Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: London

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – The Swan

    London – Camden (Borough of) – The Swan

    On my continuing journey of Good Beer Guide pubs in London, this is the Greene King operated (yes, I know) Swan near Holborn. It all looks welcoming from the exterior, well, other than it’s got a Greene King sign on it. I’m not sure how old the building is, but unlike its neighbour, it’s not listed.

    An interesting pub interior and a very friendly staff member came over to welcome me at the door, so it was all efficient and inviting. The France and Hungary football match was showing and I was asked if I’d like to watch it, which I thought was nice to check. It wasn’t that busy in the pub, although it was a little busier with customers sitting out the front. I liked that the football was showing for those who wanted it, but without the volume being so loud that it meant everyone in the pub had to listen to it. Life is a careful balance as they say (well, they might do, I don’t know).

    The app told me that Greene King IPA was available, but I was hoping for an alcoholic drink and I’m glad that I checked, as the staff member told me that there were a couple more options to choose from. I don’t want to moan (but, yet here we are….) but Greene King are meant to be a brewer of beer (and Greene King IPA) and they have hundreds of products listed on their app, but they don’t bother listing the ales (other pub companies seem to manage….). They hamper their staff unnecessarily, but I was pleased to note that they had the N1 from Hammerton Brewery. That’s a perfectly decent beer and a nod towards sourcing from local suppliers, so this pleased me. It was well kept, at the appropriate temperature and was nicely refreshing, as well as being reasonably priced.

    Some of the interesting decoration in the pub, which was clean and organised throughout. Given the friendly welcome, a choice of ales and a quirky environment, it probably justifies being in the Good Beer Guide. There’s also traditional pub food available, and that seems to be well reviewed, so this is a safe choice for those wanting food and drink in this part of central London. In terms of service though, that was excellent here, so how lovely….

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Theodore Bullfrog

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Theodore Bullfrog

    The Theodore Bullfrog is a Youngs pub located near to Charing Cross station and I have no idea why it has this name. CAMRA note that there has been a pub on this site since 1690, originally known as St. Martin’s Tavern, but that the current building dates (which does look a little out of place given the neighbouring buildings) from 1959. I understand from reviews that it’s usually a busy location, but, yet again, pub numbers are suppressed at the moment given the lack of tourists and commuters in the city.

    The staff member mentioned that I could watch the football if I wanted, although, as might be expected, I didn’t want to. I was given a nice table well away from the action, just as I like it. As I write this, from nearby Trafalgar Square, there are huge numbers of Scottish fans around, I’m not sure I understand the excitement of coming without a ticket to watch the actual match, but I don’t think I really understand football and the atmosphere behind it. I do have some tentative visits to football matches in Spain and Poland later this year, which fall into my “we’ll see how this goes and I’ll likely dislike it” category, but who knows…..

    Anyway, moving on from football, this is a large pub, with the ground floor being on slightly different levels, and there’s also an upstairs dining area as well. A few customers were dining at the pub and the menu is traditional pub fare, at quite high prices even for London. The price for half a pint of real ale (how decadent of me….) was reasonable and in keeping with their local neighbours (I mean the local pubs, not random people living nearby). The reviews are a little mixed, I think with the food pricing causing some issues at times, but I noticed this review:

    “The barmaid upstairs was awful, I had a guest list of 20 people under the name of James and she was rude to everyone. She was argumentative, conflicting and unaccommodating, I won’t be coming back.”

    Perhaps the pub’s response tells the whole story here…

    “Hi James, i’m very sorry but we don’t allow our customers to consume alcohol brought in from outside the pub.”

    It’s evident that the beer selection is usually somewhat more exciting, with five different real ale options and some craft beer choices sometimes available at least. I was left with the only option of Youngs London Original, which was fine and entirely well-kept, but, unfortunately unexceptional. I mentioned in my Brewdog post the other day how that chain might have difficulties in some areas, but it’s a country mile ahead in others. It’s evident from my visits to Youngs and Nicholsons pubs over the last few days that both chains are struggling on a wider level and I do wonder whether they’ll be forced into closing more locations over future years.

