London Bridge Pub Explorations

Nottingham Forest were scheduled for a Friday evening fixture at Millwall, which seemed to me the perfect opportunity to get to London Bridge early and explore the pubs in the Borough area.
Armed with my old battered mini A-Z map and a list of possible pubs to visit, I made a pre-lunchtime start in an historical classic.

The George Inn (75-77 Borough High Street, SE1 1NH - web)
Owned by the National Trust, The George Inn is a justifiably famous Grade I listed building, dating back to the 16th century.
I've recently read Pete Brown's wonderfully informative book about this pub, 'Shakespeare's Local', whetting my own appetite for a revisit.

Stepping from the High Street into the yard that houses the pub, the first sight of the George's galleried frontage is absolutely fantastic.  

But you need to use your imagination a little to get a feel for what this would have been like in it's heyday.  The George would have occupied all sides of the yard - but now only the right-hand side buildings remain, with unflattering modern neighbours.

Making my way into the main bar, I can't help but feel this doesn't have much olde worlde character - even taking into account the excessive number of raucous drinkers in Christmas jumpers on this visit.  From the Greene King dominated beer selection, I picked the local Southwark Brewing Co. India Pale Ale. Priced at an eye-watering £5.10 a pint!
On the whole most of the rooms have a refurbished, modern feel to them, but there is an exception to this...

Peace, away from the rest of the busy pub in the Parliament Bar

The Parliament Bar is a wonderful, atmospheric, unspoiled pub room, with slightly ramshackle seating, warming fireplace and a rare, historical clock.
Several groups of folks poke their heads in, see there's no bar, and move on.  The effort of bringing your drinks back through the courtyard from the main bar seems to be too much for most, so I share this charming space with just one other table occupied by a Spanish family.

    

Finishing my pint at the George, I made the longest walk of the day, from the High Street southwards to the Libertine.

The Libertine (125 Great Suffolk Street, SE1 1PQ - web)
There was a wide mix of lunchtime customers in this Good Beer Guide listed street corner pub.  A couple of hi-vis jacketed workmen at the bar complementing the pizza, a Christmas party occupying several tables, a few old chaps reading the paper with a pint, and office folk doing lunch.
Not much space left for me, except on a stool at the end of the bar, where I sat and drank an okayish pint of Brockley Brewery's 'Winter Gold'.

The Libertine.

Lord Clyde (27 Clennam Street, SE1 1ER - web)

There's been a pub on this site for several hundred years, with the current building dating back to 1913 and little changed since.
Great traditional interior and some lovely Truman's brickwork on the outside see's the Lord Clyde listed in Britain's Best Heritage Pubs.

The Lord Clyde, lamppost invading photo.

There were four real ales on the bar, although an unremarkable line-up including Doom Bar and regular national big brewery offerings.  I opted for Otter Brewery's seasonal beer, 'Elf'.

My problem with the Lord Clyde was that I just never really felt comfortable here.  Can't quite put my finger on why, but another time I may have come away praising the pub.
Lovely mirror, though...

Rose & Crown (65 Union Street, Borough, SE1 1SG - web)
This was a pub that I hadn't planned on visiting, but went into on a whim when passing. 
It's an old corner boozer which has been resurrected by a company called 'Pub Love'. According to their website, they have a 'desire to save the great British pub', which they do by giving them a modern makeover and installing a hostel on the upper floors.

Pub Love.

Almost all the tables were reserved here, leaving just one poseur table with high stools - a little too close for comfort to the office Christmas party taking place.  (To be honest, anywhere in the same room was a little too close...)

But, beer-wise - great!  Three cask ales, including a Titanic 'Plum Porter' and 14 taps with big London breweries and some lesser seen.  I picked the Verdant Brewing Co 'Maybe One More PSI', an 8% ABV DIPA.  Single-hopped with lots of Mosaic, this was my favourite beer of the day.

Craft ales at the Rose & Crown.

The King's Arms (65 Newcomen Street, SE1 1YT - web)

I thought I may have to give the Kings Arms a miss when there was barely room to squeeze through the door.  Ordering over someone's shoulder I picked the only beer I could see, which turned out to be 'Handlebar', a tasty porter from Box Steam Brewery. 
It seemed standing around the door was most popular here, and once I got a little further in space was revealed and I managed to grab a spare stool at a table. This even came with a Forest supporter on the neighbouring stool to chat away to.

