Sometimes I love London

[RedRider]

King's Arms in Kingly Street?

I was thinking the Sam Smith's establishments dotted around the capital but I'll add the king's arms to the list!

 

[Pale Rider]

I was thinking the Sam Smith's establishments dotted around the capital but I'll add the king's arms to the list!

I used to work in Warwick Street and our little squad of after work drinkers used the King's Arms a fair bit, not least because it was cheap.

There was a Whitbread pub along Beak Street which was largely unmolested - tatty - and charged a bit less than some.

 

[Peter88]

A friend of mine used to be the landlord of The Cock Tavern near Oxford Circus, Last time i went in (Aug 2012) it was less than £3 for a pint .

 

[CopperBrompton]

Do you Londoners enjoy paying nearly £4 a pint? Up here it is £2.70 to £3

Yeah, but they make you drink it up there ...

 

[RedRider]

Idiosyncratic establishments Sam Smiths. I think it is just the Lea&Perrins and the Tabasco that isn't own brand.

I was up in Tadcaster for a stag do. It's a strange town of breweries and I heard some stories about the Dickensian brother Humphrey Smith who owns the Sam Smiths operation.
One of his loyal brewers said old Humphrey is often seen tiptoeing across the shop floor in ancient shoes, trying to avoid puddles of brewing waste lest it soaks his socks through holey soles. New shoes seen as wasteful extravagance by millionaire? It sounds improbable but I'm assured it's true.
It seems he owns swathes of the housing stock in the town which he rents out to his workforce - but only the morally correct - at knock down rates. One has to be married to get a lease so I'm told, and none of this new-fangled living in sin nonsense for Humphrey.
Another tale, which checks out on Wikipedia is...

On 29 January 2012, the story emerged that Humphrey Smith had closed the Junction Inn in Royton, on New Year's Eve 2011, because the landlords were dispensing too much beer into their pints. He has subsequently issued a retrospective surcharge of £10,733 for lost stock over a 12 year period.[13]

The way I heard it was he went into the bar, saw a pint being over-measured and kicked everyone out.
Funny thing is, the people I met spoke fondly of him as an eccentric from another age.

 

[Christopher]

Come to think of it, the Slug and Lettuce in Lisle St (WC2 7BG, near Leicester Square) sells (or sold) good beer for significantly less than the London average. Can't say how much less, haven't been there for a while.
Bree Loiuse near Euston, old Parcel Hall at Kings Cross, Star in Belgravia - if you can find it, it is behind the German Embassy, and a new brewpub in Spitalfields are all excellent boozers btw. IMO. I don't mind that much paying good money for good beer.

 

[Markymark]

Ah, extra money on beer is just a tax on our awesomeness for living in London and worth every penny.

 

[booze and cake]

I notice an absence of footprints down the to waters edge, you did'nt go for a dip then?

It was indeed grim weather last night, I cycled 10 miles across town at 9pm and came as close drowning as its possible to get while riding, and so windy it was pretty dangerous signalling at times. When I got home my fleece must have weighed more than my bike and I'm still waiting for my shoes to dry out before I can go for a ride today.

 

[RedRider]

Was at the Royal festival Hall last night. Signed the under croft petition. The wind off the river smoked my cigarette in a minute flat. Was on call so no alcohol sadly. Met my OH and godson. Saw a show with clowns that was a lot better than you'd expect with clowns. Still no alcohol. Cycled home at OH pace through the wind and rain. Hope in my heart, cap firmly attached to head.

 

[Christopher]

I used to go for walks along the foreshore of the Thames at low tide near Wapping - I think you can still get down the old stairs directly onto the foreshore at various points. It is amazing how many structures there are in the river, especially at spring lows where you might see things that are almost always submerged (an old jetty for example, near Blackfriars IIRC)

 

[Wobblers]

Character building stuff. I was blown to a standstill, where the wind comes round a tall building, and had to walk for 30m.

And there I was thinking that you already had plenty of character...

PS: do you think it would have helped if you'd thought to stow the parachute before getting on the bike?

 

[Wobblers]

[QUOTE 2829279, member: 1314"]Wasn’t psychedelic last night. Left a Smithfield Market pub about 9pm and it was hammering it down, stormy winds gusting, heavy hailstones hitting. I did 6 miles and got to the petrol station at Clapham South and a car pulled out without looking as I approached. His window was all misted up so I’d slowed anyway. As he passed, I braked, he looked at me, carried on. I came to a halt, Goose beer 6.8% having been drunk all evening took control of my mind, I forgot how to unclip. For a split second I did the perfect trackstand. Then fell slowly to my left, heaving through the rain, hit the pavement with my shoulder, looked over my right shoulder at the departing car, and gave him the bird. Got back up, straightened the handlebars, tweaked the front brake back into place, cycled to the shop and got a cheap bottle of vodka, had a swig, then blasted back off into the heart of the storm.
[/quote]

CoG! I thought that you'd have learned after August! Did you manage to avoid the bollards this time???

 

[RedRider]

Just as the weather caught up...

...on Putney Bridge.

This was on the way back from Hampton Court today, somewhere I'd not been before. A grimace on the way there and a tailwind home. The first spots of cold rain in my face as I took these.

 

[martint235]

You still seem to be spoling the pictures by sticking a bike in the way.....

 

[RedRider]

it's lovely being off work this week and riding about this great city. Just back from Primrose Hill and coffee and cake with a mate. I meant to head onto Highgate to see if I could see that working horse in the wood but forgot all about it momentarily and turned for home by mistake.
Thinking of where to go tomorrow morning now. Open to ideas.