    Anyway, I liked the environment of this pub and the staff members were friendly and the pub seemed spotlessly clean. They were using their own log-in system rather than the NHS track and trace, but at least they were checking details to comply with the rules. It was all fine, but there was nothing overly exciting to tempt me back…..

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Princess of Wales

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Princess of Wales

    The Princess of Wales, a Nicholson’s pub located between Embankment and Charing Cross underground stations. It’s a new entry to the Good Beer Guide this year and CAMRA claim that the pub is named after the wife of Edward VII rather than Princess Diana. The pub disagrees, noting on its web-site:

    “This historic pub is named in memory of George IV’s secret first wife. When still Prince Regent, he secretly married Catholic widow Maria Fitzherbert in 1785. The marriage was declared illegal at his father’s behest, because George would have been ineligible to reign with a Catholic wife.”

    Anyway, I have little concern over who the pub is actually named after, and both individuals can perhaps share the honour. When I entered, the welcome was prompt and friendly enough, with the pub being moderately busy. Football is on tonight and so pubs are perhaps busier than they might otherwise be.

    The real ale selection is usually more substantial, but today they just had London Pride and Nicholson’s Pale Ale on, neither of which makes my heart beat faster. As far as London Pride goes, it was fine and I got my 25p off a half pint as now seems to be the norm on the Nicholson’s app. On that point, the staff member seemed just slightly confused that I wanted to order via the app, but that was because I wanted my 25p off. Every penny counts…..

    Incidentally, with the photo above, I didn’t crouch down below the bar to avoid detection or something, it’s just that the pub has in these Covid times put tables below the bar and that’s where I was sitting. There’s quite a food menu available and I think that there’s a separate dining area upstairs, although this remains a relatively small pub.

    OK, this is a pretty terrible photo, but the environment was a little dark and it’s the best that I have. It was all clean and organised, with a variety of customers, from football fans to people waiting for a train. There was some trouble with Scottish fans trying to cause issues outside, although that hadn’t spilled over into the pub. Staff members weren’t thanking customers as they left, despite it being a small pub and they could have done. It doesn’t much matter, but it’s a nice touch when staff do offer some sort of farewell.

    As it stands and based on this visit, I don’t really see anything to justify this pub being in the Good Beer Guide, the beer selection, the environment and the welcome weren’t anything particularly notable. However, these are difficult times, so perhaps it can be much better.

  • London Beatles Themed Walk

    London Beatles Themed Walk

    Des, the man of many walk leading talents, had a walk in London which was themed on Rock n Roll and the Beatles. I’d struggle to say that I was a music expert, but this was a handy introduction to the main sites in central London which are related to the Beatles, so I decided to honour Des with my presence. I thought it was a six mile walk, but it was actually five miles, but either way, it was an interesting little urban adventure. I can’t say that I can bring Beatles stories to life in this post, but I’d recommend instead waiting until Des leads this walk again to get the professional edge.

    We started off, during the only slightly wet part of the walk, going by the BBC’s Maida Vale studios. The building was opened in 1909 as the Maida Vale Roller Skating Palace and Club, but was gutted inside in 1934 when it was repurposed for the BBC. The BBC Symphony Orchestra have been based here since 1934 and, importantly for this walk, the Beatles recorded here in 1963. The BBC was hoping to flog the building off for development, but this plan has gone a little awry as Historic England have just gone and listed the building. The frontage of the building is original and quite intriguing, but the roof is hardly noted for its architectural merit.

    Des in full flow.

    Next was the Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded numerous albums. There are signs up noting that the public aren’t allowed into the car park, as I can imagine how many people would have otherwise flooded in to investigate the area.

    Along with the Beatles claim to fame, the building was also where Edward Elgar conducted the London Symphony Orchestra.

    And outside Abbey Road Studios is the famous zebra crossing used on a Beatles album cover. I’ve meant to come here for many years, given it’s a London tourist destination, but this is the first time that I’ve actually managed to get here. It’s not immediately obvious that it’s the right crossing and Des mentioned normally it would have been much busier with tourists wanting their photo taken. At least drivers at the moment are saved the inconvenience of people walking onto the road and then faffing about with photos. As with many things at the moment, this was a good time to visit such a tourist hotspot.

