Issue 35

rhythm and booze Brews, News, Bands & Reviews - Issue 35 - January/February 2016

A Boston pub is the cover star of a charity calendar. The Britannia on Church Street appears on the front of the 2016 official Boston calendar, an A4 wall calendar featuring local seasonal photographs taken by Christopher Lewis. All proceeds from the sale of the calendar go to the Boston mayor's chosen charities – the Butterfly Hospice and Boston Woods Trust. Priced £5, it is available from the council offices in West Street, assorted town centre shops and online via www.boston.gov.uk

Peterborough • South LincS • rutLand • eaSt northantS

Werrington Centre Staniland Way PE4 6NA Tel: 01733 327696

teN Real aleS FRom £2.00 a PINt

Peterborough CamRa Pub of the Year 2014 CamRa Gold award 2013 Live Satellite Sports n Live Entertainment Happy Hour Mon - Fri 5-7pm

SIx Real aleS FRom £2.60 a PINt

Hodgson Centre, Hodgson Ave PE4 5EG Tel: 01733 578088

Peterborough CamRa Pub of the Year 2014 Runner Up Live Satellite Sports n Live Entertainment Free Pool - Tuesday nights Cash Quiz - Sunday from 8pm

the rhythm section Hayward Hayward, the artist formerly known as Joe Solo, is currently working on a new album. The follow up to the well-received Lament for the Lost-A Tragedy in 13 Parts, which combined Hayward’s love of rockabilly and spaghetti western soundtracks, the new album will be called Behold A Pale Horse.

Limited edition DIY CDs, which include unique artwork and personal messages can be ordered from geoffreyhayward.wix.com/Hayward Peterborough’s Full Circle Music Studios is celebrating with a ‘birthday bash’ at The Heron, Stanground on Saturday 27 February. Bands confirmed so far are RGR Hendrix Experience, Cameltoe and That Night Forests Grew, with other bands that use the Godric Square, Woodston facility expected join the bill. Admission to the event, which starts at 7.30pm, is free.

Among the events taking place as part of the Holly & the Boatmen.

Whittlesea Straw Bear festival is an ‘after party’ at The Falcon Hotel on Saturday 16 January.

Starting at 5pm, the free event will feature live music from the Islanders and Holly & the Boatmen.

That same evening a barn dance, hosted by caller Phil Bassindale with music from Peeping Tom, takes place at Sir Harry Smith Community College.

To book tickets for the barn dance, visit www.strawbear.org.uk/whats-on-whittlesea-strawbear-festival.html The Replicas, the punk/mod covers act that reformed at the start 2015 have decided to call it a day. Their last gig was at The Posh Venue at Peterborough United’s Abax Stadium at the end of December. Drummer Les Wheeler said: “Thanks to a vast amount of people for your support of the Replicas, because without you, the gigs we played and the positive reactions we received wouldn’t have happened at all.

Special mention to Neil [Gaskell] who came on board and seamlessly fulfilled with the bass duties too.”

the boat inn 2 ramSey road, WhittLeSey Pe7 1dr tel: 01733 202488

Real Ales n Bed & Breakfast n Good Company

Whisky night 2nd Friday of the Month Open mic 3rd Tuesday of the month (8.45pm) Acoustic sessions last Friday of the month (8.30pm) See The Boat Inn’s Facebook page for our Quiz Nights Great Range of Traditional Ciders

www.theboatuk.com

the Palmerston arms

“oundle Road’s Permanent Beer Festival” locale Pub of the Year Ukulele Night (Thursdays) Vinyl Night (Last Friday of the month) Quiz Night (Sundays) Live Music -check thepalmerstonarms for dates The Palmy's Winter Festival 2nd-7th February 2016

o p e n i n g t i m e s : Monday - Thursday 15.00 - 00.00, Friday and Saturday 12.00 - 00.00, Sunday 12.00 - 23.00

82 oundLe road, Peterborough Pe2 9Pa tel: 01733 565865

We welcome our new sister pub....

the oStrich Traditional Alehouse in the heart of the City

camra gold award Winner 2013 now stocking Locales and craft ales from brewdog, beavertown and camden

Live music every Saturday open all day every day (from 12noon Sun-thurs, 11am Fri,Sat) north St (just behind Westgate house), Peterborough Pe1 2ra

Pub News

Peterborough has another new brewery – Abstract Jungle was launched by ex-Blue Monkey brewer Simon King, sharing brewing plant with Bexar County brewery.

The Dog in a Doublet in North Side, Thorney was crowned Pub of the Year by the Peterborough Evening Telegraph. Runner up was the Fitzwilliam Arms (often referred to as the Green Man) in Marholm, with third going to the Letter B in Whittlesey.

After months of speculation about the future of one of Peterborough’s best real ale outlets, Meri Hyde of Stanground’s Heron pub has publicly displayed a notice from owner Stanton Trust stating the following: “As I am sure you are aware, we have received planning permission for the demolition of the Heron and erection of eight houses. The Heron is owned by the Stanton Trust and we have no intention of implementing permission for many years. Meri and Rob have done a great job in making the Heron a desirable venue, and we will let them stay for the full term of their lease.

The expiry is 31 July 2019, but there is always the possibility of renewal.” The Heron’s darts team has been promoted this season and are looking for more players for a Wednesday night league and women’s team.

Interested parties should contact Meri on 01733 704693 The leasehold of The Black Horse at Elton is for sale with www.fluerets.com Market Deeping brewer Hopshackle has brewed a beer exclusively for the Knead Pub

the Fortescue arms, Billingborough.

Group. Shepherd & Shepherdess will be sold under the Stamford Brewing Company brand and will also be available in the Jubilee Garage in Bourne.

Further seasonal beers are planned, all with names following a sheep/farming theme.

The Periwig in Stamford was expected to close in January for a major refurbishment and possible rebrand.

The Ship at Pointon is closed and for sale for £269k with www.pygott-crone.com Another Ship, at Pinchbeck, is due to open in January after some months of closure. New landlady Fleur has previously run the Fortescue Arms at Billingborough and the Wishing Well at Dyke. The pub however remains for sale for £200k – details on www.rightmove.co.uk The Fortescue Arms has been sold by the Charnwood pub Company to LT Management.

Previous licensee Terry Williams is renovating the long closed Robin Hood & Little John at

Aslackby for reopening as early as January.

Owners of Grantham’s Trickling Tap liquid deli have transformed buildings at the rear of their Market Place premises into Lincolnshire’s first ‘speakeasy’ bar. The Tap & Tonic features prohibition-era décor and includes a 100-year-old cooking range discovered during the rebuild. Craft beers and ciders will feature.

