#082 The Queen's Head, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks : 1997 to 2011

The first time we visited The Queen's Head in Stratford was on Good Friday 28th March 1997. We only stumbled across the pub late on in the evening, hence the dubious quality of this first photo!

We visited Stratford almost every year after this, but it wasn't until Easter Sunday 11th April 2004 that we returned to The Queen's Head.

The Queen's Head is not easy to find if you don't know Stratford and I think that's why it took us seven years to rediscover it. In those seven years the pub sign had changed, but not much else.

We were back there the very next year.

Easter Sunday (again!) 27th March 2005. No changes to the pub.

We were back again on Easter Sunday 8th April 2007.

And again on Easter Sunday 23rd March 2008!

These were all lunchtime visits and we often ate in The Queen's Head as it offered very good pub grub at a reasonable price. As it's just off the beaten track in Stratford it has retained it's 'local' status.

Next visit was Easter Sunday 4th April 2010.

And our final visit was on Sunday 1st May 2011. This time we'd taken our trip a few weeks later than normal to coincide with the Royal Wedding.

As these photos show, The Queen's Head has remained virtually unchanged throughout our visits to Stratford. If you are visiting Stratford and want to get away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist throngs, I'd suggest a visit to The Queen's Head as it still feels like a proper local pub. 

#079 Falcon Hotel, Stratford-upon-Avon : 1997 to 2011

An Easter trip to Stratford became a regular part of our boating calendar in 1996. As there are lots of pubs in the town we could always find somewhere different, or in later years, ones that we hadn't been in for a while. The Falcon Hotel falls into this latter category.

Our first visit was on Saturday 29th March 1997 on our lunchtime 'crawl' around Stratford.

It is a fine Tudor style building and inside it is all you would expect from an 'olde worlde' hotel - with the sort of prices you'd expect as well. As it isn't a 'proper pub' is probably the main reason that we don't visit it every year.

The next time we ventured into the Falcon was on the evening of Saturday 14th April 2001. 

We only spent one session in Stratford this time as our journey had been in the balance because of the Foot & Mouth outbreak. It was only a few days before we were due to set off that British Waterways managed to open the canals by insisting that we carried the chemicals needed to dip our shoes in to prevent spreading the disease. There were also disinfectant dips at all canal access points in the countryside.

This possibly explains why there were no people in the shot of the Falcon. As I recall, Stratford was very quiet that year, mainly because the outside world believed that Britain was closed. Vast pyres of burning cattle didn't help that perception!

The next time we visited the Falcon was on the evening of Saturday 26th March. This isn't one of my best photos - I can only conclude it was late on in our session!

Our most recent venture into the Falcon was on the evening of Saturday 30th April 2011. We'd delayed our trip by a couple of weeks so that we would be away during the Royal Wedding.

As you can see from this picture, the place hasn't changed a bit in the 14 years we've been visiting. Hardly surprising in a historic town like Stratford. However, it is now one of the Legacy Group of hotels...and the bar prices are still reflective of this status!  

#008 Navigation Inn, Lapworth : 1986 to 2011

The Navigation Inn at Lapworth (or is it Rowington?) is the pub I have photographed most over the years. Outside it has changed quite a bit over the years, but inside it is pretty much the same - a welcoming local with a proper bar (complete with uneven stone floor) and serving excellent food.

 This photo was taken at lunchtime on 19th July 1986 at the start of a canal trip that would take us to Leicester and Nottingham. We paused to take in the delights of the Navigation (not for the first time, I might add) to await the arrival of Martin to complete our five man crew for the trip. Difficult to believe that we managed with five of us on board a 35 ft narrowboat for a fortnight...and we cooked breakfast plus evening meals on most days! Nowadays, being older and wider, three is plenty for a long trip.

Eleven years later (27th March 1997) and the pub still looks pretty much the same, but if you look closely you'll notice that all of the signs are different. This was at the start of our first ever Easter trip to Stratford-upon-Avon.

This visit was on 20th April 2000 and again the signage has changed. Now it is 'The Navigation Lapworth', despite the fact that we always walk past the sign saying Rowington on our way to the pub!

Now it is 18th April 2003 and the old mock Tudor look has gone to be replaced by the more modern approach of cream and natural timber. Inside, no change!

Moving forward to 21st March 2008 and probably the best photo I've managed to take of The Navigation. The pub sign is back and the plants have started to grow.

And finally...it's 25 years since the first picture...29th April 2011 - Royal Wedding Day! The plants are now well grown and the hanging sign has disappeared (again!). Inside there is still no change, but the pub is under new management. The menu is still excellent, but the Jumbo Cod isn't quite as large as it used to be! (But, is anything?). This is still the best pub in Lapworth (or is it in Rowington or even Kingswood as in Google Maps?) and well worth a visit.

In 2009 I discovered (on t'internet) a picture of the Navigation from 1915 and attempted to produce a contemporary shot showing it from the same angle. This meant that I had to take the photo from the middle of the road, but the results are visible here on The Navigation Inn website.

One final, final observation - notice how the street light hasn't changed at all in 25 years!!