Return to Norwich - a quick preview

I've got several articles worth of material following Wednesday's trip to Norwich, but before bashing these out, I thought I'd share a few photos with you of a day where I managed to cram a helluva lot in. I travelled by train, taking advantage of a reduced-price Advance ticket, that was rendered even cheaper with the use of my Senior Rail Card.

 An early start saw me boarding the 8.03 Cannon Street service from Tonbridge, and after alighting at London Bridge I took the Jubilee Line to Stratford. This was a rather strange stipulation of my advance ticket, but still allowed plenty of time, even on a severely overcrowded train between London Bridge and Canary Wharf.

In complete contrast, there were plenty of seats on the 09.38 service from Stratford to Norwich, and I enjoyed the comfort of the stylish Greater Anglia carriages. There were mobile phone charging points, situated between the seats and even a trolley service offering tea, coffee, and snacks.

The return 19.00 service from Norwich was even less crowded, possibly proving that Wednesday is a much better day than Friday to be travelling. This was my first visit to Norwich in nearly four years, and also my first opportunity to explore the city, properly in a decade. Two of the three pubs I visited, I had been in before, but I had ample time for a good wander around the streets of this largely unspoilt provincial capital and was able to experience a couple of different areas for the first time.

So, settle down and enjoy these photos, as there will be more about them later, but for the record, and for the benefit of both Dave and Retired Martin, the barman at the renowned King’s Head in Magdalen Street, could not have been more friendly and engaging than this fellow was. The people in both bars were, like me, enjoying the beer, the company, and the simple uncluttered surroundings.

The beer at the King’s Head, was also in first class condition, especially the Little Green Man 1, from the award-winning Green Jack Brewery in Lowestoft. This American Pale Ale was the beer highlight of the trip for me, and I’m sure friends back in Tonbridge, who are huge fans of this brewery, will be jealous.

Whilst this basic alehouse, which prides itself on being a “Keg Free House” was definitely the highlight of the trip pub-wise, wandering down from Saint Andrews Halls, across the river to what seemed to be the antique shop centre of Norwich, and then the walk back to the station, allowed me to see a delightful part of the city, and one I had barely touched on previous visits.

Of course, other parts had changed very little, and none more so than the Prince of Wales Road, which leads down from the castle area to the station. Home to much of the city’s nightlife, the POW road still tops the ranks for seediness and “Gentleman’s Clubs” – are such establishments still permitted in today’s politically correct world? 

I remember two of my Welsh cousins, both quite lively ladies, inadvertently booking a room in that part of town, when they came up to Norwich, for my mother’s funeral. Although used to the nightlife of both Swansea and London, they weren’t quite expecting such "lively" street scenes in “genteel” Norwich. Each blamed the other for the choice of hotel, although they did eventually see the funny side of things!

None of this should detract from my primary reason for making the trip up to Norwich. As I will explain in a subsequent article, this was a visit to Greenacres Woodland Burial Centre, at Colney, on the outskirts of Norwich, as this is where my parents ashes are interned. I hadn’t been there since before the pandemic, and at that time my father was still alive. An appropriate wooden plaque has been carved in their memory, and I wanted to see this for myself.

Those precious moments, remembering my parents, in the tranquil setting of this woodland cemetery, with its carpet of wild daffodils, allowed me to reflect on the happy and untroubled childhood they provided for me and my two sisters. Perhaps it’s only when you become older yourself, that you truly understand the importance of such things. I will elaborate more on this in a later article, but even though those though and memories were dispersed, by me having to make my way to the bus stop, for the journey back into Norwich, this was the main and most important reason for my visit to the city.

East meets west at the George & Dragon, Speldhurst

You would have thought that my colleagues and I would have had our fill of meetings and liaisons, following five quite intense days in Cologne, at the International Dental Show, but with our imminent return to the UK due at the end of the week, we knew that there would be one final meeting to contend with. This was down to a visit to the company from our Japanese Managing Director, scheduled for our first Monday back at work.

It was long overdue, as the last time we received a delegation from Japan was in December 2019, less than three months before COVID 19 brought the entire world to a grinding halt. So, with a large group of personnel from our parent company already in Germany, it made perfect sense for some of them to fly across to Britain, to see what we’d been up to over the past three years.

