Pubs of Chaddesley Corbett Worcestershire

includes Drayton and Harvington

Time to put your boots on. Or oil the bike chain. Walking or cycling is the best way to enjoy the area around Chaddesley Corbett. If you simply turned up in the car, had a quick look at the main street before heading off you'd miss out on much of the village, its surrounding hamlets and all the tiny interlinking lanes, all of which are a delight. Chaddesley Corbett is located between Kidderminster and Bromsgrove. The old parish was extensive and covered some fifteen square miles. In recent years, a flint tool once used to cut and shape arrows was found near the village of Chaddesley Corbett. Archaeologists have dated this tool and it is thought to originate from between 2000 to 5000BC. Further proof of early settlement can be found at a prehistoric burial mound at nearby Barrow Hill. There was certainly some form of Roman settlement here as pottery and coins have been found over the years. The course of a Roman road connecting Droitwich and Shrewsbury passed between Chaddesley Corbett and Tanwood.

The earliest documentary evidence of today's village is in a Saxon charter dated 816AD in which King Coenwulf of Mercia granted land and privileges to Bishop Denibert of the Priory of Worcester. The name of the village in this document is Ceadesleaghe and, again, is of Saxon origin and means 'The clearance belonging to Ceadda.' This latter word is thought to be a corruption of the Celtic word 'cader' or hill-fort. At the time of the Domesday survey in 1086, the manor of Chaddesley was held by a Saxon lady called Eddeve. The name is the Norman form of Algyth and, consequently, some historians argue that she was the widowed Queen of Harold. Certainly, under William the Conqueror, she was allowed to retain the land undisturbed. However, after her death the manor passed to the Crown and, under the Earl of Gloucester, was held by the Folliott family. It was towards the end of the 12th century that, Hawise, an heiress to the estate, married Sir Roger Corbet and Chaddesley was subsequently overseen by the family for the next two hundred years. It was during this period that the family's name was added to the settlement's title.

Three members of the Corbet family, a dynasty of knightly rank in the Norman Pay de Caux, fought at the Battle of Hastings. The senior figure was styled Hugo le Corbet and his sons Roger and Robert were formerly known by the name FitzCorbet. They all served Roger Montgomery for which they were rewarded lands in the Upper Severn Valley. The family's Norman origins were probably instrumental in the development of four vineyards in the manor of Chaddesley Corbett. These were recorded in an inquest held in 1290 following the death of Sir Roger Corbet. It is not clear whether the local inhabitants concentrated their efforts in this field rather than the production of ale. There were however two mills in the manor. These were probably located on the Barnet Brook and at a spot known as 'Roaring Brook'. So where did the Corbet's hang out? The manor house stood between the village and Lower Chaddesley but fell into decay during Tudor times. It is unclear to what extent the Corbett's were responsible for the rebuilding of the church during the 12th century but they were certainly responsible for the highly-praised 14th century chancel.

Chaddesley passed into the estate of the Beauchamp family of Warwick in the mid-14th century and there is some evidence to suggest they attempted to elevate the village into a market town. Ownership of Chaddesley changed again in the early 15th century when the Earl of Warwick gave the village and part of the manor to St.Mary's Collegiate Church. A map from their stewardship was produced by James Fish in 1697 and many of the house's boundaries remain the same today which demonstrates great continuity. In fact, Warwick's St.Mary's Church still owns some houses in Chaddesley Corbett, including The Swan public house. The Pakington family bought the estate of Chaddesley in 1529 and, because of the dilapidated state of the Manor House, they moved into the moated manor house of Harvington Hall. Agriculture formed the basis of Chaddesley Corbett's economy and the farmers here were quite innovative. Part of an early irrigation scheme can still be found nearby. The expertise was collected by Chaddesley-born, John Broad, who published 'The Worcestershire Farmer or Young Farmers Guide' in 1778. The industrial revolution offered more diverse employment opportunities - the saw mills at nearby Cakebole are thought to be the first steam-powered mills in the county and a carpet factory emerged at Hill Pool which was also in the parish.

