Birmingham is the UK’s second city and one that includes some excellent pub names. In the spirit of mine and my dear friend Sam’s book of London pub names and my subsequent blogs for Wolverhampton and Nottingham, I’ve decided to pick some of the most interesting pub names, mainly from central Birmingham and researched the stories behind their names. Let’s crack on with the show!
Actress & Bishop 6 Ludgate Hill, B3 1EH
We start this blog in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. The Actress & Bishop is located in a former jewellery workshop which was converted into a pub in 1998. The name appears to come from the old punchline “said the actress to the bishop” when telling a slightly blue joke. This inspired Brian Bollard to write a comic titled “The Actress & The Bishop which began in the 1970s. The US equivalent of this is the phrase “that’s what she said” which of course was made famous in the American version of The Office.
Bear & Staff Selly Oak, B29 6ND
Heraldry is often depicted in pub signs and here is another classic example. The bear and staff are famously the symbol of the Earl of Warwick and therefore pubs on his land would have used this pub sign. This pub in Selly Oak still remembers this tradition, even if Birmingham and the surrounding areas were carved out of Warwickshire and Staffordshire to make the county of the West Midlands in the 1970s.
The Briar Rose 25 Bennetts Hill, B2 5RE
Our first Wetherspoons of this blog, The Briar Rose remembers a series of paintings by Birmingham-born artist Edward Burne-Jones. Born in 1833, he met William Morris at university and the two men decided to dedicate their lives to art. The paintings in question are themed around the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty.
The Figure of Eight 236-239 Broad Street, B1 2HG
I can’t do a blog about Birmingham and not mention the fact that Birmingham has more canals than Venice! Indeed, the canals are behind the name of this Wetherspoons. Given Birmingham’s central location in the country, the canal network is centred here, making a figure of eight.
The Flapper Cambrian Wharf, Kingston Row, B1 2NU
Icons of the Roaring 1920s, flapper was the term used to describe the subculture that existed amongst young women at the time. They often bobbed their hair and listened to jazz music. Indeed the pub sign depicts a black and white painting of a flapper. The pub is a live music venue, which might explain the name.
The Head of Steam 37 Temple Street, B2 5DP
Hinting at Birmingham’s industrial past, The Head of Steam is a craft beer pub that opened in 2018. A Head of Steam is the force when steam is put under pressure, given Birmingham’s role in the Industrial Revolution, the name is a nice nod to the city’s heritage.
The Jam House 3-5 St Paul’s Square, B3 1QU
Opened by Jools Holland in 1999, this music pub is located in the Jewellery Quarter. A fairly straightforward name given the pub’s focus on live music, where jamming is the term used by musicians when improvising together.
The London & North Western New Street Station, B2 4QE
Birmingham’s newest Wetherspoons pays homage to the railway company which built the original station in the 1840s and 1850s. The company lasted until the amalgamation of the railway companies in 1923 into the “Big Four” when the LNWR became part of the London, Midland & Scotland Railway.
The Old Contemptibles 176 Edmund Street, B3 2HB
I love this name. The Old Comtemptibles is the nickname given to the British Expeditionary Force or the BEF during the First World War. Led by Sir John French, they were responsible for delaying the German advance at Mons at the start of the war. Their actions led to Kaiser Wilhelm II ordering his generals to wipe out the “‘contemptible little army”. The nickname stuck and those heroes became known as The Old Comtempibles. So much so, that the service medal is named after them, alongside this pub next to Snow Hill station.
The Old Joint Stock 4 Temple Row West, B2 5NY
This pub and theatre is located on Temple Row, opposite Birmingham Cathedral. The building was originally built in the 1800s as a library for the cathedral but was subsequently turned into the Old Joint Stock Bank. The pubs remember the former use of the building and the dining rooms include the former Manager’s Office.
The Patrick Kavanagh 142 Trafalgar Road, B13 8BX
Located to the south of the city centre, this pub remembers the Irish poet and novelist who lived from 1904-1967. His most famous work is Tarry Flynn. Interestingly the actor Russell Crowe is a fan of his works, quoting one of his poems when he won Best Actor at the 2002 Oscars.
The Square Peg 115 Corporation Street, B4 6PH
The main Wetherspoons in Brum has a very unusual name. Most Spoons are named after local interests, such as a location, person or tradition. This one is a bit more unique, however. This pub is located in the old Lewis’s department store, and when observing the plans to convert the block into a pub, the company’s owner, Tim Martin remarked that it looked like a square peg in a round hole. The name stuck and it has been called this ever since.
The Trocadero Temple Street, B2 5BG
A Spanish-inspired name on this occasion. Trocadero is the name of a fort near Cadiz in southern Spain which was captured in battle by the French in 1823. This victory was honoured by the building which now sits opposite the Eiffel Tower across the Seine in Paris. The name was taken on by several hotels and restaurants across Britain, including this pub on Temple Street.
So there you have it, some of Birmingham’s most interesting pub names. Have I missed an obvious one? If so, just let me know and I can always add it in!
My thanks to Danny Curtis for letting me use his great photos for this blog!
It’s been my home for the past nine years and to me it is the best part of London, so much so that some of my friends at times have called me “Mr Archway” at times given how much I wax lyrical about this patch of North London. By why? Why is Archway the best corner of our great city? Well, I thought I’d finally put these reasons in writing and share them with the world in this short blog.
If I’m to put it simply, I firmly believe Archway has a bit of everything and is a good mix of what London has to offer. The town centre has some excellent places like the Bread & Bean café, Crudough Pizza restaurant and pubs like the Oak & Pastor, St John’s Tavern, Archway Tavern and the Whittington Stone. But there are also usual high street staples like Gregg’s, Costa Coffee, charity shops and bookies, all of which to me show that the area is a microcosm of the diversity of London. As a regular kid from Wolverhampton who has moved to the big city, I feel right at home in this mix. Plus, one of our kebab shops, the legendary Archway Kebab, has won Best Takeaway at the British Kebab Awards… Thrice!
The Archway Tower, built in the 1960s, it is now apartments. You know you’re in Archway when you can see this landmark.
The town centre has also improved greatly in recent years when the square was pedestrianised rather than being a three-lane gyratory. This has given new life to our market which takes place in the square each Saturday as well as revitalising the fortune of the Archway Tavern which also reopened after a period of closure a few years ago.
There is also a strong Irish community in our part of North London. Given my Irish ancestry on my mother’s side, I feel an affinity with that community. Sometimes when I go canvassing with the Labour Party around here, I knock on the door of an old lady who reminds me of my Nan. “Of course, I’m voting Labour” they’ll say with an Irish accent. It’s rather endearing. The diaspora means the new square in the town centre was named Navigator Square in honour of the Irish navvies who moved to England to help build the canals and later the railways. Plus the presence of this community means there are still some excellent Irish pubs in the area such as The Mother Red Cap which can be found partway down Holloway Road.
Then there are the transport options, not only is Archway on the Northern Line, but Upper Holloway is on the Overground just a short distance away. This means that central London is 15-20 mins away by tube but also journeys east and west are made easier by the Overground. Not to mention the multiple bus routes that crisscross the area for more local journeys to places like Crouch End or Muswell Hill. This is supplemented by the fact that the A1 runs right through the area, making a journey by road that bit easier.
The Archway Bridge, gives the area its name.
