Next, we stopped into the Horse & Dray, which, despite the sign in the window that said there was a party from 8 pm to midnight, was having a private party that began at ten. Flustered, we headed on down to the ATM outside Somerfield, which is about halfway up Sidwell Street. Once we got there, we pulled out £10, and began the walk back toward the Bowling Green.
On the way, we passed the Duke of York, and we decided to pop in. Now, the Duke of York is a much nicer pub than the Bowling Green. The Bowling Green looks like a late-20th century attempt at "rustic," with lots of raw wood and dim lighting. The Duke of York appears to have been built in the late 19th century, and is quite Victorian. It looks like it underwent its last major renovation in the late 1940s or early 1950s, which fits, as that would be appropriate to repair World War II bomb damage. There have obviously been some minor upgrades since then, such as the installation of a TV, replacement of light fixtures, and installation of new bar equipment, but the décor hasn't changed much. The Duke of York also has a fully equipped bar, which is another difference from the Bowling Green. Despite the aesthetic differences, the clientele of both pubs is pretty much the same, although those gathered at the Bowling Green tend to be a bit younger. From what I gather, the Bowling Green is more of a popular hangout for late teens and early 20s, whereas the Horse & Dray is for over 60s, and the Duke of York gets a little bit of each, plus all in between.
No idea what kind of people go to Henry's Bar, which is at the far end of Blackboy Road, but I assume that it's mostly middle-aged men, based on what I've seen outside smoking before.
After coming back home from the Duke of York, we took up position on our balcony to watch fireworks. At midnight, between ten and fourteen fireworks displays promptly began. We watched outside for about ten minutes before we were too cold (it was below freezing) and retreated back behind the shelter of our sliding glass door. We counted at least twelve fireworks displays, and there may have been as many as 15, one of which was less than 500 feet away (I believe at the school behind our building). Most of them were pretty far off; however, there were a couple that were within a mile. There were probably another half dozen or more in the other directions that the building kept us from being able to see from our balcony. We can see about a 190 degree arc of sky from where we are, including all of the city centre and the Streatham campus. We can also see fireworks from the outlying areas to the south. All in all, it's a pretty good seat!
No comments:
Post a Comment