A rare look inside Battersea Power Station's control room
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The Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Sun
World's smallest Wetherspoons can be found inside a train station and has NO toilets
WITH over 800 Wetherspoons pubs across the UK, you're never far from a 'Spoons' - but if you wanted to head to the smallest, you'll find it inside a train station. Located in London 's Cannon Street Station, Sir John Hawkshaw is the the world's smallest Wetherspoons. 4 4 Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun's Travel Awards - enter to win here In total, the pub features just 42 tables, which is considerably less than other drinking spots in the capital. In fact, the watering hole is so small there aren't even any toilets - for that, you'll need to head across the concourse to the public toilets. According to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), the pub opened back in December 2014 and is named after one of the co-designers of the original station building, which opened in 1866 and features a connecting bridge that heads over the River Thames. The spot even has a veranda for drinking outside the pub itself - though you'll still be inside the station. Inside the pub itself, there is a mixture of classic Spoons' high tables and normal-height tables. And there is even a screen in one corner that shows the arrivals and departures, so you can keep an eye on what time your train leaves whilst sipping a cold pint. Usually, the pub serves three regular beers, which are Greene King Abbot, Greene King IPA and Sharp's Doom Bar. Then there are usually three changing beers as well. Due to the pub's small size, there is a single bar for punters to head to, which features a copper top. I went to the UK's biggest Wetherspoons with rooftop bar overlooking the beach For visitors wanting to know a little more about the historic station surrounding the pub, the veranda has a blue plaque with information on. It shares how "the station had eight platforms under a single span arch roof" and that "far below the station are the remains of a Roman palace, built in the first century". Later, the 'Steelyard' was used by German and Flemish merchants, until it was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666. Nearly 25 years later, the Company of Plumbers then built their Livery Hall meeting place on the site, which stood there until the 1860s. 4 From the veranda and tables inside near the window, visitors can watch the trains come into the platforms just metres from the pub. One visitor noted: "It's handy for a quick pint on the way home." Another added: "It was surreal having a vino with all the trains going by - had a Harry Potter moment there!" The 10 most beautiful Wetherspoons in the UK SOME of the prettiest Wetherspoons pubs can be found in old cinemas and even bingo halls - here are the top spots... Opera House, Royal Tunbridge Wells: The former opera house in Royal Tunbridge Wells first opened its doors to the public back in 1902. The Winter Gardens, Harrogate: The Winter Gardens used to be part of the Royal Baths in Harrogate and provided a place where people could relax. The Corn Exchange, Bury St Edmunds: The Grade I listed building started life as a location for merchants and Victorian farmers to trade back in 1862. The Royal Victoria Pavilion, Ramsgate: Ramsgate's Royal Victoria Pavilion holds the title of the world's biggest Wetherspoons. The Velvet Coaster, Blackpool: The pub is named after one of Blackpool's most famous historical fairground rides, in which thrill-seekers of the past sat in velvet-lined carriages that rolled along a wooden track. The Caley Picture House, Edinburgh: The art-deco insides of the Caley Picture House in Edinburgh make it look like like it could feature in the Great Gatsby. The Palladium, Llandudno: The Palladium in Llandudno, in North Wales, is another Wetherspoons that used to be a cinema. The Counting House, Glasgow: The ex-Bank of Scotland building was designed in the Italian Renaissance style and visitors can even have a drink in its underground vault. Hamilton Hall, London: Outside of London's Liverpool Street Station is Hamilton Hall, which at one stage was a ballroom in the Great Eastern Hotel. The Knights Templar, London: Elsewhere in London, The Knights Templar can be found inside a former Union Bank building. For Wetherspoons fans, there is also good news as a new location is opening inside an abandoned UK attraction next month. Plus, The Sun's Kara Godfrey visited one of the prettiest Wetherspoons in the UK – it's right by the beach and has huge stained glass windows. 4
BBC News
11 minutes ago
- BBC News
Ribbon cut on Swindon's Fleming Way transport hub
