BREWERIANA OVERLOAD AT THE HYDE PARK (I)

It’s a pain being prolific in the pashmina’d Prosecco lands of west Devon.

Compiling posts on my Huawei in Bideford Spoons is slow, despite decent internet.

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Ba Ba Toure

But you won’t hear me whining, despite oppressive heat, a grazed knee from Appledore, and boy racers at midnight that made me yearn for the peaceful doggers of Tyneside.

I’ve accumulated 358 usable photos already in 2 days on the trip, and you’ll get them all.

Starting with the Hyde Park in Mutley that Sis wouldn’t let me pass.

Now, Sis and I aren’t the closest of siblings, despite a happy childhood marred only by “the incident” involving my propensity to dismember inanimate objects.

But she’s been an angel with Mum and Dad, she introduced me to the joys of the ‘front during her year in Falmouth, and she understands the blog.

While I focused on the grime and Grime of Mutley Plain she compared house prices and sought out the features that would make Mutley liveable.

Like a pub built on a roundabout, like that one in Farnham.

The Landlord was watering the hanging baskets (a bit too high for tickers). Sis ushered me in “for a coffee”.

Well, the outside cannot prepare you for the majesty of the dazzling spectacle inside.

It was like stepping into one of those backstreet Ghent pubs, except they were playing Peter Cetera’s Glory of Love.

Can a Proper Pub ever play Peter Cetera in a non ironic way? That will be one of the 20 mark questions that History students get if they choose to retake their A levels in Autumn.

Sis chose a seat by the entrance to the ladies, which as we’ll see was a good choice.

Part 2 when I get to Ilfracombe Spoons.

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

37 thoughts on “BREWERIANA OVERLOAD AT THE HYDE PARK (I)”

  1. Ah, those simple imperative ads – “Eat More Fruit”, and now we have “Always Order Ind Coope”.

    Seems that some folks don’t even need telling these days.

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    1. Bit like the pitchside adverts in Billy the Fish in Viz, “Eat Food”, “Drink Beer”, “Drive a Car”, “Smoke Tabs (Government Health Warning: Don’t Smoke Tabs)”

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  2. More breweriana than you can shake a stick at, but none the worse for that!

    It’s when you remember drinking beers such as Devenish, Truman’s, Double Diamond and “bleedin’ Watney’s Red Barrel” that you start to feel your age!

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    2. And now it’s the Fuller version that’s lost.

      That reminds me of the Malt Shovel Tavern towards the end the Beer and Pubs Forum’s Proper Day Out in Northampton 27 months ago and the Merchants Inn that was our lunch stop on the Beer and Pubs Forum’s Proper Day Out in Rugby fifteen months ago.

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  6. That reminds me of the Malt Shovel Tavern towards the end of the Beer and Pubs Forum’s Proper Day Out in Northampton 27 months ago and the Merchants Inn which was the lunch stop for the Beer and Pubs Forum’s Proper Day Out in Rugby fifteen months ago.

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      3. That reminds me of the words of a dear departed friend “what’s the point of having a life if you keep forgetting it?” – we were trying to remember a particular pub, and when we visited it, without success.

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      4. Etu,
        I can remember which pubs I’ve used in Northampton and Rugby during the past couple of years, It’s just the failure of my very short term memory regarding whether I’ve commented about Rugby or both towns or neither.

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  7. I had the exact same thought before I read your comment on the similarity to Ghent pubs. It is strikingly similar to a lot of places in The Netherlands and Belgium.

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    1. Do they buy their tat from Wrexham, too.

      I may be wrong but I thought the Hyde Park landlord was Irish, so lack of Guinness tat was striking. This was a beautifully curated collection.

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  9. “Compiling posts on my Huawei in Bideford Spoons is slow, despite decent internet.”

    Isn’t that because the data goes via Bejing for ‘vetting’… and so president Xi can update his British pubs database:)

    Who’d ever thought you’d come across a C&A sign as memorabilia in a pub. i thought the ‘British Airways Board Here’ one was slightly ironic too – in current times…

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      2. Oh dear – sounds like he’s made himself very popular with other traders in the town – no excuse really though for such complacency. If he can’t manage his pub/customers – makes you wonder why he is a landlord.

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  11. “It’s a pain”

    For those that know you Martin, you could’ve stopped right there mate. 🙂

    “marred only by “the incident” involving my propensity to dismember inanimate objects.”

    Good thing in your adult life you didn’t graduate to animate ones!

    “Well, the outside cannot prepare you for the majesty of the dazzling spectacle inside.”

    Blimey. Sort of Las Vegas meets Blackpool?

    “Can a Proper Pub ever play Peter Cetera in a non ironic way? ”

    Can any place for that matter. 😉

    “Sis chose a seat by the entrance to the ladies, which as we’ll see was a good choice.”

    You should perhaps discreetly tell about these ‘depends’ thingies; either that or introduce her to Ex-Lax. 🙂

    Cheers

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  12. I’m, having the same trouble as Stafford Paul. Comments don’t appear, so you try again, and then like buses, several turn up one after the other.

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