Indeed, the etymology of the area is linked to the road, with this route being one of the main ways out of London. It is where Richard Whittington heard the Bow Bells before returning to London to make his fortune, and he gives his name to our hospital, one of our parks and the Whittington Stone pub which I mentioned above. However, as the hill to Highgate became congested by the early 1800s, the need for a bypass that wasn’t so steep uphill was needed. A tunnel was proposed but this collapsed during construction, so the solution was to dig out the area entirely, with John Nash designing a viaduct to carry traffic on Hornsey Lane which marks the boundary between Haringey and Islington. This was replaced by the current cast iron bridge at the end of the nineteenth century and was Grade II listed in the 1970s.
We are also close to some excellent parks and open spaces, with Whittington Park, Waterlow Park, Parkland Walk, Finsbury Park and even Hampstead Heath all being a short trek away. So if you want to escape the bustle of the town centre you can do so relatively easily, I love nothing more than escaping the city for a couple of hours by going for a long walk on the Heath, it does me the world of good. Finally, I would also mention Dartmouth Park Hill is a short walk from Archway town centre, which I’ve written about previously as being North London’s best-kept secret.
So that’s it, a short and sweet set of reasons why I love Archway. I’d highly recommend a visit!
Who doesn’t love a “Greatest Hits” collection? An album of the biggest and best songs of one of your favourite artists is a great way to listen back to your favourite tracks or it can be a great introduction to a particular artist. Many adorn my own collection of CDs.
But, what some people might not realise is that artists often record a song or two that is especially for that compilation. Sometimes, rather than just being a throwaway record, they actually tend to be quite good! So, I’ve brought together my favourite tracks released only on a “Greatest Hits” album. Sometimes, they end up being one of the act’s biggest tunes, which is all the better. My rule for this is simple, the song has to be previously unreleased, so standalone singles that were later included on a compilation don’t count. But songs that were recorded previously but not released are ok, as you will see.
In my opinion, this is one of Texas’ best songs. It was released on their Greatest Hits album in 2000. Written by Gregg Alexander, who is famous for being the lead singer of the New Radicals who had a hit with You Get What You Give, plus wrote Murder On The Dancefloor for Sophie Ellis-Bextor and most of Ronan Keating’s solo hits, including Life Is A Rollercoaster to name but a few. The video is also famous for seeing Sharleen Spiteri dress up as Elvis.
One of two tracks that were released on Foo Fighters Greatest Hits in 2009, which are my favourite band. Wheels is the better of the two if you ask me, with the other song Word Forward being a more straightforward rock hit. However, Wheels is a bit slower. I’ve also been lucky to see it live a few times, which when they don’t play a song regularly is always a treat. I think this is a great song and is therefore a worthy inclusion on my list.
Produced by Anthony Gonzalez of electronic group M83, who is probably best known for their track Midnight City, which you might not know is the theme of Made in Chelsea. This is a great track and makes a welcome addition to The Killers’ first greatest hits, which was titled Direct Hits and released in 2013. To me, it’s a great track and one of the best that The Killers have made, making it a welcome addition alongside their other hits on that album, including of course Mr Brightside and my favourite Killers song, When You Were Young.
I love this song. Written in 1998 for George’s excellent double album “Ladies & Gentlemen”, the track reached number two on the UK charts. But the story behind the track is rather brilliant. George was arrested six months before the release of the album for being caught in a toilet with another man by an undercover police officer and was given 80 hours of community service. This incident outed him but rather than shy away from this, he brilliantly responded with this excellent song which includes the lyric “I’d service the community, but I already have, you see” as well as direct radio reports of his arrest. Plus in the video, there are several references to the incident, including him dressing up as a police officer and disco urinals. Superb!
George Michael’s Ladies & Gentleman is such a good album, it actually gets two songs on my list, as I imagine most households in the UK have had a copy of this at some point. The cover of “As” which was originally released by Stevie Wonder in 1977 is one of those rare occasions where I believe the cover is better than the original.
You Know You’re Right was the last song that Nirvana recorded before lead singer Kurt Cobain tragically committed suicide in 1994. The song remained unreleased, meaning the interest in this track grew as the years went by. It was finally released in 2002 on the “Nirvana” greatest hits album. However, this was after a high-profile leak of the song, which accelerated its release. Unsurprisingly given the hype, the song topped the rock charts in the US until it was knocked off the top spot by none other than the Foo Fighters with All My Life, which in turn was knocked off by No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age, which featured Dave Grohl on drums. This meant that Dave Grohl replaced himself on the chart twice with three different groups. Some feat!
I think I’ve saved the best for last on my list. Who would have thought that we’d have a new Beatles song in 2023? I certainly didn’t think so. Now & Then reached the top of the UK Singles Chart and was included on the re-issue of the 1967-1970 compilation also known as The Blue Album. The story behind this is really remarkable. Originally recorded as a solo demo in 1977 by John Lennon before his murder in 1980, it was hidden away until the 1990s when Yoko Ono gave the demo to the remaining Beatles. They tried to record it as part of their Anthology album series which was released in the mid-1990s and included two other demos which were recorded by John, Free As A Bird and Real Love. However, the technology wasn’t available to separate the piano from John’s vocals on the cassette, meaning the band decided to lock it back away, but not before George recorded his guitar parts. He passed away in 2002, leaving only Paul and Ringo. Then in 2021, as part of the Get Back documentary series by director Peter Jackson, his company developed a new AI which could finally separate the tracks. This prompted Paul and Ringo to re-record new bass and drums, add in George’s parts from the 1990s, plus a new string arrangement by Giles Martin (son of the Beatles producer George Martin) and you have The Beatles final song. Incredible! The full story of this amazing tale is told here in this short documentary.
So there you have it, my favourite “Greatest Hits” songs. What are yours? Let me know in the comments!
I bet you’ve never wondered which London borough has the most Wetherspoons, have you? Well, given this topic came up in conversation recently, I’ve decided to spend a part of my Sunday working out the answer so you don’t have to. You’re welcome!
So how did I go about compiling the list? Well, helpfully, the Wetherspoons website has their pubs broken down by region here. From this, I checked the postcodes of the ones I wasn’t sure about to establish which borough they were located in. The website also still includes the pubs which have sadly closed in recent years. Given these closures, I decided to compare the picture now with the situation a year or so ago before to compare.
So, having compiled the data and noted the ones on the website that are said to have permanently closed in the past couple of years, we have this.
Wetherspoons Broken Down By London Borough 2022/3 and 2024
So as you can tell, Camden is the borough with the most Spoons at present, with six branches, followed by Westminster, Southwark and Hillingdon with five apiece. Then we have the City of London which has four, along with Bexley and Bromley. This is interesting as the concentration of branches in central London is not surprising and if I were to bet on which borough would have the most before this exercise, I would probably have said Camden or Westminster. What I find more surprising is the suburban boroughs like Bexley and Hillingdon having a larger number. I suspect this is because they have multiple town centres of a decent size in which they could accommodate a Spoons.
On the opposite end of the table, two boroughs don’t have any Wetherspoons at all! These are Barking & Dagenham, which these days is sadly lacking in pubs generally. The other is Kensington & Chelsea which surprises me somewhat, given that most inner London boroughs have at least one.
