ST ANDREW’S &BLACKFRIARS’ HALLSNorwich •19th - 21st April 20

13

INSID

E:

Getting here • Pub Craw

ls

Brewing in Norfolk

Out and About

CAMRA Members’ Weekend

& AGM

Handbook sponsored by Woodfordes Brewery

CAMRA AGM 2013 3

On behalf of Norwich & Norfolk CAMRA Iwould like to welcome you all to Norwich.This is the second time in CAMRA’s historythat Norwich has hosted this event, the lasttime, for those with a good memory, wasback in 1990, twenty three years ago.

In the intervening years the pub and breweryscene has been re-vitalised. In 1990 Norfolkhad three breweries, today there are nearlythirty and more micros are opening all thetime. We also have a great range of pubsselling cask ale from both our local brewersand those further afield.

A recent survey conducted by branchmembers on one day in June 2012 identified125 pubs selling a total of 569 real ales ofwhich 254 were different. Also available were55 real ciders. This makes Norwich one of thecountry’s premier places for drinking real ale.To aid you to visit as many of these pubs aspossible local members have constructed six‘pub routes’ taking in most of the real aleoutlets in and around the City Centre.Samples of these are on pages 10 - 13 of thishandbook. They can be downloaded fromour AGM websitewww.agmnorwich2013.org.uk and copies willbe available at St Andrews Hall.

For those who visit Norwich and want morethan just beer drinking there is much to see.Norwich has a great cultural heritage domi-nated by its Norman castle, now a museumand the magnificent 13th Century Cathedral.There are many historical medieval churchesand other fine buildings. If you are stayinglonger there are The Norfolk Broads and an

unspoilt coastline to explore, where there aresome great real ale pubs.

Lastly, I would like to thank all the manyvolunteers both from our branch and otherCAMRA branches, plus our sponsors, whohave contributed to make this hopefully asuccessful weekend and without whose help itwould be impossible for this event to take place.

Warren WordsworthLocal Members’ Weekend & AGM Organiser2013 & Norwich & Norfolk Branch Secretary

Agmnorwich2013.org.uk Local Organiser’s Welcome

Welcome to Norwich

Con

tents Organiser’s Welcome 3

Chairman’s Notes 4

Conference etiquette 4

Weekend schedule 5

Brewery trips 5-7

Venue details and layout 7

History of brewing in Norfolk 8-9

Pub Trails 10-13

CAMRA Heritage Pubs 14

Thirty years of Norfolk Nips 17

Norfolk map 18

Cider and Perry in Norfolk 20

Norwich’s Real Heritage Pubs 22-23

Guide to local breweries 24-25

Pubs in the County 26

Eating out 27

Out and about 28

Emergency contacts 29

Getting here 30

Scarborough AGM 2014 31

Thank you for registering to attend the 2013Members’ Weekend in Norwich. It is thesecond time we have been to Norwich, withthe first time being in 1990.

Coincidentally, that was the first year that Iattended a Members’ Weekend and I havefond, if vague, memories of that weekend,especially the Scottish Branches party inthe halls of residence on the Saturday night.

When it comes to real ale pubs, Norwich hasan embarrassment of riches, so don’t feelobliged to try them all. Why not, like manymembers, including myself, spend an extracouple of days either before or after theMembers’ Weekend getting to know Norwichand its wonderful array of pubs – they have

been warned to expect us and you wouldn'twant to disappoint them, would you?

As ever, if you have not spoken at conferencebefore and want to do so, don’t be afraid tospeak up. I am always on the lookout forpeople who have not spoken at Conferencebefore and I am sure that many memberswho don’t necessarily want to speak them-selves, would be glad to listen to someonenew. If there is something on the order paperthat you want to speak on, either for oragainst, buttonhole me in the Members Barand I will do my best to make sure you getyour chance.

Don’t forget to check out the Members’ Bar,where a array of Norfolk beers, the majorityof them 4.5% or less, will be available.Finally, if this is your first Members’ Weekend,feel free to engage me or any other memberof the National Executive in conversationover a beer in the Members’ Bar as we will allbe there at some point over the weekend.

Chairman’s Welcome

“Don’t forget to check out theMembers’ Bar, where a array ofNorfolk beers, the majority of them4.5% or less, will be available.”

4 CAMRA AGM 2013

Chairman’s LetterCon

ference

Etique

tte

Members who attend theMember’s Weekend give up agreat deal of their time for theCampaign. Similarly, guestspeakers do so in a voluntarycapacity.

Most speakers, whether aguest or a member, will benervous when addressingsuch a large audience and so,whether you agree with themor not, please remember thatevery speaker is entitled toput forward his or her point ofview. While someone is

speaking please do not walkaround the auditorium orhold private conversations, asnot only is this discourteous,but can also be verydistracting. Please alsoremember to switch off allmobile phones, pagers andother potentially noisy elec-tronic devices before enteringthe auditorium.

If you intend to speak on amotion, please move forwardtowards the front in goodtime and also remember if

you do speak, to introduceyourself with your name andyour branch.

Please note, CAMRA staffwill be making an audiorecording of the proceedingwhich may be made availablein the members' area of theCAMRA website. If you speakduring conference and do notwant to appear in therecording, please emailtom.stainer@camra.org.uk tobe edited out of the audio file.

CAMRA AGM 2013 5

Friday 19th April16.00 Registration desk opens16.00 Members’ Bar opens17.00 The first tour departs20.00 Registration closes00.00 Members’ Bar closes

Saturday 20th April09.00 Registration desk opens09.30 Conference commences12.30 Lunch interval – Members’ Bar opens13.45 Members’ Bar closes14.00 Conference resumes16.00 Workshops and Policy Discussion

Groups17.00 Members’ Bar opens17.30 The first tour departs18.00 Registration desk closes00.00 Members’ Bar closes

Sunday 21st April09.00 Registration desk opens09.30 Conference commences12.00 Registration desk closes12.30 Conference ends – Members’ Bar opens16.00 Members’ Bar closes16.30 Glass stand closes

– Sorry, no refunds after this time

This schedule is provisional and is subject to change.Tour departure times are staggered to avoid congestionoutside the Halls.

