I can't remember such an exciting final day and I won't be there. Watford are third, a point behind second-placed Hull with one game each to play. Hull have failed in the last two games to get the points they need to ensure automatic promotion, giving the Horns the opportunity to close a gap that opened up again after we went to their stadium and won. This Saturday, Watford host mid-table nothing-to-play-for Leeds, while Hull are visited by already-champions Cardiff. They have the harder game on paper and have already choked twice but who knows? Watford's game is live on Sky so although I couldn't get one of the tickets (it's sold out) I will be watching as it all plays out. Come on you Horns!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Goal-tastic
Watford are in third (though Leicester have two games in hand and are only three points behind) after thumping Birmingham 4-0 at St Andrews. The Horns have the best away record in the division and - as the BBC reports below - have scored the most goals.
One of our many loans from Udinese, the Czech international Matej Vydra, is our top scorer with 19 so far this season while Troy Deeney is having a great season and has netted 12 times. I have not been. My little boy is 18 months old and I will have to think carefully about whether I would buy a season ticket if we went up. It's great to have such a dilemma: with 10 points between us and seventh place, a play-off place looks likely with 14 games left.
One of our many loans from Udinese, the Czech international Matej Vydra, is our top scorer with 19 so far this season while Troy Deeney is having a great season and has netted 12 times. I have not been. My little boy is 18 months old and I will have to think carefully about whether I would buy a season ticket if we went up. It's great to have such a dilemma: with 10 points between us and seventh place, a play-off place looks likely with 14 games left.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
On the road
The Horns aren't doing too bad in Yorkshire. A 6-1 win at Elland Road on 10th of this month was followed up with a 4-1 win at Hillsborough tonight. We've gone undefeated in the month and moved right up to 8th. Not going too bad: the team seems to have gelled.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Crashing out
The Pozzo's football team was involved in big cup action today at home. That was Udinese in the Champions League. Their English team was involved at a slightly lower level, fielding a second string at home to Bradford in the Capital One Cup. I glimpsed at the text service on the BBC a couple of times and left it when we went 1-0 up in the 70th minute. When I looked again, we'd let in two and lost to League Two opposition.
The eternal excuse is that we are concentrating on the league. With six points from the first three games, we've had a good start (beat Palace away, lost at home to Ipswich and beat Birmingham). We're in fifth, three teams are unbeaten and Blackpool have won three out of three. At the other end, Palace and Peterborough are yet to get off the mark. Our real aim is for new manager Gianfranco Zola to take us higher than the eighth that the sacked ex-manager Sean Dyche took us to last season. Playoffs would be nice.
The eternal excuse is that we are concentrating on the league. With six points from the first three games, we've had a good start (beat Palace away, lost at home to Ipswich and beat Birmingham). We're in fifth, three teams are unbeaten and Blackpool have won three out of three. At the other end, Palace and Peterborough are yet to get off the mark. Our real aim is for new manager Gianfranco Zola to take us higher than the eighth that the sacked ex-manager Sean Dyche took us to last season. Playoffs would be nice.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
New owners at the Vic
The deal has not been done but it looks likely that the Pozzos, who own Granada in la Liga and Udinese in Seria A, will buy the Horns from Laurence Bassini, who is hardly a hit amongst fans. The Pozzo family have money and football pedigree. I foresee taking my son to Premiership games before too long.
Put your money where your mouth is
I do enjoy a gamble and wrote about my biggest win before on this blog more than once. My favourite win, however, was telling an ex-colleague she was wrong when she said she'd been to the capital of Kazakhstan and winning £2 when - to her surprise - she discovered it had been moved from Almaty to Astana after she'd visited.
I've placed a few bets during Euro 2012, where, after taking 7 points out of 9 in the group stage "England unexpectedly expect" according to a Guardian headline. I had money on Danny Welbeck to score against Sweden but my biggest win so far was £11.78 on Rooney to score and England to beat Ukraine at 4/1 with William Hill. Watched the match with Faisel, Allen and Ruben at the Garage, Islington and celebrated the surprise of avoiding Spain in the quarter-finals.