But we have to talk about Croydon. Sadly in the past couple of years, the borough has lost five Wetherspoons, including the Milan Bar, the Foxley Hatch and the Skylark. This has meant that they have gone from being top of the table a couple of years ago with eight, to midtable with just three, a bit like Chelsea’s men’s football team. So if you live in Croydon, you’ve sadly seen the biggest drop in the number of Wetherspoons as you’ve had to hand your crown over to Camden.
Two boroughs have seen multiple Wetherspoons close, Newham, which has lost The Miller’s Well in East Ham and The Hudson Bay in Forest Gate. The other is Islington which has seen both The Angel and The Coronet being sold off. I was at The Coronet on its final weekend given it was my local Spoons.
The Coronet on its final weekend as a Wetherspoons. It has now reopened under new management.
However, it isn’t all doom and gloom, a number of these pubs have been taken over and have reopened under new management. On this list, we have The Coronet on Holloway Road, which is essentially the same, just with any references to Wetherspoons removed. Then there’s the Knight’s Templar on Chancery Lane which is back as The Last Judgement, an apt new name given the pub’s proximity to the Royal Courts of Justice. The Angel has reopened as Junction and The Toll Gate in Turnpike Lane is also back trading.
Plus, Spoons themselves are opening the occasional pub, which reduces the losses just a little bit. The latest one to open is The Stargazer in the O2, which has added another to Greenwich’s total. Plus there is The Captain Flinders which is due to open in Euston anytime now. This isn’t counted on my list, however, so Camden will in fact go back up to seven branches when the new one opens.
So there you have it, more pointless knowledge which you’ve never wondered about! Until the next blog when I look at how many Prets there are in each borough, wait that’s actually not a bad question…
Inspired by George Orwell’s equivalent essay for the Evening Standard in 1946, which describes his ideal pub. I thought I would pen some of my own characteristics of what I would consider to be the 21st-century equivalent.
Interestingly, his ideal pub would be called the Moon Under Water, although as he was to reveal in his essay such a pub did not exist to his knowledge at the time. Tim Martin of Whetherspoons fame liked that name so much, he named many Spoons up and down the land the same, including the one in my hometown of Wolverhampton.
There are many elements of a pub which I would share with Mr Orwell, including the patrons being comprised largely of regulars and the need for the pub to be near a bus stop but tucked down a side street. Some of the best pubs I know meet this criteria, including The Pride of Spitalfields or The Swimmer at the Grafton Arms, which I was drinking in just the other day.
In terms of its history, my ideal pub would have a quirky name which no doubt I would have researched for my book ‘What’s in a London Pub Name?‘. Perhaps something like The Old Wulfrunian. It must also be at least from the Victorian era, ideally with a famous patron having once drunk there, in London pubs this will usually be Charles Dickens!
Decor is important in a pub. For me, carpets and curtains are essential, ideally with low lighting. A pub should be a cosy place, it is in essence an alternative living room. Therefore I share Mr Orwell’s requirement for a good fire to be burning in winter. Alas, these days I find too many of today’s pubs have wooden flooring and big glass windows. While I acknowledge it might be easier to clean, there is something which is lost from the atmosphere of a pub when there are lots of hard surfaces for noise to bounce off. I would also include some tasteful pieces of memorabilia for decoration. For instance, I like how Sir Ian McKellen has a couple of Lord of the Rings props in his pub, The Grapes in Limehouse.
And what of the beer that would be available? There’s such a kaleidoscope of beers available these days, but you need a good mix. In my pub, on tap I would have a pale ale, an IPA, a premium lager, and a Belgian Trappist beer, ideally Tripel Karmeliet and Guinness, plus a good sweet cider. On cask, I would have a rotation of local ales, but wherever this pub is, I would have Banks Mild and Bitter, just so I can have a sip of the local brew from my hometown.
Food is also an important element. For me, lunchtime would see homemade cobs and sausage rolls available. The fillings would be thick and chunky, imagine a cheese and onion cob, with the fillings being at least a centimetre deep. For dinner, I would make my pub a desi pub as I love Indian cuisine. The set-up would be similar to many pubs in London which have a Thai kitchen, notable examples in London include The Kings Arms in Waterloo, The Churchill Arms near Notting Hill Gate and The Faultering Fullback in Finsbury Park.
What entertainment would I have? Well in one corner there would be a free jukebox quietly playing the tunes the masses want to queue up. You know the ones I’m on about, the ones that have every chart hit going back to the 1950s. In fact, one of my favourite memories is when me and my mates were 18 and drinking in Wolverhampton. It was a Saturday night and we queued up “Daddy Cool” by Boney M on the jukebox. We waited an hour and a half and were about to head to Blast Off when it came on as we walked out. The whole pub got up and danced. A lovely memory.
In addition to the jukebox, I would have a quiz machine in the other corner. Now a dying breed, the quiz machine has an element of gambling to it but also a test of your knowledge which will keep you going back for more. I actually can’t remember the last time I saw one but they were a key part of pub entertainment in the 2000s. As landlord, I would also have a pub quiz once a week. Plus there would be a selection of board games for customers to wile away the hours.
Of an evening, a live band will be there one or two evenings a week to keep the patrons entertained, ideally a jazz band playing standards to add to the atmosphere. I’m thinking along the lines of The Palm Tree in Mile End. This contravenes Mr Orwell’s desire for it to be quiet enough for talking but I think for a couple of hours a week, it makes a difference and can bring the punters in if you are struggling for locals. I would not have any TVs in my pub, however. I believe that pubs are at their best when we can socialise and converse without the distractions of live sports or the news. They should be places for us to catch up and have human interaction, all the more important in the age of screens I would argue.
Mix these elements together and to me, you have the perfect pub! What would be in your ideal pub? Let me know!
Sadly, such a pub does not exist to my knowledge, but there are so many excellent pubs out there, I’ve previously blogged my favourites in the cities I know best, which are London, Wolverhampton and Nottingham. Enjoy!
So as another Labour Party Conference concludes and as I make my way back to London, I’ve penned some thoughts on how it all went, which I’ve done in previous years.
Like last year, there was an buzz around conference, a quiet anticipation as the party faithful are buoyed by the upcoming election where we have a real shot of forming the next Government. There was lots of smiling delegates and a sense of optimism which was somehow higher than last year. In the last 12 months we’ve had the implosion of both the Conservatives and the SNP and with Labour doing well in the polls, this quiet optimism gave the conference a positive vibe.
The place was packed, which made getting into some events very difficult, which is a very nice problem to have. Apparently over 16,000 people were at the conference and I heard 1,000 of them were media and a further 2,000 corporate passes were sold. This shows just how seriously we are being taken as a party as a possible Government-in-waiting. This contrasts with tales I heard from Conservative conference a few days before where the exhibition hall was half empty.
The policies announced by the leadership are excellent, especially the housebuilding pledges which to me will help solve many other issues we face as a country. Building new homes across the land helps give people a chance to get on, yet we haven’t built enough as a country over the past few decades. I had to pinch myself that there was such a focus on the policies that I am passionate about, something which was missing from Rishi Sunak’s speech a week ago.
The other thing that struck me was the discipline and focus from pretty much everyone. This shows we are serious and responsible about the prospect of serving the public once again and hopefully it sends a signal that we are a serious alternative to the Tories.