The Sun at Cottesmore now features a new drinking and entertainment area. Django’s Beer House & Bottle Shop has been created after a £40,000 transformation. Just up the road, the Fox & Hounds at Exton, Rutland has reopened after a long period of closure as a boutique hotel and restaurant, the bar is open all day every day from 10.30am. A local management company has taken over the lease of the Noel Arms at Langham near Oakham.

A Spalding PubWatch scheme was launched at the town’s Continued over

Pub News (continued) White Horse pub in December.

Twelve have signed up with the intention of keeping pub goers safe by communicating with each other via digital handsets on an ‘open mic’ basis. After relaunching the pub’s food offering, Toni Measures of the Lincolnshire Poacher in Spalding now hosts Mediterranean Meze nights every Monday – she is also hoping to extend the regular live music offering to include outdoor bands in the summer months, along with family barbecues and children’s entertainment. The Robin Hood pub in the town was due to close in December. Enterprise Inns want to sell the pub, but locals have applied for asset of community value status (it’s the last pub in the Bourne Road area). Gedney Hill’s save our pub campaigners have been successful in gaining similar status for the closed Red Lion – developers planning to turn it into a private residence have since pulled out, and villagers are tasked with raising £170k in six months to buy it for the community. Meanwhile in

Helpringham near Sleaford, villagers are celebrating after saving their local, the Nags Head. After gaining ACV status, a consortium of local business owners has bought and reopened the pub in December as the Brass Windmill.

Marston’s is opening a new ‘community style’ pub in Boston at the roundabout of West End, Swineshead Road and Wyberton High Bridge. The Indian Queen & Three Kings has finally reopened as Browns Cocktails – currently open Fridays and Saturdays only, bottled beer is available.

Shodfriars Hall, originally dating from the 15th Century and latterly used as shops, a billiard hall, sports bar and a nightclub, is for sale with www.poyntons.com Lincolnsire has lost over 1,200 pubs since the 1980s – some are featured on the website www.closedpubs.co.uk Pubs no more A development of 18 dwellings on the site of the demolished Jacko’s pub in Trent Road, Grantham has been approved by South Kesteven District Council.

The derelict Red Cow site in Donnington has a new owner – demolition or re-use of the buildings are both possible options.

Chris Shilling

Robin Hood & little John, aslackby.

Micropubs Blossom Work has started on a new Beerheadz micropub at a former hairdressers shop at 27 Watergate, Grantham.

Expected to open in January, this follows the successful launch of the first Beerheadz in Retford, Notts in 2014. The group involves Phil Ayling and David Moore – co-owner of Just Beer in Newark.

Micropubs are no-frills alehouses in their truest form, often consisting of a single room without kitchens, piped music or fruit machines and often without a bar or any drink other than real ales, usually dispensed direct from the cask.

There are now nearly 150 examples nationwide with new ones opening all the time (details can be found at micropubassociation.co.uk).

Ely’s Drayman’s Son opened in 2013 (as the Liberty Bell), and closer to home the Prior’s Oven in Spalding – a regular advertiser in R&B – which opened the same year, closely followed by the 17th century Cask in Hand in Holbeach (formerly the String of Horses) in 2014. Rumours abound of a Peterborough micropub opening soon – watch this space…

Priors oven, Spalding.

HARE & HouNdS TRADITIONAL COUNTRY GASTRO PUB

Food served lunchtimes and evenings Sunday Lunch with all the trimmings only £8.95

Freshly prepared food, deliciously home-cooked

Ribs & Burger night every Thursday

REAL ALES * FINE WINES * REAL FIRE * BEER GARDEN

Booking Recommended Ruby Tuesdays - Curry nights: 14th & 28th January, 11th & 25th February

Hare and Hounds Gastro Pub, Main St, Greatford, Stamford PE9 4QA T: 01778 560332 www.hareandhoundsgreatford.co.uk

Fortnightly Quiz spot and cash prizes 7th & 21st January, 4th & 18th February

Winner – Stamford mercury ‘best bar 2014’

Five horSeShoeS

Barholm, Stamford, Lincs PE9 4RA • 01778 560238

Enjoy a welcoming open fire in a Traditional Ale House open from 4pm week days, 1pm Saturday and 12pm Sundays aS FreShLy made Pizz od fired

wo cooked in an authentic 5-10pm pizza oven every Friday and Saturday 5-9pm

now serving mulled wine, warm cider and Leffe on draught Six Real Ales with four on rotation • three draught ciders • three Lagers • Fine Wine & Spirits • large beer garden • Pool room

empire of the Sun A novel development to the Sun Inn at Cottesmore in Rutland has seen the opening of Django’s Beer House & Bottle Shop. This is a pioneering project after licencees Paul Gaukroger and Andrew Leatherdale, who have run the Sun Inn for the past three years, racked their brains to come up with a new use for their old function room which wasn’t used very often. Named after the pub cat, Django’s will run as a separate area of the pub with its own identity. “We hope to appeal to younger customers as well as seasoned real ale drinkers,” said Paul. “We have an established dining clientele, and we thought it would be a great idea to offer those just popping in for a pint or two, a separate distinct drinking area with a focus on all things beer.”

The beer range will initially consist of four ever-changing real ales alongside locally produced cider, craft lagers and bottled drinks. Beers are offered in halves, pints and two-thirds sized schooners, as well as beer bat

tasters holding three third-pint sample glasses. As with many micropubs, there’s no physical bar – the casks are visible behind a glass screen and the cask taps are actually part of the open plan drinking area. What is different is there will be food, music, Wi-Fi and regular live entertainment. A weekly Monday Movie Night and monthly quizzes (last Thursday) are also offered.

Django’s is open Thursday and

Friday nights from 6pm (plus movie nights) and all day at weekends. The area is available for private hire at other times.

