Spalding - Never Mind the Tulips

Saturday 15th August: The football season was getting underway for most of the 72 league clubs, Reading and Luton providing the early-kick off 7-goal thriller.  Don't expect the same excitement from the billion pound Prem teams when they get going next weekend.
It was already week 2 for the National League North and I was on the road to attend Oxford City FCs first away game of 26/27 in the southern reaches of Lincolnshire.

Spalding sits in the Fens between Peterborough and Boston, is home to just over 30,000 folks, famous for tulips and pumpkins.
Wetherspoon's would inevitably be my first port of call being as it's in the 2026 Good Beer Guide and I was arriving early and am quite partial to a second breakfast. 
Forget mobility scooters outside pubs.  This was parked outside the Ivy Wall...

Sadly the pub itself is less photogenic than the horse and cart.  The glass-fronted affair will disappoint anyone hoping for an ancient market town building or a wall of ivy for that matter.

The Ivy Wall (18-19 New Rd, Spalding PE11 1DQ)

Inside, it's one of those long narrow 'Spoons with lines of regimented tables and the bar towards the back.  I reckon Tim Martin himself would be hard-pushed to identify some of the locations if faced with 'Where in the World of Spoons Am I' contest. 

There is a separate room to the back which was proving popular for families with pushchairs, plus an outdoor patio where a fair few customers had settled despite the overcast morning.
The search for something a little bit different ended in the smart toilets, where you get a glass-fronted display of no-lo beers to peruse whilst at the urinals.

The guest cask ales on my visit were Hadrian Borders 'Northumbrian Gold' or Ilkley 'Ruby Jane'.  The Northumbrian for me - a malty 4.5% ale, more brown than golden.

My breakfast wrap picture comes solely for the purpose of my continued grumble about the size of extra baked bean portions.  50/50 recently for me, as to whether £1.08 buys a decent size bowl or the thimble-sized ramekin.  Thimble-size in Spalding...

Moving on, a short stroll round to the market place took me to the Red Lion hotel, complete with 'Jimi Hendrix Stayed Here' blue plaque.

The Red Lion Hotel (Market Place, Spalding, PE11 1SU)
The Red Lion is a smart 18th century inn with a seating area in front of it providing people-watching opportunities in the heart of the town.  Hendrix's stay is the big claim-to-fame, his visit made during the Spring Bank Holiday in 1967 when the Barbeque '67 festival took place in the Tulip Bulb Hall.  Hendrix reputedly hung out in the hotel bar with Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker, before sharing a bill with Geno Washington, Zoot Money, Cream, Pink Floyd and The Move, amongst others.  Tickets £1.

Passing the busy outdoor tables, the marvellous tiled flooring in the doorway makes for a good first impression...

Which just gets better...

A rare outlet for Bass in this area, apparently.
The building looks big from the outside, although the public bar just takes up the front room with seating either side of the door, a dining room glimpsed down a corridor beyond the check-in desk.
If you don't fancy the Bass, Sharpe's 'Cornish Best' or Black Sheep 'Best Bitter' were available. 

A good pint of Bass in a cracking pub.

With a fair number of 'No Cask Ale' venues in the town centre, the remaining place that I really wanted to visit was the Priors Oven, achieving top pint-pot marking scores on the CAMRA website.

The Priors Oven (1 Sheep Market, Spalding, PE11 1BH)
This was once part of the Priory of Spalding, the structure dating back to around 1230.  With its distinctive shape and vaulted ceiling, this bit of the building once served as a monastic prison, becoming a bakery in later years, then the first micropub in Lincolnshire in 2013.
It looks great, not needing many folks to fill it up with just four tables and a couple of stools at the bar.

There were three cask ales available: Humpty Dumpty 'Hathor' alongside 'New Mexico' pale ale or 'Dr Fox's Cunning Linctus' bitter, both brewed by local Tydd Steam. 
All priced at £4 a pint and served on gravity from casks behind the bar.
The cask coolers must have been doing their job throughout the recent hot weather, as the New Mexico was on great form - a crisp hoppy pale ale. 