The ribbon has been cut on a £33m transformation of a transport hub, which closed a major junction for three-and-a-half is expected that buses will run from Fleming Way in Swindon from 31 August, a year later than hoped, and pedestrians will be able to use the area as soon as fencing is Borough Council hopes the hub will be the first step in regenerating the much-criticised town changes have been designed to create a better space for buses, cycling and walking, with the old bus station being demolished. The hub was opened by Swindon South MP Heidi Alexander, Swindon's mayor, Fay Howard and cabinet member for transport, Chris are new bus shelters with better accessibility, wireless charging, digital screens and solar panels. Lots of greenery has been planted too - more than 181 trees, and 23,000 plants and cycle lanes also connect the town's two main cycle money came from the government's Future High Streets Fund, the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership's Local Growth Fund and Swindon Borough Council. Ms Alexander, MP for Swindon South, said: "As a born-and-bred Swindon girl, nothing gives me more pride than opening brand-new public transport infrastructure in the heart of our town."Mr Watts said it was a "hugely complex and challenging scheme to deliver" but thanked those who worked on said as well as removing the "run-down" bus station, the council would now like to build a new entertainment venue next to Fleming Way. Stagecoach West said it will operate almost 1,000 journeys a week from the new hub."The new interchange at Fleming Way will provide customers with state-of-the-art journey planning, which will be transformational for them," Chris Hanson from the company Murray, managing director of Swindon's Bus Company, said: "This is a spectacular transformation. The location promises to be one of the region's major transport hubs, and we are excited to be operating our services here." The council said the improvements could boost the local economy by £28m over the next 20 said it has already attracted private investment to the area, including FI Real Estate Management spending £8.5m on its offices also said the changes encouraged it to keep its headquarters in the town.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘It has an ancient, Jurassic Park feel': a local's guide to Port Douglas
I was born and raised in Mossman, 20 minutes from Port Douglas, and have worked in tourism on Kuku Yalanji country since 1999. The Guardian's journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. When I was young, Port Douglas was a bunch of local fishers, a handful of shops and the pubs. When the Sheraton resort opened in 1987, development really kicked off. Now it's one of those scenic resort towns you find all over the world. There are no box jellyfish from May to October (dry season). That's peak season so it can go from about 3,500 people to 10,000. Wet season is from December or January until mid-April. You'll get rained on a bit but the creeks are full, the rainforest is lush and the energy is different with so few tourists around. Four Mile beach is on the eastern side of town, then there's a bustling marina with dive shops, boat centres, cafes and restaurants. The shopping area is mostly on Macrossan Street. People are drawn to eat outside in the tropical climate so most of the restaurants have outdoor seating. Salsa Bar and Grill is popular; it can be hard to get in. I order a steak but lots of people enjoy seafood like the saltwater barramundi. The Surfy (Port Douglas Surf Life Saving Club) is high on the levee on Four Mile beach with an open-air veranda overlooking the Coral Sea. I do the trout tacos to start and then I'll get a steak. It does wine matching too. Zinc is a restaurant and cocktail bar that's a bit fancier. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning The Tin Shed on the marina does good bistro-style meals: chicken parmigiana, steaks, pastas and kids' meals. It does crocodile spring rolls and tacos, and gets fresh fish right off the boats, like nannygai (red snapper), red emperor, Spanish mackerel and tuna. For coffee, Sparrow Port Douglas opens at 6am so it's good for early starts. Origin Espresso roasts its own beans and has baked goods and French pastries. It serves cold brew, green tea lattes and chai too. Mossman Gorge is in the south of the world's oldest rainforest, the Daintree. It has an ancient, Jurassic Park feel and is thought to be 180m years old, predating the Amazon by about 100m years. The Kuku Yalanji dreamtime walks at Mossman Gorge are called ngadiku (stories from a long time ago). There's a soap and paint-making demonstration as well as bush tea and damper. The rainforest is so diverse. There's red mahogany trees, red tulip oaks and old strangler figs. Most