    I decided that I should take a suitable photo….. As an aside, there were some wonderful people on the walk, such a variety of different backgrounds and stories. One lovely Italian lady is a tour guide and she mentioned a free walk she’s leading next week, that I shall be going to.

    The walk then looped into Regent’s Park, always a beautiful area to walk by.

    After a quick sit down in a mini lunch break, the tour started again.

    After walking by Baker Street station, we arrive at this building which I’ve walked by many times, but never known the significance. The plaque notes that John Lennon and George Harrison worked here, but there was more to it than that.

    Today, the building is used by Marsh & Parsons, but it was once the Apple Boutique. This story was entirely new to me, so much praise again to Des for pointing this out (although I assume every Beatles fan already knew about it, and indeed, probably nearly everyone, but these things pass me by). The shop opened on 7 December 1967 and there was a plan to launch a national chain of these Apple Stores. Things didn’t quite go to plan and the enterprise wasn’t the highly profitable venture that was hoped for and in the end, it was just decided to give the entire stock of the shop away. That caused some rather heated scenes and some big financial losses.

    We moved to our next location on Savile Row, where everyone along the street was impeccably well dressed. Well, I wasn’t obviously, but I mean the locals were. All a bit decadent and fancy for my liking. The relevance here is that the Beatles final live performance took place on the roof of this building.

    The plaque on the building, noting that the unannounced performance that took place on 30 January 1969. The band was able to play for 42 minutes before the Metropolitan Police came along and told them to quieten things down.

    The tour miastro continues.

    Our final stop worried me slightly, I thought Des had taken us to a gym. This definitely wouldn’t have been in the joining instructions, but it was an opportunity for our highly esteemed walk leader to tell us about his youth and musical experiences. This was another rather lovely walk and I’m pleased to have had my knowledge improved substantially, so now I’ve done mini tours of Beatles related locations in Liverpool and London. And I can now say finally that I’ve walked across Abbey Road zebra crossing.

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – White Swan

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – White Swan

    I’m having a rather lovely time meandering around Covent Garden this afternoon, an area that normally annoys me (and indeed a chugger has managed to annoy me by jumping in front of me and nearly causing a pedestrian traffic accident by trying to impede my progress – I have complained to the charity involved because I’m post-annoyed about it). Anyway, other than that, the atmosphere here is relaxed and, most importantly (for me), not too busy.

    This is the Good Beer Guide listed White Swan pub on New Row, operated by Nicholson’s. CAMRA note that this was once one of the many early morning pubs at Covent Garden when it was a market and had a special licence for the porters who worked there so they could get a drink. The building dates from the seventeenth century and it was at one stage a coaching house for visitors to London, so yet another pub with some considerable heritage. For several years, until 2012, it was an Irish themed bar operated by O’Neils and, to be honest, I’m not sure that this was an ideal usage for such an old building.

    I love a pub with a history sign outside, it suggest that some quite exciting things might lie within! OK, I accept that I might need to get out more…. Anyway, as this signage states, the pub was used in a novel written by Dorothy L Sayers.

    The interior of the pub and as can be seen, this is another pub not exactly heaving at lunch-time. It was a little busier outside, but it’s fair to say, this was a heavily under-used pub for the time that I was in it.

    The bar area which all feels quite traditional. I had a little bit of a wait to get in as the pub felt slightly understaffed, but the barman was friendly and helpful when I called out to check that I could just go in. It was a very comfortable environment, and also considerably cooler than the previous pub that I had just sat outside, so that was reassuring to me.

    There was a choice of four real ales available, which are seemingly the the same ones that are offered in nearly every other Nicholson’s pub, it’s not really very creative. But perhaps times are hard to get the appropriate supplies of beers flowing throughout the pub chain. This is half a pint of Wainwrights, a beer that was perhaps a little past its best, but I think it’s quite a bland beer anyway, so it’s hard for me to judge when that best was. The service though remained attentive and helpful throughout, although there were only two customers (including me) sitting inside the pub, so that likely made managing things a little easier. I purchased using the app, which gave me 25p off my half pint again, so the pricing was entirely reasonable and I didn’t encounter any issues with it today.

