The Campaign for Real Ale
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TH EI @H N The Campaign for Real Ale JUNE1986 CIRCULATION5OOO NUMBER94 REALROYSTON Are we now seeinga turn of the promisedtide of theme pubs,fun pubs and disco pubs?Whitbread has announcedthat fC-0,000is to be spent in transformingthe Green Man on MarketHill in Roystonfrom a discopub, at which trouble hasflaied on severaloccasions, "back into a traditionalmarket town pub with more iamily trade". lt is to be hopedthat the internalrennovation will be in keepingwith this eighteenth centurybuiiOing which, fortunately,has not been much alteredexternally. And of courseit is to be hoped that handpump!will be installedto dispensetraditional ales from the Whitbreadrange When the pub re-opensin July. Up until now, the GreenMan has beenthe only one of Whitbread'sfour pubs in Roystonnot to haveany realale. The three free houses,the Coachand Horses,the BullHotel andthe Chequersall sell realale. This only leavesthe two localregional brewers' houses in the town with no realale: GreeneKing's Boars Head and McMullen'sBanyers Xotet. With three major socialclubs in Roystonoffering real ale and the town surroundedby villagepubs selling real ale, this is a littlesurprising. J.F.F. THEBARLEY MOW d N' ffiJq rrgtl0 street otDberttorD NowundernewownerchlP TYTTENHANGERGREEN MUestse/e ction of rea/a/es wE- -- HAVETHE ]ARGE-Sr-S-E-L-E9.T.!ONOF in Herttordwih manYguestbeets REALALES IN HERTFORDSHIRE allserued on gravtty We alsoPride ourselves thattheY areall in the bestof condition. OutsideBarbecue now in full swing. targeoPenlogflrc Why nottry our menuof hot and coldmeals at lunchtimeand barsnacks in the evening' ChildrensPony rides atWeekends' HomecoofeO iood at all times Sundaylunch a sPecialitY PLEASENOTE NO COACHES INCLUDINGMINIBUSES TIEDHOUSES IN AND AROUND HERTFORDSHIRE PartOne pleasurein drinkinga beerin its own Thesedays there is a vast rangeof beersavailable in Hertfordshirefreehouses, butthere is alwaysa certain Hook Nortonbeers more in one of tied house,surrounded by the trappingsof that bre*"ry's particularstyle. For example, I alwaysenioy drinking Nowthatthebetterweatheris theirpubsthaninafreehousebecaus6theirtiedhouseshavesomuctrcharacter,andthebeerissomuchcheaper! tied housesare within thirty miles of with us and day trips areworthwhile, I thought it would be interestingto see how many differentbreweries Tring,excludingthosealreadywithintheto*:n(".gBenskinsandABC) andLondon.onlythosesellingrealalearelistedofcourse. Brewery Distance Pub nameandlocation (near Wethered 4 miles FullMoon, Hawridge, Bucks. Chesham) (near CharlesWells 6 miles Stag,Mentmore, Bucks. LeightonBuzzard) (near Whitbread 6 miles Swan, Northall,Bucks. LeightonBuzzardl (near McMullen 7 miles WhiteHorse,Bourne End HemelHempstead) Fullers 7 miles Aristocrat, AYlesbury Truman 7 miles King'sArms,Chesham Charrington 7 miles RedLion,Chesham Scottish& Newcastle 8 miles HeathPark,Boxmoor (near Banks& Taylor 8 miles Crown &Sceptre,Bridens Camp HemelHempstead) Manns 8 Miles Dove,Wing, Bucks. Morland 10miles WhiteleafCross, Princes Risborough, Bucks. GreeneKing 12miles WhiteH orse. ChorleYwood Morrells 13miles King'sHead,Chinnor, Oxon. (near Princes Risborough) Brakspear 15miles ShoulderofMutton, KingstonBlount, Oxon (near Halls 15miles Angel.Long Crendon, Bucks. Thames) TollyCobbold 16miles SpeedthePlough. Barton-le-Clay, Beds. (off Usher 17miles Swan, GrendonUnderwood, Bucks. ,A41) (near Wadworth 22miles Star.Stanton St. John, Oxon. Oxford) HookNorton 25miles PeytonArms,Stoke LYne, Oxon. (near Gales 26miles Fox,Cane End, Oxon. HenleY) (near FriaryMeux 27miles Pineapple,Dorney, Bucks. Slough) JamesPaine 28miles Newlnn,Sandv, Beds. Rayment 29miles WhiteHorse,Wareside Young 0 miles Crown,ChertseY, SurreY. (PartTwo : within30 milesof Royston) Adrian Jolliffe HERTFORDSHIREINNS - New Edition HertfordshirePublications are preparing for publication a new edition of HertfordshireInns by the late W. BranchJohnson, first oublishedin two volumesin 1962-63. Preparationis expectedto take at least two years. lt will not be possibleto repeatthe pioneeringresearch undertaken by Branch Johnsonfor the originaledition, but a greatdeal of new information hassince come to light andthe publishers are a nxious to achievethe most accurateand comprehensiverevision possible. For this they will be heavily dependent upon local knowledge and the cooperationis beingsought of museums,local history societies and manylocal historians throughout the county. BranchJohnson's work containedbrief historicalnotes about inns, tavernsand beer houseswhich had been in existencebefore 1860 and were still licensedin 1960,together with a few later houses which had specialpoints of interest.lt is intendedto use the same criteria,but sincetime hasmoved on,a good numberof