Taking a detour, on the way home, last night, to avoid a traffic jam, I drove past the Barn Owl in Farley Hill.
Well I say I drove past eh Barn Owl but to be perfectly honest I drove past what was left of the Barn Owl.
This once popular public house has been reduced to rubble as yet another of Luton`s watering holes disappears off the scene.
Reflecting on it`s disappearance as I sat watching the bore that was the Spain v Portugal fixture; I couldn`t stop my mind from drifting.
I was thinking about all the other water-holes that I`ve frequented, in and around Luton that have ceased to be.
Off the top of my head I recalled the following:-
First up is The Heron – Many years ago this Whitbread public house, on the corner of Watermead Road, was my local. It was a meeting place that was frequented by our little group, as we prepared to venture to away fixtures, and a place where many a happy evening was spent supping many a beer before venturing off to a takeaway. Now it`s gone, replaced by an old folks care hone!
The second that sprang to mind was the Royal Oak in Round Green. Having purchased my first house, in a road off of Stockingstone, this little establishment fast became my watering hole. Many a night we congregated in there, sampling numerous ales before leaving to venture into the Chinese over the road or the Indian that was there before Chicken George came along. Now it`s gone, replaced by, of all things, a Vets surgery.
The third to spring to mind, and we really are going back in time here, was The Studio, Situated just down the road from the Public Library and with its inner walls a moody mix of red and black paint, it was always my first port of call on a home match-day. Handily placed to track the away support, as they arrived at Midland Road station, it was, in all honesty, a place where those with another agenda would gather to meet, along with a little venue called The Castle Bar. Now it`s gone, replaced by a new building that houses a tattoo studio!
Fourth as I weave down memory lane, is an establishment that sits in Bute Street, just outside the Arndale, but an establishment that has been boarded up for several years, The Engine. It`s a place that holds fond memories for me as it is the very place I met my wife in. I used to frequent it on a Friday and Saturday evening, after walking into town from Round Green. The landlord and landlady, now both sadly having passed away, were amongst the best around, as I grow older, I realized that era, with my future wife in tow, was a glorious one. But now, it remains boarded up, a decaying building destined to slip further into decline, or a building that could still be brought back to life? Unfortunately, I reckon it`ll be the former.
Now, I recalled four watering holes that have slipped off the radar but many of you will have had different drinking habits in this fine town of ours so if you`d like to add one or two more please feel free to do so!
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