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Reviews and Comments of 'Tracey Hull' (13)
I had a highly enjoyable meal here on Saturday. I had a lovely jerk chicken with chips and my other half devoured a large plate of noodles, Thai style. The staff here are a great laugh too and very friendly.
Hi KYAN, thanks for pointing out the other articles about the history of Carnival. To be honest the feature is not a good one and we used to have a much better on the site. We will amend it forthwith.
London Pubs Group Evening Crawl of Hampstead
This is both Grade II listed and on the London Regional Inventory (LRI), and deservedly so. With an exterior finished in painted stucco, parts of the building date back to c.1797. Despite the inevitable alterations over time, and even in recent years, the Victorian bar-back and counter survive as do some elements of screen-work and etched glass.
The predominately dark colours used for interior decoration and low lighting level help evoke an 'Olde World' atmosphere, as do the various separate drinking areas which still remain, some rather newer than others given the progressive expansion to the rear. Of particular note is the so-called 'coffee room' on the left with its fixed bench seating. The exterior livery still bears allegiance to Benskins' Brewery but the actual beers available were Adnams Bitter and Broadside, Fuller's London Pride and Harvey's Sussex Bitter.
Just prior to our departure, the staff presented our table with some free nibbles. Whether this is normal practice or an attempt to make us linger was unclear, and in the event unsuccessful, as we had to move on to the Flask.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
This is both Grade II listed and on the London Regional Inventory (LRI), and deservedly so. With an exterior finished in painted stucco, parts of the building date back to c.1797. Despite the inevitable alterations over time, and even in recent years, the Victorian bar-back and counter survive as do some elements of screen-work and etched glass.
The predominately dark colours used for interior decoration and low lighting level help evoke an 'Olde World' atmosphere, as do the various separate drinking areas which still remain, some rather newer than others given the progressive expansion to the rear. Of particular note is the so-called 'coffee room' on the left with its fixed bench seating. The exterior livery still bears allegiance to Benskins' Brewery but the actual beers available were Adnams Bitter and Broadside, Fuller's London Pride and Harvey's Sussex Bitter.
Just prior to our departure, the staff presented our table with some free nibbles. Whether this is normal practice or an attempt to make us linger was unclear, and in the event unsuccessful, as we had to move on to the Flask.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
London Pubs Group Tour of Notting Hill, Kensington and Bayswater
This former Charrington house, now Fuller's pub is, like the Mitre, a grade II listed building and also on the London Regional Inventory. On a corner site and of c.1840-50, it has some very early and spectacular fittings. Such was the amount of pub renovation at the end of the 19th century, and since, that any fittings before the late-Victorian era are incredibly rare.
Those at the Victoria are stylistically mid-Victorian and a precise date, 1864, is suggested by the date on a clock in the bar-back fitting. These, and a side wall, have large mirrors with intricate gilding and coloured decoration, each panel being separated from the others by detached columns with lozenge and fleur-de-lys decoration. In the angle of the building is a delicate Regency-style fireplace containing a print of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their numerous progeny. The counter is no doubt a piece from 1864 with panelled bays divided by fluted pilasters. It still retains a fully functioning brass water-dispenser for diluting spirits. Mounted on the long wall in wooden frames are coloured prints of soldiers but these are most probably a relatively modern (though now smoke-stained) addition.
There are several outside doors and these would have led originally to a series of internal drinking areas, separated by screenwork. On the first floor is the Theatre Bar, installed c.1958 with fittings salvaged from Shaw, Runtz and Ford's Gaiety Theatre of 1902-3 which stood in the Aldwych. Balcony fronts supported on Corinthian columns line the walls and a comer is counter set with boards from the shows, one signed Westwood Brothers suggesting that Bryan and Nonnan Westwood (working nearby at the time) may have been the architects for the installation.
The bar-back depicts the Gaiety and there are two small box fronts in comers. The separate dining room was adapted after 1955 in neo-Queen Anne style, with panelling, fireplace and comer cupboards decorated with swags. These fittings may well also come from the Gaiety.
The Victoria is of interest as a remarkably complete public house interior of the 1890s, to which the identified embellishments from the much lamented Gaiety Theatre add interest, both in their own right and as a rare surviving indication of the interest in Victoriana, particularly as expressed in pub interiors, that was beginning to emerge in the late-1950s. Fuller's Discovery, ESB and London Pride were on handpump, plus the rugby-themed Swing Low which seemed to have replaced Chiswick Bitter here for the duration of the tournament.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
This former Charrington house, now Fuller's pub is, like the Mitre, a grade II listed building and also on the London Regional Inventory. On a corner site and of c.1840-50, it has some very early and spectacular fittings. Such was the amount of pub renovation at the end of the 19th century, and since, that any fittings before the late-Victorian era are incredibly rare.