 

Whilst in Cologne we found out a little more about our MD’s intentions, but more importantly came a request for an evening meal with as many members as possible, of our management in attendance. The other part of the request was the evening dinner should be held in a traditional English pub, offering traditional English food. So far, so good, and not being a person to turn down the chance of a free meal, I put my name down. Our General Manager, who was with us in Cologne, asked our Office Supervisor, who incidentally is Japanese, to arrange something along the lines requested, but attempting to find a pub open on a Monday evening was never going to be easy. Even harder, was finding a traditional “Olde World” hostelry that would meet our visitors’ expectations.  Our intrepid colleague checked various websites and made a number of phone calls, and just when her quest seemed at an end, she discovered that despite fitting the bill in respect of cosy and traditional, the otherwise very pleasant Spotted Dog, just outside Penshurst operated a "Curry Night” on Monday evenings.

Eventually her search turned up the George & Dragon, at Speldhurst, a lovely old pub which dates back to 1212, and is reputed to be one of the oldest Inns in England. The building was originally a manor house of some importance, and according to legend, a group of Kentish Archers were treated to a banquet in the Great Hall on their return from the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. Today’s visitors are welcomed with warm hospitality, first class dining in an inviting atmosphere of low ceilings, open fires, and a cosy bar.

I’ve known the George & Dragon over many years, in fact ever since I first move to the Tonbridge area, in the 1980’s. As the above description so neatly puts it, with its low, beamed ceilings, stone-flagged floors and open fires, this ancient inn oozes medieval character. It seems to have had a succession of owners over the past few years, and was even closed for a while, but now, in keeping with its former reputation for good food and fine dining, it seems to have settled well and truly into the gastro-pub mold.

Still, any port in a storm, and as it appeared to be the only local, traditional, old inn, offering proper English food on a Monday night, it fitted the bill. So, just over a week ago seven members of our UK management team, met up with our four Japanese colleagues for a rather enjoyable meal, in the comfortable surroundings of this centuries old English inn. Despite its relative proximity to Tunbridge Wells, Speldhurst is poorly served by public transport, so combined with a spot of car sharing, where possible, it was necessary to drive there.  Our Office Supervisor picked the guests up from the Rose & Crown Tonbridge – another olde world building that they insist on staying at whilst here in the UK. I’m not sure how she squeezed them all into her car, but they were already seated in one of the pub’s dining rooms, when I arrived.

I ended up driving, but after having a surfeit of Kölsch in Cologne, I wasn’t that fussed about limiting my alcohol intake. The car park was surprisingly full, and I had difficulty in finding a space, but I suppose as one of the few pubs open on a Monday evening in mid-March, word had got round. The interior of the George & Dragon looked quite different from what I remember, with rather too much white paint having been sploshed about, for my liking. Trying to “brighten up” the interior of these old buildings is a fairly recent trend that seems to continue without thought or consideration of the heritage or original character of the building, but fortunately the owners of the G&D had left the beams painted their original black colour.

The large number of vehicles in the car park, equated to a healthy amount of customers, most of whom were dining. The G&D’s menu is best described as British with a modern twist, but with old favourites, such as cod and chips, sausage and mash, roast belly pork, and venison & Guinness pie, there was plenty of solid fayre to satisfy our overseas visitors. There were also three cask ales for our guests to try (Brakspear’s, Harvey’s, and Larkin's). These were dutifully sampled, although Guinness ended up as the all-round favourite. I enjoyed a well-kept pint of Sussex Best with my rather large beef burger, a choice dictated by thought that the venison might be a touch too "gamey" for my liking.

The aspect of the G&D that really stood out, was the service. The two young men taking the orders, and bringing the food to the table, were first-rate. Nothing was too much trouble, and the thing that impressed me was the way the entire tables’ order, was all delivered at once. There was none of the waiting for certain dishes to appear, so everyone was served together and on time. The quality of the food was top notch as well, so much so that I think the pub will get further business from the company, the next time they wish to entertain visitors. The moral of the story then, is get things right, and people will want to come back.

A quick word about the photos – most of the interior shots were taken on the night, but the exterior ones were taken several summers ago, and well before the pandemic. I also haven’t included any pics of the assembled company, for professional reasons - although I’m sure no one really would have minded,