An excellent booklet detailing the village's history and buildings has been published by the local history society. You can buy this and a corresponding book on St.Cassian's inside the church. The booklet provides information on most of the buildings in the main street a few of which I will highlight here. The main street is a treasure of old buildings the oldest of which date from the 15th century. Here you will find a diverse collection of architectural styles in a street Nikolaus Pevsner once called 'one of the most attractive in the county.' The name of Tudor House may be slightly amiss but was once a substantial timber house. The rear of the building is much older than the frontage which dates from the mid-18th century. The building, with ogee headings on the gables and Venetian Gothic windows, was probably red brick at some time but stucco has been added since. The Golden Lion at Bromsgrove was of a very similar design. The house was once owned by James Rose who was the architect of the tower and spire of St.Cassian's. However, the house has traditionally been the home of the village doctors.

It is not clear whether Dr.Thomas Attwood lived at Tudor House but he certainly once practised in the village. He achieved some notoriety as an occultist and is believed to have treated Dr. Samuel Johnson as a child. In 1901 the house was the home of Frederick Fitch. The 78 year-old retired surgeon was born in Queenstown, Ireland. On the corner of Fisher's Lane and opposite the Swan public house is the old Malt House. Records of this timber-framed building can be traced back to the 16th century. However, it was burned down in the 18th century and had to be rebuilt by Sir Robert Throckmorton. The present shop window dates from around the 1960's but the building has seen many uses over the centuries. For many years it was a malthouse but some of the older villagers have fond memories of it being a cycle shop up until the Second World War. The Old Malthouse has even been used as a youth hostel. The adjacent Georgian house next door was probably built as a result of the fire here but it marked the introduction of classical architecture to this part of the village. You'll notice that the end walls project above the roof line which was a fashion attributed to London building regulations of that period.

A little further along the road are Batch Cottages. Nikolaus Pevsner described these as 'the best timber-framed cottages in the street.' The name Batch relates to a stream or valley. It is thought that part of the cottages date from the 16th century. In the early years of the twentieth century they formed seven individual cottages but, although the frontages remain the same, they have now been converted into four houses. Just down the road is the old workhouse of the village. Harkaway House dates from 1795 but was largely rebuilt in the 1960's. It was used as a workhouse until 1838 when it's role was taken by the Union workhouse in Blakebrook, Kidderminster. There is much of interest down by the church. On the opposite side of the road is the old vicarage of Hunter's Ride, the Victorian Police Station, and the Charity Houses built in 1812. Lychgate House is a superb but curious example of Georgian architecture. Part of the structure is a remnant of an older building which at one time was a pub called The Bell. Recent excavations have unearthed the foundations of an old skittle alley.

Close to the rear of Lychgate House and standing in the churchyard of St.Cassian's is the old schoolhouse. This charming red brick structure was built in 1894 with what would have been retro windows at the time. A map dated 1745 shows a previous school, a gift of William Newman and first mentioned in 1500. of The churchyard itself lends to a pleasant perambulation around the church and offers views of Lodge Farm behind. This timber-framed building received a facelift in the Georgian period. The oldest part of St.Cassian's Church dates from the 12th century though much of what you see from outside dates from the 18th and 19th centuries. The tower and recessed spire was rebuilt in 1778 by James Rose. The church was restored in the 1860's during which the interior was greatly altered. The church is something of a rarity because it is open most of the time which allows visitors to Chaddesley Corbett to see its collection of monuments.

The cross-legged knight in the south aisle of the nave is thought to be of Roger Corbet II, Lord of the Manor, who died in 1290. The crossed legs are a sign that he served under Richard Cœur de Lion in the Crusades. The other effigy is of a priest and dates from approximately the same period. It is thought that this is another Roger Corbett, rector of Chaddesley in 1306. The font is notable in that it is the work of the Hereford School of Norman Carvers and dates from around 1160. Highly decorated, it has intricate stonework. In the chancel there is the Forest Brass. It is of Thomas and Margaret Forest who expressed a wish to be buried "afore the hye Rode (rood)." He died in 1511 and the brass, although having suffered some damage over the years, survives reasonably intact. However, part of the original inscription has been lost. It is thought that a church existed on this site since the days of Godiva. The Corbet family were responsible for much construction, including the south side of the nave, the chancel and north chapel.