Keir’s speech was superb, offering an inspirational and hopeful vision of the future, mixing in elements of his life with the vision of what the future might look like. I can’t help but feel the future I grew up with has been taken away over the past 13 years, so I fully subscribe to efforts to get that future back. Plus, Keir handled the protester incredibly well, which demonstrated to me that he is calm in a crisis, a very Prime Ministerial quality. A special mention too for the staff whose idea it was to sell “Sparkle with Starmer” T Shirts a few hours after the speech, bravo!
To the fringe events, one common theme from pretty much every organisation was that certainty and clarity are needed from Government, something which hasn’t happened under the chaos of the past few years under the Tories. Thankfully, Labour has promised to deliver stability if elected. This was true for a whole host of policies to enable businesses to invest and get our country on the up once again.
As ever, it was wonderful to see members of the Labour family, both new and old. What I love about conference is the chance to catch up with friends and make new ones from across the movement. Plus, I met my Young Fabian mentee in person for the first time and I even got recognised by a few people, which was really lovely!
Speaking at the LabourList rally
My other highlights in brief include: speaking at the LabourList rally, our Young Fabian fringe and the very busy Fabian reception, having coffee with my face on, plus Lisa Nandy’s excellent Beer and Books event and what was probably my last appearance at the Labour Students Disco (I’m getting too old for that sort of thing!)
Until next year’s conference, unless there is a general election called for the autumn, I leave Liverpool feeling hopeful and excited for the challenges ahead. Bring it on!
Moving here was something I wanted to do since I was a teenager growing up in Wolverhampton (pictured above). Even when I was at Uni in Nottingham, I even had a poster of the tube map on my wall for the three years I was there, mainly to remind myself that moving to the capital was the goal. I actually got it framed during the pandemic and it hangs on my bedroom wall now for a similar purpose to remind me that I made it!
I was incredibly lucky to get my first job straight after my degree, so there wasn’t a period where I moved home for a few weeks, let alone the summer. I had to box my life up and move down within a week or two of my final exam. But it meant that I left home for my studies aged 18 and I haven’t properly gone back.
Going home to Wolverhampton recently, I wondered a bit more than usual what life would be like if I had stayed there. What job would I be doing? Would I still be single? Would I own a home by now? Would I be a dad? These questions marinated in my mind and to me are the threads of a life left behind.
For those of us who move away from our hometowns to chase life in the big city, we all have a life we left, which we only resume maybe on the odd weekend or at Christmas for a few days, giving us a glimpse of that alternative reality. I greatly enjoy my time at home, catching up with family and old friends who know me well, the familiarity of the streets I grew up on is comforting to me, especially given it’s just me down here. While I have lots of good friends in London, it’s important to keep in touch with those people who know you best, something I have no doubt I would do with greater regularity if I still lived in the Midlands.
My worry is that as my family gets older, I’m around 100 miles away and I’m not around to help out. I already feel a bit guilty that my grandparents are getting older and I’m not close by to see them that often.
I sometimes question how long can I stay renting a bedroom in London. With the prospect of a mortgage a bit of a pipe dream at the minute, it might be several years if I ever get enough money to buy a little flat. But then again, I’m happy enough in my room as I write this blog.
The prospect of moving back at some point in the years to come is always an option, there’s a greater chance of buying my own place, giving me greater stability than being a private renter. Life would certainly be a fair bit quieter too which maybe in several years is what I might be looking for. Plus, if I moved back to the Midlands, maybe Birmingham could be an option so that it’s not too much of a step down from London life.
Yet, despite this, I still love London. The city still buzzes and fizzes with activity, it’s hectic, historic and bursting with opportunity. I love my life down here and I don’t want to give that up, not for a good few years yet, at the very least.
Perhaps one day these threads might be picked up again, or maybe I will end up buying in London, you never know what is around the corner after all. But for now, the life left behind is one that will remain confined to the odd weekend.
Right, before you read this blog, I want you to forget everything you’ve heard about Albania in the papers. Shatter those stereotypes! I was warned multiple times by a range of people to “be careful out there” and “it’s full of gangs, watch out!” etc etc etc… None of it could be further from the truth. The people of Albania are friendly and helpful and it was a delight to be in their country.
With that disclaimer out of the way, time for a very brief history. Albania was originally settled by the Illyrians. Then four empires have conquered Albania throughout history, the Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Ottomans all claimed the territory before they declared independence in 1912. A spell of democracy, followed by a monarchy takes us to World War Two where the country was occupied by both the Italians and the Nazis at various points. After the war, the Communist Party, led by Enver Hoxha created a dictatorship until he died in 1985 and while his successors carried on his regime, this only last a few years before democracy was restored in 1992.
So, why Albania? Well it’s been on my list for a while, I wanted some warm weather and my good friends Danny and Nadia had recently returned from 2 weeks in Albania around a month before I jetted off. Chatting to Danny after he was back, he was clear that I had to go and I had to go now, but with only 1 week to travel, we worked up a condensed version of their trip, picking out their favourite bits. So I have them to thank for their inspiration for the itinerary you’re about to read. As you may know, I enjoy blogging my travels, such as my New York and Baltic holidays from the past 12 months and if anything this is a loose sequel to the Balkan trip I did in 2019, so I hope you enjoy this one!
Albania has come on leaps and bounds in the past 30 years since communism ended and it is now catching up economically with its Balkan neighbours. It’s now in the Schengen Area, which means you don’t need a visa and if you have an electronic passport you simply scan and walk through upon arrival. However getting Lek (the local currency) in the UK is tricky so I’d either take pounds out to exchange at Tirana Airport or use an ATM (but that does come with a fee).
So after my usual pre-flight Starbucks coffee, I hopped on my flight to begin the adventure…
Day 1 – Three Italian couples and a lamb’s head – Tirana
Upon arrival in Tirana, I was greeted with a waft of hot, dry air. The temperature was in the mid-30s in mid-August which was a welcome change from a miserable few weeks weather in England. I found the bus to the city centre which was only 400lek. To put that into context, it’s around £3.80 or €4 at the time of writing. I walked to my first Airbnb of the trip and checked in. It was mid-afternoon and I was keen to get ticking off my list of things to do.
I headed back into the heat and towards the Pyramid of Tirana, a late-communist era structure which serves now as an exhibition centre which was only reopened to the public in May. Climbing to the top is easy enough with stairs on all sides of the building and it gives you a decent view of the city centre and the emerging crop of skyscrapers.
The Pyramid of Tirana
From there I headed to Bunk’Art 2. The bunkers are notorious in Albania, this is because the communist dictator, Enver Hoxha, was paranoid about the country being invaded, so he ordered the construction of bunkers to defend the land. In the end there are over 175,000 across the country. Many have been abandoned but some have been repurposed, including this one which has been turned into a museum looking at the people’s story during the communist regime. There is a Bunk’Art 1 (more of which tomorrow) and I would recommend buying a combined ticket which cost 1000lek (roughly £10). The museum is relatively small, so when it’s busy just be patient when going around.
From Bunk’Art 2, I wandered back towards Skanderbeg Square, coming across the old clock tower which I promptly paid 200lek to climb for another panorama, as I usually like doing on my travels.