With plenty of time on my hands, I strolled to the historic Ayscoughfee Hall which houses a small museum of local history and curios.  Well worth a visit.
The gardens to the rear of the house were playing host to a festival with music and games and deckchairs, but sadly Shake It Off Stage, the Taylor Swift tribute act at 15:40 clashed with the football.
Probably not a line-up which will go down in history like the Barbeque '67, so I departed for the peaceful environs of the River Welland.

The riverside walk took me past some grand Georgian houses and Dutch-style architecture, leading me to another pub about 10-minutes walk from the town centre.

The Moorings (123 Commercial Rd, Spalding PE11 2HD)
This one-time coal wharf used to be a boat hire centre from the late nineteenth century before being converted to a pub in the 1980's.
You get checked carpet, sofas and armchair and Notts County v Leicester City in the front room, the casual bit, then dining tables to the rear and side.
Fullers 'London Pride' or Timothy Taylor 'Golden Ale' on the bar.
Lots of cheery luncheon trade.

I  took my beer out onto the two-level decking at the rear of the pub, where the floating algae on the water beside me made it feel like we were moving on a boat and made me a little queasy.  Or perhaps that was the Golden Ale.  Not on the best of form.

🕝Two-thirty - time to head to Spalding United's Sir Halley Stewart Field and join the throngs at the turnstiles.

Spalding United were promoted via the play-offs from the Southern League last season.
They've spent a fair bit of money improving facilities during their rise to this level, including the installation of a smart 3G pitch.

The club bar served a cask Batemans 'XB', the converted shipping container served cheesy chips, and picnic tables provided a spot to sit in the afternoon sunshine awaiting kick-off.
Dropkick Murphy's, AC/DC and Guns 'n' Roses made up a rock soundtrack on the tannoy system.  Then someone gave a speech about this being the first game Spalding had hosted at this level of the football pyramid.
A bit like Tom Cruise before the World Cup final, but better.

I'd love to provide all the details of Tyrone Marsh's goal for Oxford on the 40th minute and the controversy surrounding it.  But that was the exact moment that I picked to pop to the loo.
Oxford City don't have enough travelling fans to provide a roar which can be heard in the gents, so I had no idea we'd gone 1-0 up until glancing at the scoreboard a few minutes later.

Spalding had enjoyed the lion's share of the ball during the first half and looked threatening, so it was tough on them to be behind at half time.

The second half was a bit more even, both sides creating some good chances, leading to an exciting finish and a few nerve-wracking moments for City when the ball bounced around the box and could have gone anywhere.
Not as exciting as seeing Britt Assombolonga come on for Harborough Town a few days later in a Tuesday night home fixture for Oxford, though.

Good luck to Spalding for the rest of the season.
The town had made for a top lower league away day - sunshine, Bass and tulips...what more can I ask for? 

Alfreton - Micropubs and Football

A visit to the wild eastern fringes of Derbyshire to watch Oxford City in a crunch National League North tie.

With a 5-point gap in the lower reaches of the league table between the two teams, a win for City with 3 games remaining would add a bit of comfort to the run-in. Three points for Alfreton, meanwhile, would put them in touching distance and a step closer to climbing out of the relegation spots.

I arrived early-doors with plenty (more than enough?) time to explore the town.
As usual, early-doors = Spoons.
This one has the appearance of a trad pub, albeit with a rather glaring red and white frontage - wet paint signs still in place. Spruced up in readiness for the Prop Up the Bar visit, no doubt.

Waggon and Horses (9 King Street, Alfreton, DE55 7AF)
This was recorded as being a pub called the Waggon and Horses in 1818 and would have once been one of several coaching inns on the market place.  By the 1990s it had become a café/bar prior to opening in its current guise.  The design is unmistakable Spoons, with some nice tables by the windows; a fairly gloomy section in the middle by the bar where you'll also find high tables and fruit machines; bright and airy in the high-ceiling back room which leads to a garden.

