Category: Updates

The latest Good Beer Guide edited by Roger Protz includes several essential pubs along the Thames.

As well as beer and food details there are useful pieces of history dropped into reports. The White Cross at Richmond takes its name from the convent on the riverside site. The Watermans Arms at Eton was briefly a mortuary.

The Dog & Bell on the Thames Path at Deptford is unique being an independent house.

Not far away is The Pelton Arms in Greenwich which is temporarily on the route whilst a very long term diversion is in place around Lovell’s Wharf. The friendly pub has doubled as The Nag’s Head in Only Fools and Horses.

Near the far end beds are available at The Crown Inn at Lechlade which serves its own Ha’penny Ale.

Also just published is the equally vital Good Pub Guide edited by Alisdair Aird and Fiona Stapley.

One of its 38 Dining Pubs of the Year is The Trout at Tadpole where Gareth and Helen Pugh are now serving afternoon tea at weekends.

If you are having tea at Tadpole you might have had lunch at The Rose Revived at Newbridge which rightly gets a mention.

It’s interesting to see that both books recommend Cricklade’s Red Lion.

The Watermans Arms, built by the towpath on Oxford’s Osney Island in 1871, has changed its name to Punter. This seemed a pity to me but the relaunch has seen the place become maybe more friendly. There are different recycled chairs and tables and the Good Pub Guide reminds us that it has £5 lunch dishes.

I hope next year we shall see The Nag’s Head on Abingdon Bridge listed in at least one the guides. It reopens next month.

It was a delightful moment when we followed the towpath directly on to the lawn of The Rose Revived at Newbridge.

It was around 5.30pm but we were able to have cup of tea at once sitting on a sofa just inside the door.

Our room for the night was on the first floor almost above the entrance so we only just had a glimpse of the river upstream. But it was comfortable with a shower and basin. The lavatory was across the corridor.

Food is not expensive. I had broccoli soup (£3.79) and ‘award-winning’ hand-battered haddock and chips with peas (£8.49) which was all very filling after a day’s walk.

Breakfast was at one end of the building where all guests turned out to be either walkers or boaters. On offer was cranberry juice or orange juice. I followed this by choosing museli with yoghurt and scrambled agg with smoked salmon.

One night cost just £62.50 for a double room and breakfast. This pub continues to give good value for the walker.

I was delighted to see the original sign painted by Royal Academician Alfred Parsons.

But sorry to find that The Maybush on the far side of the 13th-century Thames bridge has now been closed for some months.

The residence usually highlighted at delightful Strand-on-the-Green is Zoffany House where the artist John Zoffany lived. Less well-known but now on the market is Zachary House which also has  a white frontage.

It has a recording studio and lots of pop music associations. The present owner is former New Musical Express editor Alan Smith.

The house is upstream of Oliver’s Island and today’s Sunday Telegraph has pictures.

A highlight at the Pre-Raphaelites exhibition are the embroideries made in about 1891 by Jane and May Morris for William Morris’s bed at Kelmscott Manor near Lechlade.

The exhibition is downstream at Tate Britain until 13 January; admission £14.00 (conc £12.20)

Three years ago Alex Polizzi featured the African Queen floating hotel in her Channel 5 programme Hotel Inspector.

This Thursday 6 September (9pm) Alex goes aboard again to see if owners Andy and Bonny Cowley have built on her makeover suggestions.

The Dutch barge’s home mooring is Mapledurham. Last weekend it was seen sailing downstream from Goring although it can only just get under Whitchurch Bridge.

The Pavilion which can be seen from the Kingston-Hampton Court towpath is for sale.

The three story property was built about 1700 as one of four although only this one survives.

The architect is now thought not to be Christopher Wren but his pupil William Talman who did some decoration in nearby Hampton Court Palace.

The house was home to the Duke of Kent, Queen Victoria’s father. In the 1970s Cecil King, the controversial Mirror chairman, lived at the house.

Both these former residents would be amazed to find that the recession agents Savills is asking £8.95m.

Today Monday 20 August is the 23 anniversary of the Marchioness disaster on the Thames.

The collision happened between Southwark Bridge and Cannon Street railway bridge .

The names of the 51 victims will be read out today during the Southwark Cathedral‘s 12.45pm Mass.

Look at the memorial just inside the door if you are passing.

The bridge over St Saviour’s Dock in London’s Southwark is expected to be closed next week from Monday 20 to Friday 24 August.

This is to allow for path repair.

The dock is the boundary between Bermondsey downstream and Butler’s Wharf leading to Tower Bridge.

If the gate is closed the alternative route is down Mill Street to Dockhead. Across the main road is Dockhead Stores and to the left is Holy Trinity Church.

Go right to enjoy the  view down the dock. Then right again into Shad Thames which within living memory had a lingering smell of spice.

Just beyond Tea Trade Wharf (left) go right at the Design Museum to return to the riverside path.

Author Nick Corble who writes on waterways has been walking the Thames Path from London to the source.

An account of his walk with his wife is being serialised in Canals, Rivers and Boats magazine.

It’s good to read that they felt it logical to start in London and that they were therefore pleased to find this guidebook.

I am following the instalments with interest  – August and September are both available.

The Thames Path has been painted red where it passes behind Southwark Cathedral.

This is because the House of Switzerland has taken over Cathedral Square and some surrounding buildings as the Swiss base for the Olympics.

There is  a big screen, free chocolates and Swiss cafes. The cathedral’s refectory is also open late as is the church itself which has free admission until 9pm. it’s suddenly a good place to end your first day walking the Thames Path.

Upstream just past the OXO Tower the Al Jazeera studio is on the riverside for  a fine view of St Paul’s.

Other international television correspondents have been reporting from the grass opposite Lambeth Palace to have the Palace of Westminster backdrop.

And all along this central London Thames Path section there are localised versions of the London 2012 mascots.