    Apparently the pub is showing the Euro football matches, but is leaving the volume low or not on at all, something which seems to me to be a perfect compromise. I understand that football fans might not entirely agree with that though, but there we go. The pub was serving food, and has a restaurant area upstairs, but I’m not sure they had many customers for that when I was there. A decent pub though, aided by helpful service, although I would ideally like a more decadent beer selection to keep me amused and to want to come back. For the heritage alone, I can see why it’s listed in the Good Beer Guide.

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Lamb and Flag

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Lamb and Flag

    This is a bit lovely, one of the oldest pubs in the area, perhaps dating to as early 1688, but the timber frame is no later than the mid eighteenth century. Former customers include Charles Dickens, Karl Marx and John Dryden, so there’s some considerable history here. I partly treat the money I spend at these places (which is hardly a decadent spend as I’m only buying half a pint) as an entrance fee to see these remarkable buildings. For those who are craving my riveting comments on craft beer, I’ll be visiting other locations more suited to that later today, in a desperate attempt to cater to my huge audience of about three.

    Some have claimed that the pub is perhaps the oldest in London, although I’m quite sceptical about that. But, it’s heritage is undeniable, although as often with these things, the pub and its licence can move about a bit as buildings were reconstructed and developed. It’s known that there was a pub around here, and very likely this building, from 1772 and at that stage it was known as the Cooper’s Arms. The pub changed to its current name in 1833 and it was another location where boxing matches were held frequently judging from the newspaper reports. More recently, in the late twentieth century, there were theatrical performances that took place upstairs.

    There was another friendly welcome at the entrance to this Good Beer Guide listed pub which all complied with track and trace. I had a quick meander around the pub and took a photo of the beer options whilst I was walking by.

    I had a bit of a dilemma here and I looked very British and awkward in trying to find where to sit. There was a large group in the rear of the pub which I didn’t want to disturb, and it was a restaurant area upstairs. So I temporarily moved to the front of the pub, but didn’t want to take that table of four as that seemed greedy. But I didn’t like the high table that I had acquired for myself, so I placed my order and then faffed about a bit pondering where to go.

    I then decided to go outside, before realising all of the tables were reserved, so I shuffled back inside like some confused idiot. Actually, I’m sure the member of staff thought exactly that, but she didn’t show it. I mentioned that I hadn’t realised they were reserved, but she politely explained they actually weren’t, it was just to ensure that customers got the attention of a staff member before self-seating. So, I shuffled back outside and sat in the blazing heat. I didn’t feel that I could back inside without the staff member fearing for my sanity. My phone warned me it was over-heating, my trusty Chromebook switched off three times in some sort of part panic and part strop, whilst I just melted. I pretended to passing pedestrians and customers that I was enjoying the lovely hot weather, but I feel I made a bit of a mistake here (I’ll add that I’m currently inside another pub which is very cold, so myself and my devices are recovering fast).

    The beer that I ordered was Oliver’s Island from Fuller’s Brewery, which was average and unexceptional. It was well-kept and yet again at the appropriate temperature (I see little reason to say more than this for generic real ales) so I was suitably refreshing in the tropical London heat. The beer cost £2.50, but as I mentioned earlier, that’s sort of partly an admission fee to feel part of the heritage of a pub where I can sit where Charles Dickens sat. And since I kept moving about inside, I probably covered quite a few bases in that regard.

    Other than I nearly combusted in the heat, this was a clean and comfortable environment. Relaxed, informal and friendly, I liked this pub and find it remarkable just how quiet Covent Garden is at the moment. It’s a pub that is worth visiting though, a little bit of London history.

  • London – Westminster (Borough of) – Round House

    London – Westminster (Borough of) – Round House

    This Fullers pub is located in Covent Garden, in the heart of the tourist action. Or what would usually be the beating heart if it wasn’t for Covid, as everything is rather muted at the moment in terms of the number of people about.

    There was a friendly welcome from the staff member who was making an effort to be helpful and conversational with customers, so that was rather lovely. Table service was being offered and the process was well managed and the environment was clean and comfortable. I was offered a choice of tables either inside or outside, but on this occasion I went for inside.

