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Farm Tavern, Farm Road
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| copyright © J.Middleton The Farm Tavern has a lovely new inn sign, which was photographed on 24 November 2014 |
According to the Evening Argus (19 December 1998) the building was in use as a dairy before it became a pub and because it was not designed as a pub there is no cellar. Even today beer has to be kept in a refrigerated room off the main bar.
In the 1854 Directory there were pubs or beer retailers entered under farm Road. However, Farm Tavern makes an appearance in the 1859 Directory with John Parker as the landlord and he was still there in 1875. But by 1885 B.Presland ran the pub. In the 1890s R. Ross was landlord followed by John Jackson in 1900.
John Jackson (1861-1931) was born
in Birmingham, his father following the trade of tool-maker. Jackson
took an early interest in football and played for Coventry Rovers as
a goal-keeper. However, his playing days were undistinguished, and he
is best remembered for his extensive experience as a trainer, and
also as a manager. He did not arrive in the Brighton area until 1898
where he was involved with Brighton United, bringing in some fine
players. Unfortunately, due to financial difficulties, United
collapsed in 1900, and in the same year Jackson became landlord of
the Farm Tavern.
Jackson’s
interest in local football did not diminish because he had gone into
the licensing trade, and
indeed in June 1901 he became Brighton & Hove Albion’s first
team manager. But his relationship with the team captain Frank McAvoy
soured after a furious row in December 1901. Quite what it was about
is not clear, and the two had a second set-to in February 1902 with
the result that Jackson fell to the ground after being hit by irate
Scotsman McAvoy, the latter being promptly fired. This was not the
end of the matter because in August McAvoy and Clem Baker, a former
player, turned up at the Farm
Tavern, looking
for Jackson, who fortunately was away in Lewes. But they terrified
his wife by telling her that they would be meeting him at the
station, and she would be fortunate if he were to be brought home
alive. The fractious duo were bound over to keep the peace. There was
an additional scandal in 1905 over certain payments, and Jackson was
obliged to leave the club. Not surprisingly, he also decided to move
away from Hove, and became landlord first of the Camden
Arms,
Kemp Street, and then the Running
Horse,
King Street, both in Brighton. When Jackson died, he was buried in
Brighton & Preston Cemetery, and it is sad to record that today
his grave is unmarked.
By 1905 H. Street was landlord. His stay was of a short duration too and S. H. Morton soon took over. Morton was there at least from 1910, he remained during the First World war and stayed until the 1920s. In 1925 William Boyles ran the premises and he was described as a beer retailer.
By 1930 Charles Hollick was landlord and he stayed during the Second World War and remained until 1947. Then followed some quick changeovers with James Coe being in charge in 1951, followed by Christopher Howard in 1954 and Frank Lawrence in 1958.
John Collier, a later landlord, died in 1985 from motor neurone disease. A charity cricket match was arranged between Farm Tavern and The Wick to raise money in Collier’s memory and this together with other donations amounted to £885, which was donated to the organisation researching into motor neurone disease.
Tamplin’s owned Farm Tavern from 1929 to 1931 but by the 1990s Beard’s Brewery were owners. This brewery was founded at Lewes in the 18th century and owned by the same family for two centuries. Their old building at Lewes was converted and named The Maltings and was the home of East Sussex Record Office until it moved to The Keep at Falmer. Twelve years ago there was still there was in Farm Tavern a long bench-like seat with back rest and arm rests at either end plus one in the middle. It could seat six people comfortably or eight at a push. On the back rest was carved into the wood the name ‘Beards’ and it appeared once on each side.
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| copyright © J.Middleton This view of the Farm Tavern was taken on 18 April 2014 and shows the previous inn sign, which might have made City types think of the Financial Times. |
In December 1998 it was stated that Gordon Jones took over Beard’s tenancy two and a half years ago. He had previously been manager of the Black Horse, Rottingdean for nine years.
In 1998 Farm Tavern was well-known for its large Yorkshire puddings served with a variety of fillings. The pub also appeared in the Good Beer Guide, one of the few pubs in Brighton and Hove to be included.
On the wall of the small lounge there hung a large portrait with an attached plate proclaiming the likeness to be of F. Taverner 1802-1870. But nobody seemed to know anything about him. There was a Mr Taverner who was a builder at Hove and had premises in Holland Road. But a visit to the pub in June 2001 revealed no sign of the portrait.
Farm Tavern is an interesting and comfortable pub, which has been refurbished and now has the obligatory stripped wood floor. There are reminders of past times with prints of old photographs and advertisements. The upstaits bar is full of character with old sash windows, a window seat, old floorboards and a peculiar wooden fitment behind the bar that is high, corniced and decorated with a mirror inset.