The restoration of the building took place in 1864 and was the work of William Butterfield who later built Keble College in Oxford. An interesting name that also crops up during the Victorian period is that of William Perrins - the man of Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce fame. As benefactor, he presented the stained glass in the east window. William Perrins lived in the parish of Chaddesley at this time. St.Cassian's is certainly one of the most interesting churches in this part of the county. In the field opposite the church and across the main road it is possible to see the earthworks of the fishponds of the old Manor House. Further up the road towards Redcross is the entrance to Brockencote Hall. It is now used as a hotel so you can wander up the drive to look at the house. It looks much older than it actually is though the doorcase has been recycled from an earlier structure. There is a restored dovecote in the grounds next to the large pond.

It was Humfrey Pakington who moved the manorial seat to Harvington Hall. His father John had allowed the old manor house to fall into decay so he initiated a major rebuilding and expansion programme to the property one mile to the west of Chaddesley. Occupied by 1595, the house has had quite a turbulent history. Elizabeth Holt, daughter of Sir Thomas Holt, took refuge here when their family home at Aston Hall was occupied by the Roundheads. Indeed, she died here and her memorial can be found at the church in the St.Nicholas Chapel. Following the restoration, Lady Mary Yate (nee Pakington) fell foul of the authorities for remaining true to her Catholic faith. She gave shelter to many Catholic priests and, in particular, to Father Wall. He was eventually caught at nearby Rushock Court and became the last Catholic martyr in England. Following Lady Mary's death in 1696, the estate passed by marriage by the Throckmorton family of Coughton Court near Alcester. During the 19th century they stripped the house of furniture, panelling and even the staircase which are all to be found at Coughton.

However, despite the Throckmorton vandalism and, following the restoration of the building, the Harvington Hall is still one of the best glimpses into Elizabethan times. The house still has many of the original wall paintings. The priest holes are ingenious and the work of Nicholas (alias Little John) Owen, who in 1606, was arrested at Hindlip House near Worcester and tortured to death in the Tower of London. Of interest to beer devotees is that one of the outbuildings of Harvington Hall was used as a malthouse - not surprising really as one of the few safe drinks of the day was a pint of beer! The squire of Harvington Hall would have devoted part of the agricultural land surrounding the building to grow the ingredients, thus producing genuine homebrewed ale that was both cheap and tax free! But what of drinking in the village? A presentment dated 1606 records just twenty dwelling houses in Chaddesley Corbett, eight of which were alehouses. It sounds like a great ratio to me. The village was then a place of ill repute where there was frequent drunkenness, cutting of purses, prostitution..... and even murder. If you were looking for a lively night out in the 17th century then Chaddesley Corbett was just the place. Quarter Sessions Papers of 1634 reported...'there are none that sell ale without a licence' - official permits first introduced during the reign of Edward VI in 1552.
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Licensees of The Bell

The Bell is one of the long-lost alehouses of Chaddesley Corbett. Part of the old boozer exists and it forms part of Lychgate House. This superb but curious example of Georgian architecture utilised part of The Bell when it was fashioned in the late 18th century. At the time of the 1871 census Lychgate House was occupied by 68 year-old Elizabeth Court, a widow of a retired chemist. The pub's name reflected its close proximity to St.Cassian's Church. Certainly, there is a religious connection because, historically, bells featuring on pub signs usually refer to both church bells and hand bells. So if you spot a Bell pub sign you will - like here at Chaddesley Corbett - usually see a church nearby. In earlier times, it was thought that the sound of bells could protect the listener during a lightning or thunder storm. The bells of St.Cassian's have increased over the years. The original peal of six were cast by Abraham Rudhall in 1701. Charles and John Rudhall augmented these in 1783. Cast by C.G.Mears, two bells were added in 1856.