Agmnorwich2013.org.uk Schedule and Trips

Weekend ScheduleBrewery TripsAll trips will depart from and return to thecar park outside St Andrews Hall. Depar-tures will be staggered in order as below

Friday night trips from 5pm Running order - Grain, Cider trip, HumptyDumpty and PantherSaturday night trips from 5.30pmRunning order - Green Jack, Beeston andWoodforde’s. The Cider Crawl will also startat 5.30pm.

They are scheduled to return by 9.30 -10.00pm

Brewery trip descriptions

FridayPanther Brewery – Situated on the site ofthe now closed Reepham Brewery, this five -barrel-a-week brewery was re-opened in2010 by Martin James. All beers are namedafter different coloured panthers. There willbe a buffet of sandwiches and bowls ofchips provided at the nearby King’s Arms(current GBG listed) pub.

Grain – This South Norfolk brewery wasestablished in 2006 by Phil Halls and GeoffWright. In 2010 Grain opened their ownpub in Norwich, The Plough and last yearsaw a major expansion of the brewery withits capacity tripled in size to 15 barrels aweek. A Sausage Pie will be served (vege-tarian Option available).

Humpty Dumpty – Originally established in1998, with present owners taking over inthe mid 2000s. The brewery has its own on-site shop where you will have the

Weekend Schedule

Continued on page 7

CAMRA AGM 2013 7

Agmnorwich2013.org.uk Hall Layout Plan

opportunity to purchase their draft or bottledbeers plus a selection of other local produceand brewery merchandise. A fish & chip supperis included on this tour.

Cider trip to Crones and Jonty’s - VisitingCrones, Kenninghall, for a talk by RobbieCrone, plus a look around his set up.There will be cider to drink, as well as tobuy and take away. We'll then move on toThe Banham Barrel, Banham, for food andpossibly some live music. It is also thehome of Jonty's Cider, where Jonty Wrightwill give a brief talk.

Saturday Beeston – Situated in Mid Norfolk this five-barrel-a-week brewery was established in2006. with water coming from its ownbore hole. The brewery also producesbottled conditioned beers. After the tourvisitors will go to the nearby Ploughsharespub for a buffet.

Green Jack – This Lowestoft brewery is theUK’s most easterly brewery. It was origi-nally situated in the Triangle Tavern pub,but in 2009 relocated to a nearby refur-bished fish-smoking house. There will bepizzas baked in a wood-fired ovenincluded in this trip.

Woodforde’s – Woodforde’s are Norfolk’slargest and longest surviving breweryhaving been originally established in 1981.It moved to its present site in 1989 andsince then has undergone several expan-sions. There will be a cold buffet providedin the adjacent Fur and Feather pub.

Cider Crawl around Norwich – This will bea guided walk visiting four pubs, each ofwhich will have different ciders available.We start with Take 5, followed by eitherThe Ribs of Beef, or The King’s Head. We’llthen go to The Cottage, and end in TheWhite Lion for food (participants to select

in advance from the menu). The White Lion isEast Anglia's Cider Pub of the Year 2012. Thecrawl can be adapted to suit the needs of thoseparticipating.

Brewery Trips - Continued

8 CAMRA AGM 2013

Norwich was a natural site forbrewing being at the centre ofan area which grows some ofthe best malting barley in thecountry and had access togood quality water from thechalk that underlies much ofthe city.

Monks were the earliestbrewers and their breweriescan be traced back to the 11thC, situated in their priories. TheBenedictine Monks had theirsin Cathedral Close and theAustin Friars produced ale on asite between Mountergate andSt Anne’s Staithe in King Street.

In 1783, the population ofNorwich was 35,000 and wasserved by nine breweries, inaddition to those publicanswho brewed for themselves intheir own establishments.

By 1836, the number hadgrown to 27, some of themvery small. However, changewas in the air. New productionmethods, including increaseduse of the steam engine, meantthat the larger Breweries couldbenefit from economies ofscale. Greater control of thebrewing process meant thatbeer quality was more consis-tent. Porter, which requiredlonger, and therefore more ,storage was becoming popularand, significantly, there was anincrease in the number of tiedhouses.

In Norwich, the industrybecame more concentrated,and by 1841 over 75% ofNorwich’s 558 pubs were inthe hands of just seven compa-nies, with Steward andPatteson controlling 33% ofthem. Brew pubs declined andthe smaller brewers eithercollapsed or were taken over atan alarming rate. In 1858,there were 12 Breweries and by1875, Norwich was left withSteward and Patteson, Bullards,Morgans, and Youngs, Craw-shaw and Youngs, who werecollectively known as “the BigFour”.

These became limited compa-nies, which meant that theycould raise capital throughshare issues. What made themso appealing to investors wasthe financial strength amassedin their tied estates - nowonder as by 1895, Stewardand Patteson and Bullards had

930 pubs between them, andthe value of their tied estateswere around 80% of the brew-eries assets. The writing was onthe wall by the early 1960s asaggressive mergers and theintroduction of keg beers and“lager” fuelled by massivemarketing campaigns, beganto take their toll.

The big four did not respondwell and this all led to thedemise of large scale brewingin Norwich. Initially, they werecushioned by the value of theirtied estates and protected bythe production process whichhad not seen dramatic changesand therefore did not requiremajor investment in new tech-nologies. But there was also afeeling that the new genera-tions did not have the flair orthe passion of the founders.They were doomed.