The Sun Inn is situated in the centre of the village of Cottesmore on the B668 between Oakham and the A1 at Stretton. For further details contact Paul or Andrew on 01572 812321 or see www.suninncottesmore.co.uk Chris Shilling

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REAL ALES

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REAL CIDER

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CRAFT BEERS

Regular Live Music Weekly Monday Movie Nights Quiz Nights Last Thursday Each Month Open Thursday & Friday from 6pm, Saturday All day from 11 am, Sunday All Day from 12 Noon

Find us at the rear of the Sun Inn, 25 main St, Cottesmore, Rutland le15 7DH tel: 01572 812321

www.suninncottesmore.co.uk

the heron

Heron Court, Stanground Peterborough PE2 8QB 01733 704693

- LocAle accredited - Four real ales on permanently - Huge enclosed beer garden - 120” big screen TV, all televised football and rugby games shown - Function room for hire - Quiz/Play Your Cards Right every Tuesday

Live Entertainment Every Weekend

www.heronpub.co.uk

25th January - Burns Night Celebration 6th February - Sounds of Our Streets, which is free for all, on Saturday 27th February - Full Circle’s Birthday Bash – a showcase for originals bands in the back room

lINColNSHIRe'S FIRSt mICRo PUB IN SPalDING'S olDeSt BUIlDING

Serving

Six local real aleS,

Straight from the barrel, pluS five ciderS/perrieS * official outlet

The

Priors oven Real Ale

for

auStendyke aleS

Upstairs Function Room available for Hire Find Us on Facebook OPEN TUESDAY - SUNDAY 12.00- 20.00 FRIDAY AND SATURDAY 12.00-00.00

1 SHEEP MARkET, SPALDING, LINCOLNSHIRE PE11 1BH TEL 07866 045778

O n t h e ( Ti m e ) l a s h A visit to the pubs seen, however briefly, in Doctor Who.

Victoria & Albert, Melcombe Place, London NW1 6JJ 020 7402 0676 If there’s one railway station that mirrors the fall and rise of Doctor Who then it has to be London Marylebone. In poor shape and rapidly going downhill in the 1980s, both witnessed a rebirth at the start of this century and – Capaldi’s latest, badly scheduled series aside – have enjoyed the best passenger/ audience share in years.

Being the quieter of London’s main line stations, Marylebone has been used as a location in many productions including A Hard Day’s Night, The Ipcress File and – as the arrival point of Geoffrey Palmer’s plagueridden civil servant, Edward Masters – 1970’s Doctor Who and the Silurians.

At the Harewood Avenue end

of the station frontage is the Victoria & Albert. At the time of filming it housed the station’s refreshment rooms, the location of one of Sir John Betjeman’s final meetings with WH Auden before the latter’s death. In 1971 it was, according to Betjeman, “ruined by redecoration” with the buffet renamed The Regency and the bar The Victoria.

Entering from the street takes you into the larger of the two bars, which looks slightly bigger thanks to the mirrors on the end wall, while the smaller bar leads out on to the station concourse. The decoration is shabby but cosy, leather armchairs in the larger room, dark wood, drinking shelves and framed photographs of GCR locomotives in the smaller.

In the late 1970s, TravellersFare’s part in the real ale

‘revolution’ meant that you could get Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery, Ruddles County, Ruddles Bitter, Shepherd Neame Best Bitter and Bass here. Now it’s the unholy trinity of Greene King IPA, Morland Old Golden Hen and pretend guest Greene King St Edmund, along with Fuller’s London Pride.

You don’t need the Doctor’s gift for telepathy to guess that I went for the non-GK beer but will be surprised to read that a pint costs £4.55. It certainly wasn’t worth that much and it’s hard to see how with beer this bad the pub has a Cask Marque award.

The smell of the place, loud piped music and rancid toilets added to my woes; reminding me just how well off we East Coast main liners are in terms of good quality station pubs.

THE JoLLY BREWER Foundry Road, Stamford, Lincolnshire PE9 2PP

Lincolnshire Pub of the Year 2009 Peterborough & district camra Pub of the year 2009

the home of baker’s dozen brewing

SIX NATIONS RUGBY - ALL MATCHES SHOWN FROM FEB 6TH

QUIzzER AND CHIPS! - FORTNIGHTLY FREE CHIP-FUELLED QUIz FROM 7PM (SEE LISTINGS FOR DATES)

01780 755141 - www.jollybrewer.com The

Blue Bell

at Maxey traditional Free house

CAMRA Gold Award Winners 2010, 2012 & 2014 ·CAMRA Pub of the Year 2006 · Cambs Pub of the Year 2007

Now with NINE Real Ales including Fullers ESB and London Pride, at least one Oakham Ale and SIX ever-changing quality guest ales Club & special event buffets on request Real fires in winter, always a friendly welcome!

Happy New Year to All Our Customers

High Street, Maxey, Peterborough PE6 9EE Tel: 01778 348182

If you have yet to experience impressed when I first saw her the stylish music of saxophonist play on the bill with US alto YolanDa Brown then you’re sax master David Sanborn at in luck as she is playing at a London’s Barbican in July 2009, couple of places locally in the Yolanda has come a long way in coming months. the intervening years, fulfilling As part of her Reggae Love all the promise she displayed Songs tour supporting the that evening. album of that name,YolanDa is She had already won one to play at Peterborough’s Key Mobo award in 2008 and then Theatre on Saturday 27 February, another the following year. When followed by a performance with YolanDa did a UK tour with the Mica Paris at Cambridge Corn Temptations, not only did she Exchange on 15 April. play as the support act but Born to Jamaican parents in ended up playing alongside the Barking, east London in 1982, mighty ‘Temps’.

YolanDa began playing piano at YolanDa released an EP in an early age and conquered 2008, A Step Closer, that acted other instruments including as a sampler of her talents as a drums before settling on the musician and composer, followed saxophone. She excels with the by her first album April Showers alto, soprano and tenor sax and switches with ease between them.

YolanDa acknowledges the influence of the Cuban and Latin music that her parents played and while her overall style is deeply rooted in jazz, there are elements of R&B, reggae and funk that win her a wider audience. In addition to being a fine saxophonist, she is also a great communicator with the audience between the tunes, and surrounds herself with equally gifted musicians.

As someone who was YolanDa Brown with mica Paris.

May Flowers in 2012, that topped both the Amazon and iTunes jazz charts. The title of her latest Reggae Love Songs album is self-explanatory but Yolanda’s live performances are all about musical variety and drawing the audience in to her idea of how it should be presented and enjoyed.

Tickets are on sale now for the Key gig, at £16 including booking fee. I will stick my neck out and say it’s likely to be some of the best music we’ll hear in these parts in 2016, so treat yourself and don’t miss Miss YolanDa Brown.