Guest beers appear to be limited to two here: Titanic 'Plum Porter' or Black Hole 'Milky Way' on this occasion  I always enjoy the Burton-upon-Trent Black Hole beers, so opted for a half (it was pre-noon and 6%) of the chewy and sweet 'Milky Way' pale ale.  

It's a tricky task to find many kind words spoken about Alfreton's appeal to the casual visitor.
It's one of those places where recommended attractions are 'nearby'.  So your Alfreton highlight is leaving to get to a tram museum or stately home in the Peak District.
But, always trust a town which has shops with plentiful displays of plastic storage containers.

A trek down King Street, past the closed Devonshire Arms and the giant Tesco, took me to the 19th century House of Confinement, although I'd need to visit 9-12:30 on Tues, Wed, or Thu to actually to see inside. 

Still, that's sightseeing ticked, so let's pick one of the current 11 pubs/bars that the town's 9,500-or-so residents have to choose from.
Right in the centre, I made my way to the Bankers Tavern micro...

The Bankers Tavern (33 High Street, Alfreton, DE55 7DR)
Located in - you guessed it - a former bank, this micro has been open since March 2023.  Prior to that it was the dreadfully-named What's Your Poison, appearing in the 2021 Good Beer Guide - the last time that Alfreton has troubled GBG tickers.
I entered to Earth Wind & Fire 'Let's Groove', news on a giant screen showing NASA control, the sun beaming in the window, a friendly welcome from the gaffer.

There were four cask ales on the bar: two from Derby's Little Brewing Co., Castle Rock 'Elsie Mo' from Nottingham, and Dynamite Valley 'Black Charge' from Cornwall.
A 'Black Charge' oatmeal stout for me, blowing any intentions to drink local.

Looks like the owner is a supporter of the team down the road...

I had a bit of a quandary as to where to head next.  The big mock Tudor King Alfred advertising £2.80 John Smiths Smooth?  The Victoria with Marston's beers by the football ground? The dubious-looking away-fans pub, The Dog House?
Let's try the Crossroads Tavern with a promise of Dancing Duck ales.

Crossroads Tavern (100 High Street, Alfreton, DE55 7HH)
An 'interesting' pub. Modern, bright, functional.
Three blokes sat around the edge of room when I arrived, all engrossed in phones.
The cheery staff member had a devil of a time trying to pour my 'Nice Weather' copper coloured session ale.  It was apparently the fault of the 'wrong glass', by which I think she meant a half pint one, which made little sense.  The advice of the landlord was sought: "e's ordered one of 'em real ales."

"Almost nothing left in those barrels," the landlord confirmed.  I was wondering if skipping that John Smiths Smooth may have been a mistake.
It kind of got there, eventually.  
To be honest, it's a surprise to see the cask in somewhere with karaoke corner, disco lights and advertisements for 'DJ Mark 7.30-late'.  It's great they're giving the Dancing Duck beers a go ('Dizzy' also on and also confirmed as having a nearly empty barrel; a 'Beaky Blinder' being pulled through during my visit).  And the chaps who followed me in also opted for cask (the only place I'd actually see anyone else drinking the real ale during my afternoon).

Moving on, I headed towards Alfreton's second micro pub which was scheduled to open at 2pm.  It's located in the area betwixt town centre and train station where there is little of any interest and nowhere else to stop for a drink.  You'll certainly have no joy at the Railway, looking good in the sunshine, but closed since 2014 and converted to flats.

Sadly, the Prospect Street Micro won't be an option for much longer either, as it's scheduled to close at the end of April.  In a rare turn of events, I'm arriving just at the right time to still be able to visit.

