Blunham: Pubs: The Oak

Blunham Pubs : The Oak

By Bill Exley


The Oak, c1914	91 High Street, 2001

The Oak - was a Beerhouse and now 91, High Street today. It used to be a favourite with the land workers, along with others in the village, for all had their regulars. They were all open most of the day, then later tougher drinking hours came into force. A Beerhouse, like a pub but No Bar, was granted an 'Alehouse Lic' by the 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 a part of our Bunham history, in the same way as plaques at - 5, High street / The Ragged Staff and 12, The Hill / The Old Post Office,

Bygones - during the early 1980's, when my project was just bits in note form, a yarn was related to me by a village character, who said late one summer afternoon, 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 !

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

*Landlords & Tenants*
Thomas Winters - buys The Oak for £100 - and also 1st. Licence	1849-1872
George Thomas, - 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 The Oak , name change 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	1957-1958
The Oak now calls - "Last orders please" and closes down , then we have : >	15/9/1958

Mr and Mrs Jack White (nee Lovell) - Later on they move into a Large red bricked house he had built for them, further along the High Street., opp. The Salutation Pub.	c1984

MISC, OR FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Old Oak Tree, or 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 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 ' - Also 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. - Humour around Home lives or Work .
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 old - ( record to hand - Factories & Workshop Act form of 1901 ) - at Monk Bretton Pit, in Barnsley, S. Yorkshire. This was due to 'his' Father's strict Yorkshire Dogma., -"He can now work for his keep" , he was signed up at 12yrs old on the 2/08/1-1916 ! This then authorised his Schooling Excemption.

Last Revision made by Bill Exley on - / - 19th Sept -2022

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