Westminster Talks

Some followers may know that my Dad is Chris Moncrieff who has been a journalist for the Press Association for over 50 years and even has a bar in the House of Commons named after him - Moncrieff's.

Last September he celebrated his 80th birthday but continues to work. He's now branched out into giving talks about his life in Parliament including some of the anecdotes that can be found in his book Wine, Women & Westminster. His talk to the Westminster Guides Association a couple of years ago had us all in stitches including me even though I have heard many of the stories before!

I asked Dad to describe his talks. He said:

"The talks I give on politics are free from gravitas or analysis. I just recount spicy - and true - anecdotes about political figures, some well known, some not so, whose paths I have crossed during 50 years working in the Press Gallery. They include their drinking habits, their sex lives, and innumerable stories about travelling the globe with Margaret Thatcher and other Prime Ministers, as well as bizarre encounters with foreign statesmen including US presidents. In short: what really goes on behind the scenes at Westminster when they think no one is looking and listening."

He has some spaces in his diary this year so if you'd like to find out more or book him for a talk send him an email.  

A Forest Stroll

Sitting at my PC this lunchtime with the light streaming in the window I suddenly had a desire to get up and out and into the Forest. I'm lucky enough to live only a few minutes' walk from Epping Forest. I left my flat at 1pm and by 1.10pm I was at the top of Pole Hill admiring the view although it was actually too sunny to see much.  Pole Hill was surprisingly empty with only a couple of children sledging. The sun was beating down and it was lovely and warm and peaceful. More about Pole Hill and the Forest can be found on my previous blog post about living in Chingford.

View from Pole Hill

Pole Hill

I sat on the bench for a little while then decided to walk down the other side of the hill towards Chingford Plain and the golf course. I was disconcerted for a few minutes on reaching the bottom and wondered if I had gone the wrong way as there were no golfers in their distinctive red attire to be seen. There also seemed to be no golf course! I was only convinced I was going the right way when I saw the Royal Forest Hotel in the distance and realised that the golf course was still there but completely covered by snow. The other thing that struck me was that for a lovely day and a Saturday too the paths were empty.

Chingford Golf Course

I continued along the path, crossed Bury Road and made my way up the hill towards the Queen Elizabeth Hunting Lodge. I just wanted to pop in the shop there as had seen some notecards a week or so before but had been on a long ramble and didn't want to risk them getting wet/damaged. The Hunting Lodge is only about 10 minutes' walk from Chingford Station and is well worth visiting and it's free too! There is some building work going on there at the moment and it looks like there will be a visitor centre and improved refreshment facilities at Butler's Retreat. I've just discovered online that the cafe has already re-opened. Butler's Retreat is the last of the dozen or so Victorian retreats that used to be in the Forest for daytrippers.

View from Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge

I spent another few minutes sitting on the bench outside the Hunting Lodge then retraced my steps back down to Bury Road, through the (still empty) paths and up to the top of Pole Hill.

On arriving at the top of the hill I encountered a man and a dog. The dog had in its mouth a lady's hat. The man told me that the dog regularly collected lost hats and gloves but never any that were of use to him. I suggested a charity shop or to give them to the homeless rather than putting them in the rubbish that he currently did. It dawned on me afterwards that I should have taken a photo of the dog.

After they had gone I sat for a few more minutes on the bench listening to the birds singing then made my way back down the hill to my flat and a cup of tea. I live opposite the church with the green spire in the bottom picture.

My Top Ten Central London Pubs - Part Two

I have now finally completed the second half of my Top Ten Central London pubs. The first part can be found here. Only by listing them have I realised that 6 of my favourite pubs are in the same area and most of my favourites are either run by Fullers or Sam Smiths. Fullers are London's last remaining family brewers based in Chiswick. Sam Smiths based in Tadcaster are Yorkshire's oldest brewers having been founded in 1758. Not only do Sam Smiths run great pubs but their beer is cheap too. Even after two significant price rises this year a pint of Old Brewery Bitter is still £2.72 which is cheaper than the equivalent in most other London pubs except perhaps Wetherspoons. 

I think I need to start venturing to some other parts of Central London and will re-visit my Top Ten next year.

In no particular order but starting with 3 Sam Smiths pubs ...