France have that pleasure. Some of my quarter-final bets are made. I bet £20 on Portugal and Germany to win and got in-play evens on Portugal today so won a tenner from a late Ronaldo goal (and my double is still alive). I also put a "cheeky" fiver on Spain v France and England v Italy to both be draws at 90 mins. 8.57/1, so worth a flutter.
My biggest loss, incidentally, came with 2 bets on Russia when they lost 1-0 to Greece and went out of the competition. I'm hoping Greece don't do the double over me against the Germans tomorrow.
I've placed a few bets during Euro 2012, where, after taking 7 points out of 9 in the group stage "England unexpectedly expect" according to a Guardian headline. I had money on Danny Welbeck to score against Sweden but my biggest win so far was £11.78 on Rooney to score and England to beat Ukraine at 4/1 with William Hill. Watched the match with Faisel, Allen and Ruben at the Garage, Islington and celebrated the surprise of avoiding Spain in the quarter-finals.
France have that pleasure. Some of my quarter-final bets are made. I bet £20 on Portugal and Germany to win and got in-play evens on Portugal today so won a tenner from a late Ronaldo goal (and my double is still alive). I also put a "cheeky" fiver on Spain v France and England v Italy to both be draws at 90 mins. 8.57/1, so worth a flutter.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
2011-2012
Despite being in the country for the entire season, I never got to see the Horns this year. They finished well: we didn't lose in March, winning at Bristol City and Leeds and beating Ipswich with a draw in that month and four in May, as well as a first defeat at home to Blackpool, who made the play-offs, before finishing with a win over Middlesbrough, who finished 7th. The Golden Boys ended in 11th, four positions higher than I'd imagined was possible. Next season, I will get there and hopefully take my son to his first game(s).
Reading were champions and Southampton join them in the Premiership, achieving consecutive promotions, while West Ham, who looked favourites to return for so long, play Cardiff. Blackpool have Birmingham to deal with.
Chelsea beat Barcelona to get to the Champions League final against Bayern in Munich, meaning the expected all-Spanish affair never materialised. Tottenham still look a possibility for the fourth CL place but a Chelsea victory on May 19th would render Spurs' blistering first half of the season meaningless. Their recent blips, if such a prolonged period of failure can be termed such, was said by some to be the unsettling effect of the imminent departure of their manager for the England post vacated by Capello over the (ahem - allegedly) racist Terry's treatment. The appointment of Roy Hodgson to lead the national team to the Euros over tax-dodging Redknapp means the latter can prove himself all over again in the Premiership next year.
Reading were champions and Southampton join them in the Premiership, achieving consecutive promotions, while West Ham, who looked favourites to return for so long, play Cardiff. Blackpool have Birmingham to deal with.
Chelsea beat Barcelona to get to the Champions League final against Bayern in Munich, meaning the expected all-Spanish affair never materialised. Tottenham still look a possibility for the fourth CL place but a Chelsea victory on May 19th would render Spurs' blistering first half of the season meaningless. Their recent blips, if such a prolonged period of failure can be termed such, was said by some to be the unsettling effect of the imminent departure of their manager for the England post vacated by Capello over the (ahem - allegedly) racist Terry's treatment. The appointment of Roy Hodgson to lead the national team to the Euros over tax-dodging Redknapp means the latter can prove himself all over again in the Premiership next year.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Seven out of nine
There have been several games since I posted last but coming from behind to beat Burnley at the Vic, followed by a draw at second-placed West Ham and a victory at Derby's Pride Park has done wonders for our league position. One of our loanees - Alex Kacaniklic from Fulham (the other is ManU's Tomasz Kuszczak) - got assists for both goals on Saturday and scored the week before that. We've now reached a giddy 14th and another season's safety has been ensured.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Eternally eighteenth
Despite defeat at home last week and a 3-0 beating at St Andrews yesterday, WFC are still in 18th. With the two teams directly above us losing too, we haven't slid backwards but ground has been made below us with Bristol City and Millwall both notching up victories.Darius Henderson got his second consecutive hat-trick for the Lions at Bansley. I'd have him back.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Lagging behind
I stuck a tenner on us today, fancying us to beat a Reading side that are up in the playoff positions. The match was live on Sky Sports 2 so I was able to stream it through EPL site (a bit laggy, but ok). The Horns scored first when Cummings stabbed into his own goal but Reading were back in it before half time and looked likely to get the late goal that the commentator started tempting fate about. Their sub came on and sunk us.
