HOW OLD?

[Rodney Mills]

One Pub I still go to in Bolton was built in 1128, `Ye Olde Man And Scythe.`modernised in 1215. Lord Derby of Liverpool spent his last night there before he was Executed by beheading the next morning, His chair is still there and is reputed to be haunted by him.
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The oldest pub in Wellington NZ is I think the `The Thistle`opened in 1840. last time down there I said it was my first visit for 50 years, The boss put me on free beer all afternoon. and gave me a Cap.
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Cheers
Brian.

Dear Captain, I was told by a Western Oriental Gentleman that his cousin is coming over from the old country to offer to purchase it, instead of a sweet (Sweat?) shop, he and his first cousin spouse intend to buy "Ye Olde Man and Scythe" and rename it ( using an acronym) "Ye Olde Turbaned *** From Pakistan".

"Oh! Thank you very much", Rodney

[Roger Dyer]

Hi John (Happy Daze),

Have been to Cockington Green once or twice, but not for several years. On the last
occasion ( a particularly warm day) the pub was absolutely packed with thirsty tourists and it took 10 mins. to get served. To paraphrase Queen Vic, " I was not amused". It did spoil the enjoyment I expected from such a visit, but these things happen. Rather than the quaint English pub, it reminded me more of the 'Hole in the Wall' ( along the front at Southend-on-Sea) on a wet Saturday afternoon in August, with half the population of London crammed inside. (For our northern brothers, think a sea-front pub in Blackpool on a soggy Saturday in summer). The only thing missing was the 'Kiss Me Quick' hats on the ladies, kids hanging around outside with a fistful of candy floss (half of it stuck to their faces) and the all-pervasive smell of beer, vinegar, hot-dogs and fish and chips (at Cockington it was chicken and chips).

.......................Roger


p.s. Rodney will relate to this, I'm sure.

[Tony Wilding]

I remember the Hole in the Wall, The Ship, The Cornucopia, Army and Navy, only the Ship is left now, Kursaal now a housing estate, Gasworks and Jetty all gone, you would not recognise it there now, totally changed from the Kursaal to the Pier, Palm Trees planted along seafront up to the old swimming pool at Westcliff, that is a Casino now.Pier almost deserted, no character now, same as Old Leigh, Peter Boat Pub still there, but all gone upmarket now, no Pleasure Boats for 30 years now, still the Cockle Sheds and Cockle Boats, but fewer. old days gone forever, sad.

[Roger Dyer]

Hi Tony,

Thanks for the update on the Southend and Leigh-on-Sea of today....how depressing to learn that a chunk of my childhood has been swept away, all in the name of progress. Incidentally, Tony, as a young lad I lived in Leigh (1948-49) and had a mate named Roy West whose mother was an Osborne ( a well-known family amongst the cocklers and shrimpers of Leigh). Last I heard (about 2001), Roy West had a cockle shed of his own, almost opposite the 'Peter Boat'. Perhaps, you may know of him or the Osbornes (could be Osbourne, I forget).

Whilst I understand that we cannot halt the march of progress I do so wish it could be carried out with a little more thought and a little less haste. So often, it seems, we the people fall victim to the ambitious greed of property developers and the often misguided, muddled, thinking that proponents of 'progress at any price' inflict upon the rest of us. To illustrate my point, the City of London, which thirty years ago I still regarded as a dignified old lady. It is my belief that in the past 20 - 30 years they have deformed the face and character of this great city. Places of great historical interest and importance (the life-blood of tourism, one of Britain's greatest industries) have been overshadowed by the
ugliness of modern, high-rise , architecture that has transformed a city of grace into something resembling Dan Dare's hometown. I'm afraid the much-vaunted 'Shard' and that other phallic abomination that purport to be prime examples of modern architecture, do absolutely nothing for me. It's as if Catherine Zita Jones has suddenly grown several huge warts on the end of her nose. Heaven forbid, that London should develop a sky-line
like the modern, exciting, tastelessness of today's Shanghai.

Now, I shall put on my 'tommies' tin helmet and quietly await incoming


....................Roger

[happy daze john in oz]

Roger, next time you are down this way have a good look around Melbourne, how do these architects get away with it? Do they have nightmares and then put them on to paper as the design for the next obstrocity?

[Rodney Mills]

Tony,

Pray don't tell us 'The Ivy House' has gone too...therefor, the connecting world famous 'Regency Grill bar' must also be a thing of the past. Well I've saved some money, as the R.G.B. was my first catering job (from trainee chip fryer to a fully qualified hot deep fat artiste (four hours)), I had planned on financing a chair at Southend College on the impact of the R.G.B. and British traditional cuisine. Thanks to the Captain I canceled my fairwell trip to Jolly and am off to Tennessee in two weeks instead. So cancel the endowment and we will go the the Grand Old Oprey in Nashville twice.

I'm enjoying your posts about your new life, thanks.

Cheers, Rodney

[vic mcclymont]

The oldest Inn in England is Ye OldeTrip to Jerusalem. The pub is located in Nottingham beneath the Castle.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Here you go Keith.

Attachment 10861

John

One of my locals in the smoke was the friend at hand.

Friend At Hand:

The Friend at Hand is a cosy little pub just tucked around the corner from Russell Square tube station. Once inside you will be greeted by Friendly team.

AWAYS HAD IT IN MY MIND: The pub sign was two arms clasping, one a life boat man the other a sailor.

Wish I had taken a pic:

Now seems that was elswhere and this boozer was a St. Bernard and it's rum ?

LINK: The Friend At Hand, Bloomsbury, London « The endless British pub crawl

K.

[Lou Barron]

When the Wife and i on one of our trips to the UK my daughter and her husband took a week on one of the canal boats it was the Shropshire Union Canal .We use to stop about 4pm and find the nearest pub and some of these pubs had a lot of history and same with the villages like Wheaton Ashton,Gnosall Heath,Norbury,Market Drayton,Audlem and Nantwich and the food was really good

[happy daze john in oz]

, `. Lord Derby of Liverpool spent his last night there before he was Executed by beheading the next morning, His chair is still there and is reputed to be haunted by him.
.

Cheers
Brian.

By all accounts he was very cut up about it.