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Abbey
 -
Featuring a monk hard at it with his pen, the first sign could be found
in
Burton-on-Trent in 1990. The second, a Mitchell's and Butler's
signboard, was caught on camera in the previous year at Warley
just a few months before the sign was replaced with a new design - hence
the flaking paint and general fading. Warley
Park was created on the estate of Warley Abbey in 1906. The Tudor-style
mansion was used as a golf club-house until 1957 but was demolished soon
after this date. At the top of Burton's Market Place stands St.Modwen's
church. This was built on the site of the eastern part of the former
Benedictine Abbey Church. The Abbey was dissolved in 1539 but survived
as a collegiate church until 1545 when it was acquired, with its lands,
by Sir William Paget, whose descendants later became Earls of Uxbridge
and Marquis of Anglesey. This eventually fell into ruin although part of
the Abbey church remained and was used as the parish church until the
present church was built by William and Richard Smith of Tettenhall
between 1719 and 1726. The interior retains many of its 18th century
features. The font is the only known relic connected with the previous
church and bears the date 1662.
The Acorn
 - -
The first Acorn sign here can be found at Horeston Grange, just outside
Nuneaton
and Attleborough.
Painted by A.J.Goody in 1987, the second sign was captured on film in
Shrewsbury three years later. The third sign used to hang outside The
Acorn in Winson Green. The image dates from 1989. The sign of the acorn
has been popular throughout the years and, in particular, during the
19th century. It is possible that some 'new' publicans of the early days
of the beerhouse chose this because they hoped to grow solid from a
diminutive beginning. As David Everett once wrote "large streams from
little fountains flow, tall oaks from little acorns grow."
Adam-and-Eve
 - -
The first image isn't a great photograph of the sign located in the Hotwells area
of Bristol but it was late in the afternoon in October 2005 and the light was fading.
The better preserved side was in darkness so I'll try to improve on the
image next time I visit. The second image was taken captured in 1989
outside the pub of this name in Bradford Street,
Adam and Eve. The artist
bottled it a bit by putting a pouch over Adam. The Adam and Eve name was quite common in the
late 18th and 19th centuries but few pubs bearing the sign seem to have
survived. The illustration refers, of course, to the original sin but
there is another reason for the Adam and Eve pub name - the couple were
adopted on the arms of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers whose motto
is Arbor Vitae Christus, Fructus Per Fidem Gustamus.
Adderley-Park
As this sign states, the Adderley Park Inn is "better known as The Three
A's". The pub stands on the corner of Adderley Road and Ash Road. The
Adderley family owned an extensive tract of land around this part of
Birmingham. Charles Adderley, who would later become the first Lord
Norton, owned much of Duddeston and Vauxhall. It was here that he
donated the land for Birmingham’s first public park in 1856 - hence the
name of this pub. The ancestral home of the Adderley family was Hams
Hall near Coleshill. The first Charles Adderley bought the original
hall, an equerry to King Charles I. Following a major fire in 1890, the
hall was demolished and rebuilt in the village of Coates in
Gloucestershire at the whim of the shipping magnate, Oswald Harrison.
Air-Balloon
These three signs are all from the famous Air Balloon at Birdlip,
Gloucestershire. The first two photographs were taken in 1976 but the
third is more recent - 2004, just after a major pub refurbishment. The
pub's name commemorates the famous balloon flight of Edward Jenner which
ended close to the building on September 2nd 1784. The hydrogen balloon
was launched from Berkeley Castle. A year after the Paris sensation
caused by the Montgolfier brothers, it was one of the earliest balloon
flights in England. The pub was trading as the Balloon by 1796 and was
known as the Air Balloon in 1802. Born in Berkeley on May 17th 1749,
Jenner, of course, went on to discover vaccination against smallpox.