The three Rudhall's bells bear the inscriptions "I sweetly sing when you do ring", "We all do ring God save the King" and "God prosper the church and parish". The bells were re-hung on ball bearings in 1967 and again in 2000.
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Licensees of the Dog Inn c1800 - Thomas Bayliss 1841 - 1854 William Bayliss 1854 - 1871 George Price 1871 - 1877 Thomas Brinsford 1877 - 1891 Edmund Williams 1891 - 1904 Elizabeth Jefferies 1904 - 1906 Brierley H. Jefferies 1906 - 1912 Thomas Francis Tandy 1912 - 1916 Edward Davies 1916 - 1933 Percival Collins 1933 - 1936 Frederick A. Bendall 1936 - 1938 Charles Adrian Endsor 1938 - 1941 Wilfred John Harper 1941 - 1946 Kathleen Janet Harper 1946 - 1950 Wilfred John Harper 1950 - 1953 John Thomas Reece 1953 - 1959 Trevor Douglas Hides 1959 - 1979 William Edward Brosnan 1979 - 1981 Raymond Charles Brown 1981 - 1981 David James Davies 1981 - 1991 Roger Philip Denton 1991 - 1991 Michael White and John Beard 1991 - 1992 Michael Harry White 1992 - 1994 Michael White-John Beard 1994 - 1995 Jason Clark 1995 - 1997 Bob and Teresa Pilkington 1997 - 2000 Charles Palmer

At the turn of the new millennium this old wayside inn at Harvington was operated by Peacock Inns. This small pub company formerly owned the highly successful Peacock Inn at Forhill. They sold the latter to Scottish and Newcastle and invested in the leases of four country pubs with the intention of replicating their winning formula in different locations. These were The Talbot at Belbroughton, The Punchbowl at Lapworth, The Falcon Inn at Hatton and, of course, here at Harvington - The Dog. For a number of years the Dog Inn was known as the Talbot Inn. This was in honour of Elizabeth Lady Lisle. A Talbot by birth, she was the Lady of the Manor of Chaddesley Corbett in the late 16th century. The Dog Inn is the only wayside inn to have been recorded in the hamlet of Harvington. Maltster, brewer and victualler, Thomas Bayliss held the licence during the early 1800's. Following his death in the 1830's, his widow, Sarah, and children William and Mary, carried on the business. Nicknamed The Dog, the Talbot Inn was a homebrew house.

Taking over the licence in 1841, William Bayliss brewed the popular ales of the period. The beer made would have met the demands of both local farmers and the tradesmen and travellers from the industrialised towns. The latter drank a dark strong mild but would have encountered a lighter brew here in keeping with this part of the county's beer-making heritage. Enjoying inn status, The Talbot was allowed to remain open as long as a bed was empty and the pub offered both basic accommodation, food and stabling to the lawful traveller. This was once a busy trade route so the hours worked by William Bayliss and his wife, Mary, would have been very long. They held the licence of the pub until retirement in 1854 when Upton-born widower, George Price, became the new landlord.

George Price was also a victualler and maltster. Born in 1814 in the village of Upton Warren, he was a widower by 1861 when he kept the Talbot Inn with his Stourport-born niece Emila Brown. Living on the premises were his young children Edward and Ann. George Price remained at the pub until 1871 when Thomas Brinsford arrived with his family. By this time the pub had changed its name to the Dog Inn. Licensed Victualler Thomas Brinsford was born in Stourbridge in 1836. His wife Ann hailed from Halesowen. However, their daughter Elizabeth was born in Crewe in 1867 so the couple had moved around. The couple later moved to Malvern where Thomas worked as a gardener. They moved again in the 1880's when he was appointed gardener at Stourbridge Grammar School. Thomas Brinsford died there in 1896. In the 1870's Lord of the Manor, Sir Charles Throckmorton, sold the Dog Inn to farmer and licensed victualler, Henry Hopkins who owned The Crown Inn at Iverley to the south of Norton.