The King's Arms - grand coat of arms above the door.

The Old King's Head (King's Head Yard, 45-49 Borough High Street, SE1 1NA - web)

Friday evening, innit?
The local office workers were celebrating reaching the weekend and The Old King's Head was heaving.  I got served quickly and grabbed myself a nice wintry, Harvey's 'Old Ale'.
The first picture below was taken in the midday daylight, before I decided to make the George my starting point instead.
The second picture is from my vantage point, propped at the side of the room, surrounded by office minions laughing uproariously at the bosses jokes whilst quaffing lager, whilst I simply got hooked on the snooker.

  

Sadly, after the King's Arms and Head - no other royal body parts referenced in local pub names, so I headed back to the familiar territory of Borough Market.  

Market Porter (9 Stoney Street, Borough Market, SE1 9AA - web)
When I lived in London, The Market Porter used to be quite a regular haunt - I remember it without the rear extension, with a stupendous collection of ales, and often with the chance of getting a seat.
This evening it's frankly stupidly busy.  And it had looked equally stupidly busy when I passed earlier at lunchtime...

Photo from earlier in the day - "I'll come back later, I'm sure it'll quieten down"...ho hum

I've gotta admire the bar staff here, who must barely get a moment to take a breath.  To be fair, I got served quickly despite the crowds, picking an oatmeal porter brewed by Reunion Brewery.  The beer choice, I notice, is not as eclectic as it once was.

I was going to say that MrsPropUptheBar - the voice of sensibility - would have told me I didn't need any more beer.  But then I discovered on Untappd that she was in Brewdog, raving about a 13% Imperial Stout.
I didn't need any more beer, but force of habit took me to the Rake.

The Rake (14 Winchester Walk, Borough Market, SE1 9AG - web)
This is a fantastically small bar - more micropub than many micropubs, now I think about it.  But since it opened, it's had a steady stream of quality beers on cask and keg and is somewhere you're never likely to go wrong with the ale, provided you can squeeze in.  All the casks were featuring Bone Machine Brewery, so I had a half of their tasty mild, 'Malt Tooth Grin', to finish the evenings drinking.

And here's a picture from the away end of The New Den as a footer to this long post.
A 2-2 draw, and a return to the head-in-hands frustrations of watching Forest that I've come to expect over the years...  

No-one likes us - we don't care.

Bolton Wandering

Exploring the Pubs & Bars in Bolton & Horwich

I've gotten out of synch here, taking an age to write up this October mid-week football trip to watch Forest play at Bolton Wanderers.
So with no further ado - afternoon pub explorations:

Straight off the train I headed to a Good Beer Guide recommendation - Great Ale at The Vaults (Market Place, BL1 2AL).
The Market Place has been smartly and impressively renovated to create a retail and leisure hot-spot.  Down on the lower level, as the name suggests, you can find this bar, between eating places and a Dino-themed crazy golf course. It's kinda an ale bar for folks who don't like pubs.  

Great ale in an un-traditional setting - in the Vaults

I went with the bartenders recommendation of a Beatniz Brewery 'Beach Bum' pale ale.  It's described by the brewer as a beer to sip in the sunshine, so I wasn't in the ideal environment, sitting with my coat on inside a shopping centre.  
Interesting place with a good craft ale and cask choice, but I wanted something more traditional.

And where better for that than The Old Man and Scythe (6-8 Churchgate, BL1 1HL).
This historic pub throws it's hat in the ring when it comes to the much contested title of 'Britain's oldest pub'.  With mention of a pub on the site in 1251 it's in the top 10, or perhaps even 4th oldest in the country, depending on where you look.

The Old Man & Scythe - one of the countries oldest pubs.

It was rebuilt in 1636 in time to witness the execution outside it's doors in 1651 of the Earl of Derby for his part in a Civil War massacre.
As with all these old pubs, out of necessity of keeping it standing up, many parts of it have seen some modernisation, although the cellars and some of the wooden beams are said to date back to the 17th century.
So what music to complement the olde worlde charm?  Well that'd be Megadeth's 'Peace sells', along with some early nineties alt-rock - perhaps not the most appropriate for the ancient surroundings,  but I was thoroughly enjoying them sat in the snug with my pint of 'Flat Cap' bitter.
A Google search for the pub brings up You Tube video's of ghostly images caught on CCTV.  And cast any scepticism aside, because the pubs paranormal activity is reported in both the Daily Mail and the Mirror - two papers that never get their facts wrong.