Prospect Street Micropub (55 Prospect Street, Alfreton, DE55 7GY)
It wasn't 2pm yet, but the doors were open and the first couple of customers were settled with drinks, intentions to arrange the outdoor tables abandoned due to wicked gusty winds.
Here's the beer list...a lesser-seen Irish stout, exotic lager, Devon cider, and three varieties of pale crafty ales.

Just the one cask available from three hand pumps, but it's a good 'un - Mexborough's Imperial Brewery 'Another Round', a 3.9% twiggy brown bitter.  I wasn't sure I liked it on first sip, but it was oh-so morish and I'd happily have returned to the bar for another if time had permitted.  Priced at a cost-of-living-crisis-friendly £3.40 a pint.

The pub filled up quite nicely whilst I was there, dad and young son playing darts, a couple admiring the murkiness of the Wiper & True 'Kaleidoscope', several football fans squeezing in a pre-match pint on the way to the ground.
What a shame it's closing.

The clock had ticked by very quickly to 14:30, meaning it was time to make the short walk to the North Street stadium, currently branded The Impact Arena.

Alfreton Town date back to 1959 when the Miners Welfare and United clubs realised the mining town wasn't big enough for two football teams and merged together. Most of their 21st century years have been spent in the 6th tier, with four seasons in the heady heights of the Conference Premier between 2011 and 2015.  An 11th placed finish in 2014 proved to be their best, in a season where Luton Town and Cambridge United were promoted from the same division.

I passed the main entrance next to the social club and did a trip around the ground, through a park and up Alma Street where you'll find a small mound which affords good views of the pitch without the bother of actually paying to get in.
At the bottom of that mound, obscured from view, is a less salubrious second entrance.

I thought the fire brigade may need to be called when that chap in front of me got stuck trying to squeeze through the turnstile - not helped by going in sideways and leaving the backpack on.
He made it...and we were in, standing on the Tin Shed terrace, the part of the ground allocated to away supporters if segregation is in place.

Oxford City started strongly and scored before I'd finished my chip butty: Jack Newell bending in a superb shot on 7-minutes.  City produced some decent football and looked to have this match in the bag, especially with the boost of an Alfreton Town red card near the end of the half.  But it didn't quite go to plan.

Little Oxford City don't warrant segregation, so we did the half-time switcheroo, the 50-or-so City fans taking their places on the uncovered seating behind the goal, Alfreton's most vocal support making a bit of noise under the Tin Shed.
They had something to cheer when Dylan Youmbi equalised from close range.  Then cheered some more when the linesman incorrectly put his flag up to rule out a legit Oxford goal, ruled as offside despite being inadvertently put into the back of the net by an Alfreton player.

The nerves were jangling at the end for both sets of fans.  City made some good attacking moves but couldn't get the final ball right.  Alfreton kept threatening with a succession of wickedly long throw-ins which bounced around the six-yard box and could have gone anywhere.

Honours-even at the end - a point better than a loss, but not elevating either team towards safety.  So, good luck one-and-all with the final games of the season.

I love these grounds in the Conference and really should travel to more.  Although I guess just once to Alfreton may be enough.

Oxford City host the Brakes

 

Featuring a couple of pubs in Marston and a second visit this season to Oxford City's MGroup Stadium.

Amongst very intermitent posts of late, non-league football seems to be featuring quite a bit.  All being well I'll be rocking up at a couple of third division German matches in the near future, putting Prop Up the Bar in danger of becoming a lower league football blog.  One that spends a fair bit of time in the pub and never mentions the Premiership or Ange Postecoglou.

My autumnal Satuday started in Marston old village at the closest pub to Oxford City's ground... 

The Red Lion (42 Oxford Rd, Oxford OX3 0PH)
Dating back to the 1800's, this is a village pub within the Oxford ring-road.
When I first visited it consisted two seperate rooms served by the one bar, but a makeover has opened this up into one space.  It's a little smarter and dining-room-like to the right of the front door, whilst the other direction sees high tables and blokes propping up the bar.  