Meanwhile, check out her website: yolandabrown.co.uk David Brown

the Woolpack Stanground's Best Kept Secret - A 15 minute walk from the centre of town

n open all day from 12 Noon (WednesdayFriday, Sunday), 11.30am (Saturday) and 2pm (Monday-Tuesday) n up to four real ales available n Large riverside beer garden n Food served Wednesday to Sunday lunchtimes n Quiz on Sunday evenings (cash prizes)

North Street, Stanground, Peterborough Pe2 8JF (01733) 753544

Friday 8th January 2016 / Valentine’s Day Quiz - Friday 12th February 2016 two Course meal £12pp. teams Welcome (max 6) Booking essential Call Reception

THE TOFT COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL & GOLF CLUB Toft, Nr Bourne, Lincolnshire PE10 0JT Tel: 01778 590614 Fax: 01778 590264 www.tofthotelgolf.co.uk

RaIlRoVING:elY

kev Gregory

With just over 20,000 inhabitants, the city of Ely has to be one of the smallest in the UK. This former Greene King stronghold now boasts a variety of good pubs all within easy walking distance of the stunning Gothic cathedral building. Hourly trains run from Peterborough, and the 40-minute journey can be done for a reasonable £12.20 off peak adult day return (as always it’s worth checking online for offers).

The station itself is on the edge of town, but a five-minute walk along Bridge Street (past the long closed Angel Inn) and right on to Riverside brings you to the Cutter. Nestling on the quayside with attractive views of the pleasure craft on the Ouse, it’s tempting to take one of the boat trips, but the draw of this

attractive building on a cold lunchtime proved too great. For those who prefer an ‘early kick-off’, they’re open from 9am, so it’s an ideal starting point.

Breakfasts and coffees are popular here, and a variety of well-kept (though slightly cold) real ales are always available, mostly from larger breweries such as Adnams, Woodfordes and Wells. Owner, TLC Inns, also owns the Grand Central opposite – more of a café, the beer range here is limited to a few bottles.

With the time still pre-noon we chose the Minster Tavern next as this also benefits from an early (9am) opening time. Easily found, this is situated opposite the west entrance to the cathedral, so head for the town keeping the cathedral to the

right and you can’t go wrong. The route takes you up Back Hill – yes, at 85ft above sea level, it’s a small hill but very obvious as Ely is famous for its situation on an ‘island’ that rises from the huge expanse of surrounding fenland.

We bypassed the Fountain (Adnams), which despite taking a dray delivery was not due to open until 5pm. The Minster Tavern is part of the Stonegate Group and benefits from a constantly changing beer range.

The house Stonegate Hoof Hearted was supplemented with beers from Thwaites, Black Sheep, Robinsons and Greene King on this visit, along with craft beers from Brewdog, Meantime and Hop House. Prices range from £3.30 to £4.50 (a discount is offered for card-carrying Camra members). Food prices

Creative Commons, Bill Boaden

the Cutter. are reasonable, and live sport is clearly popular – the pub is usually busy even in the morning.

Opposite this is the Lamb – a sizeable hotel, popular with diners and recently refurbished, it’s smart and clean, but the beer offering of GK IPA and Old Speckled Hen did not hold our attention.

Visible across St Mary’s Street is the Kings Arms. Open from 12 noon, this pub promises a great deal from the outside – it’s

also benefitted from a makeover, and festive diners were enjoying the fare, however the minimalist décor and solitary hand pump (Doom Bar) did not inspire, so we moved along St Mary’s Street, past Cromwell’s House and the former White Lion and into West End where the West End House had just opened (12-3pm and 6pm-11pm). This cosy back street pub features individual rooms, wooden floors and a warm welcome. Beer range is a

little uninspiring (Adnams, Doom Bar and Marston’s), although the Pedigree New World went down well. Back towards town and onto Silver Street we were advised by a local to try the “best pub in town” – the Prince Albert. This pub is also closed between 3 and 5pm, so it’s worth getting there early. A Greene King house with ‘benefits’, enthusiastic landlord Mike Connelly, formerly of the Cutter, is rightly proud of his range of

Beers from moonshine Brewery at 3@3.

10 real ales including a cider.

The pub is dog friendly, has a restaurant to the rear and a spacious beer garden, and holds a beer festival each September. The GK beers (including Mild) are permanent and reasonably priced, but the decent guest range, including the likes of Bath Ales, Brains, Oldershaws, Cottage and St Austell can cost up to £4. That said, they’re expertly kept – a point not lost on the local branch of CAMRA who have awarded it their Pub of the Year.

From here we headed onto the High Street, and left into Chequer Lane, which takes you to the Hereward. This spacious Wetherspoon-esque

establishment is another Stonegate pub (who also owns Yates’s), so it’s similar in style to Peterborough’s Sir Henry Royce.

Clearly popular for its ‘two for a tenner’ food offer, the place was heaving, and the beer (including Stonegate Hoof Hearted, Adnams, Courage and the ubiquitous Doom Bar) was ok but again rather cold.

Discounted beer is available to CAMRA members.

Having heard that the Townhouse across the road had also won awards for its beer, we decided to forgo the cheap food offer and try the ‘real pub’ where diners were not in evidence. This is clearly the place for the beer connoisseur – beers from

Drayman’s Son.

Mauldon’s, Tydd (Mild), Elm Tree and Ely’s own Three Blind Mice brewery along with cider from Pickled Pig were enthusiastically consumed by our party and a small group of ‘beer heads’ at the bar. Four generously portioned meals were also enjoyed for the princely total of £13.50 in the pleasant conservatory area, so yes you can have the best of both worlds.

The High Flyer on Newnham Street offers a very friendly welcome. Recently reopened by the Inn Britain Group, this rambling building gives the impression of a traditional deli as you walk in. The dining bays, abundance of candles and ‘shabby chic’ décor make for an enjoyable experience, especially for the ladies, as does the homemade food, carvery cocktails and teas/coffees.

Accommodation is available, so this could be a good bet if you’re staying over. Real Ales feature in the shape of Directors and Wells Winter Warmer. Back through the Market Place and into Three Cups Walk lies 3@3, originally a deli, but now home to a range of 120 bottled beers, mostly from East Anglia, which is certainly worth a visit. Assistants Emma

from 5pm Monday-Wednesday.

It’s very easy to get lost in conversation here and forget about the train home so beware – it’s only a short hop back down to the riverside but there’s still that five minute walk from there to the station.

Chris Shilling

7th Elysian Winter Beer Festival

and Lucy provided a very friendly welcome to this group of lively beer types who responded by making a variety of purchases.

Just along Fore Street is the Royal Standard – technically more of a restaurant/café, but ably run by the Mike Connelly of the Prince Albert, three or four real beers are usually available.

The draw of the pub opposite – The Drayman’s Son – was far too great, so we moved on. This cracking micro-pub (originally the Liberty Bell) was taken over by delightful couple Jo and Andy in 2014 and features a host of wall-mounted memorabilia including old railway signs, and a vintage motorcycle parked in the bar. Up to 10 gravity-served real ales are available, many from micros (and one from New Zealand), plus up to 20 ciders. As you order you are asked to take a seat while the beer is served.