    It’s an interesting and quirky building and it’s evident from its shape why the pub has its name. Fullers purchased the pub from Punch Taverns for £3.3 million in 2009, which is fortunate as if it was up to Punch Taverns it’d like be a Tesco Express or similar by now. CAMRA mention that the pub was built in 1863 and was known as the Petters Hotel until 1943.

    There were a couple of real ales on, although I only later realised that there was a Tiny Rebel beer on that I would have had if I had known. I went for half a pint of the Hophead from Dark Star Brewing, an acceptable and quite average beer. But, given the heat it was suitably refreshing and the pricing wasn’t unreasonable given the location. All absolutely fine, although there was nothing exceptional to surprise and delight me.

    It’s a pleasant little pub and food is served as well, the traditional Fullers menu being available, although I didn’t see anyone order food when I was there. The pub is well reviewed, so seems a safe option for tourists to the area when they finally start to return again.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – The Craft Beer Co Clerkenwell

    London – Camden (Borough of) – The Craft Beer Co Clerkenwell

    I have visited this pub before, but I haven’t been to any from the chain this year and I did wonder how they were getting on.

    Everything was clean and organised, with the barman providing a friendly welcome. The menus on the tables have gone thanks to Covid, so when the barman asked what I wanted to order I said that I’d have a look at the menu that I had noticed a QR code for on the table. Apparently that’s out of date, which isn’t ideal, so the barman suggested going to the bar to see what they had.

    There’s still a considerable choice of beers available, but the knowledgeable and helpful barman said that the only dark option was Broken Dream from Siren Craft Brew. This is a very good beer, but I’ve had it before on numerous occasions and was looking for something new.

    Not that it bears any relation to dark beers, but I went for the Electric Mayhem from Cloak and Dagger, a pineapple sour. I’m glad that I was talked by someone a couple of years ago into trying more sours, as I’ve become something of a fan of them. Cloak and Dagger are a brewery from West Worthing, producing beers from a wide range of different styles. The beer had a pleasant pineapple flavour and sourness to it, although it didn’t feel full bodied and the aftertaste was more subtle than the zing that had been suggested by the brewery. It didn’t taste its 4.5%, it seemed a little weaker, and the reviews on Untappd seem to push this into just being an average beer. Interesting drink though and I’m glad I had it, even though I didn’t get a stout to end the evening off with.

    I’m surprised that the chain hasn’t rolled out on-line ordering, or at least more of an effort to keep their beer menus up-to-date since they’re on-line. Seems a bit of a waste of time if there are QR codes on the tables for beer menus that are out of date, and I can see this is a problem with other outlets in the chain. Perhaps things are difficult for this chain at the moment, especially given they are nearly entirely located in London. The barman was excellent though, engaging, conversational and knowledgeable, so I’m sure that things will soon be back to normal here with that professionalism.

  • London – Camden (Borough of) – Ye Olde Mitre

    London – Camden (Borough of) – Ye Olde Mitre

    This is an interesting pub to get to, I walked by these gates into Ely Place and this takes its name from when it was the site of the London residence of the Bishop of Ely. The road has its own Wikipedia page for anyone interested in the history of this area and that saves me writing about it here…..

    This is the little alley that the pub is located down, although I think there’s another entrance from the other side, but either way, this pub is one that has to be actively looked for rather than stumbled upon. That all makes it a little more exciting.

    There has been a pub on this site since around 1546, when it was used by the servants who worked at the Bishop’s house, and I can’t imagine that the bishop himself would have meandered along. Although who knows…. Anyway, the site was cleared when it was taken over by the Crown in 1772, which is when the current building dates from. It was renovated in the early twentieth century and it retains that layout today.

    The pub note on their web-site: (NB, I’ve changed hung to hanged, as I am still slightly [some may say very] annoying in believing meat is hung and dead human bodies are hanged, not that it really matters….).

    “The Ye Olde Mitre is famous for having a cherry tree, (now supporting the front) that Queen Elizabeth once danced around with Sir Christopher Hatton. The pub was actually a part of Cambridge (Ely being in Cambridge) and the licencees used to have to go there for their licence. Set in a part of London steeped in history, it’s near where William Wallace was hanged, drawn and quartered at Smithfield, along with martyrs and traitors who were also killed nearby.”

