Which Pub ... and when?

[NorfolkNog]

Ah ha!!! 1986???

[AdnamsGirl]

I had it marked as 1985/86 ... according to the Norfolk Pubs website, however, it became the Riverside Inn in 1985 .... but I'll give it to you!

Norfolk Pubs entry for The Hermitage: http://www.norfolkpubs.co.uk/norfolka/acle/aclehe.htm

Carol

[NorfolkNog]

Thanks Carol!! After thinking about it I knew I had been in during the eighties – once walking along the road to Acle from the Bridge and the second time we moored near Acle Dyke and walked along that way.

I also found the pub listed in my 1989 copy of the Good Beer Guide, listed as Reba’s Riverside Inn and apparently selling Courage Best Bitter, John Smiths Bitter and Woodfordes Wherry Best Bitter. Needless to say I didn’t walk there for the John Smiths !

Have you got any more tucked away in your archives?

[Springsong]

I have only just looked at this and the first picture of the retiring lady from the Lord Nelson looked familiar. I am sure I am right in saying she is John Finlay's mum. He has The Fishemans Return at Winterton, which I think he has been landlord of for in excess of thirty years.

[AdnamsGirl]

Barry you are quite right ... the lady is Mrs Joan Findlay and the article made mention of the fact that, even after retirement, she was hoping to keep her hand in by helping out her son at the Fishermans Return .... well spotted!

Howard, I think that is the last of the pub pictures I have ... but I will check!

[AdnamsGirl]

Another pub puzzle .... only this time I don't actually know where it is! The photo was taken in 1934 - the licensee's name appears to be George Slaughter. I have done a search of the Norfolk Pubs website and can't find a match. It could however be in Suffolk, but I am fairly certain that it is/ was a Broadland pub. It could be Norfolk ... I just don't know! The holiday it was taken on did include a trip to the Southern Rivers but started at Wroxham.

I did start to wonder whether it might have been the Locks at Geldeston as the door and windows look right .... however, I have a picture of the Locks pre 1934 and there were shutters either side of the windows (which were still there in the 1960s) and it appeared to be painted white even back then. So that ruled that one out.

I'm stumped .... any ideas??

And is it just me ... that chap on the right looks very much like Bob Mortimer!

Carol

[Happy Jax 3]

Hi Carol

My first thought was the Sutton Staithe Hotel.

[mbird]

Hi Carol

My first thought was the Sutton Staithe Hotel.

That was my first impression too Col. Take away the patio etc that's there now and I reckon thats a dead ringer.

[donnygeoff]

That looks like the door to the Ship Inn at Reedham to me.

Even the ivy is still there

[NorfolkNog]

I would go for Sutton Staithe as well. I'm sure that someone posted an old pic very similar a while back, might have been Barry (Springsong)???

[NorfolkNog]

Looking at a modern photo of the Sutton Staithe Hotel, the frontage does look similar although it looks to me as if the door is nearer to the window in the old photo although this could be due to the angle at which it is taken. Windows look a bit different too, although they may have been replaced......

[mbird]

Hmmm I've got my doubts now. The old photo shows a curved soldier course of brickwork above the doorway, which doesn't seem evident i nthe photo of the Sutton Staithe hotel. Maybe the Ship at Reedham is more like it?

[donnygeoff]

The ship has two doors facing the river,

As you look at the photo, the bike is placed facing the way it could have come round the side of the pub from either along the quay, or down the hill.

That is why I thought the doorway was the one to the left of the pub as you look at it from the river.

Just my guess though.

[Springsong]

My first thought was the Catfield Crown, it couutton Staithe but I'm not sure.

[donnygeoff]

Just looked at a recent photo of the Ship.

It's not that one.

[Guest]

Did these healthy young chaps bicycle to said pub? Does the frontage come straight out onto the road?

[AdnamsGirl]

Thanks for the replies so far

Smellyloo - it's the only photo I have of that location and I haven't cropped it, so don't know if it fronts on to the road or a river. The gents were part of the boating party so wouldn't have cycled there.

I don't think it could be the Ship at Reedham because that has sticky out bays on the front of the building ( a bit like Cantley Reedcutter) doesn't it?

Sutton Staithe is an interesting suggestion, but I'm not sure for a few reasons. It was a hotel and country club from the early 1930s but the name of the proprietor I have linked to the place was Basil Hitchin and I assume that the proprietor would also be the licensee?? I found literary referrance to him being there in the 30s and 40s, although the earliest advert I personally have for Sutton Staithe which mentions him is from 1939.