Jo was keen to tell us the history of the pub, which had once been a Steward and Patteson pub, and prior to that owned by the local Cutlack & Harlock brewery. Hot food is not available but the pub is renowned for its charcuterie, pies and sausage rolls. If that’s still not enough there are arrangements with the local Thai

n Just along the Riverside from the Cutter, the Maltings conference centre on Ship Lane, will be playing host to the 7th Elysian Winter Beer Festival on 29-30 January from 10.30am. Up to 100 beers and ciders will be available.

and Indian restaurants that allow you to dine in. The pub is open all day Thursday to Sunday, and

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Key 1 Cutter 2 Grand Central 3 Fountain 4 Minster Tavern 5 Lamb 6 Kings Arms 7 West End House 8 Prince Albert 9 Hereward 10 Town House 11 High Flyer 12 3@3 13 Royal Standard 14 Drayman’s

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cheesed off As nice as it is that pubs are winning awards for their food, I often wish that they offered something a little simpler. Thai cuisine is all well and good but more often than not, I just want something to accompany my beer not the other way around.

Pork pies are good, as a cheese and onion rolls but what about a ploughman’s lunch? Surely that’s traditional?

Meals eaten by ploughmen differed depending on what food was produced or available locally.

Between 1799 and 1968, The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland published its Transactions Reports, which included news of agricultural developments, information on matters affecting animals and, in the 1869 edition, a “Report on the Dietaries of Scotch Agricultural Labourers”. That latter section included a breakdown of earnings, living conditions and meals taken by ploughmen in different parishes.

The daytime meal of “broth and potatoes with a small piece of meat” eaten at home by a ploughman in the Stirlingshire parish of Muiravonside seems to be a popular option across the country, while the more familiar combination of beer, bread and cheese was more likely to be consumed by labourers and outworkers.

In 1958, an “old Essex ploughman” recalled in The Times that he would stop to eat at around 10.15am with his favourite meals being “the top off a cottage loaf and a thick slice of pork fat with pepper and salt or a lump of cheese and a big

onion.” In the book Drinka Pinta: The Story of Milk & the Industry That Serves It, Alan Jenkins defines a ploughman’s lunch as “bread, butter, cheese, beer and pickled onions to taste.”

He goes on to explain how the ploughman’s lunch as we know it is a relatively recent invention, dreamed up in the late 1950s by the English Country Cheese Council to promote English cheeses. It certainly helped, as by 1970 “on an annual advertising expenditure of only £200,000... over twice as much English cheese is being sold today as

before the war, and consumption is still rising.”

Long may the ploughman’s continue, even if it isn’t really traditional. However there’s one ‘olde worlde’ custom that needs knocking on the head, and that’s food served on slates, blocks of wood and even miniature shovels. What’s wrong with a proper plate? n If the thought of cheese, bread and beer has got your mouth watering, then check out the finals of the Chutney Challenge, which is to be held at The Blue Bell, Maxey on 28 February.

N ATIoNAL TREASuRE Spotlighting Britain’s best boozers

Waxy O’Connor’s 14-16 Rupert St London W1D 6DD 0207 287 0255 www.waxyoconnors.co.uk This remarkable place won’t be found in any Camra guide by virtue of the fact that it sells no real ale. It does however present one of the most memorable drinking environments anywhere in the UK. The main entrance in Rupert Street gives some idea of its splendour, but if you’re approaching from Leicester Square station (a five-minute walk), the easiest way in is from the humble doorway in Wardour Street on the edge of Chinatown (if you reach Waxy’s Little Sister,

you’ve passed it) The dozen or so steps down lead you to what can only be described as a ‘cathedral’ of carved wood, drinking alcoves, passages and staircases leading to various distinct drinking areas. There are four bars on different levels, and there’s even a confession box – the gents are rather unique too.

Waxy O’Connor, it seems, was an 18th century Dublin candlemaker with a legendary thirst for the dark stuff. Branches from a 250-year-old tree named in his honour were shipped over to England after it had died in 1994, and now form part of the interior of the pub. Guinness is the obvious choice of drink, but Murphy’s and a variety of craft beers from Molson Coors’ Franciscan Well brewery in Cork

are available alongside Samuel Adams from the States. ‘Beer and Shot’ combinations are also on the menu, but keep an eye on the prices – this is the heart of

the West End so the Guinness alone comes in at a hefty £5 per pint.

The pub is open all day every day from 12 noon, and an extensive menu is available including, of course, the all-day Irish Breakfast. Major sporting events are shown including

hurling, football and rugby.

Personally speaking, the welcome here has always been warm, the staff appear to be trained to a high standard and yes, the Guinness is served in the traditional manner, being allowed to settle for a minute or two before the top-up.

The pub can get very busy early evening and at weekends, and is very popular with visitors from around the globe.

As well as the aforementioned Waxy's Little Sister, also on Wardour Street, there are also Waxy’s in Manchester and Glasgow.

LIVE MUSIC IN THE PUB DiaRy DaTES Saturday 23rd January Live Music from Bianca and the Top Cats from 8:30pm Saturday 27th February Live Music from Ramshackle Serenade From 8:30pm

OPEn 7 DayS a WEEk WiTh FRESh LOcaLLy SOuRcED FOOD SERvED WEDnESDay - SunDay Quiz nighT WiTh caSh PRizES EvERy WEDnESDay FROm 8.30Pm Keep an eye onour website for upcoming events WWW.ThEWaTERTOnaRmS.cO.uk

68 Church Street, deeping St James | Tel: 01778 342219 | www.thewatertonarms.co.uk

by Cardinal Cox

Pub Scrawl

This year’s Whittlesea Straw bear Festival is to be held over the weekend of 15-17 January. on Saturday 16 the storyteller at the Methodist/united Reformed Chapel will be Jo Blake Cave (currently storyteller in residence at Northampton’s Royal and derngate Theatres) with three sessions, at 12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm. on the same day at the Town Hall in Market Street (note the new venue), Poets united will be performing with two sessions, one starting at 12.30pm, the second at 3.30pm.

Peterborough Cathedral’s Katharine of aragon Festival will be held on 28-31 January and includes (on Friday night) a talk by historian dr Jonathan Foyle about the origins of the Tudor Rose. Starting at 7.30pm, tickets (available from the destination Centre on Bridge Street) will cost £11 (£5.50 for under 18s) and includes a glass of wine or a soft drink.

Congratulations to Charley Genever who won the Poet Laureate of Peterborough in November. This year’s Poet Laureate Competitions for both Fenland and Stamford are now underway. Search out the application forms and good luck.

Stamford’s final will be part of the biannual Stamford Poetry Festival on Wednesday 20 April.