From there I walked a mere five minutes to the House of Leaves, which was the HQ of the secret police during communism. Only 700lek to enter, it tells the story of how they kept an eye on the population (around half of which informed the Sigurimi (the secret police) of what was going on) and what happened when people were punished. It’s fairly similar to other secret police museums found across central and Eastern Europe, so if you’ve done a couple elsewhere the contents should be fairly familiar so you may want to skip it.
The House of Leaves Museum
After a refresh at my Airbnb, I headed for some dinner at a traditional restaurant called Oda. Now, despite this place being packed and having a queue outside when I left, the service was slow and the food wasn’t that amazing, but it was nice to try something local. Plus I was put on a larger table with three Italian couples who didn’t know each other but we were put together regardless. This was rather fun as each couple were on their own adventure across the Balkans, with Tirana being a stopping point before continuing their travels. Indeed, with Italy being a ferry ride away, you can see why a good number of Italians come to Albania. What made the dinner all the more interesting is that one of them opted for the lamb’s head, a brave choice if you ask me! One of the couples sat opposite were vegetarian too, so they had my sympathies as he tucked in! I finished with a Korça beer which served as a nightcap at the Nostalgia bar. This would be the first of many as Korça is Albania’s main beer. Feeling sleepy from the early start in London, I headed back to my Airbnb.
Day Two – An Englishman in Albania – Tirana
Day two began with a delicious coffee at Mulliri which was close to my Airbnb. I made a short walk back to Scanderbeg Square for the 10am free walking tour, arranged by Tour Tirana. I’d always advise taking a walking tour in any European capital as it gives you the background and context of a location which gives you a deeper understanding of the culture and I regret not doing it in more cities. Over the next two hours we ambled round the main sites of Tirana, including the places I’d visited yesterday plus others like the mosque and the catholic and orthodox cathedrals (religious buildings are always a must in Europe for their architecture and history). Learning about the history of Albania threaded together nicely the bits I had picked up myself and it is well worth it.
Skanderbeg Square
During the walking tour, I got chatting to a fellow Englishman called Josh who was travelling solo as well, despite wearing a wedding ring. It turns out his wife is away working in Texas and he wants to see all the Balkan countries so took the chance to visit Albania. At the end of the tour he suggested grabbing lunch and I promoted accepted on a count of the fact I was starving and the fact it was 38 degrees and a break from the heat, plus the company would be very welcome. We headed to the bazaar area and decided on Cafe Europa for a bite to eat and a refreshing beer. The conversation was mostly about politics back home, despite my best efforts I somehow still end up talking about it!
Refreshed, I mentioned my plan of visiting Bunk’Art 1 and taking the Dajti Express cable car to the mountain and Josh agreed to join me. The 11 bus from near Scanderbeg Square takes to that part of town and a ticket costs just 40lek (40p! If only it were that cheap back in England!). Following our progress on Google Maps, we jump off the bus and found the entrance to Bunk’Art 1, which is signposted through a tunnel. This is the largest bunker in Tirana and was designed for the Government to hide there in the event of an invasion and had personal quarters for Enver Hoxha himself. This was a more fuller museum than Bunk’Art 2, covering the history of Albania from independence to the end of communism. It’s well worth buying the combined ticket for both Bunk’Art museums as I waltzed straight in. What was quite special was the underground assembly hall that was meant to act as an emergency Parliament and was inspired by a visit to North Korea. This felt like a time-capsule and was well worth the visit.
A short walk away was the Dajti Express cable car. For 1400lek, you can ride 15 minutes towards the top of Dajti mountain which overlooks Tirana, while it was a bit hazy on the way up, there’s a hotel, bar, restaurant and a mini golf course at the top. The views are stunning both on the journey and atop the mountain. Just remember the last car back down is at 6:30pm, me and Josh were chatting so much we nearly missed it!
On the Dajti Express Cable Car!
Upon returning to central Tirana, we walked to Komiteti, a bar which specialises in raki, the local tipple which you drink as a shot. Having tried that, followed by a couple of Korça beers to chase it, we headed to Artigiano for an Italian dinner. Given its proximity to Italy, there is a good standard of Italian food, so if you don’t fancy being adventurous with traditional Albanian cuisine, you have safer options. As the evening wore on, we decided to head to Radio Bar for fruity cocktails to finish the evening off. They were also incredibly reasonably priced at around 600-700lek, and the bar was adorned with old radios and photos of celebrities. We parted ways, Josh was heading to Montenegro and then Bosnia, I wished him well and we swapped details to keep in touch when we’re back in London.
Day Three – Karma from a Cruise Ship – Tirana to Himarë
An early start for my bus to Himarë which departed at 9am. The bus station is a fair way from the city centre so I’d recommend getting a taxi/bus there as it’s a bit too far to walk. The station was a jumble of second hand coaches and minibuses, many of which had seen former lives elsewhere in Europe. One still had its Valencia details on the back, but now it will take you to Durres instead. Helpfully, each had a sign in the front with their destination. I found the one with Himarë on the front and promptly grabbed a coffee from a cafe before climbing aboard. I didn’t need a ticket in advance. Albania is still a bit casual with things like that, so the minibus headed for two hours out of Tirana, mainly along the flat highways before stopping at a services, it was then that I paid just 1200lek before resuming the journey through the hills which took a further 2 1/2 hours. The scenery was stunning and the bus was thankfully air conditioned, which as I would discover later can be hit and miss on buses in Albania. So I hope you get lucky!
After a quick beer, I checked into my Airbnb. I decided to wander around the town to get my bearings. The good thing about Himarë is that it’s relatively small, with the main strip taking no longer than 5 minutes to walk its length. It was already mid-afternoon and families are soaking up sun rays or swimming in the sea. I dipped my toes in myself, excited for my own beach day, which I had allocated for tomorrow, before grabbing a Korça. I was struck by how small the beach was, with it only being a few metres from sea to street.
Himarë!
Dinner that evening was at Lefteri Taverna which had been recommended by multiple friends. The food was good, plus they brought out several complimentary plates, which made the meal even better value than it was already. I got chatting to the two Swedish girls sat on the table opposite when they brought out a complimentary raki followed by ice cream on the strip. The Swedish girls called it a night and not feeling so tired yet, I headed back to Manolo Beach Bar when I had been earlier for another Korça. Having sat down on the pavement up from the beach, I decided to move down onto the sand itself. As I was sat there, listening to waves lap against the shore, at peace with the world, the sea went further out by a few meters before pushing in further, making me and my fellow drinkers jump up and head back up to the street to avoid the bigger wave which would have soaked me to my ankles had I got caught out. The staff didn’t seem phased, there was clear skies so it couldn’t have been a storm, so I asked them what caused the wave? They replied “a cruise ship” which must have passed by further out to sea. This is karma for you, I often tease my family (who love their cruises) that it wouldn’t be my first choice of holiday, as I like to build my own trips. Given this, it seems fair that a cruise ship should disturb me from my quiet drink on the beach!
With my beer on the beach, moments later a wave from a cruise ship would disturb my tranquility!