Air-Hostess
 -
This pub in the Nottinghamshire village of Tollerton has a really unique
sign mounted on the roof gable. Made of glass fibre and adorned with
gold leaf, the air hostess has BE on her bag - though this was to avoid
associating her with an official airline of the period. The two most
famous British airlines during the 1960's were BEA and BOAC. Always
viewed as a glamour job, some people have gone to great lengths to land
a such a position. However, none more so than
Emma Richards who made the headlines in November 2000 when she had her
legs stretched in a £12,000 NHS operation to
fulfil her dream of
being an air hostess. The 16 year-old from Wadebridge, Cornwall, stopped
growing at 4ft 9ins - which was below the 5ft 3ins minimum height for
"trolley dollies" and sought help from doctors. She underwent a six-hour
operation which involved breaking each femur in two places and inserting
a stretching mechanism, which for four months she wound up to give an
extra millimetre of height each day.
The Albion
 -
 - - - -
The first two Albion signs are from the same
pub in Wall Heath. I am not normally so lucky to stumble
two in one place - a combination of the pub
changing hands and the publican keeping an older example. The
second illustration was the sign above the
front door in 2001. The first sign
produced by Wem Ales could be found in the
beer garden. The second row's signs are from Tividale in 1989,
Shrewsbury 1990 and Oxford 1991. Albion appears in a number of pub signs
such as these, The Albion Inn or The Albion Vaults or even Albion
Shades. The word Albion is a poetic name for Great Britain and is
thought to derive from the Latin 'Albus' or 'White.' This Roman term
arose from the whiteness of the cliffs on Britain's southern coast and
was almost certainly applied during the invasion and conquest of AD43.
This is the scene illustrated by the artist who painted many of the pub
signs featured here - a roman vessel is heading towards the coast of
Britain. However, sometimes the sign follows
the tradition of illustrating a ship of that name. There was a famous
HMS Albion, a ninety gun frigate which was built in Cornwall. The term
Albion is famously remembered in the phrase 'perfidious Albion', which
came into common use during the Napoleonic Wars though was first
recorded in a poem of 1793 by Augustin, Marquis of Ximenez. In this
work, it recommends attacking perfidious Albion at sea. And now
that I've told you all this I'm about to throw a spanner in the works by
telling you that Aristotle used the word Albion long before the Romans
when he was describing the island in the Atlantic ocean next to Hibernia
(Ireland), both of which he reported as lying beyond the Pillars of
Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar).
The Alfred
This
pub in Burton has an
excellent sign showing Alfred the Great in the legend of the cakes. He
was King of Wessex from 871, and the first man considered to be king of
all the English. Son of King Aethelwulf, he was 16 at the time of the
first great Danish invasion in 865. You really wouldn't have wanted
Alfred's job - he had to spend much of his time fighting the Vikings to
prevent them taking control of the whole island. He was pretty
successful and by establishing a navy and recapturing London, he was
accepted as leader by all the Anglo Saxons not under Danish rule.
Described in a 12th century text as 'the darling of the English', he is
the only ruler of England to be known as 'the Great.' It was in the 11th
century that Alfred was associated with the legend of the cakes. It was
following a skirmish with the Danes that he ended up taking refuge in
the hut of a cowherd's wife who failed to recognise him. She told him to
watch the cakes, but the great king allowed them to burn, which earned
him a mighty scolding from the woman. As you can see in the pub's sign,
it looks like he is about to be clonked on the head with a large
implement. A 'great' sign. The pub was formerly called The Prince Alfred
and named after the second son of Queen Victoria who was born in 1844.
He took the title of Duke of Edinburgh and was even elected by the
Greeks to be their King in 1862 but he declined the offer. An old sign
of the pub used to show Alfred Ernest Albert in his uniform of Admiral
of the Fleet. He was created Duke of Edinburgh in 1865, and in 1874 he
married Marie Alexandrovna, only daughter of Alexander II of Russia.
