Harwell: Village for a thousand years

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  • Harwell Book – Full text of ‘Village for a thousand years’
    • Introduction
      • Contents
    • Beginnings – The Beginnings of Harwell
      • The Beginnings of Harwell
      • The Charters
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    • Middle Ages – The Late Middle Ages
      • Harwell Church
      • The Medieval Manors
      • Cruck Buildings
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    • Tudors – Tudors to Charles II
      • The Tudor period
      • Berkshire Farmers and their Homes
      • The Harwell Mug
      • Harwell: The Family Name
      • Trade Tokens
      • In the Civil War
      • Close
    • Charities – Harwell Charities
      • John Loder
      • Christopher Elderfield
      • Poor’s Orchard
      • William Wells
      • J. King
      • Frances Geering
      • Matthew Eaton
      • Robert Loder
      • Bag(g)’s Tree
      • An Old Harwell Recipe
      • Close
    • 19th C – Harwell in the Nineteenth Century
      • Enclosures
      • The Great Fire of Harwell
      • Fire at Didcot Station
      • Harwell and the Early Posts
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    • People – Some Nineteenth Century Families, Houses and Personalities
      • The Manor of Bishop’s Harwell, or Lower Manor, after the Middle Ages.
      • Bob Lay, Bob Lay, Bob Lay
      • The Bosley Family
      • John Lay of Prince’s Manor 1815 – 1888
      • From a book sold for the Blewbury Village Organ Fund in 1874.
      • Thomas James Pryor
      • The Day Family
      • The Hitchman Family
      • Other Old Harwell Families
      • Pillar House, Harwell
      • A Country Doctor (Dr Richard Rice)
      • Kelly’s Directory reports on the Harwell of 1891
      • The School
      • A Pictorial Miscellany
      • Close
    • 20th C – The Early Twentieth Century
      • Stanley Day
        • The Turn of the Century
        • A Visit to Harwell
      • Tape Recordings
        • A Houseboy at Harwell
        • Eliza Hutchings
        • Harwell Bakeries
        • The Eggs
        • Old Neighbours
        • Fire at King’s Farm (c.1908)
        • Will It Light?
        • Miss Irene Clarke’s memories.
      • Poem by H.S. Baker
      • Close
    • WWII – The Second World War
      • Guinea Pig Club
      • Eric Greenwood
      • Harwell in Wartime
      • School Life in Wartime
      • The Harwell Players
      • Close
    • 1945 -1985 – The Post War Years
      • The Atomic Energy Research Establishment.
      • Harwell Parish Council
      • Water and Sewage
      • Nursing Service
      • School Life after the War
      • The Winterbrook Youth Club
      • The Public Houses
      • The Whit Monday Feast
      • Wild Flowers of Harwell
      • The Bee Orchid
      • Village Footpaths
      • St Matthew’s Church Today
      • Harwell Women’s Institute
      • Harwell Bowls Club
      • Harwell Football Club
      • Close
    • Cherries – Harwell Cherries
      • Robert Loder
      • Cherries (1965)
      • Gordon Bosley
      • John Masefield: The Cherries
      • Close
    • Appendices
      • Appendix I the Harwell Charters
        • Introduction to The Harwell Charters
        • Charter No 1
        • Charter No 2
        • Charter No 3
        • Appendix I Charter References
      • Appendix II Buildings
      • Appendix III Glossary
      • Appendix IV Contributors
      • Appendix V References
      • Close
    • Close
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You are here: Home / 1945 -1985 / The Public Houses

The Public Houses

Historians and sociologists recognise the importance of the public house in community life, and most sizeable villages have at least one such establishment. Rather more such houses than could be expected in a village of its size were for many years been available in Harwell, and it is to these “pubs” that villagers and visitors alike have come, at lunchtime and at the end of the working day, to meet friends and to relax whilst drinking the local ales. Besides serving refreshment the pubs have also traditionally been the focal points for competition, and friendly rivalries have existed between one establishment and another as to which team or individual was the better at the playing of darts or dominoes, cribbage or Aunt Sally. Many a story has been recounted in our public houses, the telling of each being embellished at the lengthening of the hour; many a song has been sung, the enthusiasm of the choir often being a measure of the quantity of ale that has been consumed. Each public house had its own character, and amongst its customers, its characters.

The Chequers was on Wantage Road, and it was outside this house that one dark night, more than seventy years ago, the village policeman was brutally murdered. For many years the Chequers was run by Mr and Mrs Day, descendants of whom are still living in the village. Wells of Wallingford were the brewers who supplied them with good strong ale, which at least one man living today wistfully recalls buying at 2d per pint.

The Crispin is in Burr Street and for many years displayed a fire insurance plaque on an outside wall; without such a sign, significant delays could occur when emergency action was required. During the second world war, when beer was in short supply, this pub was known locally as “The Iron Lung”; this name arose from the practice of locking the doors so that those within could not get out, and worse, those without went without; to ensure entry customers arrived early and in large numbers. In order to serve a customer it was necessary to descend to the cellars to draw off a glass of beer from the barrels, which in those days were not fitted with pumps.

The Crown was in the High Street. During the great fire in 1852 the property was saved from destruction by a Mr Walters, who is reported to have spent several hours extinguishing burning embers as they alighted on the thatched roof of this house. An annual event that took place in the Crown was the sale by auction of the cherry crops. The fruit was sold whilst still on the trees, as much as £1600 being paid in the early 1950s for the crop in an orchard off the Reading Road.

The Kicking Donkey, formerly the Queens Arms, was in Burr Street. This house took its name following an incident when a donkey was taken into the bar, with unfortunate results; for it is reported that much ale was spilt as a result of the antics of the high spirited animal. For many years Alf Gerring kept this house and a notorious terrier named Bonzo; it was said that Bonzo was trained to snap at the ankles of visiting Aunt Sally players about to throw at the doll. In 1977, in celebration of the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II a team from the Kicking Donkey successfully pulled a team from the White Hart in a tug of war across the brook.

09-05
Figure 9.5 The Queen’s Arms, later the Kicking Donkey.

The White Hart, situated at the northern end of the High Street, is in part an Elizabethan house, modernised and enlarged in recent years. During construction work two deep wells were discovered and are today a prominent feature in one of the bars. Originally a bakery, the White Hart has served as a public house for 350 years, and in former days as a coaching inn, with adequate stabling for horses in its yard. A bowling alley was for many years a popular amenity at this establishment. Until its recent modifications there were 52 doors in the White Hart, one for each week of the year!

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The Whit Monday Feast »

Harwell is a village in south Oxfordshire, England, although until 1974 it was a Berkshire village. Harwell was first mentioned in 985, before the Doomsday Book.
This website presents the full text of the book (ISBN 0 9510668 0 3 ) published in 1985 to celebrate the village millennium.
"Harwell ~ Village for a thousand years"

Additional information about Harwell Village (History Notes, photos and more) can be found at harwellvillage.uk

Website © 2005–2022 maintained and managed by David Marsh on behalf of Harwell Parish Council
Copyright © 1985–2022 in the text of the book is vested in Harwell Parish Council