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Monday 20 July 2009

SUNDAY LUNCH at ' THE COWPER ARMS ' and other stories..........

It was that great British tradition for us yesterday.........Sunday lunch up the pub. Lovely. The Cowper Arms dates back to 1616 and was named after Lord Cowper, a resident of the area, and is a typical, traditional British pub, set in a very small village about 15 minutes from where I live and next to a disused railway line with lovely walks, more of which later . Anyone getting fed up with a lesson on the history of the great British pub please note that there will be pretty pictures of dining rooms later, but I thought that some of you might find some of the stories of a few pubs interesting.
The interior ( sorry, couldn't find a bigger picture ) has been modernised , sympathetically , with a massive, central open fireplace , which has a roaring open fire on colder days , and candles burning every which way you turn , giving a wonderful atmosphere. With original wide boarded floorboards and pale wooden beams , it is the ideal excursion out on a Sunday afternoon for a nice meal and 'a drop of the hard stuff ' !!!!

It was roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for us ( sorry to all you vegetarians out there !! ) but they have a variety of dishes to choose from.


Dirty Dicks was established in 1745 and is situated in Bishopsgate, in the City of London and was named after Richard , some say Nathaniel , Bentley, a prosperous city merchant . It was said that he was the inspiration for Dickens Miss Haversham in Great Expectations. Bentley had been quite a 'dandy' in his youth but, following the death of his fiance , he refused to clear up or clean anything , including himself. For years , the pub paid homage to him by leaving cobwebs , dead cats and disgusting , unmentionable things in the cellar bar, but is now spotlessly clean, with a wonderful historic atmosphere and a great place for a drink if you are in London.


This is The Anchor , dating back to 1600, and is situated close to the Globe theatre. It is said that Samuel Pepys watched the Great Fire of London , in 1666 , from here. After the Great Fire , the pub was rebuilt in 1676.

The Prospect of Whitby dates back to 1543 but was rebuilt in the 18th century. It is situated in Wapping in London. It was the meeting place of smugglers and villain's and became known as 'Devils Tavern '. One notorious customer was Judge Jeffreys , the ' hanging judge '. A hangman's noose still swings over the river, a macabre reminder of those gruesome times.




Back to the Cowper Arms , and after lunch our good friends Lucy and Steve, who we are going to Italy with in a couple of weeks , decided that a walk along the disused railway line was in order !!! For those of you who haven't read earlier posts , Steve is the one who walks our legs off on holidays !! He cycles for miles , has just come back from France where he followed the Tour de France and has thighs of steel !!! Well , when one decides to go out for lunch , one wears a nice , pretty little dress and.......................................................


.............. my new boots !!!!!!!! I will say no more other than I think that I have managed to save them !!

Now , for everyone who is now completely fed up with this post , here are some lovely dining rooms in which I could safely wear my new boots without fear of them being ruined !!!!


Gorgeous and with lovely clean floorboards and no mud !!!!


Lovely for swishing into in pretty frock and NEW BOOTS.!!!




Beautiful CLEAN tiled floor with not a remote chance of a flick of mud or horse **** to soil my lovely new footwear.


A room for Jimmy Choos or Christian Louboutins

......................... and finally, a dining room fit for boots , ballet pumps , wedges , sandals or stiletto's !!!!! I'm off to find a wet cloth and some shoe polish !!
Jackie













23 comments:

  1. Oh were do I start! That was a fabulous post. I adore English pubs, and the one you visited sounds and looks delightful.

    Love the Diary of Samuel Pepys, so found that interesting about the Anchor.

    Shame about your boots, but those pictures of dining rooms would have cheered you up. My dining table is just like the last one pictured one, love it.

    Thank you xxxx

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  2. Oh I love a good pub and over here they usually have the best food! I hope your boots cleaned up good as new :o)

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  3. Sounds like a great time was had by all Jac. However, I would have stayed behind in the Pub & let the others go walkies. Glad you enjoyed the South Yarra house, what a shame you Poms have never embraced verandahs!
    Millie ^_^

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  4. What fun looking pubs! Makes me want a brew! And those boots are fabulous!

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  5. LOVE this post all the way down! The restaurants, your BOOTZ and those living rooms are to die for!! I think we have the same taste in everything! Thank you missy for starting my week perfect~
    xx's

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  6. oh no .. i lost my comment!! I have to remember what i said... Well something like.. FAbulous post. You've found some great places to eat and drink when I visit you.. glad you have it all planned out... I'll bring my wellies. [Too bad for your pretty new boots]. Now I love all these decor shots too.. I love the 2nd to last image. I think I NEED that mirror!!! Beautiful Jacqueline!!!!

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  7. Great post - your pubs are so charming and cozy! Have a great week, Jackie!

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  8. Great post Jackie.....I saw only the title and knew you had written it!!!LOL

    Haven't had a good pub lunch for a while....your friend Steve sounds like my Dad, the walks he used to have us go on!!!

    Love the room shots you have posted - all of them - the one with just two large candlesticks on the table is gorgeous, LOVE those chairs.....some lovely mirrors too.

    Great post :)

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  9. PS I spent more than a few evenings at Dirty Dicks when I worked in the City.....have been to The Anchor too....good times :)

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  10. oooh, I want to frame some of those english pup pictures! :) Great post!

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  11. BEAUTIFUL place! Thanks for sharing your Sunday!

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  12. I loved your tour through English Pubs!! More, more and more history please...I could just live vicariously through you. :)

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  13. I'm so jealous...we have nothing like those pubs around here....well accept in the city. You really did your homework on the history. Very interesting.
    So sorry to hear about your boots. Too pretty for hiking in the woods.
    The diningrooms are fab too from farm chic to chateau....all gorgeous!!!
    Great post!!!
    xo
    Carole

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  14. Hello fellow Brit!

    Hertfordshire is lovely, you lucky girl. I am bookmarking your dining room post - so many versions of white-walled airy rooms - my favourite sort.

    I hope your boots survived, where from?

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  15. I'll take lovely dining room #4!

    Delightful history of the pub (and thankfully, your boots are saved!)...my hubby is going to love when I share this post with him!

    Happy week to you!

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  16. Love all of the interiors you posted and your boots are so cute! First time visiting, lovely blog! XOXO

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  17. He loves all history, and being mostly Irish, he never met a Pub he didn't like! Lucky for me, he also loves a great pair of boots too! Yes, he is a very well-rounded man!

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  18. I love that photo of his too, I also like the piper one, it just looks so pretty.

    Thank you so much for adding me to your blogroll, you are so sweet, I have you on mine too.xxxx

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  19. Great post, I love the first dining room pic, perfect for swishing into it, x

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  20. Well someone owes you a new pair of shoes!!!
    Case closed. Well since you're such a lovely lady just go get another pair...
    I love roast beef & yorkshire pudding..man that image looks so damn good!!!
    Pub grub is soo good. When I was 6 & we spent the summer in England before moving to Africa I insisted on a ploughmans lunch & the owner thought I was the cutest thing when I even loved their pickled onions!!

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  21. What a gorgeous post! Love the British tradition of Sunday lunch at the pub - shame it hasn't caught on here in the Land of Oz. So glad your boots survived their muddy ordeal. Leigh

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  22. Love the Pub tour...cannot believe you nearly lost a pair of gorgeous boots...

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