housesfirst licensedbetween 1860 and 1900,and severalof later date,will be includedamong thoseof specialinterest. Information about houses which no longerexist as licensedpremises will also be considered for inclusion if they are of sufficient interest or importance, regardlessof theirearliest known dates. Can you assistwith the first stage of this project?The publishers would like to hearfrom you if you can corrector up-dateentries in thefirst edition of the book,or if you couldsuggest additional houses which might be worthy of inclusion.ln addition to dates,former namesof the houseand namesof ownersand licencees,details of historicalassociations and anv anecdotesor storiesassociated with the premisesare required, with quotationsand sourcesif possible. Pleasewrite directlvto: Arthur Jones Hon. Editor,Hertf ordshire Publications. FiveHouse Cottages, Sandon Road, Therfield,Royston, Herts. SG8 9RE It would be appreciatedit you couldwrite by the end of June,at least to indicateyour interest;detailed information can follow laterin the vear. DICKENSAND STEVENAGE PUBOFTHE MONTH PUBS. North Herts Earlyone sunny morning in mid-June186'1, a strangerwalked from Axe& Compasses,Braughing Knebworth House to Stevenagefor breakfastat one of the High TheAxeand Compasses,in the picture-bookvillage of Braughing, Streetpubs. The travellerwas CharlesDickens and the hostelryhe famousfor itssausages, is a gradetwo listedbuilding. County stopped at was the Red Lion' Dickens was passing through recordsstate that the buildingdates form the early1800s but some Stevenageon his way to visit JamesLucas the famoushermit of beamsin the bedroomshave been dated to around 1400and have RedcoatiGreen, (commemorated in the name of the Hermit of obviouslybeen reused. lt was heldby oneSarah Lawrence in 1806as Redcoatspub at Titmore Green).The meetingbetween Dickens and 'Tom a publichouse. Lucas provided the basis for the story of Tiddler's Ground' In recenttimes the Axe and Compasseshas been renovated publishedin the magazine'Allthe YearRound'at Christmas 1861. internally. up the smallrooms inside, leaving part story describesin detailthe passageof Dickens opening but still a The early ofthe 'Traveller' separate,traditional public bar. There are plans to extendthe throughStevenage, Dickens taking the personaof the in 'Peal buildingthis summer. thestory, and the Red Lion renamed as the of Bells'. Mealsare available in theAxe and Compasseslunchtimes (except The Red Lion was (and is) one of the oldest licensedhouses in Sundays)and everyevening, including Sundays in the cricket Stevenage,being recorded as early as 1676,before which time it was season.Barbecues are held on summerweekends.There is a close knownas the Hollybush. An alehouserather than a coachinginn, the associationwith the villagecricket club during the summer months; RedLion was to takea beeronly licencein the 1870s,although in the cricketfield is behindthe pub andthere is directaccess to the 1861 it enjoyeda full licence.Possibly because of the time of day-this beergarden. was in the era of liberal opening hours-Dickensresisted the Wethered'sBitter and SamuelWhitbread's Strong Ale arealways temptationof SimpsonsBest Stout, the only draught beer sold on 'chops availableon two of the threehandpumps, the third beingoccupied in the premisesat thetime, and had andtea'. Perhaps if he had turn by otherbeers from the Whitbreadrange. Come along on the indulged in a little alcoholicfortification, his descriptionsof eveningof June26th to samplethe alesand for a welcomefrom Tom Stevenageand the hermitwhom he scornfullytagged Mr. Mopes, and HelenCousins. Take the southerntu rningfrom the B 1368if you would have been lessscathing. As it was, his pictureof Stevenage 'wide wish to avoidthe ford andyou willfind theAxe &Compassesatthe HighStreet as for its height,silent for its sizeand drowsy in the farend ofThe Street. dullestdegree' has remained, reinforcing the erroneousimpression J.F.F. thatafter the openingof the railwayand the endof thecoaching era Stevenagestagnated until the arrival of the New Town. The Red South Herts 'little Lion. with its sanded parlour' (the presentpublic bar) is 'humble', TheWoodman, Wildhill describedas and indeedtrade was quietcompared with TheWoodmanWildhill has beenone of my favouritepubs in South someof the largerand more moderndrinking places in Stevenage. Hertsfor manyyears and I was pleasedwhen it was voted Pubof the Survivingbrewery records show that the RedLion sold lessdraught Month by the rest of my campaigningcolleagues. The pub won beer.thanany other Simpsonshouse in Stevenage,and George againststiff opposition and is a true locals'local. In manyways it is Gayler,thelandlord in 1861,wasa saddleraswellasa publican the pub that time forgot,one of the lastpu bs in Hertfordshire to have Havingleft the RedLion,