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| copyright © J.Middleton Farm Tavern has managed to keep its original name unchanged for 165 years, which makes it one of a select few at Hove. This photograph was taken on 18 April 2014. |
Argus
Carder,
T. & Harris, R. Albion
A-Z: A Who’s Who of Brighton & Hove Albion F. C. (1997)
DirectoriesEncyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade
North Laine
Runner (April/May
2020)
Copyright © J.Middleton 2014
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The Foragers see The Stirling Arms page
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The Freemasons Tavern, 39 Western Roadby Judy Middleton 2002 (revised 2014)
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| copyright © J.Middleton Freemasons’ Tavern can boast of having one of the most unusual pub frontages in the district. It was photographed on 16 May 2014. |
This pub has been in existence since at least the 1850s. It is not known why the name was chosen but there has long been a popular notion that Freemasons used to hold meetings upstairs. This was quite possible and belonging to the Freemasons became increasingly popular amongst the influential men of the neighbourhood. For example, Thomas Read Kemp, founder of Kemp Town, was a Freemason and so were mayors, artists, architects, landowners, businessmen, and interestingly enough, stalwarts from local breweries such as Smithers and Mews.
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| copyright © J.Middleton This close-up shows some of the extraordinary detail on the pub’s façade. The large Masonic sign of set-square and a pair of compasses is new – the previous one stated there were no funny handshakes here. |
Thomas Lindfield was landlord in 1854 and he was still there in 1861 when the census recorded he was aged 45 and his birthplace was Egham, Surrey. He lived with his wife Mary, 49, and their three sons Thomas 21, John 19 and seventeen-year old Edward. A barman and potboy lived on the premises too. It seems the eldest son was not interested in following his father’s footsteps because he was a clerk by trade. But the middle son John took over from his father and by 1871 he was managing the pub. He was then aged 29 and his wife Lucy was 33 while their son John was three years old.
By 1875 George Hounsell was landlord and he continued there until the 1890s.
On 2 March 1881 Police Constable Upfield entered the pub while he was still on duty. But he was found out and the punishment was a fine of ten shillings or a reduction to the rank of second-class constable for a month.
In 1891 George Hounsell, landlord, was described as a widower but there was a housekeeper plus one barmaid and one barman on the premises. It was unusual that in the space of some 40 years there were just three landlords but this changed after Hounsell’s departure.
In 1905 W. Hassell was running things, followed by George Frederick Chapman in 1910. Then Harold Betts arrived in around 1915 and remained until the 1920s. Frank Dickerson was the next landlord and he stayed until at least 1940.
It was during Dickerson’s tenure that the famous face-lift of Freemason’s Tavern took place. The Kemp Town Brewery was incorporated on 18 March 1933. The company was established to take over the going concern previously carried on by William Henry Abbey, Henry Robert Burrows and John Roland Abbey at their Brighton brewery. The alterations took place in the 1930s and Denman & Son were the architects employed on the project.
The entrance and upstairs restaurant were accented by being enclosed in a spectacular frame of mosaic work with blue and gold being the predominant colours. At the top in large letters ran the legend ‘Freemason’s Restaurant Kemp Town Brewery’. On either side appeared a Jewish star, which was also a Masonic symbol. Below each star an extraordinary creature was depicted with a fish-like head and a long body ending in a curved tail like a sea horse. The façade also included curved metal-framed windows and two bronze lamp-holders in the centre.
In September 1981 Brian Kent said he had been landlord of the Freemasons for 28 years and his family had been there for 60 years. He said ‘At the moment we are virtually fighting to keep the English pub alive.’ He objected to proposals to convert the old Brunswick Town Hall into a £2000,000 sporting club called Bretts, if it were to be granted a licence.
In 1984 Edward and Ishbel Daniel took over the pub and they were still there in August 1987. By January 1995 Josephine Ajay and Tony Owen were running the pub and it was stated regulars had raised £1,000 for charity through raffles and collections; the money was donated to Sussex Beacon and Coppercliff Hospice.
In the Evening Argus (15 March 2000) a letter was published complaining about an article in the paper printed on 8 March. Katherina said it did not sound like the same pub she frequented because the information used must be over two years old. For example, the upstairs restaurant had not been open for two years since Xavier, co-owner and sometime manager, took over. There was no food available at the bar, not even at Sunday lunchtime when there was once a roaring trade. There used to be a Happy Hour between 10.30 a.m. until lunchtime, when between fifteen and twenty local people were to be found on a regular basis. Now that had been stopped; Katherina called the move ‘myopic idiocy’. She commented that the pub now relied on a young night-time crowd and music was played at such a volume as to make a normal conversation impossible.
Perhaps the broadside had its effect. At any rate by November 2000 Tanya and Darcy Gander were running the pub and they favoured a gentler approach to revive trade. Moreover they were keen to return the pub to its full Art Deco glory, which meant restoring the mosaics as well as revamping the interior. They enlisted the help of designer Alan Phillips who featured in Grand Designs that aired on Channel 4. It helped that Mr Phillips used the pub as his local. The £150,000 work was due to start in September 2001. It was also hoped planning permission would be forthcoming for a two-storey extension at the back to contain ‘spectacular’ toilets, designed by Mr Phillips. Mr and Mrs Gander planned to create a cocktail bar and Chris Edwards, former manager of the Groucho Club, would be their cocktail adviser.
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| copyright © J.Middleton The pub stands on a corner site and this photograph shows the Brunswick Street West frontage |
Sources
Argus
Census Returns
Copyright © J.Middleton 2014
Directories
Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade
Copyright © J.Middleton 2014
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