Carry On in Wellingborough

I was introduced to an interesting pub in Wellingborough, Northants. Highly regarded, the Coach and Horses has won numerous awards and judging by the interior decor (and the quality of the beer) it was easy to see why.

In creating the atmosphere of the pub, the owner must be something of a hoarder. Pump clips adorn almost every available space, alongside other breweriana.

What caught my eye, however, were the autographed photos of Carry On actors displayed on the walls.

Joan Sims, Jack Douglas, Kenneth Williams and Jim Dale

spot Hattie Jacques

Bernard Breslaw and Peter Butterworth snuggled amongst the pump clips

Although Babs, Hattie, Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Peter Butterworth et al were all present, believe me, this was no Whippet Inn.

THE NORFOLK MURALS OF JOHN MORAY-SMITH

After a visit to Cromer Museum earlier this year to see the John Moray-Smith seaside mural (detail above), a subsequent Twitter conversation with the museum prompted me to look for some of Moray-Smith’s other murals around Norwich.

Moray-Smith was an Italian traveller who married a Norwich woman, Katrina Moray-Smith and took her name, after coming to England as a prisoner in the First World War. He worked for Watney-Mann’s Norwich Brewery in the 1940s and 1950’s.

Cromer Museum houses three of Moray-Smith’s plaster relief artworks from 1951 including a portrait of the famous Lifeboat coxwain Henry Blogg, a mural of a 19^th century lifeboat launch, and the aforementioned beachscape. The two murals were taken from the Ship Hotel in Church Street, Cromer, which closed in 1984.

Detail from Cromer seaside mural

Henry Blogg

I’ve only included some small details of the seaside mural here, as I recommended you to visit the museum itself to fully appreciate the scale and quality of the work.

Three of Moray-Smith’s artworks can be found at pubs in the centre of Norwich, which I visited this summer. 

The Coachmaker's Arms

The Coachmaker’s Arms, St. Stephen’s Road, NR1 3SP, has a representation of St. Stephen’s Gate and dates from 1937.

The Berstrete Gates

The Berstrete Gates, Ber Street, NR1 3EN, similarly shows a picture (1937) of some long-gone city gates from Norwich’s city walls.

Grazing sheep in The Woolpack

The Woolpack in Golden Ball Street, NR1 3EH, houses the most impressive collection of Moray-Smith plaques (from 1938). There were originally six pictures illustrating different aspects of the wool trade from sheep grazing, to shearing, market trading and export, five of which can be found in the pub today. Go and have a look at them whilst supping some local Woodforde's beer.







I later returned to Norwich and went to look for the mural at the Prince of Denmark, Denmark Road, NR3 4JQ. The size of this mural presents an impressive figure which can be seen easily from across the road and from the path outside the pub. 

I also went to see the Norwich Panorama which is displayed at The Maid's Head Hotel, Tombland. It truly is a stunning piece of artwork and a great tribute to a fine city!

Information taken from Cromer Museum and the Norwich Society.

A Little Strollette With Kenneth Williams

On a recent visit to London, between doing a bit of Christmas shopping and meeting my brother for a drinkette I decided to troll around the St Pancras area and retrace some Kenneth Williams haunts.

This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. In September 1993 I made a film with a group of friends called Extracts From The KW Diaries. It was shot on super 8 which gave the KW film a convincing retro feel, bringing life to the recreations of passages from Williams’ diary extracts from the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s.

Scene from Extracts from the KW Diaries (1993)

For our film we visited a number of KW residences for establishing shots including Farley Court in Allsop Place and KW’s final apartment block, Marlborough House in Osnaburgh Street that is now demolished. (A photo of the latter flat, mid-demolition appears in Butters & Davies, 2008: 270). For my recent walk I didn’t have time to visit the site of every KW residence, but the following is a list of the places I did stop and photograph. I’m sharing them here in case anybody else wants to look them up whenever they’re in London. I’ve also included some screen shots of locations from my KW film from 1993 at the end of this blog post.

Starting at Judd Street off Euston Road I turned into Hastings Street. Williams lived in no. 80 Alexandra Mansions in the early 1970s where the woman in the flat below playing the piano drove him to distraction (Stevens, 2011: 253).

Queen Alexandra Mansions on Hastings Street

Argyle Primary School (formerly called Manchester Street School) on Tonbridge Street is literally a stones throw away from Alexandra Mansions. Williams stands on the roof of his old school in the Comic Roots programme and recounts his rehearsal for the school play The Rose and the Ring.

Argyle Primary School

I then walked further up Judd Street and turned into Cromer Street. Here I found Cromer House where Williams lived as a child and The Boot pub, which features heavily in Comic Roots as the location where KW recreates the communal sing-a-longs that his family took part in.

Cromer House

KW standing outside Cromer House on Comic Roots

The Boot on Cromer Street

Next I walked along Lisle Street, past the Norfolk Arms, another pub where Louie Williams used to drink with her friend Edie Smith (Stevens, 2011: 11).

Norfolk Arms on Lisle Street

On to 57 Marchmont Street where Charlie Williams had his hairdressing business and where Kenneth’s blue plaque can be seen. This blue plaque replaces the one that was unveiled on Marlborough House in 1994 by Barbara Windsor and Norman Wisdom.

Blue plaque at 57 Marchmont Street

KW's old plaque at Marlborough House (now demolished)
photo from the Guardian, 9/5/1994

I then made my way to Upper Woburn Place to see Endsleigh Court, where Williams lived in flat 817, before catching the Tube at Euston into the centre.

This was the end of my St Pancras area walkabout. However, whilst in Covent Garden I walked past Stanford’s in Long Acre – the map company where Williams had a job as a draughtsman before taking up a career in acting.

Stanford's map shop in Long Acre, Covent Garden

On Shaftsbury Avenue I also saw the Apollo Theatre. The site of Williams’ greatest stage hit Pieces of Eight. In my vivid imagination I saw that Kenneth and Fenella were once again on the bill!

The Apollo Theatre (December 2011?!)

Other places where KW Lived:

Farley Court at Allsop Place (screen shots from The Extracts From the KW Diaries, 1993)

Marlborough House in Osnaburgh Street (screen shots from
Extracts From the KW Diaries, 1993)

Marlborough House (screen shot from Extracts From the KW Diaries, 1993)

Marlborough House (screen shots from Extracts From the KW Diaries, 1993)

Bibliography/Further Reading:

• Butters, Wes and Davies, Russell, 2008, Kenneth Williams Unseen, London: Harper Collins
• Davies, Russell, 1993, The Kenneth Williams Diaries, London: Harper Collins
• Stevens, Christopher, 2011, Born Brilliant, The Life of Kenneth Williams, London: John Murray
• Williams, Kenneth, 1993, Just Williams: An Autobiography, London: Harper Collins