The Alhambra
This photograph of a very rare inn
sign was taken in Coventry in 1990. The
Alhambra became a very popular theatre name in England during the
Victorian age. This suggests that any pub bearing this name may have
evolved from the old "Music Hall" pubs. Entertainment had long been a
staple of the saloon bar, a room of the pub that first appeared in the
late 1820's or early 1830's. It was a part of the pub where customers
could be entertained by singers, dancers, magicians and, well, just
about any type of variety act. The creation of a separate room for such
amusements, allowed the publican to charge an entrance fee or,
alternatively, a premium price on the drinks. So successful were some of
the so-called "Music Hall Pubs", it was necessary to extend or enlarge
the premises to get more bums on seats and, of course, expand the range
of entertainment on offer. However, demarcation soon followed when an
Act of Parliament was passed in 1843 that prohibited the consumption of
alcoholic drinks in the auditorium. Customers could drink before and
after the performances - and have you ever wondered why there is a
drinks break? The Alhambra name is taken from the great palace of the
Moorish kings at Granada in Spain. It was built during the last Islamic
sultanate on the Iberian peninsula, the Nasrid Dynasty (1238-1492). The
palace is lavishly decorated with stone, wood carvings and tile patterns
on most of the ceilings, walls, and floors - hey, wait a minute, late
Victorian pubs were decorated in a similar fashion!
All-Labour-in-Vain
Both of these signs are from the All Labour in Vain at Horsehay,
Telford. In a bit of a state, the first image dates from 1974 whilst the
second photograph was taken in 2005. In today's political climate, this
sign has inevitably become highly controversial. This sign depicts a
group of people attempting to scrub a black boy white. Understandably,
black people find this offensive. Those who oppose this view claim that
the subject is tongue-in-cheek and, in any case, emerged before there
was any racism in Great Britain. Somehow, I can't imagine a time when
racism didn't exist in England. However, a case for ignorance in the old
days could possibly be argued. There are similar signs around the UK
although it is claimed that they were originally meant to imply that any
attempts to brew ale to the same high standards as they do would indeed
be labour in vain.
The Alma
The first Marston's inn sign in Melbourne, Derbyshire has an absorbing
image of a nineteenth century soldier who looks in reflective mood. The
Alma Inn is named after the Battle of Alma which took place during the
Crimean War in 1854. The Alma is a river in the Ukraine. It was here
that the Allied forces won their first battle against the Russians.
Subsequently, the name was widely adopted by pubs throughout England. In
addition, streets were also named to commemorate the event. Indeed, the
daughters of the men who fought there were given the name. The Crimean
War was fought for two years by Great Britain, France and Turkey against
Russia. The underlying struggle was for control of the Black Sea and the
eastern Mediterranean. The main action of the war was the prolonged
Russian attempt to relieve the besieged city of Sebastopol. The two most
famous engagements were the battles of Balaklava and Inkerman. The
former is remembered for The Charge of the Light Brigade. The best known
figure to emerge was Florence Nightingale. Featuring soldiers up to
their knees in water during the battle, the second signboard was
photographed in Chesterfield in 1971.
Ampney-Cottage
This pub on Oxford's Cowley Road has since been re-named The Hobgoblin
by the Wychwood Brewery. The revamped pub was re-opened in August 1999.
I think it also went through a spell being called the South Park. This
photograph dates from 1991 and still displays the Hall's name but this
historic brewery had long since ceased to brew ales.
The Anchor
It probably isn't
unreasonable to expect to see the sign of The Anchor on the coast.
Indeed, the sign is thought to have emerged there when either ex-sailors
took over a pub or they wanted to attract sailors to use the pub.
However, the emergence of the canal network in the early days of the
industrial revolution led to a growth of Anchor pubs close to canals.
The bas relief (top left) was located in Cradley Heath not far from the
original site of Noah Hingley's Anchor and Chain works. This was the
company that manufactured the 16 ton anchor for the ill-fated Titanic.
The second sign on the top row can be found on the only pub in
Birmingham bearing this name. This is rather surprising because the
anchor been the assay mark for Birmingham since an Act of Parliament of
1773. It was Matthew Boulton, owner of the famous Soho Manufactory at
Gib Heath near Handsworth, who successfully petitioned for the
establishment of an assay office in both Birmingham and Sheffield.