Edmund Williams was the licensed victualler in charge of the pub at the time of the 1881 census. He kept the Dog Inn with his wife Eliza. The couple were both born in Wolverley in 1832. Edmund Williams was previously the publican at The Lock in Wolverley where he also operated a coal merchants business. At the time of the 1891 census 69 year-old Kidderminster-born widow Elizabeth Jefferies was the publican at the roadside hostelry which had changed its name back to the Talbot Inn. She kept the place with her 73 year-old Bewdley-born sister-in-law Ann Jefferies. Her grandson Harry Brierley lived at the pub but worked as a brewery traveller. Elizabeth Jefferies was formerly married to Charles Jefferies, a Kidderminster carpet manufacturer who, in the 1870's, employed over fifty people. This suggests that Elizabeth bought the Talbot Inn with her husband's money.

Harry Brierley may have worked for Bucknall's. Worcestershire Brewing and Malting Company Ltd. acquired the Talbot Inn in 1897 one year after they were formed. They were an amalgamation of Bucknall's Brewery of Kidderminster and George Elwell's Delph Brewery at Brierley Hill. This probably marks the date when brewing stopped at the Dog Inn. Elizabeth Jefferies however remained as the licence holder though Harry Brierley had taken over as manager. His elder sister Edith worked as a barmaid. They were both born in Chester. The Worcestershire Brewing and Malting Company Ltd. failed and were reconstituted as the Kidderminster Brewery in 1900 but were eventually taken over by Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries Ltd. in 1913. The Talbot Inn remained with them until the end of the twentieth century when Peacock Inns took over the lease and re-named the pub to what it was always known as - The Dog at Harvington. In 2001 when I visited the pub The Dog had maintained a traditional bar.

Entitled 'The Doghouse' and featuring a large dog basket in the corner, the bar featured a flagstone floor and a large walk-in fireplace housing a real fire. The pub had a lounge and bar combination at the front of the building. The front room led towards the pub's brasserie which was designed on two levels. Featuring a split-level terrace and patio, the pub's garden extended out between two lines of trees towards the neighbouring fields where sheep grazed. At this time The Dog was managed by the friendly Portuguese manager, Paulo Jacinto. The pub made the local newspapers in December 2005 when local residents opposed a plan by owners Pathfinder Pubs to extend the pub so that more diners could be accommodated in an extra 61 metres of floor space. The plan to build a ridge-roof extension was turned down by Wyre Forest planners as it was deemed "unacceptable". Charles Dodge, chairman of Chaddesley Corbett parish council told the Express and Star that the pub "had been extended before and looks a bit of a mess". Indeed, Robin Palmer, a member of the local history society said the "pub had already changed beyond recognition".
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Licensees of the Fox Inn 1834 - 1850 John Wright 1850 - 1855 James Wright 1855 - 1882 Joseph Jennings 1882 - William Henry Blincoe 1891 - Christopher Jeffs 1900 - William Pratt 1905 - 1906 Frederick Howard Cucks 1906 - 1906 William Langstone 1906 - 1907 John James Onslow 1907 - 1909 Lily Buckle 1909 - 1910 William Scatterthwaite 1910 - 1914 William Peacock Taylor 1914 - 1915 James Hancox 1915 - 1925 Frank Priddy Jacques 1925 - 1929 James William Marcus 1929 - 1945 Amelia Yardley 1945 - 1952 Samuel Bert Yardley 1952 - 1963 William Newton 1963 - 1963 Rodney Denver Gamble 1966 - 1967 Reginald John Gould 1967 - 1969 Eric Pace 1969 - 1972 Jeffrey Stubbs 1972 - 1973 John Charles Patrick 1973 - 1973 Charles David Crofton 1973 - 1974 Ronald Smyth 1974 - 1976 Clifford Harvey Dale 1976 - 1979 John Edwin Oliver 1979 - 1985 Gerald Lester Smith 1985 - 1999 Colin and Sarah Thorp 1999 - 2007 James and Michelle Wood 2007 James Wood