The festival itself will be held on 19-24 April and includes Sophie Hannah on Thursday 21, and Mark Grist and Hollie McNish on Friday 22.

If you are passing through Queensgate in Peterborough, take some time to look at the green Square outside the Prét/Boots entrance. The

designers included a quote from John Clare, which makes a second piece of public poetry (after the large mural on Queensgate/Crescent Bridge roundabout written by Keely Mills), which goes to prove Peterborough is a city where poetry matters.

Issue 1 of the Fenland reed is now out and what a corker it is. Lovely production and features the work of over 20 poets and short-story authors. Copies cost £4.50, while a two-issue subscription is £8.50. Go to the magazine’s website at www.thefenlandreed.co.uk for full details.

Poets united are now meeting at The Wortley Almshouses on Westgate, near the Queensgate bus station. Meetings take place on the first Tuesday of the month (so 1 February, 2 March etc) and start around 8pm.

Bee Rowlatt will be talking about her book about her journey following in the footsteps of mary Wollstonecraft at Fletton House, Fletton Way, oundle on Friday 15 January. The talk starts at 7.45pm and tickets are £8 (£6 concessions) available from oundle Box office, 4 New Street, oundle (01832 274734) or via www.oundlefestival.org.uk I generally only mention the Peterborough theological Society once a year. This time it is to publicise a talk by the Rev Canon Prof Vernon White (of Westminster Abbey) whose talk on Providence and Progress, with reference to thomas hardy will be on Wednesday 24 February at The Friends’ Meeting House, Thorpe Road (just over Crescent Bridge), Peterborough.

Jo Blake Cave.

The meeting starts at 7.30pm and tickets are £3.

The next King’s Lynn Literature Festival will be held over the weekend of 11-13 March and will include such writers as Patricia duncker, Sophie Hannah, Simon Mawer, Jonathan Smith and James Wilson. details about times and prices can be found at www.lynnlitfests.com If any pubs are going to be sites to give away books on World Book Night (23 April) please let send an email to cardinalcox1@yahoo.co.uk so I can list you in thsi column.

Cardinal Cox is currently the Poet-in-Residence of The Dracula Society. His latest collection, Forget Dance, Let’s Art collects 18 poems inspired by art exhibitions and is available for £4, while his children’s tale Eel-Catcher Fable is £5. Both are available from KT Publications (cheques payable to Kevin Troop), 16 Fane Close, Stamford PE9 1HG.

LiStingS

31 december Harkback, Golden Fleece, Stamford

02 January Leon, London Inn, Stamford Bondy, Stage, Market deeping Guards, Golden Fleece, Stamford Grumpy old Men, Ebenezer’s, Woodston The Malingerers, Swiss Cottage, Woodston Antoine Fleuriot, Stone Loach Inn, Market deeping Loose Rocket, The Axe & Cleaver, Boston 03 January Quizzer & Chips, Jolly Brewer, Stamford Agi Jarocka (3pm), Charters, Peterborough 05 January open Mic, dragon, Werrington open Acoustic sessions with Claude domino (8pm), Millstone, Barnack

Stamford Nick (Karaoke), Masons Arms, Bourne Another Girl Another Planet, old Coach House, Market deeping Leon, Stage, Market deeping 8 Foot under, Cherry Tree, Woodston Park Lane, Golden Fleece, Stamford overdubs, Ploughman, Werrington Retrolux (10.30pm), Charters, Peterborough Go With The Flow, Burghley Club, Peterborough one Eyed Cats, Cock Inn, Werrington Cuttin Loose, Axe & Cleaver,Boston The 707, Ebenezer’s, Woodston 13 January Acoustic sessions with Gary Ingrey (8pm), The Railway, Ramsey

06 January John dipper and dave Malkin, South Holland Centre, Spalding Big Fun Monthly Quiz, Grainstore, oakham 07 January Quiz, Hare & Hounds, Greatford 08 January Quiz, Toft Country House Hotel, Bourne Sensational Soul Band, London Inn, Stamford Cuttin Loose, Masons Arms, Bourne Bianca & the Topcats, Cherry Tree, Woodston Little Big Band, Golden Fleece, Stamford Harkback, London Inn, Stamford 09 January Limehouse Lizzy, Stamford Corn Exchange The Nuggets, dragon, Werrington The Lazoons, Parkside Club, Long Sutton 80s, 90s & Noughties disco, London Inn,

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Tin Pigeons, Grainstore, oakham Children of the Revolution (acoustic), New Crown, Whittlesey 17 January Quizzer & Chips, Jolly Brewer, Stamford 18 January Charters open Mic (8pm), Charters, Peterborough 19 January open Mic Night with dave & Phil (9pm), The Boat Inn. Whittlesey the Soundinjectors.

15 January The Lazoons, Sawtry Club The Soundinjectors, Black Bull, donington Commitment Bros, London Inn, Stamford Skullduggery, Masons Arms, Bourne RnB Band, Cherry Tree, Woodston Big Swedish Car Park, Golden Fleece, Stamford Subway 77, Swiss Cottage, Woodston Cuttin Loose, duke of York, Boston 16 January Straw Bear after party: The Islanders, Holly & the Boatmen (5pm), Falcon Hotel Whittlesey Pembroke Tennison, Prince of Wales Feathers, Castor The Lazoons, Cosy Club Stamford Frankly My dear (9pm), Crab And Winkle, Werrington Betty Swallox, Lincolnshire Poacher, Spalding detourz, London Inn, Stamford Mark Bishop, Masons Arms, Bourne Radius 45, old Coach House, Market deeping Lee Major, Stage, Market deeping 3 Parts dirt, Cherry Tree, Woodston Just for Kicks, Golden Fleece, Stamford Revolver, Granary, Long Sutton Matt Howard (9.30pm), Charters, Peterborough

21 January Quiz, Hare & Hounds, Greatford 22 January The Adult Panto: Snow White -The Magnificent Seven, Stamford Corn Exchange The Soundinjectors, London Inn, Stamford dean & Co, Masons Arms, Bourne Stone Pony, Cherry Tree, Woodston Souled out, Golden Fleece, Stamford High Rollers, Solgarden, Peterborough Leftovas, Axe & Cleaver, Boston The 707, o’Neill’s, Peterborough Children of the Revolution, Burghley Club, Peterborough Circa 73, Cock Inn, Werrington

tin Pigeons.

the Houndogs.

