Tim and Sue's Travels

Went for a trip to London today, two reasons, one to meet Sues friend Brian, who we hadn’t seen for ages and the other to visit the Dickens Exhibition at the Museum of London.

 

 

It is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens this year, well on the 7th February to be exact. There are lots of exhibitions on at present along and many of his books being adapted for TV.
This is a tremendous exhibition with lots of information about the man himself and the social history of London during his lifetime.

There is also the original door from the Newgate Prison, a model of a stagecoach and steam train, numerous old maps and pictures of London along with manuscripts from some of his novels.
Spent around two hours here before heading of to the Lord Raglan Pub for a good meal and pint of Doombar.

 

The exhibition is open until the 10th June 2012.
Must pay another visit to the Museum itself soon.

Opposite is a picture of a floodlit St Pauls taken as we walked back to the tube station from the pub.

Weather was mighty cold, but sunny.

Great Day Out.

After the nice couple who had the Squire were forced out by the brewery putting up the rent a few months ago. Shame as they had turned it in to a nice pub, good food and a few groups or the landlord and regulars doing an impromptu keyboard ‘jamming’ session.
It had now returned to a dark, unwelcoming, pub with nothing good going for it. 

It was, we thought, only a matter of time before it was sold and turned into a block of flats.

BUT, now apparently the owners of either the Everest Nepalese Restaurant in Howards Street, off the Cowley Road or the Yeti Restaurant in Cowley Road has taken a TEN ?? year lease over the Squire and is turning it, or part of it, in to a Nepalese Restaurant, the pub, drinking bit, will still stay open.

Anyway more will be revealed on Friday 3rd February when it re-opens, so the sign hung outside informs.

UPDATE – Well the food looked nice, but unfortunately the £10 a head buffet was all booked and the Hobgoblin (take a look at the brewers web site here) was well and truly off, will go there soon, the menu looked extensive, but could be having the Guinness I think, shame as Hobgoblin is a nice pint..

Today finished the annual Brakspears Ale Trail, with a trip to O’Neills, then the Four Candles, where we had a Christmas meal and a pint for £7.95 and finished at Far From The Madding Crowd, where I picked up the free T-shirt. The ‘Thursday Night Out’ lads have been doing this through out December, but I missed one Thursday so had to catch up today. Lots of lovely pints of Oxford Gold.

Have sent off the completed form and hopefully should be receiving details of the free trip round the Wychwood brewery in Witney where amongst others (like Hobgoblin)  Brakspear beer is brewed.

The New Theatre had an open day today, £9 each and you could wonder everywhere, back stage, dressing rooms, easily get lost. A complete rabbit warren of rooms and corridors.

                   

Well worth it, always wanted to see how all the scenery gets ‘lowered’ in etc. There were lots of staff on hand to answer questions, especially interesting were the lighting and mixing desks. Yea, I am a geek.

                   

                    

Then finished up across the road in The grapes pub, built in 1820, possibly one of the oldest pubs in Oxford.

  And a nice couple of pints of 6X.

Today we visited the BT, or, as was the Post Office tower in London. A bit of history here.

The trip was organised by BT, just had to donate some money to BT’s chosen charity and could have an hour up the tower. The weather was dry, a bit cloudy, but just OK for photo taking.

                    

Wembley Stadium far right                                 The London Eye

                   

Big Ben                                                                   Regent Park

                 

Afterwards we went to Treasures of Heaven exhibition at The British Museum.

And went to the Busaba Eathai,  restaurant just of the Tottenham Court Road for a nice meal, before getting home around 9.00pm.

There had been an article about the two mile long Ascott Park, Historical Trail in the Oxford Mail, back at the end of March. It was a lovely day today, so we decided to go and visit.
The trail starts at the Crazy Bear Farm Shop in Stadhampton, nice coffee and fruit juices.
There are quite a few different animals to see round here including Reindeers and Llamas.

        

There are around 8 newly erected signs giving information about the site.

         

The Old Dovecote                                        Pretty idyllic scene

          

These were believed to be the                     The Granary
Gate Piers to the house.

Apparently the original house was built in 1662, then burned down before the Dormer family could move in, although no remains can be found. But remains have been found of a house built in about 1720, but never finished for what ever reason.

Well worth a morning trip, especially in the lovely sunny weather we have been having lately.