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| Keilyn outside the Cart & Horses. |
Having taken Erin to the Wallace Collection and parts west, on Tuesday, I had promised to take Keilyn to Stratford and parts east, today. As I and some friends had taken Keilyn to see Iron Maiden, at the O2, last year, I had promised to take her to where Iron Maiden had first performed... The Cart & Horses.
Rain was meant to be light and fleeting, but ended up being heavy and perpetual. Still, it didn't put us off.
Our day started with my uncle Martin, and my mum, picking us up and driving to Croxley station, as they were heading to the British Museum and various places, for the day. We shared the semi-fast Metropolitan line train to Finchley Road, where Keilyn and I disembarked and boarded a Jubilee line train to Stratford, leaving mum and Martin to head off to Euston Square.
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| Keilyn at West Ham station. |
We arrived at West Ham station, where Keilyn had her photo taken with a West Ham roundel, before we continued to Stratford, grabbing a snack and hot drink, but not before Keilyn had her photo taken with 'Robert', a steam engine, that Keilyn had last stood next to in 2015.
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| Keilyn with Robert the steam engine. |
As we wandered up The Grove, the rain, which had been threatening, began to get heavy, so we took shelter in a closed shopfront recess for a few minutes, whole we waited for the Cart & Horses to open its doors.
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| Keilyn ready to enter Hallowed Ground. |
As soon as we saw the doors open I took a photo of Keilyn outside the pub, in her double-denim and Iron Maiden t-shirt, before we headed inside and out of the rain. A few moments later we had drinks (Pepsi for Keilyn and a Trooper for me) and Keilyn was off to the jukebox, busy searching for Iron Maiden tracks. I, meanwhile, was busy looking around at the photos, wall art, merchandise, signed posters and the like.
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| Trooper Beer. |
Since my last visit, in 2018, the pub has had a major refurbishment. The stage, which had stood on the left, as you entered the pub, had now been moved downstairs, where the live music was now performed. And, as such, was off limits to the casual patron. I did get a photo of Keilyn where the stage had been, though.
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| Keilyn, where the stage used to be. |
However, the barmaid, Ruta (not sure of spelling, so sorry if it is wrong), did say that once her colleague arrived she would take us downstairs to see the stage. While we waited Keilyn busied herself at the bar, by completing a Heavy Metal wordsearch, while also working out what merchandise she wanted to buy.
I was still happy chatting with Ruta and exploring the pub, especially the map of London, which Ruta saw me staring at... perplexed. She asked what I found so puzzling about it, to which I replied "it's upside down." Ruta laughed and explained that four of them had been in charge of putting it up, many of whom had lived in London for years, yet not one had noticed that it was upside down, until it was cut and up. Even many of the customers, who often sit opposite the map, haven't noticed the mistake.
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| Shorely shome mishtake. |
Keilyn, by this time, decided that she wanted a Cart & Horses Beanie, so that is what she got. A few moments later her colleague arrived and Ruta asked Keilyn if she was ready to see the stage. Keilyn's face lit up and, leaving our drinks on the bar, we followed Ruta through the roped-off entrance and down the stairs.
The cavernous space was in darkness until the lights were switched on, causing Keilyn to jump as the stage appeared in front of us. Without much encouragement Keilyn took to the stage, wearing her new beanie, before I stepped on to this Hallowed ground for my photo.
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| Keilyn on the Hallowed stage. |
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| Check one-two. |
Then Keilyn headed behind the mixing desk, as I took in the moment. After thanking Ruta we headed back upstairs to finish our drinks.
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| Keilyn at the bar. |
With time ticking on we finished our drinks and headed out into the afternoon drizzle, heading towards Stratford in search of some lunch. The rain decided to increase in strength and so, after eating, we decided to go to the station and head back towards the City, planning on completing our Eastern walk on a dryer day.
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| Keilyn's new beanie. |
We caught the Circle line, a line on which Keilyn had not travelled, the three stops to Liverpool Street, where we exited and, oblivious to the rain, headed towards the Bank of England, as Keilyn wanted to revisit the museum.
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| Keilyn looking for clues. |
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| Keilyn in the gold vault. |
On leaving the Bank of England museum we noticed that the temperature had dropped and the rain looked like it was here for the foreseeable, so we made the short walk up Moorgate to catch a train to Baker Street, from where we could catch a train home.
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| Keilyn with a Moorgate station diamond. |
Considering how damp and wet the day had been we both had a fantastic time, especially at the Cart & Horse, Birthplace of Iron Maiden.
- Car - 1.4 miles
- Taxi - 0.0 miles
- Train - 0.0 miles
- Underground - 48 miles
- Walking - 3.2 miles
Click the link below to watch a short video of our trip to the Cart & Horses.
Cart & Horses: Birthplace of Iron Maiden
For more information, on the Cart & Horses, see my previous blog, via the link below.
Click the link below to be taken to the Cart & Horses website.
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