Boulton, who had many friends in political office, was an acute
campaigner and the bill received royal assent in March 1773. The bells
of Handsworth Church pealed triumphantly when he returned home to Soho
House. During his long stay in London, Matthew Boulton, along with his
Sheffield associates, conducted their Parliamentary business in the
Crown and Anchor Tavern on The Strand. It was the sign of the pub that
was taken for the assay marks of each town. There may have been a coin
tossed to decide who adopted which - or maybe even a bar game. However
it was decided in the pub, since that time Birmingham's mark has been
the Anchor and the mark for Sheffield has been the Crown. Little wonder
therefore that a pub should adopt the sign of The Anchor to commemorate
Matthew Boulton's furtherance of Birmingham commerce. A fascinating new
twist to the sign's meaning. The third sign [top row]
is located in Caunsall near
the River Stour and the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal. There
is, in fact, another meaning for the Anchor which derives from the words
of St.Paul (Hebrews 6:19): "We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor
of the soul, a hope...." This accounts for names such as The Hope and
Anchor. The second row features an Ind Coope sign photographed at
Streethay, Staffordshire in 1973 and the Mitchell's and Butler's sign
[top row] was hanging outside the West Bromwich Anchor in 1989.
Andoversford
Photographed in 1971, this is a charming interpretation of this
place-specific sign. The name Andoversford is thought to mean Anna's
Ford so the artist illustrated an Elizabethan courtier helping a lady
across the stepping stones. Sadly, the Andoversford Hotel closed in 1988
when the pub's passing trade was lost to a new by-pass. The site has
since been redeveloped with new housing. However, the post for this sign
remained in place and was later used for the village sign. Featured in a
trade directory for 1889, the hotel was described in an advertisement:
"Pleasantly situated on the Cotswold Hills, six miles from Cheltenham,
five minutes from the railway station, and within easy reach of four
good packs of hounds. Post horses and carriages for hire. Good stabling
and loose boxes for hunters. Hunters summered. Excellent bed rooms and
private sitting rooms. Special terms for boarders. Good trout fishing.
Tennis courts, swings, etc. Dinners and teas provided for picnic and
pleasure parties. Splendid drives from the hotel to Chedworth woods,
Roman Villa, Foss Bridge, etc. C.A. Arkell, proprietor.”
The Angel
The old Mitchell's
and Butler's sign [top left] was a bit faded last time I saw it and I
doubt if the pubco who own this place will ever replace it.
Indeed, not long after this more recent visit the pub
had closed down. A great
shame since the name has become quite rare. Located on the Stratford
Road just outside central Birmingham, the pub is very old, probably late
18th century. The sign of The Angel however can be traced back to the
Middle Ages and is embedded in the tradition of travellers inns or
hotels and their association with the church. The second sign can be
found in Mansfield Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire and the little urchin
lives in Chesterfield. This is another excellent sign by Roger Anderson.
The fourth sign on the top row features Nottingham's Old Angel Inn when
it was operated by the much-missed Home Brewery. The
last sign on the top row was on display in the Warwickshire town
of Atherstone in 1990.
Anglo-Saxon
I have had to squash this up a bit to fit it into the page. The
Whitbread sign was enormous. It used to be outside the Anglo Saxon pub
of Bidford-on-Avon in Warwickshire. The photograph dates from 1972. The
reason for the name is that an Anglo Saxon burial ground was excavated
close to the pub in 1920. The remains of 200 skeletons were discovered
along with a stash of jewellery. The cemetery was located close to the
ford of the Roman Ryknild Street across the River Avon - hence the name
Bidford.
