Uxbridge, London,England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 United Kingdom 🇬🇧 (March 2024)

This was a very short stay for a work related trip. I spent a day doing several activities that consisted of staying in the hotel. I was drained from flying all night and needed the rest. I did enjoy my fish and chips, as they do in the UK, and some delicious tea as well!

I did some research, posted some philosophical and humorous memes on social media, some reading and writing, worship, and much needed rest. There were several flights canceled, and all of the hotels near the Heathrow Airport were booked. I ended up in Uxbridge at the Red Lion Hotel Hillingdon, which was a great place! The service was friendly, the hotel was very clean and had great interior designs; it felt like a historical gallery in the hallway, and the lobby had a real English old-timey vibe. The restaurant next door was delicious and for beer drinkers it seemed like a very nice pub.

All in all, this was a great place to end up “stuck” at, and I definitely made the best of it. Thank God for always being with me.

🙏❤️✝️❤️🙏❤️✝️❤️🙏❤️✝️❤️🙏

Caffè Nero at Heathrow Airport

The Red Lion Hotel

If you’re ever in the Brize Norton area, Mark is the friendliest cab driver around! Great guy altogether!!! 👍👍

Caffè Nero at the Heathrow Airport, Terminal 4, has some delicious options!

“The road from London to Oxford is a very ancient and important route. The town of Uxbridge grew up as a daughter settlement of the village of Hillingdon, along the road where it crossed the River Colne.

Uxbridge is not mentioned by name in the Domesday survey of 1086. It is probably included with the entries for Hillingdon and Colham and the name ‘Uxbridge’ probably means the ‘bridge belonging to the Wixan’. The Wixan were a Saxon tribe; the bridge over the River Colne was the boundary of their territory.

Middle Ages
Throughout the Middle Ages, Uxbridge formed part of the manor of Colham, which was in turn part of the Honor of Wallingford in Berkshire. About 1180, Gilbert Basset, keeper of the Honor, granted the people of Uxbridge permission to hold a market every Thursday. By 1248, the town was large and prosperous enough to build itself a chapel dedicated to St Margaret. All major church services – baptisms, weddings and burials – were still held in Hillingdon Church. Between 1400 and 1450, the chapel was enlarged and a tower added. In 1575, the people of Uxbridge were allowed their own burial ground on land at the bottom of the Lynch (Windsor Street) given by the Earl of Derby (then, Lord of the Manor). This was enlarged in 1776 and finally closed in 1855.”

Ref: Uxbridge Hillingdon

“Near Uxbridge, in a charming Hillingdon hotel, The Red Lion brings past and present together in a luxurious and relaxing stay. Our pub and restaurant guarantees outstanding, fresh produce and service, and our fresh ales. Hire our special Oak Room for a private dinner!

Dating back to the 16th century, The Red Lion in Hillingdon, Uxbridge is steeped in history, bringing past and present together in a luxurious and relaxing pub and hotel.

The wood panelling and beams, roaring open fire and classic decor of our main bar hark back to the past five centuries – but our delicious menu, where traditional pub meals sit side-by-side with modern dishes with a twist, feels anything but old-fashioned.

Add our beautiful boutique rooms and fantastically stocked bar into the mix, and whether you’re popping in for a drink, or relaxing into a mini break, we’re certain you’ll enjoy your time at The Red Lion.

Eating and drinking

Dining at The Red Lion is a luxurious affair. Each meal served in our air-conditioned restaurant is made using the best ingredients and fresh produce, sourced locally whenever possible.

If you’re staying with us at the hotel, make sure you enjoy a hearty breakfast, from a full or veggie English to tasty eggs Benedict, and on Sundays you can enjoy one of our fantastic roasts with all the trimmings. And if you’re celebrating, you can hire our cosy Oak Room, which seats six people for an extra-special meal.

Because we’re a Fuller’s pub, you can expect to find the acclaimed Fullers cask-conditioned ales and beers on tap at the bar. Also in stock are ciders, soft drinks and spirits, while wine lovers can browse our extensive wine list, which offers more than 50 fine bottles to choose from.

Stay at The Red Lion

If you’re looking for a boutique hotel in Uxbridge, look no further. Set against a backdrop of history and tradition, our stunning rooms feature modern comforts including sumptuous duvets, feather pillows, and complimentary Cole & Lewis of London toiletries.