The fourth round tie is on the Friday and you have to have been to another game this season to have a chance of getting ONE ticket. Luckily - I suppose - Virgin gave us a month's free ESPN and they are screening it so I'll be watching a second live match on a screen at home this month. It won't be the feed that lags in that match.
The fourth round tie is on the Friday and you have to have been to another game this season to have a chance of getting ONE ticket. Luckily - I suppose - Virgin gave us a month's free ESPN and they are screening it so I'll be watching a second live match on a screen at home this month. It won't be the feed that lags in that match.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Spurs come a-calling
Watford's unbeaten run came to an end in the first game of the year. They'd beaten Darlington 4-1 at the Vic on NYE (Sordell got 2) but went down 2-0 at Fratton Park a couple of days later. They are currently 18th and have been there and about since October. With the league pretty tight, a winning run could put them right up there but it doesn't look likely (from this armchair, anyway).
On Saturday, the Horns battered Bradford 4-2 in the cup third round and the following day were drawn home again to slightly bigger opposition. Tottenham - flying high in 3rd in the Premiership - come calling on the 28th January and I am hoping to be there for my first game since April. COYH!
On Saturday, the Horns battered Bradford 4-2 in the cup third round and the following day were drawn home again to slightly bigger opposition. Tottenham - flying high in 3rd in the Premiership - come calling on the 28th January and I am hoping to be there for my first game since April. COYH!
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Unbeaten in seven
Watford have not lost since the day of my birthday party when my 'Boro friend John came and delighted in seeing his team triumph 1-0 at home. It had been a mixed handful of games before that, with wins punctuating away defeats in "the most competitive league" in the country (TM). Since then, however, it has been mostly draws that have kept us unbeaten and as a consequence we have hardly moved in terms of relative league position. On Boxing Day we went one up but were held by Cardiff on Malky's first return. Clearly, if we keep this up, we will finish exactly where I predicted. I've still yet to go this season, though. Mediocrity rarely felt so rewarding.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Sofa so mediocre
Sean Dyche's reign did not begin well but a first win of the season yesterday at the Madjeski has added a tint of blue to the stratosphere. Hammered by West Ham in a game I was refused permission by my wife from going to, it took a draw that felt like a point won at home to Birmingham before the international break for The 'Orns to feel like the fates were not against them.
15th, this season, I reckon and I'm not sure I'll get to any of them now the next Watford Boy is here.
15th, this season, I reckon and I'm not sure I'll get to any of them now the next Watford Boy is here.
Wednesday, July 06, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
The run-in
I am back in Britain and made the Vic one of my first stop-offs for the Hull match, which we lost 2-1. Since then we have drawn 2-2 at home to Norwich and an Elland Road game finished the same. On Good Friday, captain John Eustace scored after 43 seconds to win the home game against Barnsley and today we lost 4-2 after twice being ahead at Leicester.
Entrenched firmly in mid-table, there is little for Watford to play for when soon-to-be-champions QPR visit next Saturday. I may go but Joss has now established himself at the back of the ground with some friends and the youngest Watford Boy will not be born for three more months. I warned in the last entry that my football blog may be coming to a close. With Joss' evolution that time seems to be upon me.
Entrenched firmly in mid-table, there is little for Watford to play for when soon-to-be-champions QPR visit next Saturday. I may go but Joss has now established himself at the back of the ground with some friends and the youngest Watford Boy will not be born for three more months. I warned in the last entry that my football blog may be coming to a close. With Joss' evolution that time seems to be upon me.
