In a couple of his recent reviews (Elgin; Red Squirrel, near Maida Vale) Tris C refers to the nearby Truscott Arms. I can't find it on here. Does anybody know of it?
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In a couple of his recent reviews (Elgin; Red Squirrel, near Maida Vale) Tris C refers to the nearby Truscott Arms. I can't find it on here. Does anybody know of it?
I've got a few outstanding corrections from Tris, one of which was to update the name of Idlewild to The Truscott Arms. Just done that one to help make sense of it for you!
Thanks Dave. I should have thought of that and been more patient.
Ah,The Truscott Arms. That brings back a few memories. In the early 1980s I lived just a minutes walk away. Known, in it's original guise, as an out and out alehouse, it had a famous drinking challenge called the Truscott Ten, whereby you had to drink a pint from each of the ten hand pumps. If you could manage this in a pub session without food between beers (and not vomiting!) you were eligible to have your name carved onto one of the pub's wall plaques. I can't recall why I or my student flatmates never attempted it, as it was just the sort of gung-ho nonsense we were into! I suspect the fact that the landlord was rather Fawlty-esque and the nearby Warrington was our home from home might have something to do with it.
Probably not that challenging for some, assuming 1) the evening sesh, not dinner time, 2) the strength of the options, but 3) 1980s! the choice and quality on offer in most pubs :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by aleandhearty
I don't know why I remember it as being so daunting, as I could probably manage 10 in a session, even now. Maybe it was the fact I was about five stone lighter in those days and wary of the volume? Regarding the strength of the options, I know they put a couple of big hitters on the pumps, to soften you up, but with it being the eighties I can't for the life of me remember what they were.Quote:
Originally Posted by Maldenman
I'd hazard a guess that Ruddles County would have been involved :eek:Quote:
Originally Posted by aleandhearty
Although I never got round to visiting the Truscott, the Basil Fawlty character was Brian (I don't recall his surname). He went to the Truscott from the Bricklayers Arms in Charlotte Road Shoreditch which became a destination real ale venue in the mid seventies after being transformed from a rather dingy Whitbread house.Quote:
Originally Posted by aleandhearty
He was also associated with a pub next to the Sussex Cricket Ground in Hove (the Sussex Cricketer?) and the Owl and Pussycat in Shoreditch.
He was very much what is nowadays known as a "character landlord".
Character landlord indeed. One night a group of us went to the Truscott after runnning club and the place was heaving. There was nowhere to sit, so we stood making a circle and put all our bags and coats in the middle. Wihin a couple of minutes we were approached by Basil who berated us for having a 'pile of dead dogs' on the floor. We were told to remove them pronto, but as there was nowhere to put them we had to drink up and move on!Quote:
Originally Posted by Aqualung