A Right Royal Affair

Windsor Pub Explorations

It's been a while since I last joined the throngs of tourists and made a visit to the regal town of Windsor.
And it's fantastically topical at the moment, royal baby and all.

I did start out with a master-plan to stick to the pubs with royal connections in their names.
But being a complete amateur pub-blogger, I was quickly side-tracked by the lure of fine ales in the Corner House.
So apologies - what could have been a  themed post (taking in the Queen Vic, Prince Arthur, Duchess of Cambridge) becomes just another random jaunt around the pubs.The first pub is very royally themed.  I can remember this appearing on the news a year ago, thanks to the cunning marketing of a timely name change...

Prince Harry (8 Market Street, Windsor, SL4 1PB)
This is located in a building which dates back to 1518, first becoming a pub in 1689.  Prior to Prince Harry being invented it was known as the Three Tuns.
On the week of the royal wedding in May 2018 they quickly unveiled the new signage (and a menu including a Megan Markle burger) just prior to the crowds lining the streets.

The Prince Harry, Windsor

A sign on the door advertises local ales from Windsor & Eton Brewery, but disappointingly a 'just settling' label was hung over their 'Hurricane' pump clip.  Leaving a choice of Fullers 'London Pride' or Ringwood 'Fortyniner'.
I don't really know what to make of this pub.  By changing its name and sticking up a picture of Harry on the wall it's essentially a royal theme-pub, designed to bring in the tourists.  I wonder if it works?  

From a Royal family member who's very much trending here and now, we leap back a couple of hundred years for the next pubs namesake.

Queen Charlotte, Windsor

Tough to get a picture of without looming
over someone's outdoor table with camera,
which rarely goes down well.

Queen Charlotte (6 Church Lane, Windsor, SL4 1PA - web)
Queen Charlotte had a tenure on the throne from 1761 until her death in 1818.  Which I've obviously recounted from my general royal knowledge and not just looked up on Wikipedia a few minutes ago.  
This pub was previously the Blarney Stone - a quick glance through whatpub suggests that Windsor has seen its fair share of pub name changes.  

It's actually named after Queen Charlotte Street, which is listed as the shortest street in Britain (51 feet and 10 inches).
I received a friendly welcome and amongst a selection of cask ales along the bar, Windsor & Eton's 'Hurricane' had already settled here.  I sat in the modern refurbished surrounds of the quiet pub, with other punters tucked away in a separate dining area or on the outdoor tables to the front.  I enjoyed the beer, but perhaps the pub is a little too smart, bright and airy for my tastes.

From the Queen Charlotte I headed back down past the castle walls along the spectacular Thames Street, with it's chaotically crowded pavements.

King and Castle (15/16 Thames Street, Windsor, SL4 1PL)

The King in this pub name is Edward VII whose bust is above the entryway to the adjacent passageway.  It's a big Wetherspoon's outlet spread over three floors indoors, plus outdoor seating on a couple of levels too.
No surprises here - a reasonable selection of beers at the best prices of the day, a 'spoons carpet, subtitled news on the TV, and a wide-ranging clientele.
In the nice weather most customers had chosen the garden, so there was plenty of choice of tables and the chance to sit by the first floor window, watching Britain's tourism business boom outside.

'spoons!

At this point I deviated from the theme and skipped looking for pubs with royal references. Instead, with a nose for some fine ales, I walked just beyond the main tourist drag to...

The Corner House (22 Sheet Street, Windsor, SL4 1BG - web)

Yet another pub with a name change in recent years - in this case it used to be the Lime Bar & Grill.
What a brilliant place!
The bar has a line-up of 5 ciders on cask and 10 real ales from the likes of Big Smoke and Tiny Rebel.  From a great selection it was tough to pick, but I opted for a Cloudwater 'Take it from the Top', which was a pretty excellent bitter & hoppy 5% IPA.
With so much choice on cask I didn't even turn my attention to any of the keg offerings, but I'll guess there was a good selection of these as well.
A great pub and probably where you'd find me on a regular basis if I was a Windsor resident.

Beer, Cider & Food - the Corner House, Windsor

Back-tracking towards the castle again, my next chosen stop was almost a neighbour to both the Prince Harry and Queen Charlotte.