Youngs, Crawshaw andYoungs were the first of the bigfour to go. They had beenbought out by Bullards andSons, who took the 50 tiedhouses and closed the breweryin 1958.

Then in 1961, Morgan’sBrewery was jointly acquired bySteward and Patteson andBullards. Morgan’s had anestate of over 400 pubs andthe most modern brewery inthe city. The chairmen of bothcompanies divided the newlyacquired pubs between them-

Brewing in Norwich

Brewing in Norwich

selves amicably (having drawncards to decide who shouldhave the first pick!) Despiteassurances to the contrary, theBrewery on King Street wasimmediately sold to WatneyMann, with an understandingthat they could sell Red Barrel,etc into their tied houses.Unfortunately, the boards atSteward and Patteson andBullards had completely under-estimated the power of thenational advertising campaigns,and by 1962 Watney Mann kegbeers accounted for over 50%of bitter sales in those pubs.

Steward and Patteson were ina weak position as theirfinances had been stretched bythe purchase of Morgan’s.Watney Mann began topurchase shares in both brew-

eries and were able to take overboth Companies by 1963.However, this did not finallyhappen until 1967, whenSteward and Pattesons breweriesand 1064 tied properties weresold to Watney’s for £7.67m.

It was at this time thatCAMRA described Norfolk asbeing a “beer desert”.

Despite investment, the re-introduction of lost brands,strengthened links to EastAnglia and firm assurances tothe contrary, it was finallydeemed that the brewery wassurplus to requirements andwas closed in 1985. Thisbrought about what wasdescribed by The Norwich andNorfolk Branch of CAMRA as “atragic end to an historic tradi-tion of brewing in Norwich”.

But by then, a new dawn wasalready breaking. In 1981, theStar Brewery opened at TheGolden Star in Duke Street,followed by Woodforde’s inDrayton.

Today, there are over thirtybreweries in Norfolk, mainlysmall, but some are gainingreputations on a national scale.Their owners have drive, flairand a passion for the beers thatthey produce.

Grateful thanks to Francis andMichael Holmes for permissionto use data from their book“Norwich Pubs and BreweriesPast and Present” published byNorwich Heritage Projects.

Agmnorwich2013.org.uk Brewing in Norwich

The story continues on page 24

CAMRA AGM 2013 9

10 CAMRA AGM 2013

Pub Walks

Area/Route

This walk is mostly contained inthe City Centre shoppingdistrict of Norwich. The secondhalf takes you through manyold medieval streets which areknown as ‘The Lanes’.

Pubs

The first pub, The Woolpackis situated at one end of whatwas once Norwich livestockmarket, now the area is agarden on top of the CastleShopping Mall. The interiorconsists of a large single barpub with separate dining area.The present building dates

from 1938, although a pub hasbeen on this site for muchlonger. Close by is the secondpub, No 12 formerly known asLa Rouen, a much smaller moreintimate pub selling mainlyAdnams Beers. Towards thebottom end of Timber Hill is apub with a double name TheMurderers/ Gardeners (3) a

bustling City centre pub onsplit levels that is popular withthe younger set. Close by isThe Bell Hotel, (4) one ofNorwich’s four Wetherspoons.This a typical of the Wether-spoons style, being large andspread over two floors. Verymuch smaller and set half wayalong a tiny narrow pedestrianlane is The Walnut TreeShades, (5) a popular venuefor blues and rock music fans.Adjacent to the Market Place isthe recently re-opened ‘Sir

The Murderers / Gardeners

Pub Walk 2:

City Centre South

CAMRA AGM 2013 11

Garnet’ (6) set on differentfloors and levels. We now moveinto ‘The Lanes’ area ofNorwich City Centre visitingThe Vine, (7) Norwich’ssmallest pub which alsodoubles up as a Thai restau-rant. Close by is The BelgianMonk. (8). No British real alehere but this bar and restau-rant, in addition to its menu ofauthentic cuisine, sells a largeselection of Belgian ales bothbottled and on draft. TheCoach & Horses (9) is a largeone bar Greene King pubselling guest ales in addition tothe Greene King range. Lastpub on this route is TheMicawbers (10) a Victoriancorner pub with bars on splitlevels.

Directions

This walk starts at The Wool-pack (NR1 3EH) situated onGolden Ball Street close toCastle and Castle Mall shoppingcentre. The second pub No 12(NR1 3JX) is immediately

opposite. After leaving No 12bear right along Golden BallStreet and then right again intoTimber Hill. Walk down TimberHill and towards the bottom,The Murderers/Gardeners(NR1 3LB), is on your right.After visiting The Murdererscontinue down Timber Hill andright into Orford Street and theentrance to The Bell Hotel(NR1 3QB) is on your left. TheBell is on two floors, so whenleaving depart via the down-stairs bar onto Castle Meadow.Walk along Castle Meadow asfar as Davey Place (a pedestri-anised lane) and turn left downthe steps and right into CastleStreet then the immediately leftto the very narrow Old PostOffice Court where TheWalnut Tree Shades (NR21NG) is immediately in front ofyou. Turn left out of WalnutTree Shades onto GentlemansWalk where you emerge ontoNorwich Market. Turn left toSir Garnet (NR2 1RD) whichis at the end of The MarketAfter Sir Garnet retrace yoursteps along Gentlemans Walkto The Guildhall and just to theright of the Guildhall by Tescois a small pedestrian lane DoveStreet. Walk along Dove Streetand about half way along onyour right is The Vine (NR21DE). Turn right from the Vineto the end of Dove Street andleft into Pottergate. The Belgian Monk (NR21DS) is on your right. Turnright out of Belgian Monk andthe almost immediately leftinto Lower Goat Lane. Whenyou emerge at the end of

Lower Goat Lane The City Hallis immediately in front of you.Walk by the front of The CityHall (St Peter Street) and rightinto Bethel Street. The Coach& Horses (NR2 1NR) isabout 200 metres along BethelStreet, past the Forum Libraryon your left. Turn left out ofCoach & Horses to end ofBethel Street and cross overinto Upper St Giles Street thenright down Cow Hill to junc-tion with Pottergate and TheMicawbers (NR2 1DZ) is onthe right.

