Scenes from South Denes

It's a still, cool January morning with a murky mist bearing down. Where better place to head in such weather than to Great Yarmouth...

Yes Great Yarmouth. Yarco. Yarmouth Town.

I actually love this place. It has a reputation now for amusements, deprivation, greyhound racing, cheap seaside holidays and cruising along the sea front - but there is so very much more to this place. Yes it has all those aforementioned things, but it also has a very rich history.

Great Yarmouth was a hugely important fishing port, the biggest herring fishing port in the world in fact. It was a prosperous place to be and people travelled from all over the country to work catching, landing and processing the herring during the season. South Denes was where a lot of the herring were cured and packed. Alas the herring fishing industry saw massive decline during and after the war, and has today all but ceased. The popularity of white fish saw a huge drop in consumption of smoked and pickled bloaters (that's where GYFC's nickname The Bloaters comes from).

And so now the South Denes is a quieter place, with oil, gas and energy companies now operating here, interspersed with local businesses. The place is weathered, untidy and in some places practically falling down. But in amongst all this is a beautiful example of a gas tower, some fantastic buildings and the grade 1 listed Nelson's Monument, with Britannia on the top looking out across towards Nelson's birth place (rather than out to sea).

As you head past the historic South Quay towards the South Denes there are two places that always catch my eye. The first is the alloy and wheel shop with brightly coloured wheel decorations, and the second is Ivy's Noted Tea Shop. I have no idea if it is still open, and really should stop for a cup of tea there sometime. It's good apparently.

This wonderful gas tower marks the divide between housing and industry down on South Denes. There are some great alleyways providing interesting viewpoints of this prominent landmark.

There are still some signs of fishing in South Denes.

And plenty of offshore companies. Grass was growing in the roof of this one.

If you don't want to go to Ivy's noted tea rooms, then you could try Bernie's Bites. It's not going anywhere fast judging by the state of the wheels!

G.Y.C Electricity Dept. With any vandal drain cover.

South Denes is home to another kind of refreshment too. The still thriving and successful Lacons Brewery. Lovely.

The largest collection of NO PARKING notices can be found on South Denes. Some have been playfully adjusted at some point... er NO... what?

Yep that too.

Ah. No Parking!

If you're interested in the history of Great Yarmouth then a great place to start is the Time and Tide Museum.

To see the full set of photos from my trip to South Denes, visit Flickr

St Andrews Street, Norwich

A few photos from St Andrews Street in Norwich.

Never noticed the face on this building before.

The end of this red phone box, and a lovely reflection of St Andrews Hall

Merry Christmas from Anglia Square

Wishing you a Merry Christmas from Anglia Square!

I spent an hour or so here the other day. It's a bustling and busy place - a real hive of activity - but has become increasingly worn and weathered. There is talk of redevelopment again, and hopefully some good plans will come forward as so much of it outside the main square is empty now. Despite all of the shortcomings, most people from Norwich do have a little soft spot for this place and the many people frequenting it. There is a huge amount of street art around the back, but I didn't venture that far this time. Here are some of the things that caught my eye on my short trip around this iconic place.

1. The lights were a dim twinkle here. Good effort elsewhere in the square though!

2. Planet of the Vapes. I see what they did here.

3. I really loved the line up of shopping trolleys here. Polka dot is in this year.

4. The stairwells are something else. I've never seen and smelt so much piss. 

5. Upstairs in the car park where there is no parking. There are some interesting views of the city through the frame of the exit ramp. To the right of where I was standing is the Hollywood Cinema with the great mural of Alan Partridge by Gnasher.

6. On the way in to Anglia Square is a lovely record shop, one of a couple along Magdalen Street. I will always love a good record shop.

A weekend at the oldest hotel in the UK

Following on from my previous blog, Alice Does Cooking, our annual family weekend reunion also involves finding a suitable place to stay for 20 or so people. The pressure was on to show the best of the fine city of Norwich this year to those traveling from far and wide so I approached the lovely folk at The Maids Head Hotel to see what they could offer. Located on Tombland between the majestic cathedral and historic Elm Hill, the hotel offers great access to lots of local activities and adventures - perfect for our reunion weekend. A tailored package was soon crafted with the group bookings team and the addition of a couple of extra people for dinner on the Saturday night wasn't any trouble at all.

The Maids Head is actually the oldest hotel in the UK, over 800 years old and still looking fabulous. Queen Elizabeth I was once a guest and the recent refurbishment of the foyer has made the hotel look really smart, but still very welcoming and all in fitting with the architecture. The staff were brilliant in sorting out the 2 nights for our group, with all the rooms we booked having great views of Norwich Cathedral. Our stay included breakfast both days and dinner from the Wine Press A la Carte menu on the Saturday night. It all offered excellent value, and with the Wine Press recently being awarded a second AA rosette, dinner on the Saturday evening was a delight too. We were given a whole section of the restaurant on one gigantic table, perfect for catching up with each other and just a small totter to the atmospheric hotel bar when needed. There was a slight mix up in the evening at the restaurant but this was more than made up for by the restaurant manager, who went above and beyond anything I expected.

