St Andrew's excels with both beer and food, and rekindles a few memories!

It wasn't some mad pub crawl that I embarked upon when I visited Norwich last Wednesday, instead it was a much more leisurely tour around a number of the city’s finest hostelries. I achieved this by allowing myself-sufficient time in the city, arriving mid-morning and delaying my departure until the 19:00 train. I did this in order to not make the mistake of previous visits, where things were a lot more rushed.

I was also unsure how long it would take me to get to the Greenacres Woodland Burials Centre on the outskirts of Norwich, where I wanted to pay respects to my parents at their final resting place. As things turned out I had plenty of time, but it was nice not to be rushed and it was also good to be able to explore Norwich at my leisure. In the end, I only visited three pubs, and the first one of those was rather a fleeting visit.

What I intend doing here is to describe the two pubs that were the main event, so to speak, so without further ado, we kick off with St Andrew’s Brew House. Situated just opposite the entrance to the combined St Andrews & Blackfriars Halls, this popular and thriving brewpub occupies a prominent corner position. The main bar area faces the busy St Andrew’s Street, whilst the restaurant
section looks out across the pedestrianised area in front of the two halls. Both sections of the establishment have windows of clear glass, enabling potential customers to see what is going on inside, and how busy the place is.

St Andrew’s Brew House has been in business since 2015, which was a couple of years before I called in for the first time, one evening, with young master Matthew. We were on one of our regular trips to Norfolk, in order to visit my father. We’d booked into a motel, somewhere just off the Norwich Ring Road, and had caught a bus into the city centre, in search of both food and drink. We’d actually noticed this brewpub on a previous visit, but as I was driving on that occasion, it seemed rather pointless to call in.

Next time, things were different, and we entered with the intention of enjoying some of the house-brewed beers, and also something to eat.  We discovered four hand-pumped, house-brewed beers on offer, along with a couple of keg beers. The brewing kit was clearly visible behind a glass screen, to the far left of the bar.  I wrote at the time, how impressed I was with the knowledge and enthusiasm of the staff and said that I would definitely be making a return visit.

Six years later, that return visit finally materialised, and I found myself, once more inside the bright and airy interior of the pub and gazing at that same bank of hand-pumps, except there were now six of them, rather than four. Food, as well as drink, was foremost in my mind, so I was relieved to learn there was a further half-hour before the kitchen closed for the afternoon. I ordered a fish finger sandwich for myself, complete with a portion of fries. I also tried a couple of the house-brewed beers, namely Festival House - Pale Ale and Tombland Porter. Both beers were very good.

My sandwich was virtually a meal in itself but was just the right size to see me through until the end of the day. The only thing that had changed since my visit six years ago, was the lack of customers, but on a cold and slightly damp, midweek lunchtime, Norwich itself wasn’t exactly bustling either. I’d found the same situation in the pub I’d called in at on my way to St Andrews. This was an Adnam’s tied house called the Rumsey Wells, on a prominent corner location, a short distance along St Andrews Street. I’d noticed the pub on a previous visit, and as it was an Adnam’s house I popped in on the off chance that there might be some Old Ale on tap.

Unfortunately, this was not the case, and disappointingly Southwold Bitter was not on sale either. The ubiquitous Broadside was available, but I have never been a huge fan of this beer, which Adnam’s introduced a replacement for their excellent Extra. Incidentally, the brewery have made Extra, a beer that was crowned Champion Beer of Britain in 1993, available in Wetherspoons outlets, as part of the chain's current cask ale festival. The saving grace, as far as the Rumsey Wells was concerned, was the presence of cask Mosaic Pale Ale, the first time I have seen this beer in cask form. Apart from myself, there was just a group of three, quite vociferous individuals, sitting at the far end of the main bar, so with the Rumsey Wells lacking people, atmosphere and Adnam’s Old, I drank up and left.

Departing St Andrew’s Brew House, and heading down towards the river, I walked past the entrance to St Andrews & Blackfriars Halls, the location of the 2013 CAMRA AGM. After sitting through a morning's worth of turgid, boring, and ultimately pointless conference debate, I clearly remember walking out of the building with the promise never to attend another such CAMRA event. Outside, and away from the gloom of the conference hall, the sun was shining, spring was in the air, and I set off to explore and enjoy a few of Norwich’s many fine pubs.

I should have known better, because that morning, whilst walking up to the conference hall from my bed and breakfast place close to Norwich station, I bumped into Gill and Gerry Keay, two long standing CAMRA stalwarts from Canterbury branch. I naturally assumed they were going to the AGM, but when I mentioned the meeting, they just laughed, and said whilst they normally attended these weekend get-togethers of the CAMRA faithful, they always gave the conference motions and associated debates a wide berth, preferring instead to use the time, by exploring a few of the local pubs and enjoying some of the ales served therein. As I sat there, that morning, listening to impassioned speeches over seemingly trivial issues, I was really wishing I’d accepted the couple’s invitation to join them!