The Dover Castle, Marylebone

Hidden away in the mews of Marylebone not visible from the main road but only yards from Portland Place this pub is worth seeking out. I include this on my Marylebone pub walk and even on a Saturday afternoon it is fairly empty. Much of the pub is wood panelled and in my mind has a similar feel to the Star Tavern in Belgravia in that you feel like you are in someone's front room and could while away a couple of hours with the papers. However as far as I know it's not open on Sundays.

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

This pub is very close to Dr Johnson's house in Gough Square although there is no proof that he actually drank there but it's hard to believe he didn't. The sign on the outside of the pub reads "Rebuilt in 1667" after the Great Fire.

The Cheshire Cheese is on the tourist trail but there are many rooms on many different levels and depending on the time of day you are likely to find space somewhere. I love the amazing cellar bars. One word of warning though don't arrange to meet someone there without previously agreeing which bar you will be in as there is no mobile reception.

The Cittie of Yorke, High Holborn

The final Sam Smiths pub in my Top 10 is completely different from the two above and if you haven't visited before you will gasp as you enter the main bar on the ground floor with its vaulted ceiling, long bar, giant wine vats above the bar and individual seating compartments. This pub can get very busy and is probably best visited at the weekend to appreciate its many qualities and to get a seat. There has been a place of refreshment on this site for many hundreds of years but the present incarnation isn't as old as it looks. The cellar bar is worth visiting too and is much older than the rest of the pub. 

Ye Olde Mitre is only a few minutes' walk from the Cittie of Yorke.

 

Walking up Hatton Garden from Holborn Circus look out for the lamppost with the blue mitre by a hidden passageway. This is the entrance to Ely Court which links Hatton Garden to Ely Place and where you will find The Mitre another of the area’s fantastic pubs. None of the pubs in this blog post are especially good for food being more drinking establishments and food at The Mitre includes traditional snack items such as pickled eggs. Checking out a link to this pub I have discovered it's now run by Fullers - I had no idea! One thing to note it's usually closed at the weekends except for very occasional beer festivals.

 

The Blackfriar

A few minutes' walk from the Cheshire Cheese (above) the Blackfriar has an amazing Art Nouveau interior and is best visited at the weekends when it is less busy and you can appreciate the interior. This is where I ended up after last year's Lord Mayor's Show where we were entertained by Morris dancers.  However you will have to wait a few weeks to visit this pub if you haven't already as it's closed for refurbishment until 23 February.

This won't be my last post on pubs as am sure I can think up a few more Top Tens notably those that I want to visit this year. In fact I'm going to make a concerted effort to visit as many pubs I haven't visited before as I can.

My next public pub walk will be Belgravia on Sunday afternoon 26th February but if you would like to book any of my other pub walks privately the full list is here.

The author of this blog (Joanna Moncrieff) is a qualified City of Westminster Tour Guide who specialises in food and drink themed walks in the West End. 

Details of all her walks are listed here and upcoming public walks are here.

My Top Ten Central London pubs - Part One

As many of my walking tours include pubs I am often asked what is my favourite. I am always flummoxed by this question as don't have one particular favourite but a number and all for different reasons. I just can't pin my choice down to one.

Whilst thinking about this list I have discovered there are a number of pubs I have yet to visit and I will shortly post a separate blog about these. So one of my New Year's resolutions is to visit more pubs! There are also a number of pubs that I need to re-visit - I think I am getting a bit obsessed!

In no particular order:

The Star Tavern, Belgravia 
There are 5 good pubs that I know of in Belgravia and all are ones I would go out of my way for; 4 out of 5 are pretty hidden too. My favourite is the Star as it is one of those pubs where you could easily while away a Sunday afternoon with a pint and the papers. In fact when researching my Belgravia pub walk I got caught in a downpour and took refuge in there (for a roast and a large glass of vino) and felt very comfortable doing so by myself. This pub is especially cosy in the winter months when the real fires are lit; it’s very hard to leave. Unless you know Belgravia it's very hard to find too but really worth the effort. Alternatively you could come on my tour (next public tours are on Sunday 29th January and Sunday 26th February).