Monday, January 03, 2011
In Spirit
I may be 11,358 miles away (or 13 hours ahead) but enjoy the news of Watford's fifth straight win (2-1 at Scunthorpe) and seventh game without defeat. Three wins out of three in December (snow prevented matches) - beating Sven's Leicester 3-2 at home; inflicting QPR's first league defeat of the season (3-1 at Loftus Road); thrashing protion-chasing Cardiff 4-1 at the Vic - have been followed by a 3-0 over Portsmouth before this latest triumph. We are top scorers in the division and now have the prospect of suffering for our success: Burnley are sniffing after our manager and I'm sure there will be bids for top-scorer Danny Graham. As is pointed out with crushing regularity at this time of year, we are "a selling club".
Friday, December 31, 2010
Beer as art
My twenty four weeks in London were an extension of an on-going period of time-off that began in China, October 2008, and saw me washing down and then writing down the beers I came across. Half of my London goal, then, was to drink as many different beers – and more specifically ales – as I could. My main limitation was not financial, temporal or biological but merely the monotony of choice in many of the pubs I visited. Invariably, in those tied-houses, I would have a half and move on in search of greater diversity.
I list the ales here because, after all, that is what writing them down is about. Before that though, two things. First I recommend Morocco by Daleside brewery as my favourite: spicy and full-bodied. Great in the summer and probably equally suited to the winter. Second, I laid claim during my summer of ale to this being a type of performance art, an observation met with scorn by one of my mates in particular (“Well, he’s a lager drinker,” it was said of him). So, if I cannot be said to be a performance artist for managing 300 pubs and 400 beers in 2010, perhaps we can agree on a simpler term: "p. artist" will do.
Happy New Year all.