of the bigger animals like pademelons and wallabies are nocturnal but you might see forest dragons, tree snakes or pythons and there are plenty of birds, butterflies and insects. Port Douglas is about 30 minutes closer to the Great Barrier Reef than Cairns. The smaller boats are the best option. Sailaway operates a solar-powered glass bottom boat and goes to the outer reefs. You'll likely see turtles and reef sharks as well as fish. Wavelength Reef Cruises is a good small snorkelling boat and Calypso Reef Cruises and ABC Snorkel Charters do scuba diving too. Four Mile beach in Port Douglas is pretty touristy. It's the only beach with a designated swimming area year-round with a box jellyfish enclosure and lifeguards watching for saltwater crocodiles. The crocs move around the coast all year here; not only during the wet season. At other beaches, you might not see another person all day. Wonga beach is a 30-minute drive north. It's a long stretch of white sand fringed with rainforest trees, coconut palms and beach lettuce. It's fun to go beachcombing with kids to see different shells and driftwood. We recommend taking a photo and leaving things in place. Cape Kimberley beach is across the Mossman River and is similar to Wonga. Further north in Cape Tribulation is Coconut beach, where the rainforest and the reef meet. At low tide, you can see the reef's northern fringe. I live at Cooya beach, five minutes from Mossman. The water recedes more than a kilometre at low tide and you can walk to some smaller sections of the fringing reef. If you've been out on a boat all day, Hemingway's Brewery is an easy stop on the marina. It brews ales, lagers, pilsners and hefeweizen (wheat beer) and serves them on a big open deck overlooking the yachts. Sign up to Saved for Later Catch up on the fun stuff with Guardian Australia's culture and lifestyle rundown of pop culture, trends and tips after newsletter promotion Chillys Pizza has open-air dining and a nice little bar. You can have a punt on the cane toads too. You pick a toad and they race from the centre of a circle. If yours is the first toad to jump out, you win. It gets pretty rowdy. Jimmy Rum's is a cocktail bar that does fancy drinks. It's a city-style small bar that does cocktails with smoke and flames and the lot. Rattle n Hum is great for younger folk. Its kids' meals are all $12, including pizza made in its large stone oven. Paddy's Irish pub is very popular. It has live music on weekends, an open mic on Wednesday night and a Sunday roast lunch. My company, Walkabout Cultural Adventures, does spearing and mud-crabbing walks on Cooya beach. You can see a beautiful place anytime, but people on our tours come to understand how differently Kuku Yalanji and Aboriginal people see things. We notice everything – the changes, the animals and the ecosystems. Nature is still so important for human survival. Janbal Gallery is an Aboriginal art gallery in Mossman run by Brian 'Binna' Swindley. He does contemporary dot art with designs of fruits, medicines, seeds and wildlife from cassowaries to sea turtles, crocodiles and goannas. Binna's depictions are all about how we find them. He runs art classes too. Mossman markets are on Saturdays unless it's bucketing down with rain. There's tropical fruits and local chocolate tastings. The vendors are culturally diverse and everyone's keen for a yarn. Port Douglas market on a Sunday is bigger and has everything from fresh sugarcane juice to coconuts, chocolate-coated bananas, tandoori, massage and local buskers. Taste Port Douglas (6-9 August 2026) is a tropical food and drink festival based at Sheraton resort. They get Australian and global chefs up to do classes on their signature dishes, like laksa or prawn shell bisque. Sheraton Grand Mirage (from $395 for an entry-level room) is the only resort right on Four Mile beach. It has palm trees and lagoon-style pools and is high end. Silky Oaks Lodge (from $1,200 a night including food, wine, minibar and yoga) is on the Mossman River. It's very flash treehouse-style accommodation and the restaurant uses lots of native ingredients. Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort and Spa (from $295 for a studio room) is away from the crowds. You can walk out of your room right into a central pool. My kids love waking up and having a swim or a Jacuzzi. Mandalay (from $425 a night for a two-bedroom standard apartment) is great for families too and right opposite Four Mile beach. Tropic Breeze Caravan Park (from $38 a night for a campsite) is quieter than the other caravan parks. If you want party-style camping, Dougies Backpackers Resort (from $38 a night for a supplied tent and linen) is the one. Juan Walker is a Kuku Yalanji man and the owner of Walkabout Cultural Adventures