The Antelope
The first two Whitbread signs here were hanging outside The Antelope
in Hereford in 1992. The pub was formerly called the Railway Inn but
changed in 1978. The city adopted HMS Antelope in 1974 and has a Cadet
Corps training ship called Antelope. Unveiled by the commanding officer
of HMS Antelope, the second illustration shows the frigate at full
speed. Designed by Vosper Thorycroft in collaboration with Yarrow Ltd.,
the Antelope was launched in March 1972 by Mrs Peter Kirk, wife of the
then Under-Secretary of State for the Royal Navy at Woolston,
Southampton. Commissioned three years later, the Rolls-Royce-powered
frigate was based at Devonport. HMS Antelope was hit by bombs on May
23rd 1982 during the Falklands conflict and sank on the following day.
The pub too has vanished - it closed down in 1997 and was demolished in
2003. The third sign was hanging outside The Antelope in Warwick in 1992
and the fourth sign belongs to the famous reform pub on the Stratford
Road in Sparkhill.
The Anvil
Two different signs but the same pub. The first illustration could be
found on The Anvil at Wishaw, Warwickshire in 1971. Almost twenty years
later the sign had evolved into the image you can see on the right. I
know which one I prefer! The sign could indicate that a smithy once
operated next to, or behind, a public house. Sometimes a publican would
work as a smithy during the day and serve beer in the evening - or
indeed, a combination of the two at all times.
Apollo
A very nice sign commissioned by the much-missed Morland brewery, this
illustration decorated this pub in Oxford in 1991. In more recent years
the sign has referred to the U.S. space programme of the 1960's but
traditionally it is a reference to Apollo, the Sun god, who brings heat.
The son of Zeus and Leto, twin brother of Artemis, Apollo represented
the ideal type of manly beauty. Replacing the Titan Helios as the sun
god, he is associated with music, poetry and, in particular, the cure of
diseases.
Aquarius
This is quite a rare sign - well, I haven't seen it anywhere else!
Both a signboard and wall-mounted cut-out could be found on The Aquarius
at Chelmsley Wood in 1973. I guess the inspiration is the water in the
beer because Aquarius is the water carrier. Aquarius is also the 11th
sign of the Zodiac, a group of constellations that the Sun travels
through each year. The dates for Aquarius are January 21st to February
19th. With his story told in "Aquila", in Greek mythology Aquarius was
Ganymede, "Cup Bearer to the Gods". However, many ancient cultures,
including those of Babylonia and Egypt, believed that there was a god
known as the "Water Bearer" as it was the sustainer of all life.
Consequently, rainwater pouring from the heavens was most revered by
ancient peoples. For most imbibers however, it is beer that is
sacrosanct.
The Arboretum
This Mitchell's and Butler's sign was captured in Worcester in 1990. As
the illustration suggests, an arboretum is a botanical garden
principally for trees and for some shrubs. It is thought that the term
was coined by J.C.Loudon in 1833 in an article published by the
"Gardener's Magazine". One of the earliest, if not the first arboretum,
was that planted near Dubrovnik in Croatia. It was recorded in 1492 but
almost certainly pre-dates this. Created by the very same J.C.Loudon
and donated to the townsfolk by Joseph Strutt in 1840, the first
arboretum in England was in Derby.
The Archways
Both of these signs could be found outside this Shifnal pub in 1992.
The freeholder probably managed to wangle a sign out of Wolverhampton
and Dudley Breweries and Bass. Breweries will often pay for the sign of
a free house if they can have their name included on the board to gain
what is relatively cheap advertising. They probably also ensure that
their products are purchased by the publican for a given period. The
town of Shifnal is dominated by the railway with a large bridge across
the main street. The current bridge is an eyesore compared to the
original arched span. The arches along Aston Street have been occupied
by a number of small firms. The line through Shifnal was formerly part
of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway and opened in 1849. The new
form of transport robbed Shifnal of its role as a principal coaching
stop between Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury and was the ruin of some of
its inns.
