#267 The Bull/Roman Way Tavern, Fenny Stratford, Buckinghamshire : 1992 to 2019 RIP

Back in the early 1990's when our annual boating trips took us up and down the Grand Union Canal, Fenny Stratford was a regular stopping point because of the number of pubs in close proximity to the canal.

 The nearest was The Bridge Hotel, but across the road was The Bull and our first visit was at lunchtime on Monday 28th September 1992. As I recall it was a fairly standard two room pub - nothing particularly special, but as the sign by the front door says, "Snooker. Pool. Quality Lagers" were available...what's not to like?

We were back again a year later and, although the main pub sign had changed, I don't recall that the inside had changed much.

We stopped here twice the next year at lunchtime on Tuesday 21st September 1993 (above) and again on the evening of Tuesday 28th September 1993 (no picture as it was our last port of call for the evening and a bit dark!).

Although we visited Fenny Stratford in both 1994 and 1995, we didn't go back to The Bull. After this, the boat was moored in the Midlands and we didn't return to Fenny Stratford for a number of years.

 

We decided that a trip to Aylesbury and back was a good idea, allowing to revisit some of our 'old haunts' along the Grand Union. This was the scene in Fenny Stratford on the evening of Wednesday 29th August 2001.

A complete change of name in just eight years and it was now offering food - not really the full 'gastropub' conversion, just a slight gentrification!

We were back in Fenny Stratford a few days later at lunchtime on Monday 3rd September 2001.

I'm assuming the name change was prompted by the fact that the pub stands on Watling Street.

That was the last time we visited Fenny Stratford until this year. This was the scene that greeted us at lunchtime on Wednesday 7th August 2019.

No more pub; in fact it looked like all of the shops along that stretch were closed, just waiting for a redevelopment.

I don't know when it closed, but looking at Google StreetView, it was closed in 2009 when the name had changed to The Entertainers! This link shows the view in 2009.

Fortunately for us, there were other pubs open in Fenny Stratford, but none of them were doing food at the time of our visit! No doubt I'll report on these at a later date.

#230 Three Horseshoes, Fazeley, Staffordshire : 2006 to 2017

We first visited Fazeley from the canal in 1987, but it wasn't until 2006 that we discovered the Three Horseshoes - a whole 19 years where we didn't look beyond the A5 that passes through the town!

We discovered this gem, lurking behind the Tesco Express on the evening of Wednesday 7th June 2006.

It was, then, a proper boozer and we were amazed that it is only about 50 yards away from where we'd been drinking on previous visits! As I recall, we had one pint and got a taxi into Tamworth as it didn't do food.

We didn't leave it too long before we returned in an attempt to redress the years of neglect. We popped in at lunchtime on Wednesday 6th September 2006.

Amazingly, it hadn't changed!

We returned again at lunchtime on Sunday 30th August 2009.

Still no change...apart from the small barrier to stop the skip from rolling into the road!

It didn't take us long to get back for another visit. It was the evening of Wednesday 2nd June 2010.

I was shocked to see that the sign by the skip had disappeared. The eagle-eyed amongst you will also have noticed the mobility scooter by the front door.

We were back again on the lunchtime of Sunday 29th August 2010.

Remarkably, still unchanged and the mobility scooter is still just visible.

It was a while before we returned, this time on the lunchtime of Monday 15th June 2015.

It is amazing how much can change in five short years - a brand new Bass sign, a new skip and the mobility scooter now has a cover!

We were back on the lunchtime of Monday 13th June 2016.

For some reason, I took the picture from the other side, but it is still enough to know that it hadn't changed.

And now onto our most recent visit, just a few short days ago at lunchtime on Wednesday 16th August 2017.

Still unchanged and inside it is still the same welcoming bar that it has always been and, despite all of the adverse conditions for the pub trade since we first visited in 2006, the place was doing a very brisk trade for a Wednesday lunchtime...in a pub that doesn't serve food!

It still has a proper local pub atmosphere and when I took this picture for Retired Martin, there was a bit of good natured banter, which finished with one of the locals saying, "...and it's the best pint in Fazeley!"

I hope it continues unchanged into the foreseeable future, but who knows what may happen as it would appear that it is up for sale by Fleurets.