297 Ales
1. Acorn Old Moor Porter
2. Adnams Bitter
3. Adnams Southwold Stout
4. Adnams Broadside
5. Adnams East Green Carbon Neutral
6. Adnam’s Explorer
7. Adnams Regatta
8. Adnams Ghost Ship
9. Adnam’s Gunhill (good spicy beer)
10. Anglo Dutch Kletsman
11. Arram Dark
12. Badger England’s Gold
13. Badger Fursty Ferret
14. Badger First Gold
15. Badger Golden Champion
16. Badger Golden Glory
17. Badger Original Ale
18. Banks’s UCB
19. Bank Top Dark Mild
20. Barnsley Gold
21. Bass
22. Bateman’s GHA
23. Bateman’s XXXB
24. Bateman Victory Ale
25. Batemans Valiant
26. Bath ales Ginger Hare
27. Bath ales Barnstormer
28. Bath ales Gem
29. Battledown Natural Selection
30. B&T Phantom Thirst
31. Beartown
32. Black Beauty Porter
33. Black Sheep
34. Black Sheep Gold Sheep
35. Boddingtons
36. Brain’s Dark
37. Brains SA
38. Brain’s Monty’s Magic
39. Brains Steam Wagon
40. Brain’s SA Gold
41. Brain’s Merlin’s Oak
42. Brains (Buckley) Reverend James
43. Brakspear EPA
44. Brakspear bitter
45. Brakspear Oxford Gold
46. Brakspear Triple
47. Brew Dog Punk IPA
48. Brooklyn Brewery
49. Burton Bridge Kingsway
50. Bushy’s Piston Brew
51. Butcombe Bitter
52. Cairgorm Black Gold
53. Caffreys
54. Caledonian Autumn Red
55. Caledonian Mellow Yellow
56. Caledonian Edinburgh strong ale
57. Camden Pale Ale
58. Camden Wheat Lager
59. Camden Hells Lager
60. Camden Wheat Beer (?)
61. Cannon Royall Fruiterer’s Mild
62. Castle Rock Harvest Pale
63. Celt Golden Ale
64. Chiltern Ale
65. Clark’s Rams Revenge
66. Coach House Dick Turpin
67. Cottage Champflower
68. Courage Best
69. Cropton dutch wink
70. Dale’s Old Chestnut
71. Daleside Morocco
72. Dark Horse Birdie
73. Dartmoor Best
74. Davenport’s Fury
75. Derventio Emperor’s Whim
76. Deuchars IPA
77. Earl Soham Sir Roger’s Porter
78. Elgood’s Cambridge bitter
79. Elgood’s Strong Bitter
80. Elmwood Good Cheer Beer
81. Everard’s Equinox
82. Everard’s Flourish
83. Everard’s Golden Zest
84. Everards Sunchaser
85. Everards Tiger
86. Falstaff Harpy
87. Felinfoel Double Dragon
88. Flowers Original
89. Fraoch Heather Ale
90. Freewinner Bumble Bee Honey Ale
91. Fuller’s Red fox
92. Fuller’s Discovery
93. Fuller’s ESB
94. Fuller’s London Pride
95. Fuller’s Mr Harry
96. Fuller’s Chiswick
97. Fuller’s Honeydew
98. Fuller’s 1845
99. George Gale Seafarers Ale
100. Golcar Dark Mild
101. Goacher’s Stout
102. Great Newsome Pricky Back Otchan
103. Great Oakley Gobble
104. Green Jack Orange Wheat
105. Greene King Abbots
106. GK Abbott Reserve
107. Greene King Back of the net
108. Greene King Bretwalda
109. Greene King George Inn ale
110. Greene King IPA
111. Greene King LBW
112. Greene King Olde Trip
113. Greene King Phoenix
114. Greene King Royal London
115. Greene King St Edmunds
116. Greene King Sherlock Holmes Ale
117. Greene King Sun Dance
118. Greene King London Glory
119. Guinness Red
120. Guinness
121. Harvey’s Sussex beer
122. Henry’s IPA
123. High House Farm Cyril the Magnificent
124. Hogs Back Tea
125. Holden’s Bottom knocker
126. Holden’s Bitter
127. Hook Norton Haymaker
128. Hop Back Summer Lightning
129. Hydes Ringmaster
130. Hydes Hubble Bubble
131. Ind Coope’s Burton Ale
132. Island Brewery Yachtsman
133. Jennings Cocker Hoop
134. Jennings Golden Host
135. Jennings Sneck Lifter
136. JW Lees Chocaholic
137. Kelburn Red Smiddy
138. Kelham Pale Rider
139. Kelham island Pride of Sheffield
140. Kilkenny Smithwicks
141. Kingstone 1503
142. Leeds Monsoon
143. Lion Stout
144. Loddon Bamboozle
145. Lymestone Stone Cutter
146. Marston’s Brewers Droop
147. Marston’s Double drop
148. Marston’s Old Empire
149. Marston’s Owd Roger
150. Marston’s Oyster Stout
151. Marston’s Pedigree
152. Mauldon’s Mole Trap
153. McMullen Country bitter
154. McMullen IPA
155. McMullen Golden Bitter
156. Meantime London
157. Meanwhile Pale ale
158. Mighty Oak Ale
159. Milestone (Notts) Shine On