Day Four – Pushing a Kiwi. Why? – Himarë
Given I’m due to run my first half marathon just a week after this holiday, I brought my running gear with my to keep my fitness up while I was abroad. I could see Himarë Old Town up the hill from the window of my Airbnb and I though naïve thoughts to myself such as “it doesn’t look that steep” and “it’s not that hot, it’s not even 9am!”. I was wrong on both counts, I reached the old town drenched in sweat but the view was worth the climb plus the ruins of the castle and a half abandoned orthodox church were a good reward for me being adventurous. As I caught my breath back, I saw a little sign that said “Café” with an arrow pointing around the corner. Following the sign, I discovered the Butterfly Café with a stunning view of Himarë off to the south and directly below was Livadhi beach. Stunning! Seeing I was dehydrated, the owner fetched me some cold water and also offered me a coffee, but I’d left my wallet in my Airbnb! He said not to worry as I realised I had no cash to pay him. Feeling guilty but humbled by his generosity, I jogged back down the hill.
The view from Himarë Old Town, with the main town down the hill on the left and Livadhi Beach on the right
The main order of business to was a hike to Livadhi Beach where I planned to spend the entire afternoon. The hike was going well along the road out of Himarë when a car pulled by beside me offering my a lift to the path which would take me to the beach. Normally, on holiday this would be a risk but given there was the driver, her mother, grandmother and toddler in the car, I assumed the chances of being robbed were minimal so I jumped in. Shortly after, we meet a rental car on the path which when it reversed got stuck, so next thing you know I’m helping to push this car out! The man inside thanked us for our efforts pushing him free, although he seemed a bit offended when I asked if he was from Australia, turns out he’s a Kiwi! We eventually continued when her mom got back in the car after warning the other vehicles behind not to get stuck, or at least that what I assume she was shouting in Albanian! Finding the little path, I wandered through the bushes and trees to get to the beach.
Excited for my first proper beach day in years, I grabbed a sun lounger and made camp for the day, which meant putting a towel down on one of the first ones I saw, despite Livadhi beach being a lot bigger than Himare’s. I then spent the afternoon relaxing and taking a couple of dips in the sea, which was a cool temperature. The sea in this part of the Adriatic was especially clear as its a pebble beach. It was pretty lovely just relaxing for a few hours. There was also a bar and restaurant called Babilonia which kept me refreshed.
As the evening approached, I decided to head back up the hill to pay for my coffee, however, with no taxis in sight, I ended up hiking roughly 2km up the hill, meaning I was once again at that café drenched in sweat. When I arrived I proudly said “I’m here to pay for my coffee” to which the owner replied “why?” Good point, I guess few people would have gone back up again but he did something nice for me, so I felt obliged to repay the favour. I grabbed a beer and began watching the sunset. It was at this point that two German girls asked if they could join me with a beer themselves. They introduced themselves as Fridi and Sandra and together we watched the sunset whilst discussing our respective trips.
The Sunset from Himarë Old Town
As the night drew in, we headed back to the Himare, where we made loose plans to meet up after dinner for a drink. I then refreshed and headed out to Merkur Merkrui for some pasta. I timed this just right as there was soon a large queue for the restaurant, which was very busy, before returning to Manolo for a beer. Fridi and Sandra didn’t show however, so I called it a night.
Day 5 – “Seas The Day” – Himarë
My final full day in Himarë began with Breakfast at Himara ‘28 on the strip, which was very reasonably priced and the coffee was delicious. I learned on the walking tour in Tirana that Albanians absolutely love their coffee, so if you’re a coffee lover like me, then you can expect a very good standard in most places you go.
One of the main thing to do in Himarë is to go on a boat tour which takes in the various beaches and caves that are only accessible by boat. There’s a number of companies that do this but Danny and Nadia had recommended the Grama Bay tour organised by “Seas The Day”. I had previously booked my place when I first got into town, the total cost was 70 Euros, which might be a bit steep for some people but I would say this is totally worth it. As I stood on the pier, an American girl came up and said: “are you on the boat tour too?” “Yes” I replied and that was how I met Christine. She was in the middle of the second leg of her world tour, so was a far more seasoned traveller than me! We climb aboard what was a pretty nice speed boat for the tour. In my head I wasn’t expecting something so luxurious! We set off at quite a speed. Our captain then spent the next couple of hours pulling up at various secluded beaches and caves, giving us the opportunity to swim in a handful of them. This was truly beautiful, the water was again crystal clear and it was pretty special swimming through caves where the sunlight reflected off the water to give it a blue colour. Me and Christine continued our conversation in between these dips in the sea and I was very grateful to have someone to share the trip with. What also surprised me was how far we went up the coast. Grama Bay was the final stop, where we were left for over an hour to relax. There was a small café there and other boat tours and tourists were soaking up the rays on another beautiful day. We eventually got picked up and the journey back was a solid 30 minutes straight at full speed.
Thunder Cave on the Grama Bay Boat Tour
Back in Himarë, me and Christine parted ways but said we would catch the bus to Sarande together at 10:30 tomorrow morning. I then had an hour in the Airbnb to relax after being in the sun all day. The last thing on my list in Himarë was to hike to Filikuri Beach, which if you plan to visit, be prepared to abseil down a rope as it is completely inaccessible. However, having found the beach on the other side of town, I looked down from the cliff and decided to pass on this occasion as there was a storm rolling in and it began to rain. I got pretty drenched walking back to the main town, but I stopped for dinner at Arxontiko, which was delicious (especially the Zucchini!) and I spotted a stunning double rainbow, which in a way made it worthwhile. With a big day of travelling ahead tomorrow, I grabbed an early night after a nightcap in Manolo.
Day 6 – No Seats to a spectacular sunset – Himarë to Gjirokaster
Checked out of my Airbnb early and walked to the bus stop, which is near the petrol station to catch the bus to Sarandë. I met up with Christine who was also heading there before travelling onto Corfu for the next leg of her adventure. However, when it showed up, there was no seats left in the minibus! The driver was incredibly chill about the situation, “sit on the floor, it’ll be fine” he said. Having little choice as the next bus wasn’t for two hours, I sat down with Christine further up the bus. Thankfully there was an Aussie called Tom who kindly swapped with me when we stopped for a break halfway through! Still the journey was only 400lek. Bargain!
I had an hour to make my next bus, so me and Christine gabbed lunch on the seafront at Limani before parting ways. We exchanged a hug and she waved me off as I boarded the bus to Gjirokaster. Thankfully this was a proper coach which was mostly empty for the 90 minute journey.
My destination was Gjirokaster, which is away from the coast up a hill on one side of the valley. When I got there, a lot of taxi drivers were plying for my fare, but I declined them all, with me thinking yet again “I know its uphill, but how hard can it be”. You’d like I’d have learnt my lesson but nope, it was fairly steep in the heat so maybe get the taxi if I were you! Now, I have a “no hostel” rule but Danny had said I had to stay at the Stone City Hostel. It’s easy to see why, if every hostel was like that, it would be brilliant, with a bed costing just 13 euros at time of writing. Arriving drenched in sweat once more, I checked into my 4 bed dorm and grabbed a beer before chatting to the volunteers and other residents, plus meeting Anna the tortoise. They were all really sociable, some had visited years ago but said they had to come back and were now doing a stint of volunteering, helping to run the place.
