Surprise

Another filler photo for the weekend. This one is from the trip I took to the Banksy Exhibition in August. I love his sense of humour. Late post today due to partying last night. And another party tonight! Unsurprisingly I have a hangover. Hope you are having a good weekend.

Past Times

I must say that cocktail drinking at The Daffodil is not one of my regular pursuits, on the other hand pretending I'm Tom Cruise in the film Cocktail at home is! But last Friday we went there for lunch and having a cocktail in the bar was an essential part of the relaxed midday eating experience.

As I've mentioned before, The Daffodil is a former art deco cinema and this photo (which I have fiddled with slightly) looks like it could have come straight from a 1930's silver screen blockbuster.

Top Tip

As a complete contrast to yesterdays post here is the sign outside the neighbouring St Paul's Tavern. Forget churches, this is my kind of religion! What wise words!

The St Paul's area of town has a large student population, mainly due to the rows of terraced houses that are rented out as student accommodation and the fact that one of Gloucestershire University campuses is in that part of town. Although the pub claims to be a local it is more or less a student pub.

So, have any of you got a top tip? The best suggestion will win a prize! Oooo! Winner to be announced on Saturday.

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Best In the West

I've mentioned these brewery plaques in the past but never shown one. I spotted this one on a pub in town a couple of weeks a go. I have to admit I can't remember the name of the pub, and that isn't due to drink! Below is some detail on these plaques, which I took from the Gloucestershire Pubs website.

"These colourful brewery plaques are still quite a common sight in Gloucestershire and are taken very much for granted. However, they deserve far more recognition as these West Country Ales plaques are a reminder of Gloucestershire’s once proud brewing heritage.

West Country Breweries were established in 1958 when the Stroud Brewery merged with the Cheltenham Brewery. By coincidence both the Stroud Brewery and the Cheltenham Brewery first started brewing in the same year – 1760. The date is recorded in the ceramic plaques. West Country Breweries were a large regional company with tied houses (pubs) extending into Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire and parts of Wales. As a result these colourful ‘castle’ plaques can still be seen as far away as Presteigne in Wales and Marlborough in Wiltshire.

The distinctive ‘castle’ or ‘tower’ design was first used by the Cheltenham Original Brewery and ceramic brewery plaques once graced the outside of their tied houses with the words ‘Cheltenham Ales’. After the Second World War the Cheltenham Brewery acquired the Hereford and Tredegar Breweries. As a result the company changed its name to Cheltenham & Hereford Breweries and the old plaques were replaced with the new, but similar, ‘Cheltenham & Hereford Ales’ design. The old Foxhill Inn near Guiting Power still has such a plaque inlaid into the wall.

The ‘West Country Ales’ plaques were placed in pub walls from 1958 until c.1967. Whitbread took over West Country Breweries in 1963 but for a few years after the acquisition Whitbread still used the West Country Ales ‘castle’ logo. There are two sizes and some slight colour differences in the glaze."

Once I read this I decided I had a new challenge - to find one of the original Cheltenham Brewery plaques. Watch this space. Right, which pub first...

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Time Please!

Time has been called at the New Penny Inn for the last time. Actually it was called for the last time about three years ago but it has only just been demolished. The pub was originally named the New Inn and renamed in 1970 to coincide with decimalisation in the UK. The pub was renowned for being a bit rough and had some problems with drugs and,unfortunately, this didn't change under several different owners and landlords. It won't surprise you to know that apartments are planned for the site. Very original!

I like the fact that it looks like the demolition team just gave up when they got to the doorway, it has been like this for weeks! For more info about the New Penny Inn, and photos before demolition, go here.

Burger In The Bushes

Behind all this undergrowth is Tailors pub. We went there yesterday for my birthday lunch, they do a delicious homemade burger and chips. No surprises at what we had to eat then! The good thing about Tailors is that it isn't part of one of those large chains, it just an independent bar with good food and some real ales. Needless to say the outdoor seats were empty due to the weather!

Among the gifts I had yesterday were a Photoshop software package and a Tripod! Watch out for some night shots and improved images coming soon!

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!"

Fresh From The Farm

As promised, a return to Cheltenham. On the first and last Friday of the month the Farmers Market comes to town. There are about 30 stalls selling all sorts of food, drink and plants produced in Gloucestershire. I don't get to go very often, as I'm normally at work, but as I was off last week, I seized the opportunity to go. I came home with bread, cakes, samosas, goats cheese, white wine plus a few other goodies! The Farmers Market is a really good idea and it allows people to support local producers. I think most towns and cities have one these days. What is the one near you like?

Don't forget Theme Day tomorrow!

Ladies That Lunch

The outdoor tables of the restaurants and cafes on the Promenade are full of al fresco diners as we enjoy some lovely early summer weather here in the UK. Cheltenham is known for its shopping and these ladies were obviously taking a well deserved lunchtime rest before continuing on their mission! Credit crunch? What credit crunch?!

Axiom

This derelict building used to be the hub of Cheltenhams music and arts scene. The Axiom Centre, in Winchcombe street, was the place to go to see new bands, unusual art exhibitions and share a drink with friends while chilling out in relaxed surroundings.

Unfortunately the centre shut in 2000 after the Council were worried by the way it was being run and the loss of money it was suffering. After several failed attempts to revive the place it closed for good in 2002. The Borough Council has since sold the building for over £500,000 and have promised to use the money towards the Art Gallery and Museum redevelopment. I don't know how many years the Axiom was used for before its demise but I spent several 'entertaining' nights there. Once listening to a friends first gig. Sadly his band was one of the worst that night, but that was the joy of the Axiom - you never knew what you'd get! I also watched another friends rather bizarre play in the upstairs theatre area. But the best times were spent on warm evenings sitting outside on the benches chatting with the lively mix of people that were drawn to the Axiom.

I think Cheltenham is worse off for the loss of the Axiom. There really isn't the same kind of venue in town for up and coming creative minds to express themselves.

Theme Day - Numbers

Its the first day of the month and its Theme Day again! The phrase 24/7 is one of the most used set of numbers. I think it originated from the name of an American Store, but in Cheltenham our Twenty 4 Seven is a bar and club. Its housed in a four storey Regency building that's part of a terrace, the sort that Cheltenham is famous for. The venue has a nice relaxed bar, an area with comfy sofas and a large dance floor in the basement. I've been there a few times, but don't remember much about it! That's what happens when you drink 24/7 !!

Take some time to visit some of the other 180 City Daily Photo Blogs taking part in this Theme Day Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Cookie Monster

All the treat seeking shoppers are testament to the success of the newly opened Millie's Cookies. The shop opened last week at the main entrance of the Regent Arcade Shopping Centre and has been an instant hit. Millie's Cookies have over a hundred branches, the first one opening just over 20 years ago at Selfridges in Oxford Street, London. Millie's bake a tasty selection of different cookies including double chocolate, raspberry and white choc, and orange chocolate. They also offer muffins, hot drinks, ice cream and gift boxes. I didn't have time to queue to buy a cookie or two. I'm going to go back tomorrow to sample Millie's Cookies! Now, what flavour....?