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The following
information was kindly supplied by Clive Webb, see following web site:-
http://nonnington.co.uk/
The Royal Oak, in the Drove, lower Holt Street, sometimes Old Street, Nonington.
"The Royal Oak" is now the only public house in the modern parish of Nonington
and the most recently licensed of the alehouses that could once be found in the
parish of Nonington.
William Wanstall junior had been the last licensee of "The Hawks Head", formerly
"The White Horse", over the hill from the Drove, as lower Holt Street is still
known, next to the church in what was then part of Church Street, now Pinners
Lane. This alehouse had closed in March, 1832, and it was not until the yearly
Wingham licensing sessions in September, 1832, that he was given a licence for
the newly built "Royal Oak".
Alehouses at this time opened at six o’clock in the morning and closed at ten
o’clock at night. With the granting of the licence he became liable to pay the
Parish Poor Rate on the premises which were owned by J. P. Plumptre, Esq., of
Fredville. Wanstall's father, William Wanstall senior, was the Parish Clerk in
the mid-1830’s and was for many years listed in parish records as a shoemaker
and cordwainer initially with a house and shop premises in Easole Street but
later moving to premises in the Drove now known as now the Old Post Office which
adjoin the southern end of the present pub garden.
"The Royal Oak" became the venue for the fortnightly meetings of the Parish
Vestry, an early form of the Parish Council but with much more responsibility
for parish affairs, which had for many years, until its closure, previously met
in “The Hawks Head”. These meetings normally began at “eleven of the clock in
the forenoon” and decided on such important matters as raising revenue through
parish rates for the administration of the Poor Laws and the maintenance of the
roads within the parish.
William Wanstall was followed by John Hopper, who had previously been the
landlord of "The Redd Lyon" at Frogham which was also owned by the Fredville
estate, became licensee of "The Royal Oak" on November 1st, 1836.
The next landlord of the premises was John Nash, who took over in 1845. In
addition to being the pub landlord he was also the receiver of mail as the “Oak”
was not just an alehouse and public meeting place but also served for a time as
the parish post office. Prior to its closure “The Hawks Head” would have
fulfilled this function. The landlord of the "Oak" served as the local post
master during the 1840’s and 50’s until other premises came into use. John
Nash's widow, Harriet, took over as licensee on his death in 1855 and ran the
pub until handing over to Leonard Woodruff in 1870. He in turn was followed on
his death by his widow Fanny Charlotte Woodruffe.
In his memoirs taken down 1936 by Dr. Hardman, a local historian, Richard Jarvis
Arnold, born in the parish and resident there in the 1880’s and 1890’s recalls:
“The public houses were the Royal Oak (here Dr. Hardman noted that the pub had
"Since been rebuilt") kept by Woodruff and the Walnut Tree beer house kept by
Sheaf”. This note by Dr. Harman indicates that the "Oak" underwent alterations
at some time from the late 1890’s to the early 1930’s when the memoirs were
taken down. These must have been mainly internal as the building appears to have
retained its original external features including windows and doors. In January
1987 the ground floor interior underwent extensive alterations, with the unusual
horse-shoe shaped bar installed during the previous alterations being replaced.
In 1876 the widowed Fanny Woodruffe married James Stow who became the new
landlord and continuing as such until his death in
1896 when the again widowed Fanny Charlotte Stow held the licence in her own
right for the second time until giving it up in 1899, the
new landlord being William Henry Sayer.
In 1918 a cycle repair and taxi service was opened in stable buildings to the
rear of the pub by W. Sayers, the land lords nephew. When the business expanded
to include motor vehicle repairs and fuel sales he moved it to the present
garage premises in Holt Street in 1926, previously a laundry, where he continued
to run the business until he was succeeded on his retirement in 1948 by his
nephews, Charles and Arthur Betts. Since Arthur’s retirement the business has
been run by his son, Terry.
Subsequent landlords included Arthur Balcombe, landlord during the Second World
War and who's daughter, Margaret, married my uncle, Frank Webb. Reg Deal and Reg
Reynolds, who's daughter Coralie still lives in the parish, were landlords
during the 1950's followed by Tony Usher and Nick Larsen during the 1960's with
Nick leaving in 1975 to be followed various managers who included Nigel Turnbull
and John Nicholson. Roy Faye became licensee at the end of the 1970's with Peter
Addis, since retired, taking over from him in 1988.
Until the early 1960’s the ‘Oak’ also had a tea garden, serving teas to
cricketers and the general public in a building at the end of the garden. For
many years it was the ‘local’ for students at the nearby Nonington College of
Physical Education until its unfortunate closure in the mid-1980’s.
Over the years the pub was leased by various brewers including; Gardeners Ash of
nearby Ash, Thompson & Wootton and Whitbread, who eventually returned the lease
to the Fredville estate so that the "Oak" is now a "free house".
As in every other parish in the country there were also beer houses in
Nonington. These were small premises, often someone's kitchen, where beer was
sold for consumption off of the premises. Water supplies were often not safe to
drink so "small beer", low in alcohol, was drunk instead.
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Owned by John H Plumptre