160. Mongozo Banana beer
161. Moorhouse’s Pride of Pendle
162. Moorhouse’s Pendle Witches Brew
163. Mordue Workie Ticket
164. Morland Old Speckled Hen
165. Morland Old Crafty Hen
166. Murphy’s
167. Naylor’s Black and Tan
168. Nelson Core Commander
169. Nethergate Old Growler
170. Nethergate Sweeney Todd
171. Nethergate Three Point Nine
172. Newby Wyke England Expects
173. North Yorkshire Crystal Tips
174. Oakham Ales Last of the Few
175. Oak leaf Hole hearted
176. O’ Hanlon’s Dragon Ale
177. Otley 01
178. Palm Steenhuffel Blond
179. Phoenix Monkeytown mild
180. Pitstop Penelope
181. Porterhouse Brain Blasta
182. Porterhouse Plain Porter
183. Porterhouse Red
184. Porterhouse Oyster Stout
185. Purity UBU
186. Purity Mad goose
187. RCH Pitchfork
188. RCH Old Slug Porter
189. Redemption Pale Ale
190. Ringwood Best Bitter
191. Ringwood Boondoggle
192. Ringwood Old Thumper
193. Rooster’s Bangtail
194. Rudgate Battle axe
195. Rudgate Ruby Mild
196. Ruddles County
197. Salamander Dark Corner
198. Salem Porterhouse
199. Sambrook’s Wandle
200. Sambrook’s Junction
201. Samuel Adams Blonde Ambition
202. Samuel Smiths Taddy Lager
203. Sam Smiths Sovereign
204. Sam Smiths Old Best
205. Ss Taddy porter
206. Samuel Smiths Alpine Lager
207. SS Pure Brewed Lager
208. SS Organic Cherry Beer
209. Sam Smiths Stout
210. SS Oatmeal Stout
211. Sam Smiths Organic wheat beer
212. Samuel Smiths Nut Brown Ale
213. S&N Bulldog
214. S&N Newcastle Brown ALe
215. Sharp’s Cornish coaster
216. Sharp’s Doombar
217. Sharp’s Special
218. Sharp’s Red Ale
219. Shepherd Neame Whitstable Bay
220. Shepherd Neame Spitfire
221. Shepherd Neame Canterbury Jack
222. Shepherd Neame Late Red
223. Shepherd Neame Bishop’s Finger
224. Shepherd Neame Kent’s Best
225. Shepherd Neame Goldings
226. Sierra Nevada
227. Skinner Betty Stogs
228. Skipton Copper Dragon
229. Slater’s Premium
230. Sleeman IPA
231. Soltaire Harvest Moon Ale
232. St Austell Black Friar
233. St Austell Proper Job
234. St Austell Tribute
235. Stonehenge Pigswill
236. An ale called “swift”
237. Tetley’s Cask
238. Tetley’s Midsommer Madness
239. Tetley’s Headless Huntsman
240. Theakston Old Peculier
241. Thornbridge Jaipur
242. Thornbridge Wild Swan
243. Thornbridge Kipling
244. Three Castles, Pewsey Saxon Archer
245. Thwaites Lancaster Bomber
246. Thwaite’s Highwayman
247. Thwaite’s Wainwright
248. Thwaites Original
249. Thwaite’s Strong Brown Ale
250. Timothy Taylor Landlord
251. Tom Wood’s Vanilla Orchid
252. Triple F Autumn Daze
253. Truman’s Runner
254. Tryst Blathen
255. TS A Double Espresso
256. Twickenham Naked Ladies
257. Wadworth Henry’s
258. Warwicks Purity
259. Wells & Young Courage Directors
260. Wells Bombadier
261. Wells Bombadier Burning Gold
262. Wells Banana Bread Beer
263. Wells Waggle Dance
264. Welton’s Heatwave
265. Welton’s Ewell sticks
266. Welton’s Chactonbury
267. Welton’s Magog
268. Welton’s Liquid Lunch
269. Welton’s Same Again
270. Westerham 1965
271. Westerham’s Grasshopper
272. Westerham Special Pale Ale
273. Westgate Back of the net
274. Westgate Gangly Ghoul
275. Winchester Ale
276. Windie Goat Final fling
277. White Moon (????) GB
278. White Horse Bitter
279. White Horse Wayland Smithy
280. Wolf straw dog
281. Woodforde’s Wherry
282. Wood’s Wonderful
283. World Top Mars Magic
284. Worthington’s
285. Wrasslers XXXX Full Stout
286. Wychwood Hobgoblin
287. Wychwood King Goblin (Special Reserve)
288. Young’s Best
289. Youngs Double chocolate stout
290. York England’s Pride
291. York Brewery Centurion’s Ghost Ale
292. Young’s Golden Ale
293. Young’s London Gold
294. Young’s Kew
295. Young’s Light Ale
296. Young’s Ram Rod
297. Youngs Special
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
London’s Superlative Pubs
Further to my report of the summer's expedition, I present here my first list of my findings.