Choose one of our Beautiful Bedrooms by Fuller’s, including Superior, Family and Executive options, or perhaps a stunning four poster bedroom for a special occasions– or simply to indulge.

Each room has super-fast WiFi and complimentary parking, and our location close to transport links into central London makes us the ideal base from which to explore. Book your stay directly and take advantage of our Best Price Guarantee, plus 10% off when you use the promo code TRIP10.”

Ref: The Red Lion Hotel Hillingdon website

“The signing of the Twelve Year Truce in 1609, by the Dutch Republic, the Southern Netherlands and Hapsburg Spain, proved a catalyst for another version of the Leo Belgicus.

In around 1611, Claes Janszoon Visscher published his ‘Bestandskaart’ or ‘Truce Map’ – “one of the peaks of seventeenth century cartography” (van der Heijden) – a lion at rest in a sitting position, his right paw on the hilt of a lowered sword. The map is replete with allusions to the fruits of peace: to the right of the lion, war – personified by a knight in a full suit of armour – is shown asleep, and to the left personifications of North and South are shown seated together with ‘d’Oude Twist’ (the old rancour) buried unde foot. A cherub pours the sweet nectar of the ‘Bestant van 12 jaer’ (the Twelve Year Truce) into the mouth of the lion; the clouds part to allow heavenly blessings (‘zeghen des hemels’) to rain down upon the country. These include the arts and sciences (‘Const en Wetenschap’); safety (‘Vailighe Tijdt’); knowledge and wealth (‘Kennisse en Rijkdom’); prosperous towns (‘Vergrooten der Steden’); the cultivation of the land (‘Vredich Lantbouwen’); and trade (‘Coophandel’). Yet even in these peaceful times, the frontier guard (‘Frontier Wacht’) remains alert.

Although the map celebrated the truce, it also implied – with the personification of north and south – the break-up of the Seventeen Provinces. This is further reenforced by the individual north and south medallions that can be seen suspended from the lion’s sword.”

Ref: The Truce Map

Fish & Chips 🇬🇧🐟🍟 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿..and it was pretty delicious!

The famous Red Telephone booths of England

“THE RED TELEPHONE BOX

Go into many a kitchen around the world and on the fridge will be a kitsch magnet or postcard of a red telephone box. For decades, this has been the symbol of London and in fact the whole of Great Britain. A glorious red, iron beacon of tradition. A symbol of communication and of manufacturing prowess. An analogy of the empire, perhaps. A design icon.

The original telephone box, the K1 or Kiosk No1, first appeared on British streets in May 1921. And there are only 2 left on our streets; one on Trinity Square, Kingston upon Hull and the other in Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. They are Grade II listed by Historic England. But the iconic red telephone box that is recognised the world over was initially designed by Giles Gilbert Scott after winning a design competition in 1924. The K2 (as it is officially called) was already destined for a timely demise. Maybe because he modelled it on Sir John Sloane’s 1815 mausoleum for his deceased wife.

But where was the first telephone box? The K2 was only ever designed to be used in London. It first stood tall like a Queen’s Guard, stable and immovable on the streets of London in 1926. The main problem was that the cost of making them was prohibitive for use across the country (nothing seems to change there). So, the post office commissioned Scott to design the K6 in 1935, to celebrate the Jubilee of King George V. 19,000 red monoliths were forged in various foundries across Scotland. Giving them some real heart. ‘Made from girders’ could have been coined for them.

We now think of them as iconic pieces of British street art. (the general public voted them into the top ten of British icons in a competition run by the BBC and the Design Museum in 2006) They weren’t always looked on with such affection. When first introduced, the public thought that they were an eyesore. The Currant Red was blotting the landscape, especially in rural Britain. Locals demanded the natural beauty of the area was sacrosanct and so grey boxes appeared to appease country folk. Yattendon in Berkshire has a green telephone box. The legend goes that after it was erected and painted red, a local rascal painted it green during the night. And it has stayed that way ever since.

In Kingston upon Hull, the boxes are cream although not due to any local objections. The reason being that the Post Office didn’t hold the monopoly for the region. They even had the crown removed from the top. Porto has them dotted around the old city. They can also be spotted in Malta, Cyprus, Australia and some Caribbean islands like Antigua and Barbados. A symbol of where the British, for good or bad, colonised parts of the world. A couple also made it across the pond with the sale of London Bridge and are sitting proudly in Arizona.”

Ref: Red Telephone Box