A walk back across town took me to The Hen & Chickens (143 Deansgate, BL1 1EX).
I really liked this traditional town centre pub and would have stayed longer if I hadn't  set myself a strict schedule.

I stood in the doorway weighing up which door to use: the 'Vault' or 'Lounge Bar' in fear of getting stuck in the wrong side of the pub.  Only to find that it's now open plan and both led to the same place ultimately.
There's a nice feel to the pub - a number of happy daytime regulars, a lovely tiled frontage on a horseshoe bar and a good range of ales including Bass bitter for the traditionalists.  
I sat up on the raised area beyond the bar, where an old gent made a comment to me each time he passed to and from the games room at the back of the pub.  Didn't understand a word of what he said each time but my hapless grin and nod seemed to suffice.

Walking back through town I skipped the Good Beer Guide listed Elephant & Castle, with a perhaps unfair appraisal from the outside.  But then stumbled across a new brew pub that I hadn't known was there.

Northern Monkey Brew Co (Nelson Square, Bolton, BL1 1AQ)
This brewery and bar was only opened in September of 2018.  Bolton friends Ryan Bailey and Liam Convey started brewing beers in an extension of one of their homes.  They've obviously done a pretty good job of it, leading to them being able to renovate this old pizza restaurant into a smart modern venue, with the brewing kit on show to the side of the bar.
There were three cask ales available and a good range of craft keg offerings from their own brewery plus guests.  Extra marks for the second rock soundtrack of the day with a bit of Foo Fighters and Soundgarden to accompany my tasty 3.8% 'Wilhelmina', a pale session ale.
I appreciate that this bar would probably be best visited later in the day with more of a crowd to create an atmosphere, but I had places to be.

Halloween decorations -well, a bit of cotton wool masquerading as a spiders web. 
Brew kit and bar at the Northern Monkey Brew Co.

Check-in time at the Travelodge had been reached so I dropped my bag off and speculated how I was going to get myself out to the Reebok, Macron, whatever the football ground is called these days.

Bolton have indeed wandered

Their home is now at Middle Brook, by Horwich Parkway rail station.  Horwich Parkway is still a fair way from Horwich itself, but I decided to catch a bus there as it seemed ripe with some good drinking establishments.
"Where about's in Horwich?" the driver asked me as I boarded the 575 bus.  
It's unhelpful when passengers say "don't know", as I did.  
"I'm going to the Blackedge brewery" I added as an after-thought, in case this made things easier. 
His furrowed brow, deep in thought, suggested that this brewery wasn't a top destination for tourists or locals alike.  But then with a spark of recognition he said he knew where I meant and he'd give me a shout when to get off.

Where he was referring to was in fact the The Ale House (36 Church Street, Horwich, BL6 6AD) run by Bank Top.  It did have 'Brewery' emblazoned across it's frontage in all fairness.

Bank Top Brewery's sister-pub up at Astley Bridge is a multiple winner of the local CAMRA pub of the year, but I'd decided it was too much of a rush to get up there today.  So this was a great alternative and turned out to be a fantastic down-to-earth boozer.  The curved bar is set to the left of the front door, with lounge-like areas to the right, consisting of curved banquette seating along the wall and a couple of high tables with stools.  No TV, no food.  Just a spectacular run of 8 hand pumps serving up 7 Bank Top ales and a Nottinghamshire interloper from Milestone.  
When I arrived there were just a couple of blokes and a dog, but it quickly filled up, creating a pleasant atmosphere and hum of conversation. 
From here it was just over a 5 minute walk down the hill to my original intended destination...

Blackedge Brewery Tap Room (Moreton Mill, Hampson Street, Horwich, BL6 7JH).