Carpenters Arms (4 Market Street, Windsor, SL4 1PB - web)

The Carpenters is a Nicholson's house, which means a decent beer range and some reliable food.

It has entrances on two streets and approaching through the back door I wandered down staircases and through a couple of rooms to reach the bar at the front.
It's quite a cavernous place.

I haven't caught it very well in a picture, but they have a very odd lower-level room the back of which is cell-like with some random display behind metal bars.  

Looking at the pub website, but no explanation forthcoming as to why they
have a cage at the end of one room at the Carpenters Arms.

I grabbed myself a pint of 'Jack the Lad' a pale ale brewed in SW London by By The Horns.
I also decided to refuel here with a hefty plate of their veggie Sunday dinner, which was a fine feed and would keep me going for the rest of the day.

The Carpenters Arms, Windsor.
Turns out that's the back door.

From here I made my way downhill and across the Thames into adjoining Eton.
As a last stop of the afternoon I wanted to call in to Windsor & Eton Brewery's own pub...

George Inn (77 High Street, Eton, SL4 6AF - web)

Despite the crowds on the streets, none of the earlier pubs had been especially busy.  I guess Windsor attracts a lot of tourists who are content to spend their visit taking selfies and hoping to bump into the Queen, rather than patronising the pubs.
The outdoor area of Brown's, down by the river, was an exception and also the George Inn seemed to be doing a roaring trade this afternoon.
It's a good traditional boozer with an L-shaped bar, a few distinct drinking areas and a popular garden to the side.

This is where I found my 'Windsor Baby' beer, the picture of the pump clip being at the top of this post. 
Full circle back to Prince Harry, so a good place to end this afternoons explorations of the town.

The George at Eton

St Albans Pub Crawl

Having visited the Fighting Cocks at opening time, I planned to get around as many of the St Albans Good Beer Guide pubs as possible throughout the afternoon.
That started with a short walk through the charming Verulamium Park, sunshine on the lake and the cathedral standing out in the distance.
At the northern end of the park is St Michael's Street, where my second pub of the day was located.

The Six Bells, St Michaels Street, with a similar pub a little further along the road.

Six Bells (16-18 St Michael's Street, St Albans, AL3 4SH - web)
This is a picture-postcard-pretty 16th century free house which was looking wonderful in the sunshine today.

The 'saloon' price list next to me was sadly out of date. 
Not 4d for a pint of Batemans ale. 
Not much change from a fiver actually.

I'd expected the Fighting Cocks to be busier than it was and it turned out everyone was in the Six Bells instead.  It was certainly a popular luncheon spot.  

I grabbed the last remaining table, squeezed in a corner next to the giant fireplace and underneath a dormant TV screen.  A sure-fire head-cracking hazard when standing  back up.

The six retired gents on the nearest table had managed to sort Brexit out before the end of their main course.  There's also a bunch of blokes in the Vat & Fiddle in Nottingham who know how to get Forest back to the Premier League.  

The Six Bells felt for all the world like a popular village local rather than somewhere within 10 minutes walk of a city centre.  With the fire burning and a busy hum of conversation, this was a cosy and pleasant pub.

As it was just a short walk away, I figured I'd go and have a look at the Roman Theatre of Verulamium.

Roman Ruins.

It's good to do something touristic.  It means when I tell my mum I've been somewhere I can make it sound like I've done something other than drink beer.  "What's that?  Did I spend the whole day inside pubs?  No, never, of course not..."

...checking my list of 9 pubs to visit, I headed off along Fishpool Street.  This is a street of spectacular terraced cottages which I'm guessing have equally spectacular price tags too. 
In the midst of them was my next calling point...

Lower Red Lion, St Albans

Lower Red Lion (34-36 Fishpool Street, AL3 4RX - web) 
There are just a handful of visitors inside this lunchtime. But that doesn't detract from this being a magnificent, historical inn. You can tell it dates back to the 17th century because it has lopsided door frames and fantastic timber beams holding the ceiling up.
The room to the left appeared to be more set-up for dining, but the St Alban room to the right was the nicer of the two, with one side taken up by a majestic fireplace.
From a choice of six ales I picked a Tring 'Nosebag', served in a tulip glass which almost certainly made it taste better.

The Alban Bar at the Lower Red Lion.