This photograph probably coincides with the acquisition of the Fox Inn by Walsall's Shire Oak brewery in 1903. The photograph advertised that the builder was W.H.Read and the architect was C.H.Cadd. The company probably modified the building to suit their needs. The exterior is essentially the same today. However, those lovely bay windows have vanished and the stables and workshop have long-since been converted into a pool room. Fronting the Kidderminster to Bromsgrove turnpike road, the passer-by probably imagined that the building was named after fox hunting in the locality - which is near the truth but....the name is probably derived from local folklore. In Victorian days there was apparently an impression of a fox's head in a red sandstone parapet close to the bathing spot known as 'Roaring Brook'. The imprint was thought to commemorate an incident in which a local foxhunter, allegedly a reckless devotee of the wild hunts of Jack Mytton, followed a fox over the parapet. The fox scuttled off, the horse was lost and the rider narrowly escaped death.

Also close to the Fox inn was Jolley's Pit, a former marl pit that became a water pool for local boys. In the mid-19th century the farm belonged to James Hughes whose family originated in Upton Snodsbury. A feoffee of the school in Chaddesley, he encouraged the local boys to partake in bathing in the pool apart from when the farm was out-of-bounds during the haying season. Before the creation of the play field in the late 19th century, games were contested in front of the Fox Inn along the turnpike. Indeed, the pub formed one of the goals in a game combing elements of bandy and shinty. The other goal was along the turnpike at the gates of the vicarage. It was often wildly aggressive and travellers along the turnpike were sometimes caught up in the thick of it.

Formerly part of a short terrace on this busy old turnpike, the Fox Inn owes it existence to the Duke of Wellington's Beer House Act of 1830. Blacksmith, John Wright paid two guineas for a licence and converted part of his private dwelling into a public house in 1834. Locally born, John Wright lived here with his wife, Jane, and their two daughters Rosa and Mary. Jane would have looked after the homebrew house in daylight hours as John Wright also made a living from the shoeing forge attached to the pub. By 1850 John Wright's son, James, took over the business which by then had been granted inn status. No doubt the combination of horse shoeing and the pub business kept the Wright family busy. Bromsgrove-born, Joseph Jennings, arrived as tenant of the pub in 1855 and he ran the pub with his Herefordshire-born wife Susanna. The blacksmith's shop was run separately by William Richards. In 1870 the Fox Inn was granted an alehouse licence which permitted the pub to sell wines and spirits in addition to the homebrewed ales.

Inside today's pub there is a copy of the pubs particulars when it was sold at auction in 1882. The pub had a pigsties, stable, gig house and an adjoining blacksmith's shop and shoeing forge. By 1891 Christopher Jeffs was the publican at the Fox Inn. His mother Elizabeth lived next door. She had recently sold the Talbot Hotel where her other son William was the licensee. With two Jeffs brothers running the Talbot Hotel and the Fox Inn, the family had quite a share of the beer market in Chaddesley Corbett. Elizabeth Jeffs was born in Wribbenhall near Bewdley. In the 1860's she lived close to the Tontine Inn at Stourport where her husband worked as a master carrier's clerk. She was a widow by 1871 when she lived with her children at Lichfield Street in Stourport. Christopher Jeffs was single but employed Harriett Spencer as a housekeeper.

In 1901 54 year-old William Pratt was the publican of the Fox Inn. He hailed from Whitstable in Kent and combined the job of innkeeper with that of harness maker. The son of a saddler, he had already established this business in the village and previously lived at Briar Hill Cottage. Helping him run the Fox Inn was his Worcester-born wife Sophia. Elizabeth Jeffs still lived in the adjacent cottage but the blacksmith's shop had closed during the 1890's. Ann Newey, owner of the Fox Inn, sold the pub to G.H.Boulter, Shire Oak Brewery located at Stonnal near Walsall in 1903. The brewery were keen to expand their estate of pubs in Worcestershire. It was then that the pub's brewhouse closed and the Shire Oak ales introduced to Chaddesley Corbett. It is probably after the pub was acquired that it was re-modelled. Shire Oak closed in 1930 and the pub was sold to John Joules and Sons of Stone in Staffordshire. They kept the pub until 1968 when they were taken over by Bass Charington.