    This is unfortunately another pub that in non Covid times that I would have walked around a bit more to see the history and heritage. I did go and have a little look at the rear beer garden, and there’s also seating at the front. These areas were a little bit busier, but there were tables free in both sections so the pub was far from busy.

    There was a prompt welcome from a friendly and personable staff member when I arrived and I was offered a table either inside or outside. I prefer inside so that I can at least have a look at the pub’s interior (and outside is often home to wasps and other bitey things) and the staff member said “I think we can just about squeeze you in”. As can be seen from the photo above, he managed to fit me in….

    The beer selection wasn’t too bad, I went for a quick half of the Windsor Knot, an acceptable beer from the Windsor & Eton brewery that I had a few months ago as well. The staff members were all welcoming and there was a relaxed feel to the arrangements here. I suspect that this is one of those pubs that if you moved into a property nearby that you’d be made to feel welcome if you wanted to make this your local. The only downside is that this is a small pub, and it’s only these exceptional times that meant I found it so easy to get a table. Normally there would likely be more tourists, more city workers and just more visitors to the area.

    The pub is in the Good Beer Guide, so that’s another one visited. For its heritage alone, I can see why its listed, and I found it perfectly friendly and welcoming. I would have, as ever, preferred a slightly more decadent beer choice than that provided by Fuller’s, but it could have been much worse. Definitely one worth visiting.

  • London – City of London – Blackfriar Pub

    London – City of London – Blackfriar Pub

    I’ve never bothered trying to get in this Nicholson’s pub before, located near to Blackfriars Station, as it always looks heaving with people (the pub, not the station, although that’s just as bad). It was a little busy outside, but I ventured in and discovered that it was very quiet inside. As I mentioned when visiting the Old Bank of England pub last week, this is an ideal time to visit pubs that are usually too busy to get in, although I accept it’s hardly the ideal situation for the hospitality trade in London.

    Not that it much matters, but there’s a difference in opinion in whether this pub is the “Black Friar” or the “Blackfriar”. CAMRA and Wikipedia go with the former, but since the pub goes with the latter, I’m going with that.

    The pub has been here since 1875 and the flatiron style building was designed by the architect H. Fuller-Clark and artist Henry Poole, with John Betjeman being involved in a campaign to prevent its demolition in the 1960s. The pub is in a slightly strange position and I can imagine that a much bigger building would have made more money, but I’m glad that this piece of Victorian history has survived. The pub, as well as the area and the railway station, takes its name from the monastery that was here until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the sixteenth century.

    I was welcomed promptly and informally, so it all seemed a comfortable environment. I had no end of problems with the Nicholson’s app and with the menus not loading, but I persisted and got my drink ordered. There wasn’t a great deal of choice, three relatively standard ales, but at least there was that so I had a little bit of a selection.

    Some of the decoration in the pub, which I suspect has more character and atmosphere when there are more customers in it. There were quite a few staff, so I wondered whether perhaps it wasn’t as quiet as they’d anticipated. It’s difficult to walk around during these Covid times, otherwise I would have liked to have explored the interior a little more. I see that the listed building record notes:

    “Small, windowless extra rear vaulted room, known as the Grotto, excavated from a railway vault, designed by Clark in 1913 but not executed until 1917-21 owing to the war.”

    For anyone who is interested, CAMRA have a page on the pub’s heritage.

    I didn’t want to repeat the same drink I’d had earlier in the day in another Nicholson’s pub, so I just went with a Doom Bar. I know a beer that this is modelled on, but I won’t comment on that here…… The beer was fine, at the appropriate temperature and all that (someone will be glad to hear that I know). The pricing in the pub was a little expensive, although this is central London, but the app gave me 25p off as a little reward, so that was handy.

    The reviews for the pub are pretty favourable, there don’t seem to be any real issues here and I felt welcome. There wasn’t a huge amount of engagement from the staff members, but since orders needed to be placed via the app, that does restrict things a little. The pub has made its way into the Good Beer Guide, I suspect more from its heritage and character than necessarily the slightly limited beer range (although CAMRA suggest that there’s normally much more choice, and I understand that these are difficult times). Either way, I’d come back here again, and it’ll be positive to see it much more packed once again as that might just mean things in London are nearly back to normal.