I can see the pub from here #310 - Bawburgh
This is the 310th in the series of caches set out to celebrate that wonderful Great British establishment, the pub.
Our pub has been an asset to the village of Bawburgh for more than 200 years, when a Mr. Hart, after whom the Lane was named where the pub is situated, let the property, which had been built 180 years before (that is in 1602), as a pub, and named . Edward I (1272-1307), was used on the pub sign, when the pub was under tenants Billie Johnson and Billie Howlett (from the 1930s through to the 1950s). The cottages on the road (right) were lived in separately. The big conglomerate owners closed the only remaining hostelry in Bawburgh in 1975 - much to the consternation of the village. Sadly, the property was boarded up, having been a vibrant part of the village, since 1784.
The oldest section of the building which houses our pub dates from the start of the 17th century and, unsurprisingly, is Grade II listed. However, for the first two centuries of its existence the building would have been a private residence as it did not become a licensed premises until 1800.
The pub’s first tie was to a Wymondham brewer ,which lasted until 1894 when a Norwich brewer, bought them out together with around a hundred tied houses of which our pub was one. The pub then began to sell the Norwich brewers ales, a situation which lasted until after the middle of the 20th century when, in 1961, this brewer went into voluntary liquidation to facilitate the takeover by W***** M*** a few years later. As an interim situation our pub was run by another until 1964 when the takeover of all the Norwich brewers by W***** M*** was completed.
W***** M*** kept the pub running for a few more years but in 1975 decided to call time, with the pub pouring what was thought to be its last pint on the 4th November.
Thankfully, this was not to be as, after remaining closed for around a year, our pub was reopened in time for Christmas as a free house, something that was relatively rare at the time but more than welcome.
If you would like to help expand the series by placing your own cache please click the link below
'I can see the pub from here'