Links to other Walks

Leave The Bell Hotel at thelower level, and turn left intoRed Lion Street. Carry straighton at the lights into StStephens Street. At the end,turn right after Wilkinsons. TheChampion (pub walk 4) canbe seen on the other side ofthe road. To reach it, walk pastthe remains of the City wallsand cross the road at thepedestrian crossing by theMethodist Church.

visit www.Agmnorwich2013.org.uk for details of all six walks Pub Walks

The Vine, Dove Street

The Walnut Tree Shades

12 CAMRA AGM 2013

Pub Walks

Area/Route

This walk takes in the areaimmediately to the south of theold medieval walls of Norwichand is a mainly residential areaof modern and older buildings.In the latter part of the walkonce across Newmarket Roadyou are in an area known bylocals as ‘The Golden Triangle’which consists almost entirelyof Victorian terraced housing.

Pubs

The Rose (1) is sister pub toThe Ketts Tavern (in Walk 5).Here you will have the opportu-nity to enjoy some of thelocally brewed Norwich Bearbrews. The Kings Arms (2) isa Bateman’s pub but with avery large range of guest beers

many from local micros in addi-tion to the Bateman range.Immediately opposite is TheFreemasons (3) formerlyowned by Woodforde’s when itwas known as ‘The Billy Blue-light’. The Trafford Arms (4)is a classic community local free

house run by the same coupleChris and Glynis Higgins for thepast twenty years. There areusually around ten real alesavailable plus Kingfisher cider.The Coachmakers Arms (5)

is a bustling pub close to citycentre and attracts many localoffice staff on weekdaylunchtimes. All real ales hereare dispensed by gravity. Veryclose by is The Champion (6)a small traditional stylecomfortable local, owned byBateman’s with guest ales alsoavailable. We now move into‘The Golden Triangle’ to TheYork Tavern (7) which on theoutside is a typical Victoriancorner local. The interiorthough has been muchmodernised over past twodecades. Next is The RoseTavern (8) another typicalVictorian corner local whoseinterior is more traditional instyle. This was a former Laconspub, (note the Maltese falcons– Lacons old logo in the brick-work). It sells a fairly goodrange of cask ales. Going

Pub Walk 4:

South Side & Golden Triangle

Trafford Arms

CAMRA AGM 2013 13

further away from the CityCentre we come to The EatonCottage (9) a classic commu-nity local very popular withstudents who have accommo-dation in this area. Last butcertainly not least is TheBeehive (10) another greatcommunity pub. This is one ofthe few pubs left in Norwichwhich retains its bar andlounge. The bar has traditionalwooden floorboards chairs andtables where the lounge iscomfortably furnished withcarpet and soft chairs.

Directions and Links

Starting from The Bell Hotelturn left up Timber Hill, andwhen you reach the top crossat pelican crossing and bear leftinto Ber Street. Walk the full

length of Ber Street and youwill emerge onto Queens Roadand your first pub, The Rose(NR1 3AE) is across the street.Turn left after leaving The Rosealong Queens Road thenshortly after left into Hall Road.The Freemasons (NR13HQ) and The Kings Arms(NR1 3HQ) are opposite eachother. Next continue a littleway along Hall Road from citycentre and right into TrafalgarStreet continue right intoSouthwell Road until you reacha mini roundabout and Tescoconvenience store. Then turnleft past some shops to TheTrafford Arms. (NR1 3RL)On departing Trafford Arms

retrace steps past the shopsand turn left along VictoriaStreet to St Stephens Road andThe Coachmakers (NR13SP) is on the other side of thestreet. Bear left out of Coach-makers keeping to the left atroundabout to The Cham-pion (NR2 1SE) Retrace stepswhen leaving the Championback along St Stephens Roadthen into Newmarket Road atthe traffic lights, and a shortdistance after turn right intoBrunswick Road, then left intoNewmarket Street, then rightinto York Street and The York(NR2 2AS) is in front of you.From the York bear left alongYork Street then right intoRupert Street and The RoseTavern (NR2 2AT) is oncorner of Rupert Street andTrinity Street. From The RoseTavern turn left along TrinityStreet to Unthank Road then leftalong Unthank Road until youreach The Eaton Cottage(NR2 2DQ). Continue left outof Eaton Cottage. Cross the ringroad at the traffic lights andcontinue until you reachLeopold Road then left to TheBeehive (NR4 7PJ).

Public Transport

Buses 11 and 11A (pink route) goalong Newmarket Road to StStephens Street and CastleMeadow. 13, 13A, 14, 14A 15and 15A (green routes) also goalong Newmarket Road to theCity Centre. Bus 25 runsbetween University of East Angliato Railway station via city centreand goes along Unthank Road.

visit www.Agmnorwich2013.org.uk for details of all six walks Pub Walks

Eaton Cottage

16 CAMRA AGM 2013

It’s hard to believe, butNorfolk NIPS , our BranchNewsletter, celebrated its 30thanniversary last year.

Incorporating Cask Force, thenewsletter of the West NorfolkBranch, it brings you all thelatest news and informationfrom across the County, aswell as national news fromCAMRA HQ and reports fromaround the world by globe-trotting readers.

The mission is simple – toinform and entertain – a goodread whilst you sup a decentpint in your local, or being ahandy A5 size, slip into yourpocket to read later.

The Spring Edition, No. 160,launched the celebrations. TheEastern Transport CollectionSociety’s LD5G Red DoubleDecker Bus graced the coverwith an appropriate destina-tion board display. In thisissue, we had the first articleby a guest writer – CaskMarque’s Annabel Smith- whowrote about the North-SouthDivide and what drinkers indifferent parts of the UKexpect from their pints.

