Blog Surfer

Tuesday 17 December 2019

#271 The White Bear, Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire : 1993 to 2019

Even when our boat was moored in the area, Rickmansworth was not one of our regular stopping places, but we did manage to visit The White Bear on a couple of occasions.

Our first encounter was on the evening of Friday 25th June 1993 as we moved our boat Emma Jane from Cowley Peachey to Winkwell - just a couple of days by narrowboat.
It was (& still is) a large(ish) pub on a busy road junction quite close to the canal and that's about all I remember of it.

We did return a couple of years later on the evening of Friday 9th June 1995 as we made our way back from a trip that had taken us to Lime House Basin in London.
Not much change, but it was now demonstrably advertising itself as a 'Free House'.

So, fast forward through just the 24 years and we found ourselves moored above Batchworth Lock looking for a pub for lunch. None of us could remember exactly what to expect and this is what we found on Sunday 4th August 2019.
In some respects it is remarkably unchanged, but in others it is radically different. Now run by Greene King and also it is now a desi pub in that it's food offering is entirely Indian Cuisine. So, we had a very pleasant Sunday lunch curry in a pub that is still a proper pub, but with a very extensive menu.

3 comments:

  1. Didn't know you travelled that close to the Smoke!

    Or that Desi pubs existed outside the Black Country.

    I worked close by Radlett and Leavesden) in the 90s and pubs west of Watford rarely appeared on my radar!

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    Replies
    1. First time for many years and as the boat is moored on the Oxford Canal we may be back again soon!

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  2. Desi pubs outside of West Bromwich and run by Greene King! Whatever next?? Aesthetically, that has changed little over the years

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