Following the Lower Red Lion, I continued along Fishpool Street which led to the centre, the clock tower and the next pub...

The Boot Inn (4 Market Place, AL3 5DG - web)
St Albans has no shortage of historical pubs and the Boot dates back to 1422.  It's an attractive single-roomed pub with low ceilings.

The Boot, St Albans.

As I'd been sensibly instructed that a cheese twist from Tesco's wasn't a sufficient lunch for a day's pub-crawling, I decided to order some food in the Boot. My choice of beer came from Leighton Buzzard Brewery - 'Corporal Rogers' a hefty 5% IPA which tasted stronger than that. It was a fine choice alongside a nice bowl of veggie chilli.

With a prime central location it was no surprise that the Boot was doing a good trade on this afternoon, with a wide ranging clientele.

Always beware the beers
with the home-made
pump clip.

Delving into the residential side streets, I made my way to the...

White Lion (91 Sopwell Lane, AL1 1RN)
I'll level with you - I can't remember much about the White Lion. Possibly the previous 5% IPA followed by my choice here, 'White Lion Amber', weighing in at 6.5% ABV.

I missed the small front bar so didn't see the cask ales on offer.    The section of the bar in the larger room to the side was dominated by this, possibly unwise, keg choice with a home-made badge - not sure if it is something that is brewed specially for the White Lion?

The White Lion, St Albans.

A little further along Sopwell Street and around a corner is the White Lion's sister-pub...

White Hart Tap (4 Keyfield Terrace, AL1 1QJ - web)
On another occasion I reckon this could have been challenging as my favourite pub of the day.  But with just an small group of locals at one end of the bar, it was so quiet this afternoon and hence had little atmosphere - not really a visit to fairly judge a pub on.

On the plus-side - a great beer: 'Hop Stash Denali' by Nene Valley, a 5% ABV pale ale.

White Hart Tap, St Albans.

Great Northern (172 London Road, AL1 1PQ - web)
The same goes for the Great Northern really - 4.30pm on a weekday afternoon and I had the place to myself when I arrived. But, again, beer-wise it was superb. Arbor 'MEGS Bomb' was probably my favourite beer of the day.

Great Northern, St Albans.

Just a short walk up Alma Road took me to a pub I'd passed earlier in the day...

Robin Hood (126 Victoria Street, AL1 3TG - web)
A 'proper pub'.  It says so on the banner on the front of the pub, next to a board advertising Roy's Tasty Toasted Sandwiches.
And it is a great, authentic backstreet (sort of) boozer, handily located on the route to the centre from the City train station.

Robin Hood, St Albans.  Proper Pub.

There were three real ales on the bar, with Harvey's 'Sussex Best' being the house beer, well kept and tasting great.
There were a number of folks in today, with a regular at the bar proudly informing the trainee on her first shift that putting up with him was the hardest part of the job.

I'm not completely sure what it is about the Robin Hood that made it so good, but I'd sure be happy to have this pub at the bottom of my road.

Proper Pub Game.

Proper Pub Snack.

It had been something of a marathon pub-crawl in the end.  Maybe trying to do all the Good Beer Guide pubs in one visit was a little fool-hardy.  Fool-hardy idea's - I'm full of 'em...

The Mermaid (98 Hatfield Road, AL1 3RL)

This was the last pub of the day and another cracker.  Friendly welcome, a good crowd of customers and great choice of beers.  I opted for another strong one to finish the day, the 'Manifesto' stout by Revolutions was wonderful.

Arsenal's Euro fixture was about to kick off on the TV screens and an unreliable part of my head was tempted with the idea of grabbing another beer and staying to watch the first half.  Sensibility won on this occasion, as I headed for the train.
St Albans had been a long day out, but with the park, various Roman remains, its cathedral and a host of good pubs it had been a rewarding and enjoyable visit.

The Mermaid, St Albans.

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, St Albans

Ye Olde Fighting Cocks (16 Abbey Mill Lane, St Albans, AL3 4HE - web)
This historical Hertfordshire pub is one of a handful which lay claim to be the oldest pub in Britain.  With an unusually shaped building, in a lovely location next to Verulamium Park, it's no surprise to see it marked on the tourist map, alongside the Roman ruins and clock tower.

