psmv5: The Aldwych

Following advertisement at reference 1, we did indeed get to Delaunay's the following day, eager to learn whether the Delaunay concerned was painter or boilermaker.

The day started with masons in striped trousers, usually reliable evidence that you are in the presence of one - and we started with two on the train to Waterloo, getting on at Stoneleigh. There was some discussion of the quality of the meals provided at various lodges, but I did not catch whether it was catering by wives or by the hired help. I suppose it varies from lodge to lodge. Then there were more of them at Waterloo, and I gathered that there was some sort of gathering of the Surrey Lodges in the Grand Temple in Queen Anne Street, an early visit to which was noticed at reference 2. Then there were more of them when we arrived at the Coal Hole.

But still with Waterloo, as is now the tradition, we managed to arrive at the wrong bus stop, in this case for buses headed for Trafalgar Square, and had to walk up to the bus stops by the IMAX roundabout. From where I noticed, perhaps for the first time, the odd roof line of the the restaurants at the top of Waterloo Road. Was the dark grey building once rather bigger, before the arrival of the railway?

The first map I came across was well after the arrival of the railway and the two buildings of interest were perhaps already what they are now.

The second was before, but was too small scale to be very helpful.

Station now arrived and I shall give up for now. Must look into why the Scots don't seem to bother with large scale maps of old London.

Arrived in the Strand, I was impressed by the variety of old and new buildings which were still to be seen there.

From there we pushed onto the luvvies church in Covent Garden, inter alia scoring the piano noticed at reference 3. A handsome interior and I was impressed by its condition: I don't suppose that the regular congregation is up to much, so I do suppose that the luvvies must be putting their hands in their pockets. They certainly get lots of commemorative tablets - gold lettering on brown wood. There was even a chap at the back touching some of them up. All very tasteful.

Unusual framing of the altar, complete with a modest supply of spot lights. They did not look like the sort which you could move around from the stage manager's desk at the back, but one never knows.

Some kind of modestly attended community outreach going on in the body of the church.

And, near the back, a luvvies' teaching aid in the form of a model theatre. How it was all done. Rather good it was too.

Side view.

There was also a pleasant area outside, with a good supply of benches. Quite an oasis in the middle of an area very busy with tourists and their entertainments.

I think I used to make sparing use of the Coal Hole when I used to work at OPCS in the second half of the the 1970's, first in Somerset House and then in St. Catherine's House across the road at the bottom of Kingsway. I have vague memories of the cellar bar, but on this occasion that was shut and we used the ground floor bar, resplendent with lots of brown & black wood, engraved windows and so forth. They had even managed to work the air conditioning units in to the decorative beams of the ceiling.

It being a celebration I took a pint of real bitter. Good stuff, although I forget which brand it was.

Simpson's, the famous grill, was firmly locked and bolted. I seem to remember that they got into trouble years ago, when they dumped their famous roast beef and steak & kidney puddings in favour of something more modern, with much moaning from their older clients. But I suppose that there were not enough of them to make the place pay that way. I think they tried reversion, but that does not seem to have worked out either. I suppose the trouble is that the sort of lush dining that you get in costume dramas - say Agatha Christie - set a hundred years ago and more, is that it is just far too expensive to deliver for real. There are not enough seriously rich people who want that kind of thing any more. And the hired help has got far too expensive, even if a lot of it does arrive on small boats.

But Delaunay's was up and running, quite busy even though it was Monday lunchtime, and did us very well. Including nicely judged recognition of the birthday which occasioned the visit. Same Spanish wine as last time, but for a change I took smoked salmon to start. Very good it was too, mild and nicely presented, although I was reminded that I far prefer white bread to brown as an accompaniment to such stuff - luckily the white bread at Delaunay's is pretty good.

Notice that the wine came from the wine merchants in Guildford - Les Caves de Pyrene - that we make some use of, the people who used to be behind the late and very much lamented Terroirs in William IV Street.

And the miniature chicken to follow was very good indeed. The ladies, no doubt, took something a little lighter.

My only error was going for Sachertorte, a species of chocolate cake, to go with my Calvados. It turned out to be far too rich and coated with far too much chocolate for my taste. Sticky enough that it was difficult to scrape it off in a neat way. I dare say it was good of its kind, but nothing like as good as the cake noticed at reference 5 and I would have done better with the apple strudel.

Plenty of interesting customers, thinning out by the time we left, which meant that I was able to notice the interesting jointing of the front legs of some of the chairs. Finding the similarly tricky carpentry noticed recently is left as an exercise for the more geeky reader.

Somewhere along the way we learned of the Blue Diamond garden centres, which we had not come across before. Presumably, being based in Guernsey, they specialise in paying as little tax as they possibly can. I shall make a point of avoiding them should we come across one on our travels.

[A 1909 Delaunay-Belleville H4 Belvalette Phaeton. Much restored]

The clock in the foyer came from Paul Garnier of Paris and Bing turns up plenty of antiques and collectibles of that name. There was also a large, old clock in the main restaurant, so I dare say that had some history too. I asked as we we leaving whether the Delaunay was the painter or the boilermaker, mentioned above, and the receptionist cared enough to go and find out. It turned out that the chap who put the restaurant together was something of an old car nut, so went for the boilermaker, who was also into fancy cars, the people described at reference 8. There may be a connection with those at reference 9. Snap from reference 10.

Which led me to wonder what's in a name (to borrow a phrase from the Bard)? Given that the restaurant might be themed for the time, it is not themed for the car, so almost a private matter for the founder. Maybe it has no significance at all, he just got his marketing man to turn up something from the Paris of the time he wanted to evoke. Just in case anyone asked...

No.68 bus to Waterloo, train to Raynes Park, where I was not able to stock up on drinks business, but BH was able to stock up on Lillian Beckwith. A result.

Compensation for me in the form of apple juice, cucumber and a Guardian from the Tesco's at Epsom Station. The apple juice was difficult to find, tucked away in a cupboard, perhaps to deter shop lifters, but it was there. Tropicana in a box I think, rather than some Kentish farm in a bottle, but serviceable. Tomato juice probably absent, with or without Worcester sauce.

PS: I learn from reference 12, that Elgon then Soay on Skye were rather small places, too small to write novels about your neighbours and get away with it. So Beckwith had to decamp to the Isle of Man! Looks like you get good views when it is not raining though.

References

Reference 1: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/05/bibliography.html.

Reference 2: https://pumpkinstrokemarrow.blogspot.com/2011/09/swords.html.

Reference 3: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/05/piano-104.html.

Reference 4: https://www.simpsonsinthestrand.co.uk/.

Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2025/05/trolleys-855-856-and-857.html.

Reference 6: https://www.bluediamond.gg/.

Reference 7: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4833432.

Reference 8: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaunay-Belleville.

Reference 9: https://www.delaunay.fr/fr/delaunay-fils/.

Reference 10: https://360carmuseum.com/en/museum/51/exhibit/2696.

Reference 11: https://www.tropicana.co.uk/juice/pressed-apple.