Four cask ales on offer: Abbot, Tribute, 6X, and a Greene King/Belhaven seasonal special.

It's Halloween - the 'Caution Dead Keep Out' tape is wrapped around the pillar - so I picked the Belhaven 'Haunted Highlander' which turned out to be a surprisingly quoffable mild red ale.

I tucked myself into the corner bench by the fireplace.  A group of away supporters met up at the bar and compared journeys here via different means.  One of them pointed out that Truro Town were up in Gateshead on the same day - the longest trip in the football leagues - a fair bit further than the 50-miles from the south of Warwickshire.
That said, never underestimate the challenges of travelling two stops on Cross Country trains.

Finishing my pint, I made the ten-minute stroll through the pleasant streets of Marston Village, the smell of wood smoke in the air, the sun shining on the wedding party emerging from St Nicholas' Church.

Up at the ground, a lederhosen-clad oompah band greeted punters through the turnstiles (all 702 of 'em) with a bit of George Michael's 'Faith', which I don't think counts as traditional German beer fest music.  

Next to them were two very friendly and enthusiastic ladies staffing the mini beer festival where you could ply yourself with Greene King wares in plastic glasses.

I procurred a £5.00 pint of the 'Genieve' West Coast IPA, a collab with Thornbridge which was a fairly decent drop to sip on the barriers as I waited for kick-off.

Today's visitors are in their second season in the National League North having yo-yo'ed between divisions a bit in the past few years.
They date back to 1933 when they were formed as the works team for Lockheed Borg & Beck, their nickname 'The Brakes' coming from the equipment made in the now defunct automobile factory.

Leamington's support may not have been huge in numbers, but they gathered on the seats in the corner of the groud by the goal they were attacking in the first half, banged a drum, and made a fair bit of noise.

Morning rain showers disappeared and the game was played under brilliant autumnal blue skies.  Both teams were on a run of bad form, with Oxford coming closer to breaking the deadlock in the first half.  So everything was looking good for them when the ref produced a red card on the stroke of half time and reduced the Brakes to 10-men.

10-stubborn men...it took right until the latter stages of the second half for Captain Josh Ashby to finally find the back of the net for City.  Only for Ant Lynn to head in a Leamington equaliser in time added on.

I ambled out the ground, politely turning down the frantic attempts of the young lady at the beer fest bar to sell me an 'Old Session Hen'.  I suspect there was a fair bit still left in those barrels.
A 15-minute walk back toward the city centre took me to one of the cities pubs that I haven't visited in ages...

The Up In Arms (241 Marston Rd, Headington, Oxford OX3 0EN)
This was previously a 1930s pub called The Somerset that closed in 2009 and spent several years as a Chinese restaurant.  It looked lost as a pub forever, despite some sturdy local campaigning.  Then in came Dodo to give it a modern makeover and offer up pizza and Arkells ales.

You also get a bit of old Halls Brewery livery on the exterior...

...dogs providing a trip hazzard on the way to the gents...

...cask ale in the form of Arkell's 'Belt Driver IPA' or the local 'Hooky'.

But what you've really come for is the "seriously gushing taps"!

Dodo don't really go in for the traditional pub look, but every time I've visited there has been a decent number of varied customers in.  And whatever I may think of the alarmingly big billboard promoting Burger & Chips above the bar...at least it re-emerged as a pub and wasn't lost forever.
And the Arkell's was a decent enough pint, soundtracked by a bit of Happy Monday and Stereo MCs.

This wasn't about to become an epic tour of Oxford pubs post football.  The fact that I'd quaffed three pints of festival beers throughout the match when I'd usually be having a break from the ale put paid to that.
Instead I was heading home at an early hour, stopping at Lidl's to buy pretzl's for Mrs PropUptheBar to accompany her German bottled beer.

With a quick stop at the Cowley Spooons...

For a late sighting of one of the more unusual options on the recent Wetherspoon's beer festival list.

Yuck!  I probably should have just gone straight home.