’s ‘eat out to help out’, although I think there were a few people in the restaurant upstairs and they seemed to be taking a fair number of bookings for the evening. The pub is well-reviewed, although I was amused by the negative review they picked up from someone who accused them of using a quail’s egg in their Scotch Egg.

    The beer options in the pub, and I went for number 10, which is the Banana’s, No Pyjama’s from 71 Brewing, although I asked if they’d cut it down to a third, which they willingly did. I did try and set up a tab, and I couldn’t work out whether they weren’t keen or were trying to be helpful to take payment individually, but that messed up an Amex Shop Small offer and so I just had the one drink. Service was though personable and warm, it felt a welcoming environment.

    I spent some time deciding whether or not I liked the beer, and ultimately, I decided I didn’t. The flavours were so subtle as to be nearly impossible to discern, no noticeable banana and the maple syrup was only evident as some slight sweetness in the drink. The drink was served at the appropriate temperature, so I’m not sure why the drink lacked in flavour, although as a stout it was perfectly pleasant. But, it needed some taste of banana given its name and so I’m verging of the opinion that something has gone wrong at the brewery.

    All rather peaceful and the staff seemed genuinely friendly, and I liked the engagement and also thanking customers as they left. They had a suitable range of different beer styles to choose from, including two dark options. As a pub, this is perfectly delightful and I’d merrily come again, although I think I’d choose a different drink next time.

  • National Express : Norwich to Cambridge

    National Express : Norwich to Cambridge

    One of the very exciting things that Jamie Burles has done in his tenure of Greater Anglia is to oversee a near-doubling of the price of the rail rover ticket in just a few years. I’ve never understood this and the Greater Anglia press office admitted he had no answer or comment, because that rover ticket can helpfully fill trains up a bit during quieter periods of the day. As it stands now, Greater Anglia need people on the trains during the quieter periods of the day, but I’m sure Burles knows what he’s doing so I’ll stay positive. But, it has meant that the cost of an open return ticket to Cambridge has reached such levels as to make it much cheaper by coach.

    So, here’s the National Express coach from Norwich bus station, moved over to its new boarding location by the YMCA. The driver was jovial and welcoming, but it wasn’t a particularly packed service with only four of us boarding. The driver measured the temperature of each customer’s wrist, which I didn’t know was a thing. Anyway, he seemed happy with the results, so that made me happy.

    A packed service. The automated announcement went wrong and so the driver did his own version, still in his friendly style. All very welcoming.

    The coach was spotlessly clean and there were hand dispensers on board, all pointed out by the driver. The temperature on the coach was also just as I would want it, slightly chilled, although I note that the seat-back tables have all been removed. A customer was complaining on the coach before ours, which went to London, that he wanted to sit next to his wife but the seating didn’t allow. The driver was helpful, as apparently people can’t manage to sit on their own for more than three minutes.

    Megabus have taken out a lot of their seats, on the grounds of they can’t use a lot of them, so they might as well make customers feel more comfortable. National Express haven’t done this. The leg-room on these coaches really isn’t very good and it would be unbearable for many if sitting behind someone who reclined. Fortunately, this isn’t a problem on a service with four customers.

    And safely into Cambridge, all on time. It’s not the faster service as we went through Thetford, Mildenhall, Newmarket and some random stops along the way, but it all took less than two hours. The fare was £10, which seems reasonable to me, although I’d still preferred to have got the train as it’s infinitely more comfortable. The bus was the NX727 service which went to the airports and I was a little jealous of the customers going there….

  • 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.