Britain in general has a great range of interesting pubs with interesting interiors in interesting locations, whereas German bars tend to be quite samey. But on this trip, I came across a few really unique pubs, and of course I took photos:
The Archibald Simpson pub in Aberdeen, named after the architect who built many of the buildings seen in the previous post. The building itself is apparently a former bank.
Close-up of the statue on the roof of the Archibald Simpson pub. I suspect that this is supposed to be Britannia.
Inside the Archibald Simpson pub. Note the rosetta-shaped ceiling ornaments, the candelabra and the gilded frieze running along the wall. The poster indicates that this is actually a chain pub, but who cares when the venue looks so lovely?
A closer look at the rosetta ornaments on the ceiling and one of the candelabra in the Archibald Simpson pub. You can also see a glimpse of one of the TV screens which are omnipresent in British pubs and restaurants.
Another look at the Victorian splendour of the Archibald Simpson pub (with patrons), somewhat marred by the posters in the windows announcing cheap meal deals.
This Aberdeen pub is called “The Monkey House” for reasons which will soon become apparent. I never took a picture of the exterior, but I strongly suspect that it’s yet another converted Victorian bank. At any rate, it’s got a lovely stucco ceiling.
As for why it’s called “The Monkey House”, there were apes and monkey everywhere. Like this impressive fellow presiding over a corner booth.
Or this mischievous chimp sitting on a window sill.
Even the carpets at “The Monkey House” keep up with the monkey theme.
It might look like a Victorian neogothic church, but since Aberdeen has more churches than a largely secular population will ever need, this one has been converted into a pub called, appropriately enough, “Soul”.
The atmospherically gloomy interior of the “Soul”, complete with stained glass windows, a carved wooded gallery and votive candles. It looks just like a vampire bar from an urban fantasy novel.
A close-up look at one of the stained glass windows at the “Soul”.
Banks and even churches converted into pubs are actually quite common in the British Isles. This post of photos from Dublin contains yet another example of a Victorian bank converted into a pub as well as a former church turned pub.
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Lovely. Which pub could afford windows like Soul otherwise. Just cool – even though I’m not one for much pub-going.
Actually, I’m not so much for pub going myself, I was inside those places for breakfast and in one case lunch.
As for the Soul, I vastly prefer the British and Dutch approach to dealing with surplus churches by converting them into something else to the German approach of just tearing them down to build something else. In Bremen, they tore down a surplus church to build apartment blocks and an old people’s home, which is just a waste of nice architecture IMO. Okay, so it wasn’t a Victorian neogothic, but a 1950s brick building, but it was still much nicer than what replaced it.
Those are wonderful pix, as always. I love what your eye catches.
BTW I had to make my journal friendslocked, as a spam-avoidance tactic. I’ll unlock in a week or so.
Yes, I already noticed when I tried to comment on Sunday’s post.
This spam thing is really getting out of hand lately. My spam folder is deluged with spammy comments wanting to sell Ugg boots or North Face jackets or the like, even though I IP-ban repeated spammers left and right. I guess it’s the proximity of the holidays.