Procol Harum

Beyond
the Pale

Palers' gathering at the Gary Brooker Memorial Concert

Two possibilities for meeting new and old friends, in Guildford

We know that many of our 'Beyond the Pale' readers are planning to come to the sold-out Gary Brooker Memorial Concert in Guildford on Monday 4 December 2023.

And wouldn’t it be nice if we all could get together before the concert? To meet old and new friends, gathering in Guildford for this unique, bittersweet event?

The BtP team has planned two such parties!

#1 Sunday 3 December from 6pm afternoon – new and old friends at The Britannia – SORRY THIS EVENT NOW FULLY BOOKED

The Britannia Pub happened to be Gary Brooker’s favourite neighbourhood hostelry, where he would go to drink, ruminate and write. It has a very pleasant, typically English atmosphere, great beers (and other drinks) and a nice selection of pub food, cooked on the premises.

BtP has booked the whole of the indoor area from six o'clock in the afternoon: it's open until 10 in the evening, and food is served until 8pm.

We need to know how many fans will be attending. The maximum capacity is 50 persons; and, of course, if we are considerably fewer we shall have to release some of our tables to the general public.

So if you are coming to The Britannia Pub on Sunday 3 December – THIS EVENT NOW FULLY BOOKED. Please do this soon, and definitely no later than 16 November 2023. We shall allot places on a first-come, first-served basis.

Hope to see you there!

As our characteristically elegant map shows, the pub is easy to find from any of the three recommended hotels: set your phone to find GU2 4BE ... and from The Mandolay, The Harbour or The Angel hotels simply walk down the (very pretty) High Street

Most sensible people use the What3Words geolocation system, and they'll be heading for https://what3words.com/whips.save.crew or https://what3words.com/eagle.offers.orchestra or https://what3words.com/long.tides.organs ... it's quite large premises! Part of your walk, once these large blue dots lead you away from the High Street, will take you across attractive little bridges over the River Wey. The scale is marked on the map!

#2 Monday 4 December from 5pm : pre-concert drinks at the Guildford Harbour Hotel

The 'Harbar' at the Guildford Harbour Hotel offers a good selection of drinks and there's also a dinner menu available.

The hotel is just one minute's walk from G Live where the concert will start at 7.30pm. What could possibly be a better place to start the evening, and meet fellow Palers, than this bar?

We have made no reservations, so no booking is required for this second party. Just show up, and we hope to see you there!

Those of a sentimental bent may like to note that this is on the site of the former Jarvis Hotel where we all stayed for the very first Palers' Convention in September 2000; and the Memorial Concert will be on the very same site as the first-ever performance by The Palers' Band.

Thus our revels will have come full circle.