Arriving in St Albans in the late morning, I headed straight towards the Fighting Cocks.
Reaching it just after opening time, I was just beaten to being the first customer by a chap with his two children.  The kids insisted upon riding their scooters through the pub and then they spent an age ordering lunch and double-checking the bill.

Ye Ole Fighting Cocks, St Albans

So whilst I'm waiting to be served, here's the...
Vaguely Historical Bit
The pub lays claim to date back to the year 793 AD and greets visitors to it's website with "Welcome to Britain's Oldest Pub".
Only one pub that I've come across stakes a claim with an earlier year than this (that'll be the recently visited Old Ferryboat, St Ives, 560 AD). 

Bold claims of Ye Olde age.

Unfortunately, as with all 'Oldest Pub' claimants, it's a little tricky to verify this date.

The building owes its octagonal design to its original purpose as a pigeon house.
This pigeon house once stood closer to the abbey (now St Albans Cathedral) and is documented as having been moved to its present location around the year 1600.  

When it was re-erected this was reputedly upon the foundations of part of the Palace of Offa, King of the Mercians, from which the 793 AD date comes.
But there are historians vehemently insisting that this is unlikely, partly because the cellars and substructure is the same unusual shape as the pub, rather than that of a medieval palace.

Low beam head hazards an essential of Britain's oldest pubs 

The usage of the Round House as a pub can be traced back as far as 1756 when it was trading as the aptly named Three Pigeons.  This had changed to 'Fighting Cocks' by 1806.

Possibly the name derives from this being a cock fighting venue, with the small sunken room to the left side of the bar claimed to be an old fighting pit.  But there is no real evidence this was the case.
Suddenly Sky Sports and fruit machines don't seem such bad pub entertainment after all.

The Cock Pit.

Today there was a wide choice of ales on the bar, including two from Farr Brew.  I felt it would be fitting to try something from this local St Albans brewery, so picked their 'Our Greatest Golden by Farr', a 4.1% ABV golden ale.

Lots of choice.  No jam jars to help.

The bar itself was lit with a range of jazzy, modern coloured lighting which was in stark contrast to the old wooden beams and fireplace in the room.
And back in the 1700's you'd be unlikely to find your beer-supping accompanied by a Best-Of AC/DC playlist.  Not that I'm complaining - a bit of 'Thunderstuck' made for the best pub soundtrack of the day.

So, it seems that the jury is still out on which is the oldest pub in the country.
In this case it depends on whether you're looking at how old a building is, or how long it has operated as a pub.
And whether re-erecting a building means it dates back to it's original construction, or the date of the re-build? 
Most folk, of course, will say it doesn't matter - a good pint, friendly welcome and comfortable surroundings are what counts.  And they're probably right.

The White Hart - another St Albans historical pub - the distinctive coaching inn dates back to 1470.

Old Ferry Boat Inn, Holywell

The question of which is the oldest pub in the country has piqued my interest this year.
And this is what led me to be balancing precariously on a tree branch across St Ives Stream on a sunny Easter weekend morning.
 
The Old Ferryboat Inn (Holywell, St Ives, PE27 4TG - web)
Of all the claimants to the title 'Britain's Oldest Pub' The Old Ferryboat is one of the most ambitious of them all.  Reputedly, alcohol was served at this location as early as 560 AD.
A historical inn, with a walk along the river to reach it, in the sunshine;  I was looking forward to this visit.

The Old Ferryboat Inn from the garden, before the crowds descended.

The Church of St John the Baptist, containing a holy well
from which the village takes its name. 

The village of Holywell where the pub is located is around 1½ miles by footpath from St Ives in Cambridgeshire.

With a sense of adventure (that means I didn't check the map properly) we took a longer route, following a path along the Great Ouse River from the town centre.  This is how we came to be crossing the stream on a fallen tree branch.
No pictures of Mrs PropUptheBar shuffling across ignobly on her derriere, due to her GDPR preferences.

We then got caught on brambles on a little-walked path, before finally reaching wide-open fields leading to the village church.
At the end of the street, next to the river, the white-painted pub is standing out magnificently in the sunshine.

White pub, Blue sky - The Old Ferry Boat Inn

Most folks are engrossed in conversation, but that dog has spotted me with my camera and knows I'm up to no good...

Outdoor Cutlery Hut -
an original 560 AD feature.