23 January Claire Jones, Stamford Corn Exchange The High Rollers, dragon, Werrington Burns Night Supper, Rose and Crown, Thorney The Soundinjectors, downham Market Club Northern Soul and Motown, Lincolnshire Poacher, Spalding overdubs, London Inn, Stamford Son of a Gun, Masons Arms, Bourne Tiger Club, old Coach House, Market deeping Noisy Neighbours, Stage, Market deeping Walkway, Cherry Tree, Woodston Chuck Norris Experience, Golden Fleece, Stamford Guards, Sawtry Club The Houndogs, Spalding Constitutional Club Cuttin Loose, Barge & Bottle, Sleaford Steelyard Blues (10.30pm), Charters, Peterborough Flying Aces Rock ‘n’ Roll, Grainstore, oakham Children of the Revolution, Ebenezer’s, Woodston 25 January Burns Night Celebration, Heron, Stanground 27 January Acoustic sessions with Gary Ingrey (8pm), The Railway, Ramsey

28 January open Mic Night with dave (9pm), Cherry Tree, Woodston Comedy Night (6.15pm), Grainstore, oakham 29 January Paul Jones and dave Kelly, Stamford Arts Centre Go With The Flow, dragon, Werrington open Acoustic Sessions in the Whisky Bar with dave & Phil (8.30pm), The Boat Inn, Whittlesey one Eyed Cats, London Inn, Stamford Tunnel, Cherry Tree, Woodston Point Blank, Golden Fleece, Stamford overdubs, Solstice, Peterborough Clare Teal and Her Mini Big Band, South Holland Centre, Spalding Johnny Cash Story, Key Theatre, Peterborough Revolver, Axe & Cleaver, Boston 30 January Mercury - The ultimate Night of Queen, Stamford Corn Exchange Mighty Mouth Trev, dragon, Werrington New Year’s Eve Revisited Party, Golden Pheasant, Etton The Lazoons, ostrich, Peterborough The Soundinjectors, Blue Boar, Eye The Expletives, Cherry Tree, Woodston Monkey Business, Lincolnshire Poacher, Spalding New Gen Crash & Burn, London Inn, Stamford Leftovers, Masons Arms, Bourne Mistabeat, old Coach House, Market deeping the expletives.

03 February Sam Kelly & Jamie Francis, South Holland Centre, Spalding Big Fun Monthly Quiz (8pm), Grainstore, oakham 04 February Quiz, Hare & Hounds, Greatford

Zeb Rootz.

Zeb Rootz, Stage, Market deeping Hayz, Golden Fleece, Stamford Porky Pig, Hole In The Wall, Spalding Retrolux (9pm), Cock Inn, Werrington Thomas - Turner, South Holland Centre, Spalding Blackout uK (10.30pm), Charters, Peterborough Pennyless, Langham Village Hall Children of the Revolution (8pm), Bourne Corn Exchange 31 January The Jive Aces, Stamford Corn Exchange Austin Gold, Cherry Tree, Woodston Quizzer & Chips, Jolly Brewer, Stamford 02 February open Acoustic sessions with Claude domino (8pm), Millstone, Barnack

austin Gold.

antoine Fleuriot.

05 February on The Ceiling, London Inn, Stamford Mark Bishop, Masons Arms, Bourne Subway 77, Cherry Tree, Woodston Band TBC, Golden Fleece, Stamford Retrolux (9pm), Swiss Cottage, Woodston Go With The Flow, Fayre Spot Bretton 9pm Funhouse Comedy Club, South Holland Centre, Spalding Motown’s Greatest Hits - How Sweet It Is, Key Theatre, Peterborough Antoine Fleuriot, Stone Loach Inn, Market deeping Revolver, Wheatsheaf, Waddington Children of the Revolution, George and Angel, Crowland 06 February Grounded, dragon, Werrington The Tornados/Cliff Bennett/Sound Force 5, Stamford Corn Exchange The Sounds of our Streets, Heron, Stanground Frankly My dear (9pm), Burghley Club, Peterborough Filthy Lucre, Cherry Tree, Woodston Hooker, London Inn, Stamford

Nick (Karaoke), Masons Arms, Bourne The Fallen Idols, old Coach House, Market deeping Junk Puppets, Stage, Market deeping Gypsies, Golden Fleece, Stamford Motown’s Greatest Hits - How Sweet It Is, Key Theatre, Peterborough Loose Rocket, Anchor, Sutton Bridge Another Girl Another Planet (10.30pm), Charters, Peterborough Forty Fiver, Granary, Long Sutton

Award Winning

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07 February Rob & dave Acoustic (3pm), Charters, Peterborough 10 February Acoustic sessions with Gary Ingrey (8pm), The Railway, Ramsey 12 February

Captain obvious.

Quiz, Toft Country House Hotel, Bourne Smartees, London Inn, Stamford Cuttin Loose, Masons Arms, Bourne Souled out, Cherry Tree, Woodston Mod Story,

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Golden Fleece, Stamford ‘80s dance Party, South Holland Centre, Spalding Supreme Queen - A Tribute to Queen, Key Theatre, Peterborough Captain obvious, o’Neill’s, Peterborough Harkback, Cock Inn, Werrington Children of the Revolution, Swiss Cottage, Woodston 13 February Valentines Candlelit dinner, Rose and Crown, Thorney The Tom Wright Trio, Burghley Club, Peterborough

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Gerry Cross the mersey.

Betty Swallox, Pincushion, Wyberton 80s, 90s & Noughties disco, London Inn, Stamford Afterlife, Masons Arms, Bourne Band TBC, old Coach House, Market deeping Backlash, Stage, Market deeping Sweet Revenge, Cherry Tree, Woodston Spirit, Golden Fleece, Stamford Gerry Cross the Mersey 2016, Key Theatre, Peterborough Revolver, Case, Wisbech Bianca & The Top Cats (10.30pm), Charters, Peterborough Slither – Live and Loud (8.30pm), Grainstore, oakham Children of the Revolution, Ploughman, Werrington 14 February Quizzer & Chips, Jolly Brewer, Stamford Tallawah, Peacock, Fletton

19 February Rich Hall – 3:10 to Humour, Stamford Arts Centre The Soundinjectors, Cherry Tree, Woodston Frankly My dear (9pm), Cock Inn, Werrington Veltones, London Inn, Stamford Revolver, Masons Arms, Bourne Band TBC, Golden Fleece, Stamford High Rollers, Swiss Cottage, Woodston 60s Concert featuring Chris Farlowe, South Holland Centre, Spalding 20 February Mistreated, Prince of Wales Feathers, Castor The Lazoons, St Martins Rotary Club, Stamford Northern Soul and Motown, Lincolnshire Poacher, Spalding High Rollers, London Inn, Stamford Hooker, old Coach House, Market deeping overdubs, Stage, Market deeping Man Alive, Cherry Tree, Woodston High Rollers, London Inn, Stamford Tallawah, Cock Inn, Werrington Cuttin Loose, Granary, Long Sutton Whiskey Twist (10.30pm), Charters, Peterborough Children of the Revolution, ostrich, Peterborough 21 February Holly & the Boatmen, Abi Miller, Jessica