Stone City Hostel, Gjirokastër (with Anna the tortoise)
As I’m sat there, two couples show up, both sets lived in Australia and were on their own separate European tours. As the conversation flowed over a Korca, they mentioned that they were heading to dinner at a restaurant down on a vineyard in the valley below and they asked if I would like to join. It sounded great to me, so we all hop into a taxi to The Barrels. There was rainclouds around as the sun began to set. Upon arrival, the sun was just dipping below the hills beyond, creating this spectacular sunset which turned from yellow and orange to purple and red. It was a superb evening with Rob, Jen, Meg and Brenton, the homemade wine flowed over good food as we talked about music, CDs and concerts, with me waxing lyrical about how great Glastonbury is. I was sad to leave after a nightcap of homemade raki which our waiter called his “medicine”. A taxi back into town was followed by a further drink at the gorgeous Bukowski bar which is next door to the hostel. Given I’m not a fan of hostels (it’s the sleeping in the same room which a bunch of strangers that puts me off), I stayed up as late as I could before heading to my bed.
The most stunning sunset at The Barrels, Gjirokastër
Day 7 – An Ottoman Bridge and Broken Buses – Gjirokastër to Tirana
Day 7 was my final full day in Albania and because I had to head to Tirana this afternoon, I only had a few hours to fully explore Gjirokaster. Given the old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site with lots to see, this didn’t leave me with much time. So I was up super early and headed up the hill to find the Ali Pasha Bridge. Again another tough walk but it was well worth it. The bridge is set in an amazing valley behind the city and being there before 8am meant I had the place to myself with the exception of a few goats, their owner and his dog. Perfect!
The Ali Pasha Bridge, Gjirokastër
After having a spot of breakfast back at the hostel, everyone seemed to have visited Gjirokastër Castle before I got there yesterday, so I decided to head there myself. Costing only 400lek, there is another amazing view of the valley with lots of history to explore, including the city museum (which is an additional 200lek but worth it to see the old prison cells) plus there is an old US jet which I’ll let you guess why it might be there!
The view from Gjirokastër Castle
I worked back down the hill as the gang hadn’t done the Cold War Tunnels. So we all met up and headed together. Helpfully, Gjirokaster is a really compact town so it was only a few minutes walk away. It was also very similar to both Bunk’Arts, however the difference was it hasn’t been turned into a museum, with the guide showing you round the tunnels but there was only the bits left behind by the looters who raided the bunker after the communist regime fell. In a way this was better as it felt more raw and gritty and less of a tourist attraction. It also meant I had unknowingly completed the set as the two Bunk’Arts and the Cold War Tunnels are the only open bunkers in all of Albania.
Inside the Cold War Tunnels
We all grabbed a coffee in the bazaar before me, Bren and Meg toured the Skenduli House. This was a traditional Ottoman house of a wealthy merchant family which is now a museum. There are a few of them across the town but this one was great to see how the locals used to live. We then headed to Mapo for a traditional Albania lunch. With the clock ticking, I had to grab my suitcase and say my goodbyes before heading down the hill.
I was sad to leave Gjirokaster, I wish I had more time there as it was a lovely place to stay and while I explored the main tourist attractions in the few hours I had, I could easily have had a week there to unwind and relax, the way of life was chilled but with just enough to do. It was easily the best place I visited on this trip, ironically it was also the place where I spent the least amount of time!
Walking back past the taxi drivers, I found the bus to Tirana. It would be a three hour journey, so I settled in as the bus departed, only to be interrupted after 10 minutes as we needed to change bus as the one I was on was being redeployed. Not the end of the world, so we waited for the replacement to arrive. I transferred across and we got on our way again only to stop another 15 minutes later as this bus had broken down! Wondering if I’d ever get back to Tirana at this point, I was kept informed of what was going on by the only person on the bus who spoke English. Helpfully another company’s coach picked up the handful of passengers from the minibus. On the third bus in the space of 30 minutes, I got chatting to Constanza who had helpfully told me what was going on. She was Albanian but heading back to Hamburg in Germany where she is studying. In our conversation, she highlighted the lack of opportunities in Gjirokaster and that most of her friends now lived in Tirana but she wanted to head further afield, hence moving to Hamburg. It seems as if the brain drain is a factor that affects lots of places across Europe! The journey flew by, especially given I was dipping in and out of sleep, it must have been the late night/early start!
Back in Tirana, I made a slight detour to walk past the Roman mosaic. Stopping to take a photo, this bloke shouts at me to come this way, where he kindly snuck me in past the fences to get a closer look. I thanked him and headed to my final Airbnb, which considering its luxuriousness, was a steal! For my final night I decided to retrace my steps, grabbing dinner at Artigiano before a cocktail nightcap at Radio where I got chatting to Victoria from Argentina. She was at the start of her Albanian adventure so in a circle of life kind of way, I passed on my list of recommendations I had built up over the past week before heading to bed.
Cocktails at Radio Bar
Day 8 – “Park Run” – Tirana
With my flight at lunchtime back to London, the only thing left on my list was to visit the Grand Park in Tirana. As mentioned previously, there is a half marathon to train for, so I grabbed my running shoes first thing and headed for a run round the park as it was close to my Airbnb. A loop of the main path in the park is around 5km and would make a excellent Parkrun! Someone should really set that up!
Finally, I just had time for a coffee back at Mulleri before I had to get the bus to the airport, ending my amazing Albanian adventure.
Amazing Albania – Conclusions and reflections
What can I say to sum up? Well Albania is very much on the up and well worth visiting, the scale of construction across the country demonstrates this, with new towers going up in Tirana and new hotels being built along the Adriatic coastline.
The people are also incredibly friendly, more than pretty much any other country I’ve visited. Just look at Day Four when I was given free coffee and offered a lift, or the bloke showing me the mosaic. Our perception in the UK of Albania and its people is wrong. The idea that all criminals in the UK are Albanian is wrong and we should stop spouting this nonsense.
Albania is not as cheap as you think, especially in the tourist spots, Himarë was more expensive than Tirana for example. This is only in the last few years as more people have discovered what a great country it is. I was expecting it to be cheap but a beer often cost around £4 or £5, just to give you an idea. In a way this is good as it puts more money into their economy but it’s no longer one of the cheapest places to go in Europe.
One personal reflection is that I met more fellow travellers on this holiday than all my previous adventures, which was great! I’d highly recommend going a walking or boat tour or dare I say it, stay in a hostel as a great way to meet your fellow travellers. I met some lovely people and I hope to stay in contact with them, especially if they come to visit London or I head out their way, which I hope to do!
Where to get caffeinated in the capital? Well that is a very good question.
Since the 17th Century saw coffeehouses spring up across London and their transformation into the cafes of today, there is such a variety of places to grab a coffee on the go or have a sit down lunch that the choices might be overwhelming.
So, I’ve decided to select a few of my personal favourites to help, as I have similarly done with pubs, restaurants, bookshops and most recently parks. As with these other posts, they’re my favourites and if anything it’s a reflection of my geography of the city as all of the entries below are located in North or Central London. So if anyone has any further recommendations, give me a shout. I’d be keen to try some more in the East, West and South and perhaps update this list in future.
Bread & Bean 37 Junction Road, Archway, N19 5QU
My local café in Archway, Bread & Bean not only does excellent coffee to get you going, plus it does some of the best brunch food in the capital. I treat myself to a full English here from time to time, most notably when it’s my birthday or when I have guests staying over as the food is delicious and reasonably priced (the photo above is the full English in question). In addition to the full English, their shakshuka is to die for! I’ve had many good memories in this café over the eight years I’ve lived in the area and I hope to keep making more in future.
