February 2026. Letchworth Garden City.
According to the times on my photos, I left my first Letchworth pub of the afternoon at 16:27 and entered my fifth at 17.29, which even by my standards is going some, particular with a detour to the old hosiery factory and some nostalgia thrown in.
You’ll guess my last pub from the carpet;
the legendary Three Magnets being of the “so bad it’s good” variety. In Cambridgeshire the market town JDWs have become genteel meeting places for the OAPs of St Neots, St Ives and Huntingdon, but Hertfordshire Spoons are grittier affairs, the preserve of professional 9am drinkers from Hemel to Potters Bar.
I’ve seen actual aggro in Timbo’s outlets in Royston and Letchworth, including a police raid on our wedding anniversary a decade ago.
But the welcome is great, there’s laughter in the air, the cask cheap GBG quality,
with some interesting guests,
and a half (sorry) of Abbot (not sorry) is a chewy NBSS 4.
Never change, Three Magnets.
Ooops, 6 minutes to my train, and a dask through the Arcade takes in Trichologist Solutions,
and a nostalgic display of the cap awarded to players of Letchworth Athletic FC in their Delphian League days.
And then across to Station Road, where Dragon King is a decent Chinese buffet despite looking like a pub,
and then a guard shouts “The 17:48 is waiting for you NOW !“.
retiredmartin 
Why did the police raid your anniversary?
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Or was it not really a proper policewoman ?
No, that’d be Martin’s birthday !
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“I left my first Letchworth pub of the afternoon at 16:27 and entered my fifth at 17.29”
I assume you were having halves?
(in pint glasses of course)
“You’ll guess my last pub from the carpet;”
(looks down)
Spoons!
(I know that from Si’s ratings of carpets) 😉
“but Hertfordshire Spoons are grittier affairs, the preserve of professional 9am drinkers from Hemel to Potters Bar.”
Gritty indeed!
“including a police raid on our wedding anniversary a decade ago.”
Yes, yes; but you were across the road by then. I’ve been in earthquakes, riots (ok, only in the middle of one riot), protests (ok, only one protest and only in between the police and the irate German farmers, whereupon I went back into the restaurant, as the front glass shattered beside me) and you don’t see me going on about it!
“But the welcome is great, there’s laughter in the air, the cask (cheap) GBG quality,”
No, no; you can say ‘cheap’. Those are (cheap) great prices!
“and a half (sorry) of Abbot (not sorry) is a chewy NBSS 4.”
At the rate you were hitting each pub, halves is totally understandable.
“and a dask through the Arcade takes in Trichologist Solutions,”
Is ‘dask’ some sort of Welsh walk?
“and a nostalgic display of the cap awarded to players of Letchworth Athletic FC in their Delphian League days.”
No comment.
“where Dragon King is a decent Chinese buffet despite looking like a pub,”
(looks down)
Blimey! Had me fooled.
“and then a guard shouts “The 17:48 is waiting for you NOW !“.”
Sigh, once again, no matter how hard we try, we’re ruled by the clock.
Cheers
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