Tuesday 15 March: LYTTON ARMS, Old Knebworth (Malcolm Allen, Chris Haden, Mike Horsman, Elvis Pile, Bob Polydorou, Steve Stott, Andrew Swift, Roger Toms, John Westwood)
COMMENT: A good turnout for this attractive free house, famous for its range of real ales. It's also the first pub on the Odyssey allegedly designed by a famous architect. This was Sir Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) who created New Delhi, many English country houses, the Cenotaph in Whitehall, the rather creepy Monument to the Fallen at Thiepval in Flanders, etc etc. I say "allegedly" because although its superficially quite plausible that Lutyens did the work (he married a member of the Lytton family of Knebworth House and designed other buildings in Knebworth including one of the churches) the dates don't seem right. The Lytton Arms website states the pub was built around 1877 (replacing another that is now a private house next door). However, in 1877 Lutyens was only eight years old and talented though he was I think designing a pub while still in junior school is a bit precocious. Probably Lutyens did a later makeover for the pub. However, whoever was responsible, they did a good job.
The Lytton Arms is in the "lucky dip" section of the Good Pub Guide as is the Waggoners at Ayot Green. Of the eleven pubs so far visited on the Odyssey, only the Old Barge (Hertford) gets into CAMRA's Good Beer Guide. Its interesting that eight of the eleven don't get into either of my two bibles for pub going yet I would say that everywhere we have had good honest pub food and good beer. And although we are an ill-disciplined crew given to turning up in the wrong numbers and never on time, everywhere we have met only friendliness, good humour, courteous efficient and quick service. Makes you proud to be British!
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