Along the Thames, it’s common for a bridge to immediately link two separate towns or villages, one of which is obviously more flourishing than its neighbour. Goring has Streatley, Pangbourne has Whitchurch, and Wallingford has Crowmarsh Gifford. (Sounds straight out of Harry Potter, doesn’t it?)
It would be rude not to at least take a stroll through the bustling metropolis of Crowmarsh, especially as we’re moored on its side of the bridge. Apart from boasting an impressive total of two builder’s merchants, the village is perhaps most memorable for:
- Having only one street, actually called “The Street”;
- Being the place where Jethro Tull (1674-1741) – the agriculturalist, rather than the band of Heavy Horses fame – perfected his revolutionary horse-drawn seed drill; his home from 1700-1710 is marked with a blue plaque.
The Queen’s Head: Review
Crowmarsh Gifford also has two pubs. The Bell having been almost universally damned to hell by TripAdvisor – “Don’t be mislead by the charming exterior” darkly warns TankGirlBec of Gloucester – we tried The Queen’s Head on a beautiful Friday evening. (We’d decided to forgive mein host, who’d turned us away at 11.55am because they only opened at 12 noon.”
I was very happy with my bacon-crusted rainbow trout fillet (£10) with new potatoes and buttered baby broccoli, and thought that Roy’s slow-roasted cider belly of pork (£13.50) was good and tasty, especially after he’d sent it back for reheating. A piquant apricot and apple crumble (£5.25) sweetened him up a bit; but, unfortunately for me, he still prefers (or says he does) my pork belly, and most other dishes, too.
But I really liked the Queen’s Head’s friendly service, its low, exposed beams, and its mellow ambience. I also appreciated the absence of fruit machines and TV screens broadcasting sport. And, once in a while, it’s nice not to know exactly how my meal was prepared.
Nice but there is an absence of photographs of your boat; the Captain lashing the crew and being served evening drinks by the steward, Have standards fallen on the Thames? Psshaw!
Now I wish I’d taken a couple of shots of the Captain during his brief transformation last night to Karaoke King in the Boater’s Bar. His rendition of I Left My Heart in San Francisco brought the house down.