I'd timed my arrival to be as early as possible to avoid inevitable holiday weekend crowds descending upon the pub.  And descend they did.  We settled on a table in the pleasant garden to the side of the building, which quickly filled up.

The Ferryboat is owned by Greene King and branded as an 'Old English Inn'.  But alongside the usual GK ales there was also an Oakham 'Bishop's Farewell', a nice pint, served in good condition.

The 'oldest pub' claim seems to be a little low key.  Perhaps because they got fed-up of people asking to see those 'records' of drinks being sold here as early as 560 AD.
There's a suggestion that the buildings foundations date back even earlier than this, but archaeologists seem unable to put a definitive date on the building.

The Ghost Story Bit...
What you will find with every web search for the pub - and recounted on a chalk-board within the bar - is a ghost tale associated with the Old Ferry Boat.
It tells how a young girl called Juliet fell in love with woodcutter Tom Zoul.  When Tom didn't return her love, she took her own life.
Juliet was buried in unconsecrated ground next to the pub, the stigma of suicide not allowing for a church burial.  As the pub has expanded over the years it now incorporates this plain stone slate grave, set among'st the dining tables.

Each year on the 17th March it is said that her ghostly figure rises from the river to make her way to the gravestone.

Well, it wouldn't  be a proper old pub without a ghost tale attached to it.

Our's was a pleasant visit, aided by the fact the we beat the crowds and saw the pub in wonderful good weather.  We walked back to St Ives on the more straightforward route, picking up the dull, straight road past the quarry and concrete works.

I May As Well Be In Ely Or St Ives

Two market towns that made for pleasant short trips from our Cambridge base over the Easter weekend.  We weren't going crazy in either of them, generally sticking to the current Good Beer Guide entries - and here's what we found...

Ely
Ely lies just over 16 miles to the north-east of Cambridge and was a simple 20-minute train ride.  The walk from the rail station towards the center took us through Cherry Tree Park, serving up splendid views of the Cathedral, basked in sunshine today.

It's a sign of the times that Oliver Cromwell's house has had a section dedicated as an Escape Room.  Escaping from a room - a 21st century fad that I really don't understand.

Cromwell's House

Our first stop of the day after a draining 45 minutes of 'tourism' was in a micro pub a few minutes downhill from the Market Place.

Drayman's Son (29a Forehill, Ely, CB7 4AA - whatpub)
We were the first customers this afternoon and hence afforded a warm welcome. The pub is now run by the folks behind Three Blind Mice brewery, with 4 of the 8 ales available on this visit being their own.  Their single-hopped 'Eldorado' was a light, hoppy easy-going pale ale and a superb first beer of the day.

The Drayman's Son, Ely

Set in one single room, converted from a shop, the pub has a raggle-taggle selection of tables and chairs, old cine-projectors in the windows and a collection of historical tin signs adorning the walls.
As well as a fine choice of beers the cider list was mighty impressive and I couldn't resist switching to try a half of one of these from Spinny Abbey.

Several more folk arrived whilst we were there, ordering wines, coffee, beers and some kind of cheesy platter.  The Drayman's Son was somewhere I really liked and could have loitered much longer.  

Inside the Drayman's Son.

Through the compact city center, it was a short walk to the first of the two pubs listed in the 2019 Good Beer Guide...

Townhouse (60-64 Market Street, Ely, CB7 4LS - whatpub)
I stood across the road with my camera, trying to look menacing, waiting for a loitering old lady right in the way of my picture, to move.  Sunshiny pub-pic done, and we were in.

Gloriously sunny - the Townhouse, Ely.

Bar Billiards.

This is a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse.
The bar is in the back room, with the first room you enter containing a handful of seats, bookcase wallpaper and a bar billiards table in the corner.
Extra points for having their own Townhouse Pub beer mats.
Through the back is the bar, which in turn opens to a conservatory extension and a sunny, enclosed back yard beyond.
The drinks range here was a little pedestrian having been in spoilt for choice in the Drayman's. 
Between us we tried the tasty Maulden's 'Blackberry Porter' and Elgoods 'Cambridge Bitter'.  
A big thumbs-up to the filling, good-value Sunday lunch which we enjoyed here in the sunshine. 

