retiredmartin

January 2025. Downham Market.

I abandoned my trip to King’s Lynn 2 stops early; bizarrely it wouldn’t have been a penny cheaper to have just booked a ticket to Downham Market. Someone will be along shortly to tell me it’s still a capital offence to leave a train early in West Norfolk.

Downham (pop. half a dozen under the 10k) has lost a similar portion of its pubs to Lynn (4 out of 7), but the 3 survivors are solid, and a mile south at Denver Sluice there’s that rarest of creatures, a good homebrew bar.

I thought I’d do the one that hasn’t been in the GBG for a few years, and see if I could resist the lure of the town’s solid Chinese takeaway roster on the walk back to the station. Yes, yes, Chung Hwa and Sang Lung are “Proper” names, but Norfolk likes to get its Chop Suey from a place called “Top Dinner”.

Downham was bitterly cold that night so I wasn’t hanging around to admire the pebbly buildings,

but if I come back I’ll time it with a trip to a surprisingly large museum (yes, it WAS a fire station once).

Even Fen towns can look attractive in the right light,

and beyond the town sign lies a simple but alluring plain pub.

The Live & Let Live was a Guide regular, probably till the Spoons opened,

but there’s a sign promoting real ale outside, and Doom Bar and Pride within.

I loved it again, possibly 20 years after my first and only visit.

Hi-Vis, Emo soundtracked youngsters playing pool, dogs with their nose in your coat,

a very chewy Doom Bar (NBSS 3+), a friendly barmaid.

Get it in the GBG, NOW !

They won’t.