retiredmartin

October 2026. Thaxted. Essex.

With apologies to Lana, who shares my views on Halloween (I detest all celebrations of specific days to be honest), I have to bring you the Maypole in Thatxted.

Since I’m here for the night and have saved £63.10 on my accommodation budget, I feel morally obliged to DO Thaxted properly and justify the parish council’s decision to let me park overnight for free.

For what feels like decades the two GBG entries were the Star and the Maypole, the latter a solid looking community pub on the edge of town, just beyond the Guildhall, which you’ll never see wrapped in “Keep out” signs and ghouls.

Your entry to the Maypole is welcomed by the fellow below. PRESS PLAY (unless you don’t want to).

I really started to notice the Halloween overload of UK pubs in Nottingham town centre 20 years ago. With smoking banned, pubs need things to keep folf entertained; quizes, meat raffles, cover bands, pumpkin carving..,

It’s not for me, but clearly people like horror or they wouldn’t watch Manchester United. I’m terrified enough by Finding Nemo, thank you.

Anyway, the beer is as (very) good as ever,

though let’s not dwell too long on things like the provenance of Ridley’s, shall we ?

Bishop Nick Ridley, from whom the original brewery founder was descended, wa sburned at the stake in 1555 for supporting the Protestant cause, and I wager would have had something to say about devil worship.

But I’ll say this, it’s an astonishing effort by the Maypole, extending deep into the garden,

with the biggest horror of all on the left hand side of the smoking shelter.

Ridley’s Rite is one of their “Sacred” ales, so for balance let’s have a sacred text blue tacked to the window across the road.

Life is all about balance.