Blunham: Pubs: The Oak

Blunham Pubs : The Oak

By Bill Exley


The Oak, c1914	Now - 91 High Street, 2001

The Oak Beerhouse - now 91, High Street, Blunham, Beds. U.K, used to be a big favourite with the land workers, along with others in the village, for all had their regulars. Beerhouses were all open most of the day, then later tougher drinking hours came into force. A Beerhouse is like a pub but No Bar, so granted an 'Alehouse Lic' by the local authorities. - The site is unchanged with the passing of time, it's past can easily be recalled , the weathered space where the old sign was fixed can still be made out. Today it has a small plaque near the door - 'The Old Oak' - so preserving our Bunham History, in the same way as plaques today at 5, High Street -The Ragged Staff and later The Queens Head, then at 12, The Hill with a plaqque The Old Post Office and - 2, High Street, in the square / The Ovens, a bygone Bakery. it bears a plaque dated 1699 on the cottage wall.

Bygones - during the early 1980's, when my project was just bits in note form, a yarn was related to me by a jovial village character, who said late one summer afternoon, many years ago, a local woman stormed into The Oak and threw a plated dinner over one of the drinkers, shouting "here's your dinner" and stormed out fuming. Note the Horse, above, waiting patiently for his driver, then take him home, on it's own - The drinker's wife could wait no more, so made her own point.

A Beerhouse or Alehouse - for the origin see my ref.12 via link to Misc & Mash' & Trivia

*Landlords & Tenants*
Thomas Winters - buys The Oak for £100 - and granted the 1st. Licence	1849-1872
George Thomas - and now Simpsons of Baldock - Brewers	1872-1884
Thomas Winters - as records show , (again - Son ?	)1884-1899
Arthur James Nears - Also recalled as 'The Generous Briton' by locals during my researches in th 1980's, - but unverified to date.	1899-1901
Charles Gamer	1901-1903
Geo. Battle (a one armed man)	1903-1907
Now a Blunham Population of 603* - Served by the 8 Pubs in -*	1909
Geo. Henry Davey . now called The Oak, beerhouse record unproven,	1907-1910
Thom Stevens, now we have Wells & Winch / Brewers	1910-1914
Archibald and May Hull	1914-1924
Hector Rawlins	1924-1928
Annie & Harry - Henry Lovell - with daughter Betty - (born, Sheffield 1920)	1928-1958
Annie Lovell - widow	1957-1958
The Oak now calls - "Last orders please" and closes down	15/9/1958

Mr Mrs Jack White (nee Lovell) - later they move into a large red bricked house he had built for them, along the High Street and opposite The Salutation Pub	c1984

MORE MISC, or FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Old Oak Tree and the Tree of Knowledge, it can Live to over 1,200 to 1,500 years

Or : - A little known fact, - Origin , a 'Mastermind' T.V. Prog, question (2/6/2022) : - re . Hedy Lamarr a Film Actress of the early Black and White film days, (c1930s / 40s) , and Samson and Delilah in 1949 . . Suprisingly, was also an Inventor and responsible for the 'Frequency-hopping / Spread-Spectrum' technology as used today. (she was b. in Austria 1914 & d. in Oct. 2000 at 85 yrs old) - It is now used within C.D.M.A. : Bluetooth, : Wi-Fi and our G.P.S. systems, and she holds 49% of the Patent. She had become interested in Torpedoes. and their Guidance Systems and detection in use. So working with the composer Geo. Antheil, they came up with a 'Freqency- Hopping / Changing' idea to make any enemy Jamming harder to repeat, or maintain.
We see that America had turned all her ideas down until the mid 1960's , now in 2014 her Induction into The National Inventors Hall of Fame takes place. - * - Just one of those interesting, unusual or irrelevant Facts out there - For more refs to her background / origin, with other 'Snippets' visit - Ref 16 within my Misc & Mash - fm 1903 to Date : - 18/09 / 2022 / Mr Blex
Or : - 'The Likely Lads' - Origin , the term is from the Tyneside area in the N.E. of England, meaning 'he's got Potential ' - aso a Boxing term. - : 'The Likely Lads' was also a popular T.V. show starring Rodney Bewes as Bob Ferris and James Bolam as Terry Collier. It was written by Ian La Frenais and Dick Clements, being aired over 18 episodes by the B.B.C. in 3 series during 1964 to '66. - with Humour around Home Lives or the work place.
In the early 1900's child labour was quite common, a Foreman would walk down a line of eager 10 to 15 yr olds and pick out healthy, strong looking lads to work in - Cotton Mills, a dangerous job crawling obout under the huge noisy Looms , Factories or down a Coal Mine alongside the men. He would say "he's a Likely Lad" . - Most of them taken on were enthralled / proud to be working with the men, doing any small jobs, as an 'equal'.
My Father, Luke (b. 13/8/1903) - was down a Coal Mine at 13 yrs of age - ( record to hand - Factories & Workshop Act form of 1901 ) - Records show he was at Monk Bretton Pit, in Barnsley, S. Yorkshire on menial jobs below. This was due to 'his' Father's Strict Yorkshire Dogma , - "He can work for his keep in the house now " , he was signed up at 12yrs old on the 2/08/1916. ! - (so eager) - this then authorised his lawful Schooling Excemption.

Answers to Misc & Mash - (Ref 14) , there are only Two errors, -Sentence and Mistake / the 'Third' error is the word Three, it should read Two . - . Ans / 2 - of (Ref 14) - A 'Dado Rail' is about 3 feet or a metre off the floor, on the wall all around the room. It protects expensive Victorian or Edwardian thick, embossed wallpaper from damage, scuffs or dents with heavy Dining Chairs being pushed back.
Ans. 3 - (item 5 )St Stephen's Tower - in Westminste, London - is the home of the bell - ' Big Ben ' or The Tower with five names - / Big Ben, / The Clock Tower, / The East Tower, / St Stephen's and from 2012 - Elizabeth Tower. . . (ref 5 / Misc & Mash)
Ans. 4 - (item 6) , Pandora's Box : Ref . Greek Myth : The answers are varied such as , Hope, - without it you have Nothing left ! . The popular answer is 'The Evils of the World' , Horror or Problems & Woe etc. - but the 'Hope here can be Insidious', (false, lying and misleading) . - ref. / see my Misc & Mash and item - 6.

Last Revision made this day by Bill Exley on - 5th Mar -2024

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