The Hourglass Inn - Everything that a pub should be

When I started this web site about 6 months ago I was inspired by a friend of mine over in the United States. She had started her own site highlighting quirky, unusual and unique places to go, and things to do, in Austin, Texas. (www.austinitetips.com – go check it out). This got me thinking about Exeter, and what makes my home city so distinctive, and some of the places I love to go and want to tell people about. Unlike Austin, Exeter doesn’t have an indoor skydiving centre, a video game museum, or a festival celebrating the fictional birthday of the Winnie the Pooh character Eeyore (this is what you get when a bunch of hippies move into a city in the 60s and never leave). So this blog isn’t as exciting as hers, as you can imagine, but I was thinking about where I would take her when she eventually visits this fair city, and the first place I thought of was the Hourglass.

 

This might not be everyone’s first thought I grant you, but in my view this little pub encapsulates everything I love, not only about Exeter, but with life in general. Located on the corner of Melbourne Street, a small residential thoroughfare just off Topsham Road and above the Quay, it boasts a very unimposing facade as you walk up, with only its quirky rounded shape giving any indication of the distinctive surroundings that await inside. If you were to describe The Hourglass in one word then cosy would be it. Some of you might take this to mean small, and yes the place isn’t cavernous, you would struggle to swing an amply sized moggy around the bar (I still don’t recommend doing this though, even if there is enough room to avoid claw marks on the wallpaper), but this all just adds to the character. The old style charm that the place exudes isn’t musty and dated. Instead of being kitsch and ‘old-e world-e’ the décor and tone of the pub strikes that perfect balance between traditional and unique. You feel just at home here if you’re after a pint of real ale and a good book by the fire, or a bottle of vino with some friends after a day at the office. The very epitome of what a modern pub should be; relaxed and hospitable while also being smart and refined.

 

The warm and hospitable bar however is not the main draw to this place. The modest restaurant out the back has become recognized in the city as one of the best places to eat out. With a small menu that changes daily, sourced with ingredients that are predominantly local but most importantly of remarkable quality, the dishes that are served here are lovingly made and of exceptional quality. With a tendency to go for rustic and traditional English cuisine with a slight Mediterranean twist, the chef focuses on excellence over volume, but that’s not to say you’ll be left feeling hungry though. When I took my Valentine there earlier this month on a surprise date we both had pork belly cooked in cider, with chorizo, on a bed of lentils that was mouth wateringly good. I also have to give special mention to the desserts which my girlfriend was gushing over and wooing more than she was me!

Top 5 charming qualities about the Hourglass:

• Getting close and intermit. This might sound very romantic, and it can be, but expect to make some new close and intermit friends in the bar as everyone tries to squeeze in
• The food here is exceptional. I can’t over state this enough. Book a table in advance though as you will be unlikely to get one walking in off the street.
• The staff here are extremely friendly and only add to the genial atmosphere of the place. This shouldn’t be a noteworthy point in this day and age, and the standard of service has generally gone up in most places, but unfortunately genuinely gracious staff are still a rare commodity.
• Mistakenly trying to open the door to the cleaning cupboard every time I walk into the Gents bathroom. Every time!
• The incorporation of everything that a British pub and restaurant should be under one roof. Excellent quality, great atmosphere, a unique, quirky, flair, and a top reputation 

This is the first time I have written an article about somewhere on here and slightly regretted it, because now even more people are going to go there and make me spill my pint, book up all the tables and make it even harder for me to fight to the bar. So ignore all of this and forget I even mentioned The Hourglass. However, if you do go, it’s the perfect place to take anyone and give them a good, exceptional night out. Just be careful that they don’t try and ditch you and run off with one of the desserts!

Opening Times

Weekdays

12 - 3, 5 - 11

Sundays

12 - 10.30

Closed

Mon lunchtime

Address:

Melbourne Street, Exeter EX2 4AU, England

 

Tel: 01392 258722

Exeter's Underground Passages - Life underground is very cramped

I don’t know if you have noticed or not but it has been rather wet as of late! The worst does appear to be over and in Exeter we seem to have escaped the nastiest of the weather. However we did have a lot of very wet and miserable days and, this being England and all, it is a pretty good bet we will see a few more in the future. So what to do and where to go to escape the weather and explore somewhere fun and interesting? The idea I came up with was Exeter’s Underground Passages.

I’ve lived in the city now for over 10 years and in all that time I have never been down into the passages to have a look. So one particularly dark and stormy day my fair lady and I dodged the rain and got blown to their doors on Paris Street, just round the corner from John Lewis.  There are regular guided tours throughout the day so you may have to wait a little before you are let loose into the tunnels themselves. Luckily there is a wonderful museum/exhibition area to go around to fill the time, that explains how the passages were built and the interesting part they played in the history of the city. Having been closed for a number of years while the redevelopment of the Princesshay shopping centre that lies above them took place, they reopened a few years ago with this brand new set up that now matches any modern tourist attraction in the country. There are lots of interactive elements, which are great for kids, or adults; if you’re anything like me and push all the little kids out the way because you can’t resist playing with buttons and levers and slidey things that make noises (so what I made your kid cry because I pushed in front of him, I’m bigger and I called dibs first)

 

When you do get to enter the tunnels you have to each wear a very snazzy hard hat, which makes you look like a reject from the Village People, and leave any bags you have in one of the lockers provided. There is a very good reason for these precautions: there is not a lot of room down there! Being quite a tall and broad chap this did pose a bit of a problem (much to the delight of my partner whose small and dainty figure caused no such problems), however this isn’t any kind of extreme sport, you don’t need rock hard abs, or chiselled calves to get around, and there’s no risk of hacking off trapped limbs with a set of car keys . The worst you can expect is a crick in the neck from ducking down quite a bit.

Your guide will show you around the different passages and explain more of the details and interesting history that surrounds them.

Top 5 facts I learnt when I visited:

·         The Cathedral paid for and built the original tunnel to bring fresh water from a spring outside the city walls to the clergy so they had clean, fresh water (no such luxuries back then for the plebs)

·         To prevent digging up the road constantly to make repairs they built the tunnels to allow access to the pipes without disturbing the traffic (a system that certainly has a lot of merits, especially when you’re stuck in a traffic jam because of constant road works!)

·         The passages were blocked during the siege of the city in the Civil War and were used to store gunpowder for the Parliamentarian defenders to defend the city against Royalist forces

·         The tunnels served a great public fountain that stood at the top of Fore St. and was opened by King Henry VI when instead of water; wine flowed out of the Great Conduit (I bet that was a wild night in the town!)

·         300 citizens sheltered there during the German bombing raids of the Second World War. Surprisingly very little damage to the tunnels was caused by the bombs (those medieval masons built stuff to last back then)

 

So go and explore a bit of the city’s history and don’t get your brolly blown inside out or drenched through while you do it. But watch your head though and don’t blame me if you get stuck.

 

Opening Times:

October - May

Monday Closed

Tuesday - Friday 11.30am - 5.30pm (first tour half hour after opening, last tour 4.30pm)

Saturday 9.30am - 5.30pm (first tour half hour after opening, last tour 4.30pm)

Sunday 11.30am - 4pm (first tour half hour after opening, last tour 3pm)

June - September

(inc. school holidays outside this period)

Mon - Sat: 9.30am - 5.30pm (last tour 4.30pm)

Sun: 10.30am - 4pm (last tour 3pm)

Please arrive at least 10 minutes before your tour starts.

 

Tel: 01392 665887

http://www.exeter.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2914