Thursday 17 July 2008

Night On The Tiles

I'm glad I didn't have to grout all of those tiles! (click on the photo to enlarge it and see the detail above the door) This is The Vine on the High Street, at the corner of Grosvenor Street. The pubs tiled front looks Victorian, but its actually from much later than this. The original building was severely damaged in a fire between the first and second World Wars, so this look dates from the late 40's. Back in the 1970's the pub was known as The Coopers Arms, then in the 90's it was renamed Cactus Jacks and opened as a Western themed bar, and recently it had a name change to The Vine. I guess the owners were trying to make it a bit more modern, but its hard to achieve in a building decorated in this old fashioned way.

While looking on the internet for some of the buildings history I came across this review from when it was still Cactus Jacks. It made me laugh!

" CACTUS JACKS (near Cheltenham Model Centre!)
(Review kindly supplied by someone without a name). This has to be Cheltenham's number one underage pub where a variety of fake IDs are widely accepted, but what is so special about this place is the apparent large number of OAPs. It appears that you have to either be under-16 or over-60 to get served in here by Dave or Shirley (the resident management). Another unique aspect of this pub is Ted. No matter what time of the day it is, 7 days a week, 12 months a year, come wind, rain or sun, you can always guarantee Ted will be sat at the bar - amazing! Ted particularly likes to pass his time by looking down the low cut tops worn under the Kappa tracksuits of the underage female contingent who swell the building on Saturday nights. The pub appears to do its' best trade during School Holidays, GCSE results day is a particular bumper day for Dave and Shirley!"

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wonder how old this "Ted" was? Anyway, it looks like a nice quaint corner bar to visit now & again. Do the owners live upstairs? That would be convenient!

Kate said...

I wonder why European architecture is so appealing...far more than ours. Or so it seems!

Petrea Burchard said...

Oooh, Marley! "Superfluous detail" above the door! Of course you're used to it. It's one reason European architecture is so appealing, as Kate says. Attention to detail for artistic reasons alone. Wonderful.

Knoxville Girl said...

I really love this tile work, and also what looks like stained glass (?) in the doors.
So, is Ted still there, do you suppose?

MJ said...

The green tiles must look quite outstanding on the street.

By any chance you know this Ted? :)

Anonymous said...

It seems every pub in London has interesting history. It is certainly a culture like none other.

I have only just had a chance to try and catchup on my blog and comments. So only today did I realise you have given me an award. Thank you. I will need a few days to follow all the instructions.
Am hoping for a change in weather to get some new photos. Guess I will have to go for something indoors if it continues to be grey and cloudy. Or be clever like you and go and find some ducks!

Hilda said...

LOL at the Cactus Jacks review. I'm surprised they even bother with the IDs. Here in Manila, no one checks (though it's supposed to be illegal to serve liquor to minors).

Lori said...

Ha! That's a funny review! I love the tile work on the building. The building does have many interesting details that we can see in the photo.

Sean Claes said...

After reading that funny review.. it's pretty apparent why it's not Cactus Jacks anymore.

And yes... I'm glad you didn't have to grout that either. Must have been a pain.

• Eliane • said...

Neat façade! I can totally see some kind of hip & cool décor inside. Something like a minimalist bistro moderne or, a mid-century décor with groovy pastic chairs, diners booths, ... Not sure Ted would feel comfortable in my design though. ;)

Jane Hards Photography said...

This what I like, a pub that looks like a pub. Wonderful garish green tiles. Ted sounds a naughty boy. Every pub has a Ted of some sort. I would keep it as a spit and sawdust stick to the carpet pub. Not another Yate's.

Neva said...

Certainly a lovely looking pub....the green tile is unique....but I am not sure I would like the review written by an anonymous person...it sure didn't show Ted or the owners in a very good light!

Anonymous said...

That review is hilarious! I agree with Babooshka too, good to see it looking like a pub rather than a poncey wine bar!

magiceye said...

pretty looking pub! loved the review too! :)

brian stout said...

Very cool building! My last name is on this too!

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