Just time to squeeze this in before trekking to the game. These are the sort of venues that  can vary dramatically, so I walked through the dimly lit yard and entered the brewery not knowing what to expect.  As you enter, the brewing kit is visible behind a glass window, then up the stairs you'll find their bar, opened in 2015.  
And very nice it is too.  
It has a homely feel, with large rugs, sofa's and bar stools at high tables made out of wooden barrels.  There's a good selection on the drinks menu whether you're after craft ale, cask ales or cider (for which they've won a 2018 cider-pub-of-the-year award).  
First up I opted for a US-hopped IPA before heading back to the bar for a half of the traditional 'Heritage IPA', clocking in at 6%.  I had a phase on the look-out for 'proper' IPA's after reading Pete Brown's excellent 'Hops & Glory' book.  This version by Blackedge was absolutely fantastic.

I knew I had over a 2-mile walk ahead of me and the one chap in the bar wearing a football scarf had left 15 minutes ago, so it was time to leave the Blackedge Tap.  There's helpfully a couple of chip shops en-route, then a number of supporters to follow through a maze of cul de sacs and footpaths in a housing estate as a short-cut to the ground.

Evening kick-off at the University of Bolton Stadium.

For a modern ground I quite liked Bolton - some would say that's because Forest won 3-0 and they'd probably be quite right that my opinion is easily swayed by a winning performance and a good atmosphere in the away end.
Any ideas of a post-match pint were scuppered by the irregular service back from Horwich Parkway to Bolton.  I missed the 10pm train by 5 minutes, then had to hang around for an 11pm replacement bus service.   
A great, if exhausting, day, with some fine quality beers and great pubs.

Happy Hour - Hull Pub Explorations

What a good place to be...

Am I really going to throw predictable Housemartins references into the title?  Yes, of course I am.
This trip to Kingston-Upon-Hull was football orientated, with the KCOM being one of the last remaining Championship grounds I hadn't visited.  And I made sure to arrive with plenty of time to spare to explore a handful of the cities pubs.

The Minerva Hotel (Nelson Street, Hull, HU1 1XE)
Arriving late morning, we made our way down to the banks of Humber, with some unexpected splendid blue skies and sunshine.  In which The Minerva Hotel was looking glorious.

Smallest pub room in Britain?

Built in 1835, this would once have been a haunt for the dockers, but these days the dock to the side of it is filled with yachts and the pub serves a varied clientele.  
There are at least six separate areas to the pub, making it fun to explore as you try to pick your favourite spot.  
There's a great room to the left of the front door, wedge-shaped and bright, with the seats by the window offering views across the estuary.  
But we couldn't resist the tiny snug with space for three persons, at a push.  Signage in here claims that this is 'The smallest pub room in Britain'. Not sure about the validity of that claim, but it brings out the tragic tourist in me, posing for pictures sipping my beer sat here.  
The Minerva once had it's own brewery, but this was short-lived and the brewery now operates as a function room.  There was a good range of beers on the bar though, with three from the Revolutions Brewery, a good traditional Tetleys bitter and a blonde ale from the Yorkshire Brewing Company.

Chilli Devils (23 Arthur Street, Hull, HU3 6BH)
Appearing in the 2019 Good Beer Guide, this small bar was opened in 2017 by Ian Ibbetson who also has a business of the same name producing chilli sauces. 

 They proudly serve real ales and chilli-orientated dishes, plus there are chilli peppers growing along the windowsill and a list of globally inspired chilli dishes on the wall.
Yup, they like their chilli's.
Three ales were available on this visit, a porter, Elland Brewery's ever-reliable award winning 'Beyond the Pale' and, my pick, a  single-hop ale by Little Critters, hopped with Vic Secret.  This bitter pale ale worked well alongside a bowl of mildly spicy stew.  The 3 dishes available are all served from cauldrons at the back of the bar, so there's no waiting around for food to be served.
A great little relaxed place for some wholesome food and good ale.

Ye Olde White Hart (25 Silver Street, Hull, HU1 1JG)
There were four interesting looking pubs on the National Inventory of Historical Interiors list, but I only managed to visit this one this time around.
It is claimed the building on this site dates back to 1550, originally a grand house, prior to becoming a pub in the 1700's.  This was almost completely destroyed by a fire, leaving the Victorians to go to work on the elaborate interior that can be seen today.  

Like Oxford's Turf Tavern, it is tucked between the houses, off the road and accessed by one of two narrow alleyways.  There's two rooms on the ground floor, both with their own bar and both with enormous inglenook fireplaces.  Beers come from Theakston's and Caledonian Brewery plus a local guest ale.
I figured we could just about fit one more in before having to make our way to the match, so we heading just around the corner to The George Hotel.


