Clarence Hotel, North Street

Memories of beer and fresh bread

by Martin Nimmo

A childhood treat
"As a child, we probably went out for lunch about twice a year, usually paid for by my grandparents. And we always went to the Clarence Hotel in North Street, probably because my step-grandfather used to take his business clients there occasionally. The hotel had a bar and a dining room and smelled of a peculiar mixture of beer and fresh bread. The menu was limited in the mid-1950's, and we usually had soup, then roast lamb or roast chicken.

Tackling an ice cream!
Probably the threat of three courses and the lime juice and soda water which was my preferred tipple at that tender age meant that I usually felt a little unwell by the middle of the meal and had to 'retire' from the dining room for five minutes until I felt well enough to sit down again and tackle an ice-cream !

A kindly waiter
I recall one of the waiters in his white jacket and bow tie, a small man who seemed very old (probably only around sixty) who was very kind to us children. Perhaps only a few children ever made it through the hallowed portals in those days!"