Those at the Victoria are stylistically mid-Victorian and a precise date, 1864, is suggested by the date on a clock in the bar-back fitting. These, and a side wall, have large mirrors with intricate gilding and coloured decoration, each panel being separated from the others by detached columns with lozenge and fleur-de-lys decoration. In the angle of the building is a delicate Regency-style fireplace containing a print of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and their numerous progeny. The counter is no doubt a piece from 1864 with panelled bays divided by fluted pilasters. It still retains a fully functioning brass water-dispenser for diluting spirits. Mounted on the long wall in wooden frames are coloured prints of soldiers but these are most probably a relatively modern (though now smoke-stained) addition.
There are several outside doors and these would have led originally to a series of internal drinking areas, separated by screenwork. On the first floor is the Theatre Bar, installed c.1958 with fittings salvaged from Shaw, Runtz and Ford's Gaiety Theatre of 1902-3 which stood in the Aldwych. Balcony fronts supported on Corinthian columns line the walls and a comer is counter set with boards from the shows, one signed Westwood Brothers suggesting that Bryan and Nonnan Westwood (working nearby at the time) may have been the architects for the installation.
The bar-back depicts the Gaiety and there are two small box fronts in comers. The separate dining room was adapted after 1955 in neo-Queen Anne style, with panelling, fireplace and comer cupboards decorated with swags. These fittings may well also come from the Gaiety.
The Victoria is of interest as a remarkably complete public house interior of the 1890s, to which the identified embellishments from the much lamented Gaiety Theatre add interest, both in their own right and as a rare surviving indication of the interest in Victoriana, particularly as expressed in pub interiors, that was beginning to emerge in the late-1950s. Fuller's Discovery, ESB and London Pride were on handpump, plus the rugby-themed Swing Low which seemed to have replaced Chiswick Bitter here for the duration of the tournament.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
London Pubs Group Evening Crawl of Hampstead
This classic example of Brewers' Tudor was appropriately named the Railway Tavern until 1999 and was described in the first edition of the North London Beer Guide as having a "typical and unspoilt Charrington interior with leaded glass windows and wood panelling". Sadly only a fraction of this is still extant. That which does remain includes some good wooden panelling in one area, original wooden parquet flooring, two door lobbies and fragments of the former coloured window glass. On handpump were Greene King ('Morland's') Old Speckled Hen (which ran out during our arrival!), Greene King IPA and the seemingly ubiquitous London Pride.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
This classic example of Brewers' Tudor was appropriately named the Railway Tavern until 1999 and was described in the first edition of the North London Beer Guide as having a "typical and unspoilt Charrington interior with leaded glass windows and wood panelling". Sadly only a fraction of this is still extant. That which does remain includes some good wooden panelling in one area, original wooden parquet flooring, two door lobbies and fragments of the former coloured window glass. On handpump were Greene King ('Morland's') Old Speckled Hen (which ran out during our arrival!), Greene King IPA and the seemingly ubiquitous London Pride.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
London Pubs Group Evening Crawl of Hampstead
Just off the junction of South End Road at 2a South Hill Park is the Magdala, named after the 1868 battle of the same name. This involved British and Ethiopian forces, with Sir Charles Napier commanding the British and the Ethiopians under Emperor Tewodros II. The British won the battle, after which Tewodros committed suicide. Previously, the moderniser Tewodros had realised the importance of powerful weapons and asked Britain for assistance in making cannons. When this was refused, he kidnapped a group of 60 European diplomats and missionaries and instructed them to build a cannon for him, prompting Britain to mount an expedition to Ethiopia using British and Indian troops. Napier was subsequently created 1st Baron Napier of Magdala and was also remembered in the Lord Napier in Goodmayes and Napier Arms in Woodford.
Although the fabric of the Magdala is mid-Victorian, it later underwent a thorough mid-30s modernisation including buff ground floor exterior tiling and attractive green and clear glass leaded windows. These are absolutely typical of former Charrington's pubs and can be found all over the capital, albeit in steadily declining numbers. In some cases, horizontal sections sometimes carried the brewery's name or other lettering, whilst oval-shaped pieces of glass often bore the company's trademark toby jug symbol. Some of these decorated panes in pubs appear to have been replaced by plain glass under Bass Charrington's ownership, perhaps during 'modernisation'. Certainly many others have gone since; though it may be possible that others were never lettered in the first place and were blank from new (for the record, the Cooper's Arms in Kilburn High Road still has an exceptional set of such lettered glass).