The George Hotel (Land of Green Ginger, Hull, HU1 2EA)
This was once the tap room and gatehouse for the large, long-demolished George Hotel, so despite its name there is no hotel and you'll be disappointed if you come here looking for a bed.
You may also be disappointed if you come looking for England's Smallest Window.  It's an odd claim to fame - a slit in between the bricks, around 2½ x 25cm, which has been glazed over at some point in time. A gatekeeper would once have sat behind it, looking out to identify bona-fide hotel guests, then let them in through the adjacent archway.
The pub consists of one impressive wood panelled room, unspoilt and dating back to Georgian times, with real fires burning and plenty of custom on this Saturday afternoon.
Horse racing on the sole TV screen, which normally knocks points off a pub for me, but as it offered friendly service, a pleasant atmosphere and well-kept ale, they are excused.
And as if good beer and a record-breaking window were not enough it's located on a street called the Land of Green Ginger!  Which is ace!

England's smallest window, at The George Hotel

Beers downed at the George, it was time to trek across town to Hull City's Kingston Communications Stadium.


Having made the walk back into the centre, elated that I'd remarkably watched back-to-back Forest wins, we headed in the search of some fancy craft beer from Atom that had been spotted on Untappd earlier in the day.  This Hull brewery serve up their ales at the Corn Exchange (1-4 North Church Side, Hull, HU1 1RP).  It would have once been a multi-roomed pub, but has since been opened up and modernised, with 14 taps and 4 cask ales available.  With a great selection I would have usually stayed here for more, but we'd just missed the last order time for food and needed some nourishment.

Which took us a short walk to The Head of Steam (10 King Street, Hull, HU1 2JJ).
This had been a 'maybe' on my list of pubs, but on the hunt for pub grub, with a good menu, decent beer and one remaining table that we could bag, this proved to be a real winner.
Our plates of food were filling and tasty, the beer range was good and the pub was busy and lively without being uncomfortably packed.
Well worth a visit - and my 'You may as well pass' a hop-heavy 6.9% IPA, on cask and brewed by Abbeydale and Brew York was my beer of the day.

Next destination:The Lion & Key (48 High Street, Hull, HU1 1QE) which we'd passed earlier in the day but not had time to visit.

The Lion & Key, earlier in the day

Looking at Whatpub, their website still pictures this as Durty Nellys Irish pub.  It's now reverted to it's original name and is run by the neighbouring Cathead brewery.
This was packed to the rafters and doing a roaring trade when we arrived - bouncers on the door ushering in merry groups crawling the bars of the old town.
It has a spectacular pub interior with it's ceiling plastered with beer mats, wagon wheel lights, bric-a-brac on the shelves and old Hull pictures on the wall.  There was a massive choice of cask ale, but my pick of Cathead 'Ruby Ale' was not at peak condition unfortunately.  Spoilt with such a big choice & I picked the wrong one.

The Lion & Key - at six-minutes past eight.

My plan to visit the historic Black Boy on the High Street was scuppered by it being so ridiculously busy.  Getting into the back bar was akin to squeezing in to a London tube train in rush hour and as there was no way it would be enjoyable to stay, we walked around the corner to  Wm Hawkes  (32 Scale Lane, Hull, HU1 1LF).
This had looked equally rammed on the way past earlier, but the revellers seemed to have moved on - perhaps lured away by the coloured lights across the road at the Manchester Arms which was choc-a-bloc.
The eponymous Mr Hawkes was a gun maker operating from these premises many years ago.
Whilst it appears to be an ancient pub, it's only been up and running since 2012 so fair do's to the designers who have given it a truly historic feel.
Owned by the same folks as the Lion & Key, there is a large range of hand pumps along the bar with both Cathead and local Yorkshire breweries on offer.

A great place, but sadly the last of the night for me.  My stomach was telling me it had had its fill of food and ale for the day and my hotel bed was calling. 
Hull really was a good place to be for the intrepid pub crawler.  I left with a fair number of places on my list un-visited, so a return trip is on the cards.

With folks flocking for Hull patties you'd think they could afford to replace the missing apostrophe, ampersand and 'N'.
Look out, the 'T''s going next.