The door in my old picture is quite low ... the current door is higher which might account for the change of brickwork BUT, there is a window above the door in Howards photo of which there doesn't appear to be any evidence in my old photo .... it looks pretty original to me and it seems unlikely that they would have let the wisteria/ivy/ virginia creeper (or whatever it was) grow up across the window if there was one there in the 30s. As Howard pointed out, there seems to be a larger gap between the door and the windows/french doors in the modern photo ... I'm not sure even taking perspective of different angles in to account that it would look so significantly different? I'd really like to see an old photo of the hotel but, despite trawling through all of my books and scouring the internet, I can't find one!

I don't think it's Catlfield ... the windows are different as is the brickwork above them. The door is similarly low, but again doesn't have the right brickwork or shape of frame above it.

It's a real puzzle ... I have checked out every possible pictorial referrance I can think of at the moment to try and come up with an answer! I wondered about the back of the Bell at St.Olaves for a while ... but on checking an old photo the window configuration was wrong for that one too!! It could of course be a pub that no longer exists??

I went through the photos again and have a list of places that I know they did visit:

Coltishall

Ranworth (doesn't look like the Malsters though)

South Walsham

Hickling

Horning

The Ant .... I have a photo with How Hill in the background but don't know whether they made it any further but quite possibly did.

On the Southern rivers they stopped at St. Olaves, Oulton Broad and possibly went down to Beccles, although I'm not certain on that one!

Carol

[donnygeoff]

If they visited Hickling, could they have gone to West Somerton, I think the Lion has/or had a door that faced the road.

With windows on either side.

[NorfolkNog]

Hmmm, interesting one. The brickwork looks quite old, i.e. the bricks seem smaller. The pub does look quite similar to Sutton but as Carol has mentioned the window is either missing or obscured in the old photo which is odd. I would agree, I don’t think its Catfield although the brickwork is very similar. Geoff has mentioned the Lion at West Somerton (pic attached) but I don’t think its there.

Going through Carol’s itinerary, I wondered if it could be the Anchor at Coltishall?

I don’t believe it’s the Maltsters, nor the Ship at South Walsham and I doubt it’s the Kings Arms but have also attached a pic of this pub. Don’t think its Hickling or Horning either! Have also attached a pic of the Bell, again the brickwork looks right but not the windows.

I've also attached a pic of the Ship but as pointed out, this has brick bays which are probably original.

I think the bike is bit of red herring, probably nothing to do with the jolly crew!

A very interesting challenge!!

[AdnamsGirl]

Hi Howard

Many thanks for posting the pictures .... at least it rules out some possibles. I don't think it is the Anchor - they certainly moored at the Anchor but it appears to have been painted white even back then ... at least the side that faced the river was.

If the Norfolk Pubs website has landlord names right, then nothing seems to match up with the name George Slaughter. I know that there were quite a few Slaughters living around the Horning area, but this might be another red herring!

I seem to spend so many hours playing detective and trying to pinpoint locations in old photographs! Many are blatently obvious, others are identified without too much difficulty, but when you have so little to go on (as in this case) it can be an almost impossible task. I may have to add it to my mystery page and hope that someone , somewhere will have a definative answer one day!

Carol

[Jupes]

Hi Carol

This thread has got so long, it may be worth re-posting the picture on each new page so peeps can find it easily....

[AdnamsGirl]

Bingo !!!!

Well ... I think so ! I have found a George Henry Slaughter listed as licensee of the Eagle at Neatishead on Norfolk Pubs. It lists him as being there from 1937, although the dates on there may be wrong?? I just haven't found a picture of the Eagle yet to confirm or reject. I will keep searching ...

http://www.norfolkpubs.co.uk/norfolkn/neatishead/neatet.htm

Carol

[AdnamsGirl]

The old Eagle now appears to be a holiday cottage ... link to website with photo below. It looks as though it has had bays fitted at the front, but probably a later addition. The top window configuration looks right as do the type of brick in the building. Just can't find an older photo of the place at the moment.

http://www.horton4.co.uk/cottages.htm

I think the 1937 might actually refer to when he left the pub rather than when he took over the license.

Carol

[NorfolkNog]

Hi Carol

I have a photo of the Eagle now its a private house not as good as a pub one, but the windows may be similar, I'll have a look.....

[NorfolkNog]

Lakesailored! Sorry Carol.

This is the recent one. The canopy bit on the front is new but the windows do look right and of course it fronts on to the road. Used to be a nice little pub, I remember going in.