The guest writer in theSummer Edition was noneother than Tim Hampson who

extolled the virtues ofNorwich, and endorsed ourclaims to be the City of RealAle. We also reported on SirIan Botham’s Great BritishWalk. We were at Coltishallwith The Humpty DumptyBrewery to welcome him ashe completed the Norfolk legof his journey. The Norfolk A –Z series had reached “D” andwe looked at the history ofDrays in Norfolk.

The Autumn Edition No.162,looked forward to the 35thNorwich Beer Festival and theNational CAMRA MembersWeekend/AGM in 2013. It alsofeatured reports on the Beerscenes in Germany, Hawaiiand Fakenham! TheFakenham Museum of Gasand Local History also got amention.

The Winter edition, edited byThe West Norfolk Branch hada Victorian themed cover andreported on the successful35th Norwich CAMRA BeerFrestival.

The Current edition is ourannual Spring Beer FestivalSpecial, which highlights thelocal Beer Festivals taking partthroughout the County,welcomes CAMRA Members toNorwich for the Members’

Weekend and AGM and looksforward to the 3rd City of AleFestival.

CAMRA AGM 2013 17

Going from Strength to Strength

Norfolk Nips Magazine - The First 30 Years

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Norfolk has a long tradition of real cider and perry making, with cider and perry becoming increasingly popular in localpubs. Norwich has 19 cider pubs and Norfolk has 8 establishedcider makers, with a number of very small or new cider makers.Norwich also has the East Anglian Cider Pub of the Year 2012,and Norfolk cider makers have received several East AnglianCider & Perry awards. Not exactly a cider desert as manybelieve! This is backed up with 113 cider pubs in East Angliawith Real Cider Sold Here windows stickers, and 35 cidermakers who you may see at CAMRA beer and cider festivalsin East Anglia.

One of the pubs worth a visit is the White Lion, 73Oak Street, which is the East Anglian Cider Pub of the Year 2012. It always has at least 20 ciders andperries available, which will increase for theMember’s Weekend. They always have local cider orperry available, as do several other pubs in Norwich.

Norwich Beer Festival, held in October, is the homeof the East Anglian Cider Competition. The winnerof this goes forward to the National Cider & PerryChampionships held at Reading Beer & CiderFestival, held in early May. Cambridge Beer Festival,held in late May, is the home of the East AnglianBottled Cider Competition. Other beer festivals witha large range of cider & perry include Peterborough,Chelmsford, St Albans, and Rochford.

Jonty’s Rum Ol’ Night, made by Jonty Wright at the Banham Barrel won the East Anglian Cider Competition 2012. He came 2nd in 2011 with Early Night.

Crones Dutchie Original, made by Robbie Crone in Kenninghall, came 3rd in 2012. He won in 2010with Owld Norfolk. Peter Blake’s Hog & Vine, madejust outside Great Yarmouth, won in 2011. WhinHill, won the East Anglian Perry Competition in 2011

Cider and Perry

Real Cider & Perry in Norwich and Norfolk

20 CAMRA AGM 2013

Ben and Becky at the White Lion

Jonty Wright receiving his award

CAMRA AGM 2013 21

and 2010. That means half theEast Anglian Cider & Perryawards over the past 3 yearshave gone to Norfolk cidermakers!

There’s a cider trip on theFriday evening to Crones andJonty’s (at the Banham Barrel),and a cider pub crawl on theSaturday evening visiting four orfive cider pubs in the city. All theciders and perries on the Member’s Bar will befrom Norfolk, however, both West County Styleand Eastern style ciders will be available.

Visit www.agmnorwich2013.org.uk/home/cider-and-perry for a full list of cider pubs inNorwich and details of cider & perry makers inNorfolk.

Whin Hill and Crones

Peter Blake receiving his award

22 CAMRA AGM 2013

Norwich Real Heritage Pubs

Golden Star, NorwichThis is a 17th century building that became apub in the 19th century. Closed in 1970 byWatneys it was saved from demolition in1975 when Peter Turner negotiated a leasefrom the City Council. It has a L-shaped mainbar, which, from markings on the wall,ceiling and counter, indicate it was originallytwo small rooms and an off sales. It retainswhat may be the original counter – it is thesame one that appears in a photo of the bartaken in the 1920s that hangs on the wall.The bar back retains its old lower part but thetop part is largely late 1970s work. Note theold spirit cabinet in the bar back fitting.Some of the wall panelling is old and thefixed seating on the right is at least 40 yearsold. The rear bar is in what was originally

three empty houses converted into theGolden Star brewery in 1979/80 and whenbrewing ceased in 1984 it was converted to abar. The bar counter is old but imported andthe bar back is one added in 1984. Note theold baffle/short partition and a tiny hatchwith two-part sliding window between thetwo rooms.

Golden Star, 57 Colegate, Norwich MR31DD. It is open from 12 to 11 (12 Fri, Sat).Meals are served from 12 to 2.30 Mon to Sat;5 (6 Tue) to 9pm Tue to Sat; Sunday roasts12 to 3. There is a Bluegrass & Old TimeSession on the third Thursday monthly andregular live music on Saturday nights. Thepub has a bar billiards table. Phone numberis 01603 632447. Website: www.golden-starnorwich.co.uk where evening menus areupdated weekly. Real ales on sale are GreeneKing IPA, Abbot Ale, usually IPA Gold and upto three guest beers from independent andmicrobreweries.

This is a series of articles that appears inNorfolk Nips highlighting the pubs whoseinteriors have been little altered in the past40 years or so. For the CAMRA AGM at StAndrews Hall we feature two pubs close tothe hall giving you the opportunity to visitthem whilst in Norwich.