The Fox Inn returned to free house status in recent years. In 2005 the pub was being run by Jim and Michelle Wood. They both hail from Lapworth in Warwickshire. Indeed, they have both worked in two of that village's pubs - the Navigation Inn and the Punch Bowl. Appropriately enough, they first met in a pub - the Red Lion at Claverdon. They moved into pub management by running The Victoria at Barnt Green and the Rose and Crown at Redditch. After a decade of grafting for Bass, Jim and Michelle opted to take on their own pub here at Chaddesley Corbett.
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Licensees of the Robin Hood Inn 1825 - 1854 Joseph Billingsley 1854 - 1859 Charles Phillips 1859 - 1864 John Lythall Taylor 1864 - 1878 George Chellingworth 1878 - 1913 George Chellingworth Jr 1913 - 1927 William George Pardoe 1927 - 1933 Isaac Tromans 1933 - 1934 George Collins 1934 - 1935 Wallis Henry J. Cave 1935 - 1941 Marmaduke E. Barbourne 1941 - 1951 Frederick Edward Spiers 1951 - 1959 Albert Vincent Trevis 1959 - 1960 Samuel Swinglehurst 1960 - 1975 Frederick William Corbett 1975 - 1978 Kathleen Corbett 1978 - 1985 Thomas Ernest Sylvester 1985 - Barry Richard Lovell 2001 - Kenneth Moore + Steven Thomas 2005 - Lesley and Stephen Bailey

The Robin Hood Inn is situated in Drayton on the old road linking Belbroughton and Chaddesley Corbett. Drayton is a charming little hamlet with plenty of interesting buildings. The settlement developed around Barnet Brook which provided the power for the mill which is still on the opposite bank to the pub. This was once a scytheworks but today, the building has been converted into small workshops that include a piano manufacturer. The scene around the brook is delightful. The Robin Hood Inn would have served the needs of the thirsty scythesmiths, farm labourers and the blacksmith who traded close to the pub named after England's most famous outlaw. In fact, the old wayside inn is named after Robin Hood's Oak, a great tree that stood on a site between Beauty Bank and Bluntington. A field adjoining the ancient track connecting Brockencote and Bluntington was called Robin Hood's Oak. Many historians argue that he originated in the Warwickshire village of Loxley and, along with Little John, became an outlaw in the years following the Battle of Evesham.

"The Lyttell-Geste of Robin Hood" records that his early exploits were centred in and around the Feckenham Forest which, at the time, encompassed nearby Bromsgrove. Although the life of the legendary outlaw is enshrined in mystery, there could be some substance in the theory that Robin Hood was active in this area. An early reference to the Robin Hood Inn is in the last Will and Testament of yeoman, Henry Perrins, dated January 28th 1835. The will refers to the Robin Hood Inn, two cottages, and three acres of land which were bequeathed to his widow Hannah. The publican at this time was tenant Joseph Billingsley. Born in Chaddesley Corbett, he kept the Robin Hood Inn with his wife Hannah. She was born in Hanbury in 1884. In the 1861 census the 77 year-old retired victualler was living in Chaddesley village. Born in nearby Rushock in 1802, Licensed Victualler John Taylor became the tenant of the Robin Hood Inn in 1859. He lived on the premises with his Elmley Lovett-born wife, Hannah, and their family of four - Ann, Charles, Mary and Ellen. Across the road at Grove Farm [the splendid Georgian building is still standing] lived Thomas Chambers, a farmer of 300 acres employing four men and a boy. Fifty year-old innkeeper, George Chellingworth arrived at the Robin Hood Inn during 1864. He was accompanied by his wife, Ann, and their son and daughter Sarah and George. All were born in the parish of Chaddesley Corbett. Living in Cakebole, George Chellingworth had previously worked as a scythe grinder. George Junior succeeded his father as tenant in 1878 and eventually acquired the Robin Hood Inn from the Perrins Stone family on 31st December 1891 for the sum of £600.0s.0d. He kept the pub with his Tipton-born wife Letitia.

