Beers, Boats and Boozers, No.88.

From Ely we proceeded down the Great Ouse to Pope's Corner where we turned onto the River Cam to explore that tributary.

Your EA licence is not valid for beyond Bottisham Lock that you can see in the distance (unless you have paid the extra) as the waterway is administered by the Cam Conservancy. This brute of a weed cutter belongs to them though.

At Clayhithe is the HQ of the Cam Conservators who were established in 1709. These headquarters were built in 1832 that you can just make out on the gable end. It acted as the residence, offices, committee room, workshops and toll house. The modern workshops extended the old ones in 2016.

Baits Bite Lock was first established by a 1700's Act of parliament. This office and the thatched cottage just out of shot are leased out. Both locks are fully automatic.

On the outskirts of Cambridge is the Cheddar Lane pumping station that now house the Museum of Technology but when built in 1894 and was the height of integrated processes. Refuse was collected from the city that was burned in the boiler that drove the pump that pumped the sewage from the city to a 'fram' a couple of miles away. The fertiliser produced was used on fields to grow crops to feed the horses that towed the carts the collected the refuse from the city! Still in steam occasionally.

Outside Jesus Green Lido were huge queues. It happened to be the hottest day of the year 38/39 degrees so it was inevitable I would say. The pool is 100yds long but only 15 wide.

We willed with water by the lido and then, as you can not pass through Jesus Lock in the summer, we pushed over to the other side and moored up. It was so hot, we felt we had been in a tumble drier, we got our breath back and waited for it to cool down before going to explore.

We found The Pint Shop on the corner of Peas Hill that seemed to have plenty of beer for sale, so we went in for a bit of respite from the heat and the crowds. It is a trendy place with restaurant and rooms and two floors. It started life in 1807 when Edward Gillam leased the land from the Mayor Mortlock, who had bought up land around the old market that was here. Apparently the name Peas used to be spelled Pease and this seems to be a corruption of pisces as it was a fish market. Mind you it isn't really a hill either?! Gillam was an oil merchant and banker and had the house built as his residence. He opened up one of the rooms as  the Cambridge Bank that must have knocked the smile off his landlords face as he had a bank close by. Gillam died in 1815 and the house and all effects were auctioned off. Later it is said the E.M Forster lived here during his stay in Cambridge between 1897 and 1901. Latterly it was the administrative office for the Cambridge University Pension Fund. In 2013 it was bought and converted to this pub. The company also have a similar one in Birmingham. It turned out that most of the beers were craft beers with just three or four real ales. 

I tried a pint from Partizan Brewing. This was set up by Andy Smith from Leeds, who was lured to the brighter lights of London and got involved at Redemption Brewery. When Kernel Brewery were expanding he saw his chance and purchased their smaller equipment and set up his own business in South Bermondsey in London. That was in 2012 and they are still expanding. They are one of a few breweries that use wooden barrels for some of its beer too.

I tried their Porter that they say is styled on a traditional London porter. It was a very dark red, almost black and has a nice 'thick' drink. There were the rich tastes of coffee and chocolate but there were the caramel flavours of the malts coming through. I might well have had another other than at £5-40 for 2/3rds of a pint I nearly choked in it!