Norwich Real Heritage Pubs

The main bar counter of the Golden Star, Norwich

CAMRA AGM 2013 23

The middle room of theAdam & Eve, Norwichwith its 1930’s fittings

Adam & Eve, NorwichThis 17th century brick and flint building hasbeen a pub for some time. Prior to the early1970s there was no bar in the pub andcustomers would have had their drinksbrought to the table in jugs. The front doorleads into the top bar with two low ancientsettles attached to the ceiling. This smallquarry tiled room has some old dadopanelling, but has a new bar counter and barback. It looks like it was subdivided as thefloor markings indicate the position of morepartitions in the past. The most intact part ofthe pub is the small snug situated in a 1930sextension. It retains its parquet floor, periodbrick fireplace and fixed seating but the dadopanelling is new. The lower bar was created in1973 from the former cellar and the floor hadto be lowered some four inches. The Adam &Eve is a traditional pub with no TV, nomachines and no pool table!

Adam & Eve, 17 Bishopsgate, Norwich NR31RZ. It is open from 11 to 11 Mon to Sat; 12to 10.30 Sun. Meals are served from 12 to 7(5 Sun). Phone number is 01603 667423. TheAdam & Eve has a Facebook page. Real ales

on sale are AdnamsSouthwold Bitter,Theakstons OldPeculier and up tothree guest beers.

Other ‘CAMRA RealHeritage Pubs’ inNorwich are theGate House, 391Dereham Road NR58QJ (in the GoodBeer Guide 2013);the Berstrete Gates,174 Ber Street NR1 3EN (no real ale); Whalebone, 144 Magdalen Road, NR3 4BA(range of real ales) and the Gordon, 88Gordon Avenue, Thorpe St Andrew NR7 0DR(has real ale).

For more information aboutCAMRA’s Real Heritage Pubs take alook at the CAMRA Heritage Pubswebsite www.heritagepubs.org.uk.

Text and photographs by Mick Slaughter ofCAMRA’s Pub Heritage Group.

24 CAMRA AGM 2013

Given the current plethora anddiversity of breweries in Norfolkit is hard to imagine, that atone time, there was no real aleproduction at all in the county.All there was was keg out ofthe Watney’s owned NorwichBrewery site down King St.,and nothing else. So whathappened? 1981, that’s whathappened. Charles married Di, I did my O-levels, and the gristhit the liquor for the start of anew age in Norfolk BrewingHistory. Real ale was once morebeing produced at NorwichBrewery although that onlylasted a few years until it wasclosed, the Star brewery flick-ered briefly, but much moreimportantly, in an industrialunit in Drayton, Ray Ashworthfounded Woodforde’s Breweryand created Wherry Bitter.

From these small and modestbeginnings Woodforde’s havegrown, moved twice, and evencome back from the ashesPhoenix XXX like to become

the largest and mostsuccessful breweryin the county, alsowinning Cham-pion Beer OfBritain twice in theprocess. They arecurrently situated in thebroadland village of Woodbast-wick which was publess untilWoodforde’s opened the FurAnd Feather pub across theyard from the brewery.

Two years later ReephamBrewery started up. The ballhad started rolling. TheReepham Brewery site is nowoccupied by Panther Brewery,and is the oldest brewing sitestill in use in the county.Panther Brewery is named from

reported sightings across thecounty of a large black pantherlike creature.

The ball may have startedrolling but it was only veryslowly.... The Reindeer Brewerystarted up in 1987, and is nomore, but its founders BillThomas and Wolfe Whithamwent on separately to foundChalk Hill Brewery (1993), stillgoing strong behind the Coachand Horses (Thorpe Rd.) and

Wolf Brewery (1995)in Attleborough.Ownership, locationand plant havechanged, but Wolf

Brewery has beensuccessful, and grown

into the county’s secondlargest brewery with beers suchas Straw Dogs, Lupus Lupusand Woild Moild.

A few other breweries startedup in the 90s such as Buffy’s(the first shed / garage in thegarden site in Norfolk - Tivet-shall St. Mary), and alsoHumpty Dumpty (Reedham),tucked away in The Broads,and born out of an idea by aformer landlord of The Railwayin Reedham, and a definitesuccess story since changinghands a few years ago. A number of their beers have arailway theme.

2002 was also a watershedyear for brewing in the countywith the announcement ofreduced beer duty for smallbrewers. A couple of breweriesincluding Fox (Heacham) andWinter’s (Norwich) werealready in the early days ofproduction, but the measurehas provided a springboard formany more to start up invarious sizes and locationsthroughout the county from

Local Breweries Guide

Norfolk Breweries - A Case Of Brewin’ Diff’rent?

CAMRA AGM 2013 25

the incredibly compact Front StBrewery (Binham), to therecently established NorfolkBrewhouse (Hindringham), amuch larger and newly builtinstallation in a former barn,who produce both the MoonGazer range of cask beers, andStubbleStag lager, both namesare local terms for hares. Also inthis corner of North Norfolk is JoC’s Norfolk Ale (West Barsham),as run by the only brewster inthe county at present.

There hasn’t just been anincrease in number of brew-eries, but also in the diversity ofstyles of beer and experimenta-tion, such as the Belgian styleWhite Dove and Dragon Saisonfrom Ole Slewfoot (NorthWalsham), a Bavarian wheat

beer from Opa Hay’s (Aldeby),and the eye-popping MochaMoggie coffee beer from theFat Cat Brewery (Norwich). TheFat Cat Brewery is situated atthe imaginatively named FatCat Brewery Tap, and was setup by Colin Keatley who’s beena character in the Norwich pubtrade for many years, and twicewinner of the National Pub OfThe Year, with The Fat Cat

The above is by no meansexhaustive, and there are otherproducers of good beerincluding Beeston (Beeston),Elmtrees (Snetterton), Grain(Alburgh), Tipples (Acle), andWaveney (Earsham).