The Armada
Captured on film in 1976, this sign could be found outside the
Mitchell's and Butler's pub almost underneath Spaghetti Junction between
Aston and Erdington. It commemorated the Armada of 1588 - the so-called
'La Flota Armada Invencible'. However, the title proved to be something
of a misnomer when the British, under the command of Sir Francis Drake,
gave the fleet a good kicking outside the port of Cadiz in 1587 in an
engagement that was dubbed "singeing the king of Spain's beard". The
Armada would later make it to Calais before being forced to the
Gravelines where the real ding-dong took place. Both sides ran out of
ammunition before the wind carried the Armada into the North Sea. In
trying to circumnavigate the British Isles, more than fifty ships were
destroyed, largely from wrecking.
Asbury-Tavern
This pub in Grove
Vale between West Bromwich and Great Barr is opposite Bishop Asbury's
cottage and has a fine sign in honour of the man. Restored in 1959, the
cottage was the birthplace of Francis Asbury and where he spent his
childhood. Educated at a school in Snails Green, he left at the age of
13 to work as an apprentice blacksmith. However, two years later he
began preaching from the cottage. In 1771, at the age of 26, he was sent
to America by John Wesley. He became known as 'The Prophet of the Long
Road' because, in his 45-year ministry, he travelled an estimated
275,000 miles on horseback to deliver over 17,000 sermons. Much to the
despondency of his former mentor, John Wesley, he became the first
Methodist Bishop of the American Episcopal Methodist Church. In 1924
President Calvin Coolidge was present at the unveiling of Asbury's
Statue in Washington DC where he is regarded as a founder of the nation.
The Auctioneer
This is a lovely illustration of an auctioneer in action, The Ind
Coope sign was hanging outside the pub of this name in the
Leicestershire town of Measham in 1972. The pub itself may have been the
venue for auctions in its early days - hence the name. Many pubs and
hotels were used to sell goods in times past. I have seen many
advertisements for sales of property and land to be held in public
houses, particularly in rural areas where there were few other public
buildings. Here you can see a painting being sold by auction. Indeed,
works of art were also popular sale items in the more upmarket hotels
and taverns. Although auctions have probably been around since the year
dot, the earliest reference to an auction in this country is from an
entry in the 1595 Oxford English Dictionary.
The Australian
This is a sign that'll bring a tear to many a Brummie for it belonged
to a much-cherished lost brewery at Bath Row. Davenport's had operated
this pub for many decades before this image was captured in 1989. The
building is still there but has had several name changes since. As one
of Birmingham's genuine gin palaces, it had been known as the Australian
since the early 19th century - perhaps an Australian once kept the pub.
Or was there a more sinister connection with that of transportation?
Although the Dutchman Abel Tasman had landed on the coast of Australia
in the 17th century, it was Captain James Cook who claimed the land for
Britain in the late 18th century. He was given command of HMS Endeavour
when invited to undertake a Royal Society expedition to the South Seas.
Sailing from Plymouth on August 25th 1768, Cook's mission was to take
the ship to the island of Tahiti to make astronomical observations of
the transit of Venus across the Sun. However, a hidden agenda was to
discover the southern continent or Terra Australis. After a
three month stay in Tahiti, Cook took HMS Endeavour to New Zealand.
After some six months of exploration, he determined that the two main
islands were separated by a strait that would be named after him. Cook's
discovery of Australia was almost an accident as bad weather conditions
forced him to land off New Holland, as Australia was then called in
October 1769. HMS Endeavour set sail again in May 1770 in order for
James Cook to map the coast of Australia. However, on June 10th, the
ship struck the Great Barrier Reef where it stayed for two days before
being dislodged. Cook landed the vessel on the mainland to repair the
ship at a settlement that would later be called Cook Town. During the
six week-long repairs, James Cook
claimed New Holland for the British Crown.
The Avenue
 -
Two signs from the same brewery but in completely different locations.
The first was close to Ansell's brewery as the photograph was taken in
Aston in 1989. The second image was captured in the following year in
Leamington Spa. The Aston sign is closer to the actual meaning of the
word avenue, in that the wide thoroughfare is lined with trees.
