James J. Fox London Visit

[timelord]

@admin I’m in London right now! I plan to visit James J. Fox on Monday. It would have been great to run into you. Maybe I’ll see you around the city!

It's on the list for a visit on my next visit to London too; had planned on being there in June 2020 but for obvious reasons that got canned

On an earlier trip I only had time to pop into their boutique in Selfridges which had very little for pipe smokers although the staff were very helpful and I did managed to pick up some tobacco (and no, I can't remember what it was )

 

[autumnfog]

Great post!
Places like this are to be treasured.

 

[simong]

As others have mentioned, Simpsons on the strand is a must!
You should also try another London favourite 'pie, mash & licor'. There's a few old pie shops still about, the one in Camden would be my favourite. You can get jellied eels there too, along with cockles & mussels alive alive o!
Castles Pie Shop, Camden.

 

[newbroom]

Now my mouth is watering for jellied eels.

 

[Ag®o]

Great shots, thanks for sharing!
You got a beauty ?

 

[Egg Shen]

Of note to me is the wooden Indian. I wouldn’t have guessed that was de rigeur across the pond.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I made a visit to the famous James J. Fox Tobacconist in London yesterday and acquired a 2018 Dunhill White Spot Cumberland 3407 Prince Pipe along with Gawith Hoggarth's Louisiana Flake, which is a scrumptious blend of Virginia, Perique and Burley with the addition of cocoa, and vanilla. They are the tobacconist to the royal court - Grantor HM Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Winston Churchill not only bought his cigars here, he also hung out and smoked them. You can even sit in the same chair and smoke.

They are among the very few shops to be exempt from the smoking ban. The rule here is that you have to come in and buy something, and what you bought is what you are supposed to smoke, and nothing else. Sam, their pipe specialist also told me that they have a harder time getting Penzance and Margate than we do in the states.

A few blocks away and around the corner is the Alfred Dunhill store, which has nothing to do with tobacco for many years, although he is the namesake for the famous pipe and tobacco brands.View attachment 145263View attachment 145264View attachment 145265View attachment 145266View attachment 145267View attachment 145268View attachment 145269View attachment 145270View attachment 145271View attachment 145272View attachment 145273View attachment 145274View attachment 145275View attachment 145276View attachment 145277

Incredible! We hope to visit London someday and I hope it is still there - what a timeless looking place!

Side note - we have a dream trip to Ireland coming up and (yes, there is a Fox location in Dublin nearby and definitely will stop in) a highlight for the brief time we will be in Dublin will be a stop at the Peterson location!

 

[admin]

@admin : You should give Simpson's in The Strand a visit whilst you are in London. Its been there since the 1840s and has the very best in traditional British food.

Simon,

I didn't make it to Simpson's, but it is on the list for when I come back in October. Yesterday we went to Fox & Anchor for a Full English Breakfast, and I saw they had six rooms upstairs that were quite pleasant, and spontaneously booked another trip.

Today is our last day, with Tuesday being a travel day all day. We stayed in a flat 4 doors down from the Borough Station Underground, which was unfortunately closed until today, so London Bridge (10 min walk) was our home station.

Some eateries we did go to include:

George Inn (Borough) for Sunday Roast
The Trinity Pub (below our flat) - Great Fish & Chips
Monmouth Coffee in Borough Market
Barshu Restaurant in Chinatown - some of the best Sichuan I've ever had.
Sarastro, Covent Garden
The Bridge Tap London Bridge
Prosecco Bar - inside Harrod's for prosecco and pizza
Nobu
Goodmans Restaurant @ Old Jewry
Indian Gourmet London Bridge - some of the best Indian food I've ever had
Rules
Bob Bob Ricard City
Red Farm
Fox & Anchor
Hawksmoor Borough

Coming today for lunch and dinner is St John, and Temper City.

