The Alchemist - Another Update!

Whilst on the subject of councils enforcing the rebuilding of public houses demolished without planning permission (prior being The Carlton Tavern - blog), I checked up on what was happening to The Alchemist, Battersea SW11 1TH, which I wrote about in 2015 too (blog), and for which Wandsworth Council, in this instance, made the order to rebuild the property. The Alchemist originally opened in the mid-19th century as The Fishmongers Arms (Pub History) and Wandsworth Council reported last year that it had been rebuilt (above - website).

The building as it looked before demolition.

It is good to see it has been rebuilt, ostensibly as a public house, but I cannot find any information about whether it is open now... I noticed it up for sale, apparently as a restaurant, but the link is no longer available, does anyone know if there have been any further developments please? I should be able to get there in a couple of weeks if I cannot find out what has happened, so will report further when I do know more, cheers!

Photograph taken 5th July 2019

I went by on a bus recently and it still looks empty!

The Carlton Tavern Update

I wrote about the Carlton Tavern in Maida Vale NW5 5EU, four years ago now (blog), and the fact that developers had demolished the building without planning permission, and had been ordered to rebuild the public house by Westminster Council... Well, they're taking their time, but I found this image on the facebook page Rebuild The Carlton Tavern (edited a wee bit, but many thanks to the administration of that page for publishing, and good luck with overseeing the pub's return from the ashes), nice one!

And this was how the Carlton Tavern looked before the developers vandalism! Also, apparently, the pub is already up for sale (Ham & High).

Watching further developments with great interest...

Ticket to Rye...

It seems to be a regular event this, visiting the Rye Waterworks micropub (a few blogs now, for example this blog says a bit about it!), this time I traveled by train, but well worth it, yet again! Plenty of pleasant company, obviously the landlord and partner, and Alan (someone I know from Hastings) arrived later for his first visit, coincidentally. Plus five Norwegian lawyers, very pleasant company, women friends from university, who meet up every year, they work all over the place now, coming from Malta to London! Primarily, the lawyers meet up, not just to keep in touch, but to visit vineyards, this time they were about to go to Carr Taylor in Westfield (website) after a quick drink here, and having visited Chapel Down (website) the day before.

As ever 8 real ales, all £3.70 a pint, served straight from the cask by gravity, and a similar number of real ciders, and the odd perry or two. I only tried 3 ales, one more than once, first the Romney Marsh Brewery (website) Romney Gold (4.1%), single hopped with Citra, pale golden bitter, not bad at all! Then the Battle Brewery (website) Black Arrow Porter (4.5%), as usual, porters and stouts are difficult to differentiate (see older blog), as in, it depends on the individual brewer what they call their beers, I'd say this was more like a stout... Anyway, dark, lovely taste and body, though a wee bit lacking in the liveliness stakes, not bad at all though!

The ale I drank the most of was Old Dairy Brewery (website), their excellent session ale, Uber Brew (3.8%), pale dry and bitter, with a lovely fruity aroma and taste from the Citra, Chinook and Equinox hops used. Great that you can get this much flavour and body into a 3.8% ale, wonderful, la même chose!

Oh yes, and this is the toilet flush now in the gents, amuses me, me being a pale dry hoppy ale drinker, not to forget that David (the landlord) is made up with now being included on the Free Town Map of Rye... Anyway, cheers for a very pleasant visit and company, and the excellent ale of course, cheers!