Inn Signs from outside the Midlands
region
The Adelphi
 -
The Adelphi became quite a popular pub name in the 19th century but is
hardly seen these days. Adelphoi is the Greek word for brothers and this
explains the sign's origin. Pictured here is Robert Adam, the most
celebrated of four architect brothers. With his siblings John, James and
William, he designed an ambitious development between The Strand and the
River Thames and, proud of their achievement, they named it after
themselves. Sadly, hardly any of the buildings remain - many of which
were riverside houses raised on arches. The son of the architect who
designed the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, Robert Adam was born at
Kirkcaldy and educated at Edinburgh University. Influenced by his
studies of Classical architecture in Europe, he was appointed architect
to the realm in 1762 but resigned when returned to Parliament as member
for Kinross-shire. Working closely with his brother James, his work
includes the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Register Office in
Edinburgh. He died in London on March 3rd 1792.
Albion
-
 - -
Although there are many Albion signs in the Midlands, I couldn't resist
including these two very nice examples from Stamford and Winchester. The
Hampshire sign was photographed in 1990 and the Lincolnshire signboard
was captured on film in 1988. The word Albion is a poetic name for Great
Britain and is thought to derive from the Latin 'Albus' or 'White.' This
Roman term arose from the whiteness of the cliffs on Britain's southern
coast and was almost certainly applied during the invasion and conquest
of AD43. This is the scene illustrated by the artist who painted these
signs - a roman vessel arriving on the coast of Britain. Some Albion
signs follow the tradition of illustrating a ship of that name. There
was a famous HMS Albion, a ninety gun frigate which was built in
Cornwall. The term Albion is famously remembered in the phrase
'perfidious Albion', which came into common use during the Napoleonic
Wars though was first recorded in a poem of 1793 by Augustin, Marquis of
Ximenez. In this work, it recommends attacking perfidious Albion
at sea. And now that I've told you all this I'm about to throw a spanner
in the works by telling you that Aristotle used the word Albion long
before the Romans when he was describing the island in the Atlantic
ocean next to Hibernia (Ireland), both of which he reported as lying
beyond the Pillars of Hercules (Strait of Gibraltar).
The Alma-Brewery
 -
This image of The Alma in Cambridge's Russell Street was captured in
1991. It is a pub with a chequered history. Local legend has it that the
original building went up in smoke and that the landlord's daughter was
killed during the blaze. Throughout the 1980's The Alma was an
enormously popular music venue and was featured on BBC2's Old Grey
Whistle Test. This photograph was taken when (I think) it was a CAMRA
Investments pub - hence the brewery. Things went downhill in the 1990's
and The Alma was eventually bought by Ridley's and re-opened in November
1999. A popular Australian ran the place for a while and a celebrated
pub feature was a piranha swimming around in a red telephone box! When
Greene King bought Ridley's in 2005 the pub's ownership change again. As
for The Alma - it is named after the Battle of Alma which took place
during the Crimean War in 1854. The Alma is a river in the Ukraine. It
was here that the Allied forces won their first battle against the
Russians. Subsequently, the name was widely adopted by pubs throughout
England. In addition, streets were also named to commemorate the event.
Indeed, the daughters of the men who fought there were given the name.
The Crimean War was fought for two years by Great Britain, France and
Turkey against Russia. The underlying struggle was for control of the
Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean. The main action of the war was
the prolonged Russian attempt to relieve the besieged city of
Sebastopol. The two most famous engagements were the battles of
Balaklava and Inkerman. The former is remembered for The Charge of the
Light Brigade. The best known figure to emerge was Florence Nightingale.
Ancient-Druids
 -
This is a lovely Charles Wells-produced sign that was photographed in
Cambridge in 1991. I assume that is Stonehenge behind the two figures.
This is one of the few places where Britain's Druids can be seen holding
a sacred ceremony in public. Druids are priests of the ancient Celts and
have traditionally held ceremonies in sacred groves, particularly those
of the oak and mistletoe. Although Stonehenge predates the Druids in
Britain, it has been used by them as a temple for sun worship. The
stones arranged such that on Midsummer's Day a man standing at the
centre of the monument and looking at the opening between two of the
outer circle of standing stones |
