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The White Swan
in Ash Village is by far the oldest of the three inns. Its
history goes back over several hundred years. The White Swan
was mentioned as an inn in Domesday Book. It is known that the
present building was in existence early in the 14th century
and before that there was an inn on the site but it cannot be
proved to be the same building. Of course it has been
extensively altered through the years. The original inn was
smaller and there were no counters in those early days. Under
where now the bottle shelves are erected there was a large
open fireplace and customers sat on barrels arranged in a
semicircle around the fire. The drinks were brought up from
the cellars in jugs. We know that over a century ago it was
the meeting place of the Manor Courts. Just near the counter
of the present saloon bar there is a small door in the wall
which when opened discloses a sizeable cavity which suggests
that it was a hiding place used in days gone by for those
seeking refuge or as a place for hiding valuables. Great oak
beams and low ceilings and doorways are a feature of the
house. In 1938 a fire caused quite a bit of damage. A fire in
the chimney was the cause of the general conflagration. The
Eynsford Fire Brigade attended, the firemen finding their task
made the more arduous by reason of the fact that several
massive beams were well alight, through which they had to saw.
When the flames had been mastered there were found in the roof
piles of straw, the remains of the old thatch, which had not
even been set alight. The White Swan has its ghost which
according to reports was heard in the cellar for the last time
about four years ago, but no one, seems to know the story of
the ghost. |
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The Royal
Oak in West Yoke was kept by the Grandparents of Mrs W.
Goodwin many years ago. In recent years extensive alterations
have taken place, the exterior is considerably improved.
The Royal Oak 2 generations ago
The Green
Man at Hodsoll Street is mentioned in the account of the
Holywell Park Estate when it was in the possession of the
Fletcher family. The old "stocks" stood on the green
in front of the inn.
The Green Man in 1957
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