Ely's second 2019 Good Beer Guide pub was a little further away on the quiet suburban streets to the northwest of the cathedral.

The Prince Albert (62 Silver Street, Ely, CB7 4JF)
I can't say I was overly excited to see that it was a Greene King establishment, but there was salvation at the bar with several guest ales, including 'Sparta' from Milton Brewery.

The Prince Albert, Ely

But the real winner for the Prince Albert was the lovely garden stretching out behind the pub.  A pleasant spot, we sat in the shade of an umbrella, enjoying the Milton ale.
Drinking too much in the first real bit of warm weather of the year would probably do me no good, so that was all the Ely pubs that we visited, relaxing down by the riverside instead, prior to catching a train back to Cambridge.

St Ives
Another day and another short trip, this time taking the Bus Way from Cambridge.

I appreciate that folks from Cambridgeshire may not share my unbridled enthusiasm for the guided buses.  It has after all faced several problems and ended up costing more than it's budget.  But when you're used to an Oxford bus slowly navigating the chaos of Cowley Road, the concept of whizzing along dedicated bus tracks is pretty appealing.  We maybe looked a little too excited about the journey, sat on the front seat upstairs with camera's out...

Guided bus (through fly-splattered windscreen)

Arriving in St Ives we wandered along the main street, then found our way to the picturesque riverside area.  The bridge incorporates a chapel midway across - one of only four examples of this in the country (thanks Wikipedia!)

The view from the bridge at St Ives.

We walked past the Town Quay, along a narrow lane and onward across the fields and a riverside footpath.  Our destination nearby was the Old Ferryboat Inn, but as that claims to be the oldest pub in the country, it deserves it's own post.
After that visit, we retraced our steps to call into a pub we'd passed earlier...

Oliver Crowell (13 Wellington Street, St Ives, PE27 5AZ - web).
This has one of those magnificent, ornate pub signs stretching out half way into the road, a little like the Olde Reinedeer in Banbury.

The Oliver Crowell, St Ives, Cambridgeshire

The pub was originally a cottage, prior to being converted to it's current use in the 1840's.
Inside it's L-shaped with a comfortable front bar and an area which seemed more inclined to dining to the side.
Six ales were available on the bar, plus Lilley's rhubarb or mango cider and a stronger 6% Cromwell cider - looking somewhat lethal in it's white plastic container.
I picked 'Venture', a 3.7% pale brewed by Nethergate, which was a nice enough pint.

There seemed to be a good mix of regular customers and visitors and this had the feel of a really nice pub.

From the Oliver Cromwell, we headed back along the main street. As an important market town St Ives once housed as many as 64 pubs in 1838. There's rather less now, but still a fair few to chose from. As we planned to get back to Cambridge by late afternoon, we aimed for just one more, this being the Good Beer Guide listed Royal Oak.

Royal Oak (13 Crown Street, St Ives, PE27 5EB)
There were just a couple of locals hanging out at the front bar, getting in the way of my being able to see the pump clips.  I guess everyone else was down the road in Wetherspoon's.

Royal Oak, St Ives

Back bar at the Royal Oak

They may possibly have been in the process of doing a bit of work on the pub - there were bags of cement and decorating kit in the back room fireplace and one of the toilet doors sat propped against the wall on a corridor.  It felt a little in need of some TLC.
Craving a bit of the sunshine rather than a dark interior in front of Final Score on TV, we sat in the un-cared for back yard in the sunshine.

On the plus side- lovely pint of 'Banquo' a bitter, hoppy 3.8% ABV pale ale from Newby Wyke Brewery.
Possibly somewhere that I didn't pick the best time to visit.

Armed with a list as long as my arm of pubs to try in Cambridge, we hopped back on the Busway for the return journey and plenty more pubs ahead.

The title of this post comes from the concluding lyric of Half Man Half Biscuit song 'For What is Chateris'.

Wouldn't it be great, I thought, to visit the song's titular town, the "envy of the fens"?
But that's quite a hard sell to your dearly beloved travelling companion...
...an 80-minute round-trip bus journey? To a town that's mentioned in a song by an indie band from the Wirral? That I've never heard of?!
To be fair, I wasn't convincing myself it was worth it.  So in the end we missed the possible delights, or otherwise, of Chateris and the post title has lost most of it's relevance.  Bah!