Vagabond 105 Holloway Road, N7 8LT
Head down the Holloway Road and you come across Vagabond. Going for a rustic décor, this café is great as the coffee is especially good. I occasionally stop in here on a walk down the Holloway Road if I’m on my way to browse the shops on Upper Street or even as far as Angel. Plus a takeaway coffee from here can keep you company on a walk in Highbury Fields, which are a few minutes walk away.
Café in the Crypt Trafalgar Square, WC2N 4JH
A hidden gem this, as it’s below ground underneath St Martin In the Fields church next to Trafalgar Square. While grabbing a cappuccino in a crypt might sound off-putting, it’s actually been very nicely designed and the brickwork of the supporting pillars holding up the church above makes for a nice setting. Always a handy stop off which isn’t too touristy despite being so central, the crypt also does a full food menu, even if it can be a bit pricey compared to other places. Nonetheless, there is an excellent selection of lunch options, making it a great place for food. When I volunteered to help with Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, we were based here so being there always reminds me of that sombre time as we paid our respects to the old queen.
Café Cinq Hay’s Galleria, SE1 2HD
My old office used to be based near London Bridge, and one of my favourite spots for a proper sit down lunch when I had a visitor at work during my lunch hour was Café Cinq. Found nestled inside Hay’s Galleria, it does a great range of hot food for the busy office worker, including a delicious range of pasta dishes.
Dominique’s 19 S End Road, NW3 2PT
Located near Hampstead Heath Overground station, Dominique’s is an excellent place to grab a coffee or tea before going for a wander on the Heath, as I so often do. I enjoy popping in for a cuppa on a Sunday, especially in the cold winter as the hot tea keeps me warm as Dominique’s is on the far side of the Heath from me, so having something to warm up before I begin my journey back is always a delight.
Cat & Cucumber 182 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 2AD
Who doesn’t love a greasy spoon? Cat & Cucumber is one of the best. Just down from Tower Bridge on the southside of the river, we would very occasionally come here as a team from old City Hall during August when it was quiet enough for a group of us to escape and have a proper lunch together. The food is always excellent and reasonably priced as well. Next time I go in, I have to ask them about their etymology, the name would be excellent for a pub as well!
Nottingham is such a brilliant city and one I love dearly given I went to university there. Given I’m here for the weekend, I thought I’d get around to writing about the etymology of its excellent pubs. Often we don’t realise the history that is soaked into the names of our local pubs but they often speak to characters, customs and curiosities from the past which are remembered in the names of inns and taverns across the land. Researching their etymology, you can find a treasure trove of trivia.
In a previous blog, I’ve covered which pubs are my favourites in Nottingham so the focus here will be on just the names. If you’re curious about this then you might like my book which focuses on London pub names, where many popular names from across the country are covered.
Like my blog on the etymology of Wolverhampton’s pubs, I’ve focussed mostly on city centre pubs, with one exception but if you have a request for one elsewhere in the city, let me know and I will do some research and add it in.
Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem Brewhouse Yard, 1, Nottingham NG1 6AD
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem claims to be the oldest pub in the country, opening in 1189. It’s etymology appears to give this claim some credence, however, this claim is disputed at the pub was previously called The Pilgrim in the 1700s. Nonetheless, the first confirmed use of Ye Olde Trip dates from 1799. The story goes that during the Crusades, Richard III raised his banner in Nottingham at the pub, which is built into the cave network beneath Nottingham Castle in 1189 before heading off to the Holy Land.
The Vat is the tap room of the Castle Rock Brewery which sits a minute’s walk away from the city’s train station. The name here is rather excellent as locals will know that HMRC had an office just around the corner, meaning it’s a rather cheeky nod to taxes!
The Ned Ludd 27 Friar Lane, Nottingham NG1 6DA
Ned Ludd is a legendary character whose name is given to the Luddite movement. Allegedly, he was a weaver who destroyed two knitting frames and thus the story and the movement grew from there. I do doubt that any Luddites will be reading this blog post however!
Fothergills 5-7 Castle Road, Nottingham NG1 6AA
Watson Fothergill (1841-1928) was an architect who has designed over 100 buildings in Nottingham. Primarily using a Gothic Revival style, his signature style is using primarily red brick, incorporating bands of blue bricks. Examples include is own office (which is Grade II listed) and the building which the pub bearing his name now sits.
The Joseph Else 11-12 South Parade, Market Square, Nottingham NG1 2JS
Nottingham’s branch of Whetherspoon’s, like most Spoons across the land, takes its name from a local figure who is important to the city’s history. In this example, Joseph Else was the principal of Nottingham’s School of Art in the inter-war years. He is responsible for sculpting the lions which adorn the entrance to the city’s Council House which sits in front of the pub in Market Square.
Ye Olde Salutation Inn Hounds Gate, Nottingham NG1 7AA Like the Trip and The Bell, the Salutation claims to be Nottingham’s oldest pub, with parts of this pub dating from 1240. The name has a religious connotation as the full name of the original pub was “The Archangel Gabriel Salutes the Virgin Mary” and a salutation is the greeting that Gabriel gave to the mother of Jesus. At the time, this sort of name was typical of guesthouses of friaries and other religious institutions.
Pit & Pendulum 17 Victoria Street, Nottingham NG1 2EW The Pit & The Pendulum is a short story written by Edgar Allen Poe in 1842 and was later adopted into a film in 1961. The story covers the torment suffered by a prisoner during the Spanish Inquisition in the 1500s. This seems apt as the pub has a gothic theme, with dungeons and candles decorating the pub.
The Loxley 24 – 26 Victoria Street, Nottingham NG1 2EG Of course, one of Nottingham’s pubs refers to its most famous son. I am obviously talking about Robin Hood. One of his aliases was Robin of Loxley, which this pub has taken for its own name. Loxley itself is actually a village in South Yorkshire.
The Lord Robert’s 24 Broad Street, Nottingham NG1 3AN Many pubs across the land are named after famous military commanders. In this example, the pub remembers Field Marshal Lord Frederick Roberts VC who was one of the most successful leaders of the Victorian era, serving as commander in chief in India before leading British forces during the Second Boer War. He died of pneumonia aged 82 in November 1914 after visiting troops on the frontline as the First World War was in its early stages.
The Thurland Hall Thurland Street, Nottingham NG1 3DR Thurland Hall was the country home of the Earl of Clare which stood nearby in central Nottingham during the 1500s. The pub sat on the site of the old hall when it was opened in 1830, however when the railways came in the following decades, the pub was compulsorily purchased and moved to its current site.
Kean’s Head 46 St Mary’s Gate, Nottingham NG1 1QA Edmund Kean (1787-1833) was a famous Shakespearean actor of his day and started his stage career aged four playing Cupid. He would end up appearing at the Drury Lane Theatre many times and also performed in Paris and America. However, a tumultuous private life limited his career as he committed adultery and his wife left him. He was subsequently booed and pelted with fruit when he appeared on stage after this.
Tap & Run Main Road, Upper Broughton, Melton Mowbray LE14 3BG While not in Nottingham, given we’re in the East Midlands I couldn’t resist including this excellently named pub. Tap and run is a cricketing term when a team is batting and the batter gently hits the ball and picks up a run. This makes sense when you know that the pub is owned by England bowler Stuart Broad. Sadly the pub was devastated by a fire in June 2022, however, the pub has risen from the ashes and reopened a year later.
James Potts 