Other stuff

Harrod's
Selfridge's
Warner Brother's Studios Harry Potter Tour
The Play That Goes Wrong - freakin' hilarious!
London Eye
St. Paul's Cathedral
Sky Garden
Buckingham Palace
Westminster Abbey
Big Ben

We also did a private Rock Cab Tour in a Black Cab. It included, the apartment that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards lived in together while forming The Rolling Stones. Then the home Freddie Mercury was living in when he died. Then to Jimmy Page's current house / castle, which was formerly owned by the original Dumbledore of Harry Potter, Richard Harris. After that we saw the apartment where Jimi Hendrix died and then it was onto Abby Road, Paul McCartney's current house, Ringo Starr's apartment which he rented out to Jimi Hendrix. Jimi got evicted for trashing the place, and then it was rented to John Lennon when he left his countryside home when he split with his first wife. That's when McCartney wrote "Hey Jude", which was originally titled, "Hey Jules" for Julian Lennon to console him from his parent's break-up. Next onto the rooftop where the last Beatles live performance was for Let It Be. It lasted 45 minutes before the police shut it down. And last but not least was the iconic Trident Studios where many a major name recorded major hits. This tour was fabulous!

 

[admin]

This is fantastic! Drool worthy pictures! A memory I'm sure you won't forget my friend! Love that pipe too! It's new old stock? What's you take on the newer dunhills?

The oldest Dunhills I have are 1960s - about 6 of them, and then most of my Dunhills are the 2000s. This 2018 is the youngest Dunhill that I have.

I like them all.

 

[admin]

I don't think you can leave London, without a Dunhill.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[admin]

@admin I’m in London right now! I plan to visit James J. Fox on Monday. It would have been great to run into you. Maybe I’ll see you around the city!

Sorry. I didn't get back to this post until now. Today is my last day and it is all filled up. Enjoy James Fox, and say hi to Sam for me, and show him this post if you can, please.

 

[condorlover1]

@admin : The George Inn is a very good place and up the road from Borough Market and the Hop Exchange. It is one of the few Elizabethan Inns that have preserved the court yard that were used for staging plays with the well to do sitting in the gallery drinking beer and watching. Past the George is another pub that was famous for having its own clay pipe - Bunch of Grapes. Carry on a little further and you will hit the Imperial War Museum a worthwhile and very interesting museum.

 

[The Clay King]

@condorlover1 I had a couple of pints in the George Inn when I visited London Bridge in 2011-12. Great building and a good pint of real ale!
Shame you can't get a clay pipe of baccy when you go to the pub these days...

 

[admin]

@admin : The George Inn is a very good place and up the road from Borough Market and the Hop Exchange. It is one of the few Elizabethan Inns that have preserved the court yard that were used for staging plays with the well to do sitting in the gallery drinking beer and watching. Past the George is another pub that was famous for having its own clay pipe - Bunch of Grapes. Carry on a little further and you will hit the Imperial War Museum a worthwhile and very interesting museum.

This was Sunday May 8th, the day we arrived and just before they opened.

 

[Jwebb90]

I was able to visit the shop today! I did not grab a Dunhill like @admin, but I did get some Rich Dark Flake, Louisiana Flake and Bosun Plug.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Good show!

Good thing you didn't try to nab a Dunhill.... they sell them only to well dressed gentlemen such as Kevin.... (the blue jeans, my favorite trouser, may get you a cob at Fox's).

 

[admin]

I was able to visit the shop today! I did not grab a Dunhill like @admin, but I did get some Rich Dark Flake, Louisiana Flake and Bosun Plug.
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That’s great!

 

[admin]

Good show!

Good thing you didn't try to nab a Dunhill.... they sell them only to well dressed gentlemen such as Kevin.... (the blue jeans, my favorite trouser, may get you a cob at Fox's).

Funny thing is I dressed up for 90% of our dinners, but wore jeans and polo shirts during the day, including to the shop.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Say it ain't so, brother!

Damn, ruined my picture of our leader strolling into Fox's in a five piece Savile Row pinstripe, neatly rolled brolly and bowler. Oh, well, I guess it's jeans for me next time in London....

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

Awesome. Perhaps the most iconic B&M in the world. Thanks for sharing the photos.