The staff were really friendly and accommodating over the weekend and nothing was too much trouble. Everyone in our group was really impressed with the food service in the Wine Press, and how we were looked after over the weekend in the hotel lounge too. Umbrellas were even handed out on loan on the rainy Saturday which was thoroughly welcomed.

If you're looking for somewhere lovely to stay in Norwich, or live in the city and have friends coming to visit, I can recommend a stay here.

 

Alice does cooking...

Last weekend, 20 members of my family met for the traditional annual get together. This year the location for the occasion was Norwich, and plans were afoot for a lovely time for those who had traveled from across the UK and Europe. The weekend was a great success and it wouldn't have been nearly so good without a special evening hosted by Alice does Cooking in the wonderful setting of Olive's.

You may have seen my previous blogs about Olive's Supper Club. The popular Supper Club now takes place monthly, and Alys who runs it is diversifying following growing demand for her wonderful food. For this rather special event I therefore turned to the new and exciting venture that is Alice Does Cooking. A specially created best of Norfolk Supper Club was the order of the evening for my dear family at the beautiful, intimate venue of Olives. After a few discussions about requirements in advance, this menu was promptly suggested and was just right - supporting local food and business and showing some of the best Norwich and Norfolk has to offer.

On the menu to start -
Norfolk Tapas (Sharing platters for the table) consisting of
*Marsh Pig chorizo with chickpeas and Banham cider
*Norfolk Black Turkey empanadas
*Celeriac and brown butter purée
*Beetroot and walnut hummus
*Home-made focaccia

Main dishes –
*Confit gressingham duck leg and venison sausage cassoulet served with creamy mashed potato and braised chard
*Thai style Cromer crab cakes served with an Asian style seafood, watercress and rice noodle chowder
*Mr's Temple's cheese and Colman's mustard rarebit tart served with a warm salad of pickled red cabbage and roasted squash

Puddings –
*Norfolk treacle tart with Lakenham creamery ice cream
*Honey and lemon posset with lavender shortbread
*Apple and Norfolk dumpling cobbler with proper custard

Everyone loved the food and the atmosphere on the night, and if I'm putting on an event again where I need something a little special, then I'll be heading straight over to Alice Does Cooking... a welcoming, friendly response leading to tasty food, tailored menus AND all at an affordable budget.

To find out more visit http://www.alicesworldfoods.co.uk/

Cars of the past - the Reliant Robin

There are some beautiful villages in Norfolk, and the Buckenhams New and Old are two of them. New Buckenham boasts not only the remains of a castle, but also was home to the wonderful Castle Hill garage.

This garage was special not only because it had an amazing font on the sign, but also for an amazing collection of Reliant Robins and Rialtos. Castle Hill garage is a specialist dealer of used parts for these little beasts, made famous by Del Boy in Only Fools and Horses. So I've found out, the garage has now moved south of the border in to Suffolk.

It stopped me dead in my tracks a good while back, and when I was in the area I often took a little detour to see what was on the forecourt.

 

To see the full set on Flickr click here.

To visit the Castle Hill Garage website, selling parts and the like, visit here.

41 All Saints Green

At 41 All Saints Green, Norwich, stands a grand grade II listed, late 18th Century Merchant's House. Three storeys tall, it is actually the little side building that caught my attention. With blue doors, and looking very weathered of late, it is strikingly different to nearby neighbour John Lewis,. It has also clearly taken a beating at some time, with substantial brick repairs evident. The yoga room behind is now closed, and taking a look at Norwich City Council's website, planning permission has been granted to convert the building into 2 commercial units and 7 residential dwellings.

Interested to find out more of the history of this place.

 

The Railway Mission

Prince of Wales Road, Norwich.

A place that tends to have rather a reputation for bars and clubs of all kinds, excessive drinking, fighting, and a heavy police presence and the SOS bus at the weekend.

But amongst the nightspots, taxi ranks and takeaways at the Riverside end of the road stands a fantastic little Grade II listed building. I am ashamed to confess I didn't notice it for years, mainly because I normally rush down this road as quickly as possible, concentrating entirely on my destination rather than the surroundings. It is a fantastic little building, and apparently quite easy to miss if you're not paying attention. Opposite Mercy and Rocco's, it is now occupied by the Norwich  Evangelical Free Church.

The brick colours are fantastic, and the detail on the Railway Mission sign very pleasing. The building is also in very good condition but for a small bit of graffiti. A total treasure of a place.

The Railway Mission itself is a British Mission and charity devoted to those in the railway industry and was founded in 1881. This building is apparently one of the best examples of a Railway Mission hall left standing. See http://www.railwaymission.org for more details.

These photos were taken over the course of two days, as there is a time restricted parking bay in front of the building. I love the colour of the building in the sunlight. It makes all the different building materials really noticeable, with the bricks at the bottom of the building having a shiny finish.