Popping south of theWaveney, briefly, mention

should be made of Adnams(Southwold), who neverstopped brewing cask beer,even in the dark days, andGreen Jack who also produceexcellent beer, and are verycapable in the area of strongbeers, e.g. Baltic Trader, animperial stout at 10.5%.

A quick mention for OakhamBrewery, which isn’t exactly inNorfolk, but their beers areoften seen in the city, and forthose of you travelling via trainand Peterborough, theirbrewery tap is very close toPeterborough station. Also oneof thier original head brewers,is now involved with brewingon the former Blackfriars site inGt. Yarmouth.

Agmnorwich2013.org.uk Local Breweries Guide

26 CAMRA AGM 2013

If you would like to see more ofwhat the county has to offer,here is a suggestion for apleasant drive (most of theroute is covered by publictransport if Des is not availableto drive).

Head out of Norwich on theA140 northwards towardsCromer, and just after theAirport turn left at the round-about onto the B1149 HoltRoad.

There are two pubs on thisroad which are certainly wortha visit. The Marsham Arms(NR10 5NP) is seven milesnorth of Norwich. A 19th Ccoaching Inn, it has recentlybeen refurbished. Real Ales areserved by gravity from the taproom. The Pigs at Edgefield(NR24 2RL) is an awardwinning pub, which operates abartering system where youcan exchange fresh produce forbeer. Stay the night here andyou can help yourself to theHouse Beer (Wolf Old Spot)from the handpump on thelanding. Between these twopubs is a little gem, tuckedaway. Turn left onto theHeydon Road and the right atthe crossroads and you willcome to the picture postcardprivate village of Heydon. TheEarle Arms (NR11 6AD) is anatmospheric 16th C formerCoaching Inn with oodles ofcharacter just opposite the

green and next to the tea shop.

When you reach Holt, youhave a choice. If you take theA148 towards Fakenham at theroundabout, then turn rightonto the Thursford Road atThursford. Passing The Thurs-ford Collection of SteamEngines and Organs on yourleft you will come to thevillage of Binham. Here you willfind the remains of the Bene-dictine St Mary’s Priory andThe Chequers Inn (NR210AL) a picturesque welcomingpub, home to The Front Streetmicrobrewery, which producessome interesting beers,including some occasionalBelgian style beers made withEast Anglian malt.

To see the Georgian town ofHolt, take the A148 as above,but the turn right into the High

Street opposite the MethodistChurch. Follow the road roundinto Cromer Road. Just beforethe By-pass on the left handside is the terminus of theNorth Norfolk Railway. You canpark here (easier to park herethan in Sheringham) and catcha train (alternate steam andheritage diesel trains will berunning) to Sheringham, abustling Victorian seaside town.

Here, amongst many delights,you will find The WindhamArms, the Branch Pub of theYear 2011. Situated close to thePromenade, this is awelcoming pub offering aheady mix of Greek hospitalityand food and local real alesand ciders. Spend some time inSheringham, there is lots to seeand do here (and great fish andchips) before catching the trainback to Holt.

Pubs in the County

Pubs in the County

CAMRA AGM 2013 27

This is farming country andthere are many eating estab-lishments which offer a warmwelcome and delicious foodprepared with fresh seasonallocal ingredients.

You are never far away from apavement café, tea room orcoffee house. Many pubs offergreat food as well as local realales and ciders and there aregreat restaurants offering thebest in British, Continental andWorld Cuisine.

If the café culture is for you,then head for The Britons ArmsCoffee House, close to StAndrews, or Caley’s Cocoa Caféin the 19th C. Guildhallamongst many others. Thereare also The Refectories innearby Norwich Cathedral orThe Cathedral of St John theBaptist near the city walls. Tryalso The Iron House, formerlyThe Ironmongers, which sellsbottled Grain Beers.

Good Food Pubs include TheReindeer, The Rumsey Wells,No.12, and The Garnetamongst others, all close to theHalls. And don’t forget TheBelgian Monk, which offersBelgian Cuisine, with beers tomatch each dish.

The Norwich City FootballClub in Carrow Road is whereyou will find Delia’s Restaurantand Bar, and also Yellows, bothpart of Delia Smith’s CanaryCatering. Jamie Oliver hasrecently opened a new Branchof Jamie’s Italian in the historicVictorian Royal Arcade.

Thai Restaurants are verypopular in Norwich, includingthe one upstairs in The Vine,Norwich’s smallest pub.Chinese, Japanese, Indian,Mexican, Spanish and otherrestaurants are all just a fewminutes walk from the Halls.

Norwich has four Wether-spoon’s, with two – The Belland The Glass House, close tothe venue, offering their usualfayre.

For fine dining, there is RogerHickman’s Restaurant, The LastWine Bar, The Dining Roomsand Bar in Suckling House atCinema City, The WinePress@Wensum, BrummellsSeafood Restaurant, and more.

For further details check theVisit Norwich websitewww.visitnorwich.co.uk.

Enjoy!

Eating Out

Eating Out inNorwich

28 CAMRA AGM 2013

Norfolk Tourism

There is so much to see and doin Norwich, but if you want toventure further afield, there aremany delights awaiting you inthe fair County of Norfolk,Nelson’s County.

Getting about is easy too. Ifexploring by car, the roadsradiate in all directions fromNorwich, making it simple tofind your chosen destination.Trains run from Norwich toSheringham via Cromer andalso to Great Yarmouth andLowestoft. There is also anextensive network of buses,covering the County.

The CoastHead for a sandy beach, orexplore the seaside towns ofGreat Yarmouth, Cromer, Sher-ingham and Hunstanton.There is plenty of wildlife too,with RSPB centres and boat

trips to watch seals basking inthe sun.

