retiredmartin

February 2024. Desborough.

A trip back “home” from our mini-mini-break in Liverpool for Mum’s birthday; only just over 3 hours which shows how small England really is, unless you want to go to North Norfolk (you don’t, and I was secretly thrilled to discover this week that my penultimate GBG tick in Wells had just dropped out of the Guide).

We stopped just off the A14 in Desborough (pop.10,697) because a) we hadn’t bought Mum anything for her 84th birthday, b) needed a wee, c) no-one else stops in Desborough, do they ?

No loos in Cheaney’s factory shop (nice shoes for £225 though) or the Co-op, and Desborough’s pub stock consists of one (1) pub (closed lunchtime) and a quartet of clubs.

So (for the first time ever) thank goodness for Costa, one of the cleanest and cheeriest I’ve ever been in, almost as if it was a pub.

Hang on ! That exterior looks familiar.

Yes, on my 2016 visit the Costa was the Kings Arms, one of several hotels for commercial travellers.

No beer in Costa (yet), so here’s a pic of Mrs RM’s Mac & Cheese.

Comfort break over, we reached the real reason for “Doing Dessie“, which I hope is a slogan the tourist office can get behind, once they’ve found a way to promote the local lingerie factory.

The Heritage Centre I raved about is, remarkably, still there,

and open six (6) days a week, including Monday, Take that, pokey micropubs !

You’re greeted at the front window display of domestic life in 1960s Northants (see top),

and then follow a trail of social history that puts nearly every other museum (Doncaster apart) to shame, with expert interpretation from a couple of ladies in their seventies, who could probably have given me the beer scores for the King’s Arms before it closed.

Old Northants skittles,

a hearse, miniature lingerie for dolls,

an explanation of the word “gazunder”,

old football boots,

and the entire contents of a greengrocers. 

My parents would have loved it. Oh, that reminded me; I bought Mum some Desborough marmalade.

Honestly, totally wonderful. Go now, and turn it into the Beamish Museum of the Midlands.