My walk down past those halls, lead me towards the next pub on my itinerary, namely the classic King’s Head, in Magdalen Street on the other side of the river. You can read all about my visit, which was another case of déjà vu, in the next post.

 

A few thoughts as we move into April

Without a shadow of doubt, I picked the wrong week to have off from work; certainly, in view of the un-springlike weather we’ve been experiencing, but it was one of those take it or leave it situations. As with many companies  the carry-over of unused annual leave, into the new holiday year, can cause problems. I’m not sure why this should be, but Inland Revenue rules permit the carry over of a maximum of five days, so the sensible thing is to use excess leave before the start of the new holiday year. It isn’t always that simple, as I found out, because whilst I usually manage to carry a few days over, I took my eye off the ball, and this year ended up with more than the magic “five days."

So, like quite a few other people in the company, I’ve been compelled to take the excess off, under a "use it or lose it" arrangement. W/c 27^th March, represented the last possible week before the start of the new holiday year, and seeing as we have now reached both astronomical, as well as meteorological spring, I was optimistic at getting out and about. I certainly had plans to get some more outdoor walking under my belt, and had also planned a few pub visits, or other days out.

There is also quite a lot of work that needs to be done in the garden, but all of this planned work, or nearly all of it, was scuppered by cold temperatures, rain, and high winds. By way of compensation, I’ve caught up with a few jobs indoors and have also written several blog posts, which covered recent visits to the new facility for By The Horns Brewery, at Salfords, Surrey, plus my mid-week trip to Norwich. The latter included a visit to the Woodland Cemetery, on the outskirts of the city, where my parent’s ashes have been laid to rest, but it also allowed me to renew my acquaintance with Norwich itself, and especially some of the city’s pubs. My car goes in for its MOT today. It is also due a service, but as I’m planning on upgrading my vehicle, and trading the current one in, I’ve put the service on hold for the time being.

It’s back to work on Monday, but only for three days, and with Easter on the horizon, and the potential prospect of better weather, there’s every chance of getting out and about to enjoy both the garden and a few pubs. The start of Easter, will see the annual Good Friday Ramble, organised by Maidstone & Mid-Kent CAMRA, and providing it stays dry, the walk and subsequent pub lunch will afford the opportunity to catch up with old friends. 

The aforementioned pub stop, will be the Darnley Arms, in the village of Cobham, near to Gravesend. It’s claimed to be the oldest pub in Cobham, and I’m fairly certain I’ve been there before – I will know for sure once I get there. I don’t know yet, the exact route we shall be walking, but after looking at the map it’s likely to include a section of the North Downs Way, which should bring back a few memories. It's a slightly longer route than has been the case for many years, although not quite a return to the ten-mile rambles that characterised the walks in the late 1970's, when the idea first took off.

Finally, this afternoon, I took a drive to a well-known DIY store on the other side of Tunbridge Wells.  I needed to pick up a few support brackets for the guttering that I am fixing onto the summerhouse. There wasn’t a desperate requirement for these fixtures, rather a desire on my part to get out of the house. So, with Matthew accompanying me, there was an excuse to stop for a quick pint on the way home.  We headed for the Chafford Arms in the village of Fordcombe. It’s a pub I’ve attempted to visit on a couple of occasions recently, but without success.

Would things be different this time around? Or would I, once again, be disappointed? Last time around, we’d been unable to find room in the car park, but on this occasion there were spaces available. We got out from the car and walked up to the pub. “Lounge Bar, or Public?” I said to Matthew. “Not bothered” was the response. I tried the door to the latter, and was surprised to fin it locked, so undeterred we walked round the corner. There aren’t any lights on, my son pointed out, and sure enough the door to the other bar was locked shut, as well.

It was 3.30pm, so we concluded that the Chafford must close for a period, during the afternoon. We returned to the car and drove off, looking for another pub to quench our thirst, and ended up, not for the first time, at the Spotted Dog, on the other side of the Medway valley. It was quiet inside this lovely old inn, but at least it was open. Even better, there was Goacher’s Gold Star on tap at the bar, alongside Harvey’s Best and Larkin’s Traditional. Whilst ordering our drinks, I asked the bar manager whether she knew what opening hours were kept by the Chafford. She wasn’t sure, but a couple of drinkers standing at the bar were rather more forthcoming, claiming the pub was a law unto itself as far as its opening hours were concerned.

Pub opening times, and whether or not they are adhered to, are a regular topic that crops up on blogs, forums, and other places for online discussion. At the end of the day, they are a matter for individual licensees, although it does makes sense, with certain provisos, for pubs to adhere to their publicly stated opening hours. According to What Pub, the Chafford's opening times are 11am – midnight, apart from Sundays, when it doesn’t open until midday. The website advises people to phone first, whilst stating the pub is closed Sunday night and all day Monday, so which is correct?  

I’ve gone somewhat off topic, so will end this piece now, but in the meantime, despite my opening salvo about our unpredictable climate, let’s keep in mind the adage "there is no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing!"

 

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.