Above postcard, date unknown.

Above photo, date circa pre 1888, courtesy of the Horsmorden History Society. Possibly showing licensee John Pilbeam and family.

Above photo, pre 1970, courtesy of the Horsmorden History Society.

From an email received 17 May 2022.

Hi Paul, I have been in touch with Jo Manser who owns the building of the former “Engineer” pub, and she has some background on the pub....

We don’t know when our home dates back to, we suspect Tudor times as it’s a similar age to ‘Wolsey Place’ (across the field from us) which is reputed to have been Cardinal Wolsey’s hunting Lodge.

The Old Engineer was originally two cottages which were combined when it became a beer house in the 19th Century; in 1896 it was bought by a brewery and was named ‘The Engineer’, it continued to be a pub until 1970. The Engineer’s regulars were mainly local agricultural workers; it even had its own Football team. At Hop picking time it was popular with families who’d come down in lorries from London to pick the hop harvest as a much loved break from city life.

During WW2 a German plane was shot down close to The Engineer, there are tales of the pilot being taken to the pub by locals and given a pint of beer.

In 1970 it was converted for residential use, the previous owners to us moved in and called it ‘Mirembe’ (they had previously lived in Africa). In 1987 the building was grade II listed. We bought and renovated our home in 2013 (little had changed since the conversion in 1970). We also decided to change the name back to ‘The Old Engineer’ as a mark of respect for its history.

She also attached some photos.

The photo of the woman on a motorcycle is of “Maggie Gray and Johnnie Roe with Albert Bradshaw in the background outside The Engineers in Collier Street, Kent, which was the nearest pub to Highwood‟s Farm (also known as Crow Plain Farm)”. It is noted as been supplied courtesy of the Horsmorden History Society.

Andy Donkin.

From an email received, 2 August 2022.

My father Cecil James Savage was the licensee until the pub closed and became a private house.

My parents gave up the pub in 1970 once the hop pickers were largely replaced by machines it became unviable.

The hop picking season was incredibly busy and subsidised the pub for the rest of the year.

My father grew superb soft fruit and vegetables and these were sold over the counter and the balance sent to Covent Garden on a daily basis during the season.

The neighbours were Earnest Roots and his sister Daisy ( can you believe Daisy Roots)?

David Savage.

My Great-great grandfather died in 1888 John Pilbeam, and ran the "Blue Boys Inn" Kippling Cross before that he ran the "Castle Inn" in Brenchley. His wife left the "Blue boys" and ran the "Engineer Inn" with some of the family.

Regards,

Mike Koz.