Most of the pub now has a dull modern look, but on the right is a pleasant and remarkably intact room from the 1930s. Walls are elegantly wood-panelled to half height, above which is low-key Art Deco frieze. The counter is panelled in the style of the walls and the picture is completed by a Tudor-style pink marble fireplace. Beerwise, the Magdala was offering Greene King IPA and Fuller's London Pride.
Of course the Magdala's main claim to fame nowadays is for being where Ruth Ellis shot her abusive lover, David Blakely, on Easter Sunday 1955. For many years it was claimed that bullet holes were still visible on the exterior tiling but other sources have since suggested that these were actually 'improved' or even created by a former landlord keen to cash in on the notoriety. The present owners acknowledge the event in a restrained way in the form of a framed newspaper cutting.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.htm
Just off the junction of South End Road at 2a South Hill Park is the Magdala, named after the 1868 battle of the same name. This involved British and Ethiopian forces, with Sir Charles Napier commanding the British and the Ethiopians under Emperor Tewodros II. The British won the battle, after which Tewodros committed suicide. Previously, the moderniser Tewodros had realised the importance of powerful weapons and asked Britain for assistance in making cannons. When this was refused, he kidnapped a group of 60 European diplomats and missionaries and instructed them to build a cannon for him, prompting Britain to mount an expedition to Ethiopia using British and Indian troops. Napier was subsequently created 1st Baron Napier of Magdala and was also remembered in the Lord Napier in Goodmayes and Napier Arms in Woodford.
Although the fabric of the Magdala is mid-Victorian, it later underwent a thorough mid-30s modernisation including buff ground floor exterior tiling and attractive green and clear glass leaded windows. These are absolutely typical of former Charrington's pubs and can be found all over the capital, albeit in steadily declining numbers. In some cases, horizontal sections sometimes carried the brewery's name or other lettering, whilst oval-shaped pieces of glass often bore the company's trademark toby jug symbol. Some of these decorated panes in pubs appear to have been replaced by plain glass under Bass Charrington's ownership, perhaps during 'modernisation'. Certainly many others have gone since; though it may be possible that others were never lettered in the first place and were blank from new (for the record, the Cooper's Arms in Kilburn High Road still has an exceptional set of such lettered glass).
Most of the pub now has a dull modern look, but on the right is a pleasant and remarkably intact room from the 1930s. Walls are elegantly wood-panelled to half height, above which is low-key Art Deco frieze. The counter is panelled in the style of the walls and the picture is completed by a Tudor-style pink marble fireplace. Beerwise, the Magdala was offering Greene King IPA and Fuller's London Pride.
Of course the Magdala's main claim to fame nowadays is for being where Ruth Ellis shot her abusive lover, David Blakely, on Easter Sunday 1955. For many years it was claimed that bullet holes were still visible on the exterior tiling but other sources have since suggested that these were actually 'improved' or even created by a former landlord keen to cash in on the notoriety. The present owners acknowledge the event in a restrained way in the form of a framed newspaper cutting.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.htm
London Pubs Group Evening Crawl of Hampstead
This pub was chosen for its convenient location near to the Underground station but has had a varied history. Formerly the Three Horseshoes and a rather jaded Grand-Met Truman pub, it was acquired by Wetherspoon in 1992 and seemed to enjoy a number of successful years in that role. Alas, it appears the latter company are only interested in 'mega' ex-bank or cinema conversions nowadays and it joined the many north London pubs they disposed of in 2003.
For a while afterwards it continued in a sort of 'Wetherspoon-lite' mode under London & Edinburgh control before receiving a thorough makeover to emerge in its latest incarnation, the independently owned Horseshoe (singular) in 2006.
The emphasis is very much on food, with a large open plan stainless steel kitchen prominent in the bar, but real ale is not forgotten, as the pub brews on the premises. The clientele seems to be a mix of young trendies and suits and a complete change from the former Wetherspoon's crowd. The service appeared a little brusque, at least in the writer's experience, and I was left wondering if the owners would really prefer to be a restaurant selling beer as opposed to a pub offering food. On the plus side there is usually at least home-brewed bitter available, plus guests from breweries such as Adnams and Sharps.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
This pub was chosen for its convenient location near to the Underground station but has had a varied history. Formerly the Three Horseshoes and a rather jaded Grand-Met Truman pub, it was acquired by Wetherspoon in 1992 and seemed to enjoy a number of successful years in that role. Alas, it appears the latter company are only interested in 'mega' ex-bank or cinema conversions nowadays and it joined the many north London pubs they disposed of in 2003.
