Royal Oak

History of the Building

The earliest known landlord of this brick built building was John Iliff who was in residence during the late 1790's.The original building was considerably smaller than it is today. It was very popular with travellers, initially offering good stabling and accommodation to those passing through the village. Then, in later years, the public house directed their hospitality towards commercial travellers and cyclists. Serious alterations began to take place during the pre- Second World War years and the pub then developed a more lively atmosphere with regular sing-songs around the piano . This ambiance continued throughout the war years with the presence of the land girls, based at nearby Yelvertoft and the forces at West Haddon A long standing tradition at the Royal Oak was to hold regular 'Pig Club' meetings ; many people in the village kept a pig in their back yard to provide them with food during the long winter months. To help buy food for the pigs at a cheaper rate and give encouragement to one another, a small consortium developed and this was celebrated once a year with a special 'Pig Club' supper held in the pub. These are believed to have started in the early 1920's and continued well into the 1940's A feature of the Royal Oak, that is still there today, is the four foot high bar. The pub was auctioned off in 1901 as a free house and remains so today .Since1995 the present owner, Mr Glynn Holley, has in many respects kept its tradition as a local hostelry and once again offers accommodation .

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Royal Oak 2001

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