BEXLEY PUB SIGNS – Signs of the times? Am I alone in thinking?...
I mustn't grumble, but...
When I was a lad, pub signs actually meant something...
They had style.
They had substance.
They had heraldic significance.
They had ‘bottom’ .
Now, I confess: the Royal Oak makes my sap rise, I drool over William Camden, and am deeply smitten by both the Jolly Millers and the Miller's Arms… (I suspect that the same artiste may have been responsible for both?). The sight of the Duke of Wellington or a glimpse at a Prince Albert certainly get my juices flowing….The One Bell definitely chimes with me, and The Royal Standard is very fine… But as for some of the others, well…
(Do you know, dear reader, I can scarcely bring myself to write down the dread name of one particular hostelry; the very memory of its heinous infamy makes me shudder...I shall have to use code here: XXXXXXX XXXXXX)
Whilst on my various peregrinations around our fair Borough I am constantly struck by the disparity between noble pub signs of distinction and, well, the rest.Are they post-modern?
Are they trendy?
Are they chi-chi?
Or are they, in the words of our greatest philosopher-historians "just rubbish?"...
You decide, dear readers. Have you a favourite?.. But as for me, I shall remain resolutely in favour Ye Olde Pubbe Sign … (And, while you're deciding, dear readers, don't forget that our splendid Local Studies & Archives Centre might just be able to help you further your researches...sadly, however, they do not serve pints of warm mild or pickled eggs)... Ah well.
Let's hear your voice on this one. What are YOUR Bexley's best signs?
TTFN, topers!
14 comments:
Do you have a favourite Royal Oak? Do you know that there is one colloquially called The Polly Clean Stairs?
Thanks, Terri…
Well, it’s the Royal Oak sign in North ‘Heath that first caught my eye, but I know that the `Polly Clean Stairs` has a very unusual nomenclature… Anyone able to enlighten our readers further?....
It is said that there were stone steps which Polly scrubbed daily and determinedly, so that they were white in colour.
People do seem to get quite attached to their pub names. I do indeed recall the outrage that arose when the 'Bear and Ragged Staff' in Crayford was once briefly renamed... As it would probably cause the Blogbrarian to hop from foot-to-foot in fury I'll avoid mentioning it's temporary title here!
Thank-you re Polly Clean Stairs.
So now we know!
ttfn
For more information on "Polly Clean-Stairs" (but no definitive explanantion I am afraid) please see one of Local Studies Local History Notes
http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10412
Jes
Many thanks for these comments and informative sources of information – (a very useful link, by the way).
And yes, how right you are…pub names, histories & signs are very important to their local communities – how splendid it is for the Blogbrarian to see ‘The Bear & Ragged Staff’ sign reinstated to its former glory…
TTFN
Crook Log doesn't paint a picture for me! Its a pub and an area of Bexley but where does such a daft name originate? Incidently whilst in the Crook Log one lunchtime with friends I saw the pubs ghost! It really does have one. I wonder if anyone else has seen it or knows a pub sign that reflects its notorius past etc.
Thanks for this…
No, I`m not sure about the origin of ‘Crook Log’ either…I`ll get my “research team” onto it.
Hey, to change the subject though…passing through Crayford recently, I could only marvel at the `Bear & Ragged Staff`…now, that’s what I call a pub sign! Metal, heraldic, and rather splendid.
(I was, however, a little concerned about the ‘Duke’s Head’….Is it me, or is Wellington wearing lipstick?...)
Ttfn
Once again Local Studies has the answer!
See:
http://www.bexley.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=10370
for a list of the origins of many of Bexley's street names which include the fact that Crook Log was so named "From a dead tree with a curious bend, that once stood on the site"
I love pub names with a story from the local past.
For example, The Princess Alice at Thamesmead named after the biggest disaster ever on the Thames when 'Princess Alice' collided with the 'Bywell castle' off Crossness in 1878. Apparently, the passengers and crew all died not from drowning but after consuming the filthy infested waters. Sadly, about 650 perished.
However, I do like the good old traditional names of pubs such as the Red Lion, Green Lion and King's/Queen's head and should there be a beer garden you will find me with good company with a pint of English bitter and a ploughman's lunch !
Many thanks, Billy…Wise words indeed.
(I particularly liked your juxtaposition of the phrase “filthy infested waters” with a description of a pub, whilst avoiding any offence!)
I`ve not seen the sign for the Princess Alice…I must take a look.
Hey, but I did see some good ‘uns in Belvedere recently…The Prince of Wales (painted) and the Eardley Arms (plaster/3D). Both very fine works of art. Not too sure about the picture on The Fox, though…Disney-ish?
TTFN
My favourite pub sign isn't in Bexley, unfortunately. I came across it while walking somewhere in the wilds of Kent. As we approached the pub I could just see the name "The Rising Sun" as I got closer I could see the sign, white background, red rising sun with a couple of Japanese WWII single seater fighter planes on it. Most unusual, but a lovely pub.
Can I recommend an unusual detective story that features an amazing number of London pubs with strange names...listed at the back. It's The Victoria vanishes by Christopher Fowler featuring two detectives called Bryant and May. Imagine 'New Tricks' meets the Moving Toyshop and you have them
Mary
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