For a while afterwards it continued in a sort of 'Wetherspoon-lite' mode under London & Edinburgh control before receiving a thorough makeover to emerge in its latest incarnation, the independently owned Horseshoe (singular) in 2006.
The emphasis is very much on food, with a large open plan stainless steel kitchen prominent in the bar, but real ale is not forgotten, as the pub brews on the premises. The clientele seems to be a mix of young trendies and suits and a complete change from the former Wetherspoon's crowd. The service appeared a little brusque, at least in the writer's experience, and I was left wondering if the owners would really prefer to be a restaurant selling beer as opposed to a pub offering food. On the plus side there is usually at least home-brewed bitter available, plus guests from breweries such as Adnams and Sharps.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
London Pubs Group Evening Crawl of Hampstead
The Flask stands, appropriately, in Flask Walk and, like the Holly Bush, is Grade II and LRI-listed. The pub was rebuilt in 1874 and what makes it special today is the full-height timber and glass screen that divides the front two bars.
On the saloon bar side are five delightfully sentimental paintings, perhaps added later, and signed by Jan Van Beers. A bit of research has since revealed the following: "At the Brussels Salon of 1881, a scandal broke out over two entries by Jan Van Beers (1852-1927), a promising Belgian artist who had been living and working in Paris for some time. The scandal centred on the accusation made by three art critics that Van Beers's canvases were mere overpainted photographs or had at least, in some way or another, been made with the help of photographic means". The paintings in the Flask certainly have a photographic quality about them.
A surviving etched window reveals that there was once a small private bar on the left, which has been subsequently joined to the public bar. Other features still in situ include mahogany and glass partitions, bar fittings and counter; cast-iron fireplaces with tiled surrounds and moulded cornices. When the rear of the premises was extended in 1990 to provide a conservatory dining area, a brick vaulted cellar was discovered. Evidence of the Wells-Young's link-up was the presence of Charles Wells' Bombardier in addition to the usual Young's 'Ordinary' and Special.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
The Flask stands, appropriately, in Flask Walk and, like the Holly Bush, is Grade II and LRI-listed. The pub was rebuilt in 1874 and what makes it special today is the full-height timber and glass screen that divides the front two bars.
On the saloon bar side are five delightfully sentimental paintings, perhaps added later, and signed by Jan Van Beers. A bit of research has since revealed the following: "At the Brussels Salon of 1881, a scandal broke out over two entries by Jan Van Beers (1852-1927), a promising Belgian artist who had been living and working in Paris for some time. The scandal centred on the accusation made by three art critics that Van Beers's canvases were mere overpainted photographs or had at least, in some way or another, been made with the help of photographic means". The paintings in the Flask certainly have a photographic quality about them.
A surviving etched window reveals that there was once a small private bar on the left, which has been subsequently joined to the public bar. Other features still in situ include mahogany and glass partitions, bar fittings and counter; cast-iron fireplaces with tiled surrounds and moulded cornices. When the rear of the premises was extended in 1990 to provide a conservatory dining area, a brick vaulted cellar was discovered. Evidence of the Wells-Young's link-up was the presence of Charles Wells' Bombardier in addition to the usual Young's 'Ordinary' and Special.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
London Pubs Group Tour of Notting Hill, Kensington and Bayswater
Built in the Victorian era but given a complete internal refit between the wars, this pub is not a listed building but is on the London Regional Inventory. There would have been separate rooms of course at that time but although the partitions have gone, leaving a U-shaped drinking area wrapping round the servery, most of the rest of the c.1930 work survives.
The windows are very attractive with their canted bays and charming art-nouveau-inspired stained glass details. Then there is the bar counter which has two distinctly different designs from the counter front in the left-hand parts. Most of it has panels with triple mouldings round them but the smaller, right-hand part is much plainer. This makes it clear that they must have been separated by a partition and, if you look closely, you can see in the window-sill a small piece of patching where the old screen stood.
