h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Currently in Nodnol having managed to wangle a week down here for a course.
While I'm down here I might as well try and meet up with one or two friends who live this way so many thanks to Bald Bloke, Solnushka and Agapanthus for putting up with a tourist.
Bad Bloke showed me round some of the better pubs in his manor as the locals would say.
Meeting Solnushka we ended up visiting and going past the locations of several past meets. Ye Olde London, nowhere near as interesting now all the goth and stempunk decorations are no more. Walking back towards Trafalger Sq, we passed the Wellington, the upstairs of which served as a base for at least one meet, at the end of Kingsway, we thought of the Shakespeare's Head and round the corner the Pendrels Oak two pubs which were the venues of later meets. We ended up in the Coal Hole, an old semi-regular haunt of mine back when I lived in Nodnol. It was then I remembered the other meet venue in the vicinity. A small pub in a passage round the back of Charing Cross station. My curiosity piqued I had to find it and eventually we did. It was the Ship and Shovell, a Hall and Woodhouse (aka Badger Brewery) pub.
It was an earlyish meet but I can't remember when in the chronology of meets it was. Any other of the H2G2 ancients like me remember this?
I know it wasn't the first meet I went to as that was softball in Hyde Park then to a pub near Lancaster Gate (everybody getting drenched between the two).

Just curious...

Was the term "Nodnol" in common (or any) usage as a nickname for London before _Red Dwarf_?

I always think of _Red Dwarf_ when I hear or read "Nodnol".

Maybe it's just me.

Oh no... not the pendrils oak the Olde London was a shame... they just took any character it had, away... The only other pub I vaguely remember from a fairly early meet, was the Sutton arms (west end somewhere?), where ther ewas..... insufficient food I seem to recall think that might have been circa 2002, or perhaps 2001.... not sure I went to the earlier ones you've mentioned though - some of us just ain't old enough

OO... and just remembered, 'The lord moon of the mall', (I think it was called... soemthign like that)... the meet with teh photo scavenger hunt... actually, that may have been the meet wehre after meeting up there, midday/afternoon, we ended up at the sutton arms... or, that might have been the pendrils... I'm sure there is a store of old meet pages somewhere maybe do a historic tour of all the previous pubs, on a London meet one time

Uh oh. . Sounds like it was all happening down Nodnol way.

Hullo Phil! Haven't talked to you in ages.

And thanks for reminding me of that magnificent Robbie Robertson song, Somewhere Down The Crazy River. This is sure stirring up some ghosts for me.

cc

It was great hanging out, Phil. Must do it again soonish.

Oi! Why wasn't I invited to meet up? Harumph.

Hyde Park was my first meet too. The Ship and Shovell was July 2001 A540686

We also once used The Wellington on the Strand, November 2000, after going bowling at the Elephant and Castle.

Hello All, I know I haven't been on here for ages. You know how it is working getting about doing stuff, seeing people and all of a sudden it is a long time since you've been here.

Coelacanth, that's that was it Thank You There wasn't enough time to try and meet up with everyone I know down in the SE Englandshire. Next time I'll try harder.

Baron Grim, I've no idea when Nodnol became common currency as it already was when I moved there.