This advert shows that the Robin Hood Inn offered teas in addition to ales, wines and spirits. There was also a large bowling green to the rear of the building. George Chellingworth retired in 1913 aged 64. He sold the Robin Hood Inn, cottages and land to farmer Alfred Pardoe of Dorhall for £925.0s.0d. This marked the end of the pub's long association with the Chellingworth family who had been licensees for 49 years. Belbroughton-born Alfred Pardoe was a farmer for much of his life. He died on November 23rd 1919 and his Trustees sold the pub to Isaac Tromans for £1,710.0s.0d. Flowers and Sons Ltd, The Brewery, Stratford-on-Avon bought the Robin Hood in August 1933. The price of the business had risen to £2,250.0s.0d. The company seemed to quickly lose interest in their new acquisition for within twelve months the property was bought by the Holt Brewery of Birmingham. However, in the same year the company were taken over by Ansell's Brewery Ltd. During their ownership, the pub was managed by an ex-Birmingham City player, Frederick Corbett. He was a very popular landlord and kept the pub between 1960-75. Tragically, he suffered a bout of depression and shot himself in an upstairs room. These days, the Robin Hood Inn forms part of the Punch Taverns portfolio. When I visited in 2000 the pub was leased by Kenneth Moore and managed by Nick Mossop along with Steve and Debbie Thomas who had arrived just before the new millennium. The pub had a wooden porch entrance leading to a small lobby area in which you had the choice of left for the lounge or right to the bar.

The bar remained very traditional. A unique feature of the room is that the walls [and part of the ceiling] were lined with framed caricature prints of the pub's locals and regulars. Access to the garden was up a fabulous staircase constructed with old millstones. At this time the garden housed rescued animals that were fed by the customers. There were pigs, lambs, chickens, goats, rams, horses, ferrets, rabbits and chipmunks, along with a large aviary containing a variety of birds. In April 2005 the Robin Hood was being run by Lesley and Stephen Bailey - with some help from Stephen's mother and father Ken and Norma. Hailing from Medway in Kent, Stephen had previously kept the Cherry Orchard in his hometown.
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Licensees of the Swan Hotel 1800 - 1836 John Bate 1836 - 1850 Thomas Bate 1850 - c1873 Elizabeth Bate c1873 - 1890 William Horne 1890 - Mary Horne 1900 - William North 1901 - Harry Jones 1904 - John Fanthorpe 1904 - 1905 Henry Tracey Gauier 1905 - 1911 Alfred Payne 1911 - 1943 Timothy Hill 1943 - 1951 Albert Lord 1951 - 1956 Arthur Joseph Batham 1956 - 1958 Frank Edwin Lett 1958 - 1960 Stanley Edward Judd 1960 - 1966 Frank Hattrich 1966 - 1985 Bertram Cecil Downton 1985 - 1991 Alan Stride 1991 - 1992 John Richard Gittins 1992 - 1999 Keith John Wales

This photograph was taken outside the Swan Hotel around 1950 and shows a small boy, Thomas Davies, looking up to the inn's old sign. Perhaps he was wishing he could go and buy his first pint. Sadly, he has since passed on. The sign then stated "Welcome to Chaddesley Corbett" rather than "Welcome to The Swan". Now simply known as The Swan, this former hotel has a distinguished place in brewing history. It was here that the heavenly Batham's Bitter was born. When Batham's took over the lease of The Swan in 1951 they only brewed traditional Black Country Mild. The locals however were used to a paler drink and would have been up in arms were it not for the company introducing their first bitter to satisfy the palates of the North Worcestershire folk. Nowadays of course we take Batham's Bitter for granted but if it were not for The Swan we may never have tasted the amber nectar. On a map dated 1697 the frontage of the present building and adjoing car park is shown as widow Hunt's two tenements consisting of two large bays of thatched brick buildings with stabling block and barns. These were converted into one tenement in the late 18th century, part of which was used as an inn. There is mention of Charles Broad who is known to have lived here. Indeed he died at The Swan in 1771. The Swan Inn was rente