The First Irish Pub outside Ireland
Though a particular acquaintance of mine may be so boorish as to propose that more than half of the three hundred pubs I looked in on were different branches of “O’Neills”, pay such nonsense no heed. I endeavoured to circumvent chains of the same name and entered not a single “Slug and Lettuce”, “All Bar One” or “Pitcher and Piano”. It would be remiss of me to fail to concede that I did deign to sup in a single “O’Neills” but compensated for a perceived – and entirely mistaken – tendency to be less than original by stopping by “The Tipperary” on Fleet Street, the site of a pub since 1605 and an Irish one for more than three hundred years. Some nice panelling and mirrors, but why there weren’t Guinness-themed hats on everybody’s head, I still fail to comprehend.
London’s First (and only) Scottish Pub
Remaining with the Celtic theme, “The Rob Roy” near Edgware Road underground station displays a breadth of football memorabilia related to Scottish teams. Though the landlord was a jovial chap, the establishment had no beers of note and little to recommend it or Scottish pubs in general.
The Oldest Riverside Pub
Visible across the Thames from the friends’ house in Rotherhithe where I stayed for half of my time in London, Wapping’s “Prospect of Whitby” is a characterful 490-year-old destination with good ales and a noose hanging on the banks of the river to boot (“Hanging” Judge Jeffries used to drink here). A haunt for artists and writers at various times, its modern claim to celebrity comprises Del Boy’s visit in an episode of OF&H.
London’s Most Beautiful Pub
There may be some competition for this accolade, but I must declare the “Warrington Hotel” in Maida Vale to be my champion. Ornate on a grand scale, if one is to close one’s eyes ever-so-slightly, one could believe one were in a Renaissance Ballroom.
London’s Best Real Ale Pub
The dingy “Bree Louise” in close proximity to Euston train station has been awarded CAMRA’s London Pub of the Year status on more than one occasion but as I was fortuitous enough - when staying in Kentish Town - to live around the corner from “The Pineapple”, I availed myself of its beer festival on consecutive evenings and supped a dozen brews.
London’s Grottiest Pub
Whilst there may be other contenders from the three hundred pubs I visited for “most beautiful” status, “The Globe” on Lisson Grove wins this category peerlessly. Adjectives fail me.
Best Theme Pub
Though full of suits when I visited, “The Sherlock Holmes” on Northumberland Avenue wins in this category for its range of exhibits. My favourite was the Greene King “Shelock Holmes” Ale, though admittedly it tasted suspiciously like the Greene King “George Inn Ale” found in Borough.
Thrice one hundred public houses
After nineteen months of cultural enrichment travelling the world between late 2008 and mid-2010, I determined to ensure my return to the greatest city in the solar system™ did not result in immediate philistinism. To that end, I revisited a handful of the big galleries and some of the major museums as well as journeying to England’s great centres of learning in my twenty four weeks in the United Kingdom but it was my efforts as regards those smaller institutions of cultivation, the public houses (and the tasting of the beverages within), which may be judged – by others, naturally, for I would not presume to assert thus – to have reached the status of ‘art’.[1]
Ultimately, the one hundred and sixty seven days I remained in England occasioned the visitation of three hundred and fifteen such establishments. Fourteen lay outside the boundaries of Greater London and it is the other three hundred and one which constitute the pool from which I draw the observations and opinions that make up my next log entries. The reputable organisation CAMRA asserts that the capital maintains approximately five thousand seven hundred public houses but other sources count as many as seven thousand. I hope I will be allowed, therefore, to claim that my summer jaunts in the name of art and culture took me to somewhere in the region of five percent of all London pubs.Sadly, it has been reported in the venerable Times of London that British public houses are becoming defunct at the rate of fifty two per week. For that reason it is appropriate before listing to mourn a paragon of ale houses, the “Black Horse” in Fitzrovia which served an impressive range (it was a Nicholson’s pub) when I visited on twentieth June but which will quench travellers’ thirst no more.
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