15 February Charters open Mic (8pm), Charters, Peterborough 16 February open Mic Night with dave & Phil (9pm), The Boat Inn. Whittlesey 17 February The Tannahill Weavers, Stamford Arts Centre 18 February Quiz, Hare & Hounds, Greatford

Children of the Revolution.

davis (3pm), The Glasshouse @ Key Theatre, Peterborough 23 February Acoustic Café, South Holland Centre, Spalding 24 February Acoustic sessions with Gary Ingrey (8pm), The Railway, Ramsey 25 February open Mic Night with dave (9pm), Cherry Tree, Woodston Funhouse Comedy Night (6.15pm), Grainstore, oakham 26 February open Acoustic Sessions in the Whisky Bar with dave & Phil (8.30pm), The Boat Inn, Whittlesey Airwaves, London Inn, Stamford Porky Pig, Cherry Tree, Woodston Band TBC, Golden Fleece, Stamford High Rollers, Ploughman, Werrington Zeb Rootz, Crab & Winkle, Werrington Peterborough The Blues Band, Key Theatre, Peterborough Revolver, Axe & Cleaver, Boston Baklash (8.30pm), Grainstore, oakham 27 February Think Floyd, Stamford Corn Exchange Full Circle’s Birthday Bash, Heron, Stanground Frankly My dear (9.30pm), Swiss Cottage, Woodston Commercial Break, Pincushion, Wyberton Leon, London Inn, Stamford dean &Co, Masons Arms, Bourne The Limit, old Coach House, Market deeping Revolver, Stage, Market deeping untamed, Cherry Tree, Woodston High Rollers, Golden Fleece, Stamford The Nuggets, Moorhen, Hampton Zeb Rootz, Anchor, Sutton Bridge Go With The Flow, Ebeneezers, Woodston

Yolanda Brown, Key Theatre, Peterborough The 142’s Band, dragonfly, orton Malborne derrin Nauendorf (9.30pm), Charters, Peterborough Porky Pig, Cock Inn, Woodston 28 February Quizzer & Chips, Jolly Brewer, Stamford 04 march An Evening with Hazel o’Connor, Stamford Arts Centre Children of the Revolution, o’ Neill’s, Peterborough 06 march Mothering Sunday Lunch, Rose and Crown, Thorney Tallawah, o’Neill’s, Peterborough

Rhythm & Booze, Issue 35 - January/February 2016 All written material, unless otherwise stated, © Simon Stabler All events are listed free of charge.

To ensure inclusion in the March/ April 2016 issue, or have any other news included in the magazine, email simonstabler@aol.com by 12 February.

Entry cannot be guaranteed for late submissions.

For advertising queries, contact Chris Shilling on 01778 421550, 07736 635916 or by email chris@ shillingmedia.co.uk

Advertising Rates (excluding VAT)* £175 - full page (cover) £140 - full page £90 - half page £50 - quarter page * Discounts for series bookings.

REvIEWS The Beer & Food Companion

By Stephen Beaumont, Jacqui Small, hardback, £25

Beer and food have long been seen as perfect companions, whether as an ingredient in a hearty meat stew or, in the case of pork pies and cheese rolls, a way of soaking up the pints on match day. But an increase in styles has seen beer usurp wine as the drink of choice to accompany even the finest of dining.

Beaumont, a Canadian, first realised how well the two went together 30 years ago and has been noting the best ‘pairings’ ever since. This book offers a little on the history of barroom fare both here and in the US and Japan, and speaks to those who continue to trumpet the combination of good beer and food, including ‘early pioneer’ Mark Dobber who took on The White Horse, Parson’s Green in the early 1980s and Michelin-starred chef Sriram Aylur of London’s Quilon Restaurant.

There’s also a section on beer styles, charts showing what food goes with which beer and recipes that use beer or their by-products such as spent grain – of which Beaumont naively suggests you should “ask a friendly neighbourhood brewer for a couple of cups.”

The odd niggle aside – there are many photographs here suggesting it is ok to serve food on a wooden board or a pint

that is more head than beer (it isn’t) – this book looks set to be a useful addition to the kitchen.

Easily Distracted

By Steve Coogan, Century, hardback, £20 For much of his life, Coogan has wanted to play the part of somebody else.

A talent for impressions got him out of scrapes at school and, while still at college, he earned good money mimicking the likes of Douglas Hurd and Neil Kinnock on Spitting Image.

His most famous role, Alan Partridge, won Coogan two Baftas and a dedicated fanbase but for many, the most they know about the star is through his various indiscretions as reported in the tabloids.

This autobiography offers a look at the real Coogan, the fourth of six children from a “lower middle-class” Manchester family, it looks at his rise to fame and the problems along the way.

Coogan admits that following the first series of I’m Alan Partridge, his “personal life descended into turmoil”. The fight back began with the sitcom The Trip and Philomena, the award winning film which he adapted and starred in. The Alan Partridge film, Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, was also a commercial and critical success, despite the difficult gestation which is examined in detail here.

Coogan writes that “there is a corner of my mind that will be forever Alan Partridge,” but it’s clear from this book that the demons have been laid to rest and he is now much happier in his own skin.

Early Victorian Railway Excursions: The Million Go Forth

By Susan Major, Pen & Sword History, hardback, £25

Due to the continued existence of the company that bears his name, Thomas Cook is often credited with the creation of the railway excursion. But this book, based on Major’s doctoral research for the University of York/National Railway Museum Institute of Railway Studies, shows that cook was just one of many railway agents and one who aimed his business at a more middle-class clientele.

As early as 1835, six years before Cook’s celebrated excursion from Leicester to Loughborough, the Whitby & Pickering Railway shuttled more than 1,000 people between Whitby and the Ruswarp Fair. It caused consternation among traders who complained that many families spent their money on several of the 16 return trips instead of at the fair, just one of the many incidents of the “evils and mischiefs resulting from ruinous competition.”

Undercutting and overcrowding led to all sorts of problems including accidents, sexual assaults and fights, which the press was only too happy to report.

Of course, there were more successes than the wellpublicised failures and this well-researched book challenges established history (for instance, Major has discovered that open carriages were being used well into the 1870s), offering an insight into the foundation of the leisure industry and improved social mobility.

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