This week we take a ramble through the town and see some "beasts" and "birds" along the way.



Our first "beast" is the Bulls Head at Little Hallam as we approach Ilkeston via Quarry Hill from Stanton, Kirk Hallam to the left, Ilkeston and the town centre right. The Bulls Head on Little Hallam Hill is thought to be one of the oldest pubs in the area and its appearance has changed little over the years.

Where there is a bull, you'll often find a cow and not far away on Nottingham Road is The White Cow. Unlike its companion at Little Hallam, the appearance of the Cow has been considerably altered in recent years after extensive refurbishment and the addition of a restaurant.

Now moving to the opposite end of town we find another member of the bovine family. The Durham Ox hides away near the lower end of Bath Street on Durham Street. This is another old pub and dates from 1780. In the past I don't suppose there was any problem with drunkards as the cellars once served as the town's gaol! I imagine anyone who had one too many would have spent an uncomfortable night there.

Continuing our nature ramble we now find a newt on Cotmanhay Road and this one too appears to have over indulged, "pickled" being a slang term for "drunk". The name of the pub is fairly new and was changed from The Jolly Colliers. Presumably the reason for the change is that mining, for so long a major industry in the area, is now virtually non-existent and colliers, jolly or not, are few and far between. But then again, you don't see many newts around here either...

 

Our nature ramble now takes in an animal of the feathered variety. The Peacock is not far from the Pickled Newt, standing in Peacock Place off Church Street at Cotmanhay and as far as I know, it has always been called The Peacock. The architecture of this building alone is enough to suggest it is a much more recent construction than the hostelries we have visited previously.

Just round the corner from Church Street as we head out of Ilkeston towards Shipley and Heanor is another bird on Heanor Road, The Mallard. I may be stretching a point here as the pub sign shows a picture of the famous record breaking steam train but, take my word for it, it used to show a duck. And after six pubs, who cares anyway? Oh and by the way, around here a "nature ramble" of this type is usually called a "pub crawl". Cheers!