Saturday, December 3, 2011

The Golden Eagle (slight return)

Visited on 1/12/11. This famous old Chester pub that people ‘of a certain age’ have very fond memories of, has been struggling of late. In fact when we visited back in September (No. 91), it was closed - and it looked terminal. However, it might now have been given a new lease of life, as Martin Ellis (formerly of Jones; now the Chester Hangman, the City bar; now the Cellar bar and the Commercial hotel; now erm, the Commercial hotel) has taken on the tenancy. Although Punch Taverns still own it and will be placing their usual moronic constraints on the business, Martin might just be the kind of chap with sufficient flair to re-invent the place. That’s precisely what’s needed and that’s precisely what he intends. Already the place looks different. Subtle changes have been made to the interior and exterior décor and it now has a ‘cool’ feel. Martin recalls the vibrancy of the place back in the ‘80s, describing how there might have been a gang of punks in one corner, rockers in another and solicitors holding court in the centre of the room. There was often an air of tension and more than the occasional ‘kick off’ then. Indeed. Those solicitors could be rum bastards at times ! So the new ‘Golden Eagle’ will be different, but will acknowledge its history. We saw some impressive artwork involving various Eagle motifs and icons including the Eagle comic and Ramones eagle being woven into more traditional Eagle representations. It was great stuff – attention grabbing and very cool. Real ale was also being served and although it was just Spitfire bitter, it was in good nick. No doubt the ale range will be expanded as the business is developed though. Hopefully this is a new beginning for this cherished boozer. And maybe the new customer base will include affluent adults who were once the rebellious kids of the 80s. Maybe one or two solicitors might even drift back an’ all !

6 comments:

  1. Only a slight return? Did you not finish your drinks?

    ReplyDelete
  2. No that's just me trying to be cool. We'd already visited this place (hence return) and Jimi Hendrix used the phrase 'slight return' in the title of the exceptionally beautiful Voodoo Chile - full title: Voodoo Chile (slight return). Obvious really.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was one of those rebellious(ok, so i wasn't. However, i was in my late teens if that's good enough) kids who used to visit the Eagle when I was in college studying to be the future Prime Minister.

    Good to see Jimi has not been forgotten.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jimi has been partially forgotten - by me ! The single was called Voodoo Chile. The extended album track, from Electric Ladyland was called Voodoo Child (slight return).

    ReplyDelete
  5. And on the subject of music, one thing I forgot to mention on the blog is the excellent juke box that's been installed. The Stooges were playing when we walked in. Which was nice.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What else was on the juke box that you could see? Would you say that the pub and the jukebox is rock based, like it was before?

    ReplyDelete