Artist, woodsmith and musician, The Prehistoric Man was on hand to witness the end of the sign of the Bridge Tavern, Mill Hill.
We commissioned a poem to commemorate the moment. Best £2 we've spent in a while. First the poem and then the rest.
As it went,
So it goes,
Prehistoric Man informed,
Til he ended up on his lawn.
Long live the Bridge Tavern in Mill Hill.
The Prehistoric Man and I have spent many a long and pleasant evening in the Bridge Tavern, Mill Hill after alerting our mrs x's and sweethearts that the lines to get out of the next door Marks & Spencer's were impenetrable, unbearable and intolerable at least and so requiring a swift one or two in the Bridge Tavern while waiting out the rush. I think it's that thing where Marks mark down the fresh food around 7 or so. Otherwise why wouldn't those crowds be in Iceland like everyone else?
Sometimes you've got to understand all of the values of a pint.
Mill Hill, it's a crazy place. You know you can stack up the sidewalk café's among the thrift stores but you can never shake that feeling that someone is going to crash and burn from the north circular all the way down the high street and send those tables tumbling like so many skittles - like an Octogenarian driving through a Santa Monica farmers market. Mill Hill where whatever anyone is doing, it all seems so unlikely.
At least at the Bridge, they keep it Dave Chappelle real. There are drinks. There are drunks. There are comfortable booths and bays with sight lines so poor for the big screen that you need not get distracted by Sky Sports. There may be occasional mean looks.
There's a lot of love at the Bridge for the Bridge.
Meanwhile, the Prehistoric Man, discreetly occupying a mid-side-table, a walk from the bar, if he were a to be relied upon regular, they would've been out of business long ago. Somehow some time stands still and some traditions stand firm at the Bridge. The Bridge endures.
In the end it's the end an era for that old sign, but it's not the end of the Bridge.
Music to accompany your enjoyment of this piece about the demise of the Bridge Tavern Sign from SideCartel artists Mark & Spencer, accompanied by the Prehistoric Man. Listen now on SoundCloud.
Especially commissioned Poem/word art on this page by Harold Painter.
Photo: Prehistoric Man's private collection - check out the Prehistoric Man at Amazon
