The Herdsman mural, Hereford

We came upon the mural in today's post purely by chance. A little research discovered that it is one of eight that aim to brighten up the city. I'm not the biggest fan of such things, but when the quality is good I can appreciate a mural as much as anyone. And this one is, I think, very good. It enlivens part of "The Herdsman" pub, a hostelry dating from 1900. The pub's name must surely derive from the location outside the former city walls on Widemarsh Street, along which cattle (and sheep) would be driven into the city, and where there was a cattle market.

The depicted cattle are, of course, the world-famous Herefordshire breed, and the apples may well be cider apples, the county and city being known for cider-making.

I can't explain the flowers that form part of the cattle, nor do I know quite why the robin has a visible heart, but these details all add interest to a fine piece of work, by Curtis Hylton, that is a pleasure to view.

photos 1 & 2 © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10
photo3 © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Eagle Vaults pub

click photo to enlarge

I've photographed the Eagle Vaults pub in Worcester before, focussing on the details of the colourful glazed tilework that covers the exterior of the ground floor. On a recent visit to the city the light was right for a shot of the whole of the street elevation. Brightly coloured umbrellas that hung along Friar Street crept into the shot too.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

The Talbot, New Street, Ledbury

The Talbot is one of Ledbury's several timber-framed public houses. It dates from c.1536 and much work was done on the main, north-facing, elevation in the C17. The close studding is filled with plaster at the front, with brick infills on the rear elevations. One of the finest features of the exterior is the canted bay on the first floor. It is reached by the stairs that are expressed on the main elevation to the right of the bay. Below the bay is the main entrance flanked by Ionic pilasters. The white painted building with the brick gable end, to the extreme left of the black and white work, is also part of the pub and dates from the eighteenth century.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon Z 5

The Chequers Ale House, Leominster

We came upon this timber-framed building as we walked along the oddly named Etnam Street in Leominster, Herefordshire. The leftmost part of what is The Chequers Ale House (a pub), with the leftmost gable, after a cursory glance, appears to be Victorian, but  closer study reveals original box framing, barge boards and bressumer. All the building to the right has close studding, is underbuilt, and could have been erected at the same time, or slighty later, around 1600. The change from plain tiles to Welsh slate on the roof suggests it was divided in terms of ownership, and the rightmost door, with number 67 on it makes me think it still is. It's a difficult building to read without going inside: perhaps we'll drop in for a drink when we are next in Leominster and try and unravel the puzzle. 

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: iPhone

Tiled pub facade

What is now the Eagle Vaults pub in Worcester was built as a private house around 1740. It was bought in 1764 and in 1779 was converted into a pub known as Young's Mug House. From 1814-1817 it was known as the Volunteer pub and subsequently the Plummer's (sic) Arms. In 1859 it became The Friar Street Vaults. Some time around 1890-1900 it had the decorative and lettering tiles applied to the ground floor of the facade and its name at that time (as now) was the Eagle Vaults. The tiles have lasted very well and the whole scheme looks almost as good today as when it was first installed over a century ago.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Old pub advertisement

The Queen's Arms at Newhall Street, Birmingham, is a pub designed by the architect, Joseph D. Ward, who worked for the brewers, Mitchells & Butler. It dates from c.1870 and has been extensively modernised twice, the first occasion being in 1901 and the second in the late C20. The tiled advertisement on the corner of the pub must date from the 1901 remodelling and has suvived remarkably intact. It employs a cassical egg and dart border (awkwardly broken by the name at the top, a cartouche with gold medal awards from the C19 and a style of lettering frequently seen at the turn of the century.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Outdoor Inn, Gloucester

The Covid19 pandemic has forced change on many businesses and at first glance I thought The Outdoor Inn in Gloucester was just such a reaction. However, reading its website I discovered that the pub started life in 2018 in a horse box(!) and has since expanded to a shipping container conversion and four "pods"(!!) Only the discreet name gave away the nature of the business since the only indication on one of the other elevations was the giant letters "OI". Presumably music is a selling point of the pub too judging by the robot DJ graffito.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Nikon D5300

The Man of Ross inn

The "The Man of Ross" inn can be found at the top of Wye Street in Ross on Wye. It dates from the seventeenth century and has been extensively rebuilt and refaced. Today the Dutch gable above the main entrance carries a tribute to the man himself, John Kyrle (pronounced "curl"). This is what it says:

John Kyrle (1637-1724)
Gained Fame for His Community Involvement
His Modest Life Style and Charitable Works
He Helped Settle Disputes, Aided the Poor & Sick
Supported Schools and Left the Beautiful "Prospect" Walk
with a Fountain and Garden to the Citizens of Ross.

THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST RECORDED ATTEMPTS IN THE COUNTY
TO BEAUTIFY A TOWN FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL THE PEOPLE

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Humorous sign

I came across this sign in the yard behind a pub in the small Gloucestershire town of Newent. It makes its point about good behaviour - to parents and children - with a little humour. It raised a smile on my face.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

The White Lion

Anyone who has visited Britain cannot fail to have noticed the names given to pubs. Some are very unusual, such as "The Five Alls", a Chepstow establishment with a self-explanatory pub sign. This appears to be one of only a small handful of that name in the country. The Red Lion, on the other hand, is the name of about 520 pubs in England alone, and since it is an emblem of Wales, must count many more in that country. The White Lion is the name of around 150 pubs. Its name comes from the frequently used colour of the lion that forms part of the royal coat of arms. Like the Red Lion, and many other pub names, it is a name of long standing, certainly in use for hundreds of years.

The White Lion shown above is in Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire. The building dates from the mid-eighteenth century and is reputed to be "the inn at Upton" that features in Henry Fielding's novel, "Tom Jones" (1749). The Automobile Association (AA) sign, indicating a level of quality offered by the inn, dates from the some time in the twentieth century.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Lumix FZ1000 2

Ornate pub window

Britain's Victorian and Edwardian public houses (pubs) sometimes seem to have been decorated on the premiss that more is better. Ornate designs covered most surfaces, particularly walls and any area that was tiled. The latter often included the whole of the exterior. Windows were rarely left untouched. Typically they told whether the room behind the glass was the public bar or the saloon bar, and frequently designs celebrated the pub's individual name. This example, that I passed in London, is a mass of cartouches, foliage, flowers and fruit, with at its centre what looks to be a thrush or blackbird.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100

Eagle Vaults pub ornament

Britain's Victorian public houses come in many shapes and sizes. As far as decorative embellishments go they range from the sparse to the exuberant. The Eagle Vaults pub in Worcester falls into the latter category. The ground floor is faced with reddish-brown high gloss tiles with areas displaying iridescent highlights. The inspiration is classical architecture but overlaid with hints of Art Nouveau and music hall fancifulness - what in the 1890s-1900s was described as Mannerist. Tile lettering proclaims its name and the range of drinks on offer. Too often such facades have been modernised, but sufficiently frequently they have been valued for the brightness they bring to the streetscape and remain undisturbed.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Olympus OMD E-M10

Talbot Arms at night

As with the previous photograph, the main subjects of this shot are the filament, LED and moon light that illuminate a building. In this instance it is the Talbot Arms pub in Settle, North Yorkshire. The pub's sign is also well lit and its clarity anong the surrounding pools of light suggested a focal point for a composition. The talbot was a type of large hunting hound, white or very pale in colour, with hanging ears and great powers of scent. It features reasonably commonly on coats of arms.

photo © T. Boughen     Camera: Sony DSC-RX100