The Harrison, Kings Cross 
I would never have discovered this fantastic pub if I didn’t have friends that worked in the locality. It’s opposite a block of flats called Mulletsfield which always makes me laugh but the pub is not what you would expect at all in the area. The food is really good and it has a similar warm comfortable feel as the Star does. Looking at the website I've now discovered they have rooms upstairs and a micro brewery in the basement. 

The Seven Stars, WC2 
This is a pub I would love to include on a tour as don't know another one like it but it is far too small to take a group inside. Unusually for one on the borders of the City (and tucked away) it is open at the weekends although I’ve only visited weekday lunchtimes the clientele then being mainly lawyers from the Royal Courts of Justice and surrounding Inns of Court. According to Pevsner the pub was built in the late 17^th Century and the jewellers next door The Silver Mousetrap dates from the same period. One word of warning though the stairs to the loos must be some of the most precipitous in London and that’s after only a half a pint.

The Harrow, off Fleet Street, EC4 
I have only discovered this one in the past year and it is now one of my favourites. It’s really tucked away and I have even introduced a couple of other pub aficionados to it! Run by Fullers its historic interior is well worth visiting. There are entrances in both Primrose Hill and Whitefriars Street but the tiny snug and upstairs bar are only accessible via Primrose Hill. Unfortunately it's not open at the weekends even on Lord Mayor's Show day.

The Red Lion, SW1 (Crown Passage)

There are two Red Lions in the vicinity so don't go to the wrong one although the other one in Duke of York Street is well worth visiting too for its amazing mirrors and etched glass (another Fullers pub).

The Crown Passage pub just off Pall Mall feels like a local even though it is in prime tourist territory yards away from St James's Palace; in fact "it is said" that a tunnel once linked to the Palace from the pub. However you are more likely to see Monopoly pub crawl participants (being the nearest pub to Pall Mall) and masons from the lodge around the corner at 86 St James's Street which incidentally has a bar and carvery open to the public; the restaurant's website (which unfortunately isn't working at the moment) mentions nothing of its usual clientele. This pub always has a friendly atmosphere especially on a Saturday (it's not open on Sundays) and it is probably the pub where I have had the most conversations with strangers, normally started by commenting on the Monopoly crawl participants' amazing costumes. It's worth visiting the upstairs bar too which is where The Whisky Lounge hold occasional tastings the next one being this Thursday 26th January (the day after Burns' Night).

House wine is from Berry Brothers (Britain's oldest wine and spirit merchant) around the corner and they also stock the King's Ginger (a liqueur created for King Edward VII to keep him warm on long wintry drives) so there are more than enough reasons to visit this pub.

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There are so many fantastic pubs in London it will be hard to restrict my favourites to 10. 

If you're looking to visit some of London's best pubs whilst learning about the history of the area email me and I would be happy to put together a bespoke tour.

I'm also obsessed with afternoon tea places too - but that's for another time.

The author of this blog (Joanna Moncrieff) is a qualified and insured City of Westminster Tour Guide who specialises in food and drink themed walks in the West End. 

Details of all her walks are listed here and upcoming public walks are here.

 

Madame Tussaud's - A Souvenir Brochure from the 1930s

When I saw Pete Berthoud's recent blog post reproducing a review of Madame Tussaud's from the 1880s this prompted me to look out a Souvenir Brochure from the very same place that I had acquired from a charity shop a few years ago.

The brochure isn't dated but it was produced sometime from 1928 to 1935. The original Madame Tussaud's in Baker Street burned down in 1925 and reopened 3 years later in 1928 in its current home in Marylebone Road. The brochure's Foreword comments on the fire in the third paragraph from the bottom.

The second date is gained from the First Plate in the brochure which is of "Their Majesties King George The Fifth and Queen Mary". The text talks about them in the present tense. George V died on 20 January 1936.

The next plate refers to "His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales" who later became Edward VIII and we all know what happened to him.

There are another 13 plates in this brochure; far too many to put on one blog post so I will be dipping into them occasionally maybe on the relevant anniversary.

On this occasion the last set shows "Madame Tussaud the Foundress of the Exhibition" standing next to The Sleeping Beauty.

The author of this blog (Joanna Moncrieff) is a qualified and insured City of Westminster Tour Guide who specialises in food and drink themed walks in the West End. 

Details of all her walks are listed here and upcoming public walks are here.