The walls are extensively panelled and there are a couple of pretty tiled fireplaces. There are two sets of snob-screens mounted on the counter but their age is a moot point. When the present licensee came in the mid-1980s they formed a continuous run but it's hard to believe such an intrusive feature would have been installed in the 1930s when people favoured unencumbered counters. For a Fullers pub it was not surprising that London Pride, ESB and Chiswick were available, plus a seasonal 3.8% 'Swing Low' which was no doubt being appreciated by, and pitched at, the many of those watching the rugby on TV.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.htm
Built in the Victorian era but given a complete internal refit between the wars, this pub is not a listed building but is on the London Regional Inventory. There would have been separate rooms of course at that time but although the partitions have gone, leaving a U-shaped drinking area wrapping round the servery, most of the rest of the c.1930 work survives.
The windows are very attractive with their canted bays and charming art-nouveau-inspired stained glass details. Then there is the bar counter which has two distinctly different designs from the counter front in the left-hand parts. Most of it has panels with triple mouldings round them but the smaller, right-hand part is much plainer. This makes it clear that they must have been separated by a partition and, if you look closely, you can see in the window-sill a small piece of patching where the old screen stood.
The walls are extensively panelled and there are a couple of pretty tiled fireplaces. There are two sets of snob-screens mounted on the counter but their age is a moot point. When the present licensee came in the mid-1980s they formed a continuous run but it's hard to believe such an intrusive feature would have been installed in the 1930s when people favoured unencumbered counters. For a Fullers pub it was not surprising that London Pride, ESB and Chiswick were available, plus a seasonal 3.8% 'Swing Low' which was no doubt being appreciated by, and pitched at, the many of those watching the rugby on TV.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.htm
London Pubs Group Tour of Notting Hill, Kensington and Bayswater
This plain, two-storey building of around 1825 sits at the summit of Campden Hill Road and was refitted about 1933. We know this because in the 'Sherry Bar' there is a plaque helpfully explaining that the oak used in that room was felled in the period 1930-32. Also helpful is the fact that the door glass names each of the three traditional rooms. The Sherry Bar is entered off Peel Street, the private bar is on the corner, while the Campden Bar lies along Campden Hill Road. Perhaps it says something for the upmarket nature of the area in the 1930s that the rooms have fancier names than the usual public bar, saloon, etc.
The mahogany bar-back is the sole survivor from the Victorian era. Otherwise the fittings are pretty much intact from the 1930s, even down to some pretty Arts & Crafts door furniture. Pride of place goes to the two screens which create three rooms very much in the manner of a Victorian public house. There are even low service doors to give access for pot boys and cleaning staff. All the rooms have attractive fixed seating which looks as though it could have come from an ancient country pub.
The private bar and Campden Bar have counters with raked matchboard panelling whereas the Sherry Bar has fielded panelling. The latter also has a brick fireplace and, over it, a much yellowed picture of the eponymous castle. Spaces have been added in post-war times on the right-hand side. The pub's name is said to come from the fact that on a clear day Windsor Castle could be seen from it. Fuller's London Pride and a guest beer, on this occasion Caledonian Deuchars IPA, are usually served here.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
This plain, two-storey building of around 1825 sits at the summit of Campden Hill Road and was refitted about 1933. We know this because in the 'Sherry Bar' there is a plaque helpfully explaining that the oak used in that room was felled in the period 1930-32. Also helpful is the fact that the door glass names each of the three traditional rooms. The Sherry Bar is entered off Peel Street, the private bar is on the corner, while the Campden Bar lies along Campden Hill Road. Perhaps it says something for the upmarket nature of the area in the 1930s that the rooms have fancier names than the usual public bar, saloon, etc.
The mahogany bar-back is the sole survivor from the Victorian era. Otherwise the fittings are pretty much intact from the 1930s, even down to some pretty Arts & Crafts door furniture. Pride of place goes to the two screens which create three rooms very much in the manner of a Victorian public house. There are even low service doors to give access for pot boys and cleaning staff. All the rooms have attractive fixed seating which looks as though it could have come from an ancient country pub.
The private bar and Campden Bar have counters with raked matchboard panelling whereas the Sherry Bar has fielded panelling. The latter also has a brick fireplace and, over it, a much yellowed picture of the eponymous castle. Spaces have been added in post-war times on the right-hand side. The pub's name is said to come from the fact that on a clear day Windsor Castle could be seen from it. Fuller's London Pride and a guest beer, on this occasion Caledonian Deuchars IPA, are usually served here.
http://www.camranorthlondon.org.uk/londonpubsgroup/crawls.html
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