Market TownsThe Georgian town of Holt,historic Wymondham with it’sAbbey, Aylsham, Dereham,Diss, North Walsham,Swaffham and Fakenham areall worth discovering.

Visitor attractions There are the National TrustProperties - Oxburgh Hall,Felbrigg Hall and the BlicklingEstate, which includes themagnificent Blickling Hall, thechildhood home of Anne Boleyn.

Railways served many parts ofNorfolk, but little now remains.However, The Poppy Line runssteam and diesel trainsbetween Sheringham andHolt; and The Mid NorfolkRailway runs a Heritage diesel

service between Dereham andWymondham. In addition,there are the narrow gaugerailways at Aylsham (The BureValley Railway which runs toWroxham) and the Wells andWalsingham Railway.

No trip to Norfolk would becomplete without visiting theincredible Norfolk Broads. Youcan take a cruise from Wroxhamor Horning, or hire a day boat toexplore at your leisure.

PubsThere are far too many pubs tolist here, see the Good BeerGuide 2013, pages 346 – 60,for inspiration, but you candrink Nelson’s Blood at LordNelson’s local in BurnhamThorpe or enjoy a DutchPancake with your pint on a19th C Dutch North SeaClipper at Wells.

Out andAbout

Out andAbout

Getting thereTrain: The Bittern Line runsfrom Norwich to Cromer andSheringham

Bus: First Eastern Counties isthe main bus provider inNorwich, but there is also,Konectbus, Norfolk Green andSanders amongst others.

Norfolk Green also run the

Norfolk Coasthopper service,which runs along the coastfrom Cromer to Kings Lynn.

Tickets: You can buy a BitternRover for £7.80 (Adult) whichincludes the train fromNorwich to Sheringham andthe Coasthopper bus toexplore the coastline. A FusionTicket allows bus travel for aday when using more than oneBus Operator’s services. A First

Eastern Counties Day pass is£5.00 for Norwich and £14.00covering the network.

Contact details:Greater Anglia www.greateranglia.co.ukNorfolk Green www.norfolkgreen.co.ukSee also www.travelineastanglia.co.ukand www.visitnorfolk.co.uk

Agmnorwich2013.org.uk Emergency Contact Details

We hope that you won’t needthem, but just in case:

Dentist: call 01603 488 488

Doctor: call 0300 03600 333Or visit Timber Hill Health Centre,level 4, 115 - 117 Castle Mall,Norwich NR1 3DD

This is the Walk in Centre andDoctor’s Surgery, open 7am –9pm seven days a weekLocated near Vue Cinema.

Hospital (A&E): call 01603 286286 Norfolk and Norwich Univer-sity HospitalColney Lane, Norwich NR4 7UYIf driving, take the A11 out of

Norwich and turn right at theroundabout before the Thick-thorn Interchange.

Police: call 101Norwich Police StationBethel Street, Norwich NR2 1NNOpen Monday – Friday 8am –7pm, Saturday 9am – 6pm,Sunday 10am – 5pm

Emergency Contact Details:

30 CAMRA AGM 2013

By car: From the South andWest – From the M25, take theM11, A11, (A14), A11 toNorwich. (Please note that thisroute can be congested onFridays at Elveden. The alterna-tive is to stay on the A14(Newmarket By-pass) to Bury StEdmunds, then take the A134 tore-join the A11 at Thetford.)

From the Midlands take eitherthe A14(Cambridge) (diversionabove applies), A11 toNorwich, or the A47 (Peterbor-ough) to Norwich, or the A17(from the A1 at Newark), A47to Norwich.

All routes: At the Thickthorninterchange with the A11 onthe Norwich Southern By-pass,follow the A11 into Norwich.At the 3rd roundabout, turnleft into Chapel Field Road. Atthe next roundabout, take thesecond exit into Grapes Hill.Keep right, and turn right atthe traffic lights. Follow thisroad, past the former BullardsBrewery. Where the road mergesat the top of the hill, keep leftand turn left at the lights. Theentrance to St Andrew’s Car Park(open 24 hours) is immediatelyon your right.

For the venue, leave the carpark at the pedestrian exit onlevel 2. Turn left at St Andrew’sStreet and left again after thepedestrian crossing. You arethere!

By plane: Norwich InternationalAirport will handle scheduledflights from Amsterdam,Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Exeter, Isleof Man, and Manchester, withFlybe, BMI & Eastern Airwaysduring the weekend.

Taxis and hire cars are avail-able. The airport does not havea train station, nor a direct busservice into the city from theterminal, but the Airport Parkand Ride (pay per passenger onthe bus) is a short walk away.

By train: Greater Anglia rundirect services to Norwich fromLondon Liverpool Street. Theyalso run the local services fromNorwich to Sheringham andCromer, Great Yarmouth, andLowestoft.

There is an indirect servicefrom London Kings Cross, viaCambridge and Ely which isnot as convenient.

East Midlands Trains provide aservice from Liverpool toNorwich, via Manchester,Sheffield and Nottingham.

Norwich Station, also calledNorwich Thorpe is situated onthe western outskirts of thecity. Taxis are available, but it ispossible to walk to the venuevia the Riverside Walk, Cathe-dral Close, Tombland andPrinces Street.

Please note that thereare no trains runningbetween Norwich andPeterborough on Sunday21st April. A replacementbus service is in operation.

By Coach: National Expressrun services to Norwich whichterminate at the Norwich BusStation in the south of the city,about a 20 minute walkthrough the city from thevenue. Taxis are available.

Getting to The AGM 2013

Getting Here

Trafford Arms

Chris and Glynis invite you to the Trafford Arms - 61 Grove Road, Norwich 01603 628466

www.traffordarms.co.uk traffordarms@btconnect.com

Great Beer, Great Food, Great Atmosphere - situated in a Great City!