LOCAL PUBS - Opening Soon
The inspiration for this week's blog has been:
- Walking around our villages and seeing the pubs closed but several being done up
- Wondering about the history of our local pubs
- Noticing lots of empty beer barrels
- Looking forward to a drink in a pub post lockdown
- Being involved in saving a pub as a community asset (ACV)
My Mind Maps are becoming a weekly fun activity for me! I hope you like them too.
'The great British pub is not just a place to drink wine, beer, cider or even ... It is a unique social centre, very often the focus of community life in villages, towns and cities ...' . The British pub was 'invented' by the Romans when they invaded Britain. They were built along Roman roads to quench the thirst of the invading Roman army (tabernae 43AD) (Ben Johnson - see next link)
If you want to read more about the history of the British pub, this link is a great resource and this is really fascinating.
History of our local pubs
I live in Hertfordshire between two villages - Codicote and Welwyn. Codicote is mentioned in the Domesday book (see below). Both villages have very old pubs, but until now I have never explored their history. It is great to have the time to do this sort of thing (now I am retired!).
In Codicote, a favourite pub - The Goat Inn - the building dates back to 1590. It began life as a farmhouse and became a pub in the 18th century. The brewery was formerly Benskins. Now the Goat is 'the centre of a thriving community and home to the Annual Harvest Festival, The Codicote Community Choir and GoatFest' (an expanding annual music festival which began in a lorry in the pub car park!). It also hosts weekly quizzes and an Open Mic night.
Another pub in the village of Codicote is The Globe. They do Sunday roasts and a Thai take-away. This building dates back to 1860 and is run by McMullens. It was known locally as 'Help Me Through The World'.
When we moved to this area over 30 years ago there was a lovely old pub called the George and Dragon. This was built in the 16th Century, but was a licensed premises in the 14th Century! Prior to that it was a hostel for pilgrims travelling to St Albans Abbey. (Codicote local history society) This became the fabulous Peking restaurant and take-away - 'As You Like It', but in 2016 it was redeveloped into housing. You can see the changes over time in the photos below.
The Bell is a large Motel on the edge of the village which is in the process of being redeveloped. It has been private houses, a smithy, pubs, and a horse & cart business over time. The site has a 300 year old history but the present building dates from 1924. As you can see from the sign below, as well as accommodation, it has provided a bar, restaurant and Fish & Chips to the local community in recent times!
There were more!
For quite a small village there were even more pubs! There are several buildings in the High Street which used to be pubs. There was The Plough, The Bull and The Red Lion. Prior to becoming residential houses, these pubs had a variety of uses. It is good to see that signs have been put up by the Heritage Lottery Fund to show where these were.
This blog had intended to explore the history of the pubs in both villages - Codicote and Welwyn - but I hadn't realised how many there were in just one! So, there will be two blogs instead of one. I hope this has given an insight into the valuable asset that pubs have provided over the years. In my next blog I will be talking about the the excitement of saving pubs as an Asset of Community Value (ACV). I cannot finish this blog without mentioning that this year is the 50th anniversary of the Campaign for Real Ale - CAMRA which started not too far from where I live.
I would love to hear about your local pubs, why you like them and what other services they provide to your community in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading.
Plogart Pat
Always be Drinkaware.
Sources:
http://www.codicotelocalhistorysociety.co.uk/
http://www.lemsfordhistory.co.uk/
https://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/
http://www.pubhistorysociety.co.uk/