...men used to make the excuse that they ‘had a letter to post’ to visit the Railway Tavern. From at least 1911 to 1948, the Publican was Benjamin Kirby, who lived there with his wife Edith. They were both from Elmdon in Essex. Apparently in the 1920s, Benjamin used to keep a jar of sweets to reward children bringing back empty beer bottles. The Railway Tavern closed for business in 1959. It had been a pub for 101 years and left The British Queen as...
...s looking for a site to build a garage and I could have bought the Railway Tavern site for £800. There was insufficient land to build a garage. The land behind had been allotments for the railway workers. Linda Elmes Harrington My grandparents, Arthur and Elsie Cooper Chapman and their first born child, my mother Iris, left Meldreth in October 1925 to come to America. My mother was almost 4 years old. I remember hearing stories of my mother forget...
...talk about their memories of the Railway Tavern. Our favourite pub was the Railway Tavern. We used to play darts in there. We used to have a candle on the side of the dart board. Ben used to come in there in the winter time, he used to have three lumps of coal on a little old shovel and he’d put one on the fire and take the other two back! This was the Tap Room and there was no bar but there was a tiny passageway with a room right opposite the doo...
...Click on the play button to hear Peter talk about the pub....
...an extract of an interview with Bill Wing junior by Terry Dash and Joan Gane on December 4th 2007. Sadly Bill passed away on October 8th 2010....
...ould afford. Allerton Terrace was the Station allotments and next door the Railway Tavern was open all day. In the wall is the original Victorian pillar box. Letters were collected when the mail van passed through on its way from Cambridge to Royston at 6 am and on the return journey at 8 pm. The Railway Station was a very busy place with its three coal depots and engines shunting all the time bringing the loaded trucks. There was also a weighbrid...
...ed in Holy Trinity Church. By that time her father was the publican of the Railway Tavern. The family’s happiness in Meldreth was short-lived as Jourdan’s wife Elizabeth died in the summer of 1896 and he died six months later. They are buried in the churchyard of Holy Trinity along with Jourdan’s brother-in-law Charles Clarke. After Jourdan’s death, his furniture and effects at the Railway Tavern were sold at auction. The sale particulars, held in...
...t; luckily, this time, no one was inside. Just outside the station was the Railway Tavern, open all day and in the wall is still the old Victorian post box. Letters were collected each evening at 8.00 p.m. by horse-drawn mail cart. Men did not make the excuse of “taking the dog for a run” to go and get their pint, the excuse then was “letters to post”. The Railway Tavern was one of six pubs in the village, the others were – The Dumb Flea at Chiswi...
...s knee when I was a two-year-old. Some of these workmen would frequent the Railway Tavern after work. This was run by a Mr and Mrs Kirby and later by Bet and Lol Cooper and their son Peter. Late in the evening in my bed at night I would hear their shrieks of laughter-and singing as they left the pub at closing time. On a Saturday night my friend Rosemary and I would go into the pub and our order would never vary: two ginger beers and two packets o...
...farmer & fruit grower Jacklin Louisa M., (Mrs), fruit grower Kirby, Benj. Railway Tavern P.H. Law, Albert, farmer Law, Samuel, farmer Liddiard, Charles, grocer *Medlock, George, farmer Nodder, George, fruit grower Nodder, Sidney, carpenter *Palmer, George, farmer Paterson, John, builder & carpenter Pepper, Samuel, farmer Stockbridge, Joseph, farmer, St. John’s College Thurley, Charlotte (Mrs) beer retailer [British Queen P.H.] Waldock, Frederick,...
...urn Lime Co., (Frederick George Russell, manager), lime merchants Newell, Albert Edwd., fruit grower Nodder, Sidney, carpenter, Torpoint *Palmer, Geo. Cecil Wood, farmer, Sheen manor Paterson, Jn., builder Queen Adelaide P.H. (Harold Pepper) (letters should be addressed Whaddon) Railway Tavern P.H. (Benjamin Kirby) Ritagen Ltd., (Fredk. Geo. Russell, sec. & managing director) disinfectant mfrs. Sailors Return P.H. (Jas. Albert Turner) Springall, W...
...ed vehicle noisily made its way down Meldreth High Street to arrive at the Railway Tavern just a few minutes later. On December 3rd 1944, there was a large parade of the 4th Cambridgeshire Battalion Home guard on Parker’s piece in Cambridge. On this occasion the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel RM Parker, was to give his final address to his men at their Standing Down parade. I remember standing with my mother on the corner of Trumpington Ro...
...orge Russell, manager, lime merchants Newell, Albt., Edward, fruit grower Newell, Wm., fruit grower Nodder, Sidney, carpenter, Torpoint *Palmer, Geo. Cecil Wood, farmer Sheene Manor Paterson, Jn., builder Queen Adelaide P.H. (Harold Pepper), letters should be addressed Whaddon Railway Tavern P.H. (Benj. Kirby) Ritagen Ltd. (Fredk. Geo. Russell, sec. & managing director) disinfectant mfrs. Sailors Return P.H. (Jas. Albt. Turner) Springall Wm. Herbe...
...grower, Chiswick Farm Jacklin, Louisa M. (Mrs), fruit grower Kerby, Benj., Railway Tavern Law, Albert, farmer Law, Emma (Mrs), farmer Melbourn Lime Co., (Frederick George Russell, manager), lime merchants & burners Newell, Albert Edwd., fruit grower Newell, Wm., fruit grower Nodder, Sidney, carpenter, joiner & builder; estimates free *Palmer, George, farmer, Sheene Manor Paterson, Jn., builder Pepper, Harold, Queen Adelaide P.H., (letters addresse...
...provided free samoosas at Meldreth station. Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Railway Station Gardens The Railway Station Gardens at Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton were launched on July 9th, when the three stations celebrated their 160th, 160th and 163rd birthdays, respectively. The project was sponsored by the Meldreth, Shepreth and Foxton Rail User Group and was built around the idea of local residents, schools and businesses, who use and enjoy the...
...discovered raging in some out-buildings and pig styes, at the rear of the Railway Tavern. Fortunately it was discovered in time, and the pigs were speedily removed, whilst the men who are engaged enlarging the platform of the Melbourn and Meldreth Station, under the able supervision of Mr Middleton, the station master, rendered invaluable assistance and prevented the fire from spreading to the adjoining property. Had it not been for the prompt an...
...Jane (Mrs) Queen Adelaide P.H. (letters addressed Whaddon) Kirby Benjamin, Railway Tavern Lambeth, William, horse dealer, Orchard Deene [Orchard Dene] Liddiard, Charles, grocer Medlock, Geo. farmer & hay straw dealer Meldreth Cement Co. Meldreth & Melbourn Gas Works (Edwin M. Hope, proprietor) Miller, Charles, beer retailer [Sailor’s Return] Nodder, Alexander, fruit grower Nodder, John, carpenter Palmer, George, farmer Pepper, Samuel, farmer Stock...
...[The Sailor’s Return] Elbourn, Alfred, machinist & farmer Farthing, John, Railway Tavern Flitton, Ralph Henry, miller (steam & water), & corn merchant Frost, Chas. Alfred, beer retailer & shopkeeper [The Queen Adelaide] Frost, John, farmer Hale, Benjamin, wheelwright & blacksmith, Post Office Howard, Andrew, farmer Jarman & Co., brewers & maltsters Jarman, Albert, brewer, (see Jarman & Co.) Medlock, Geo., farmer & hay & straw dealer Palmer, Georg...
...Charles, coprolite merchant Stockbridge, Martha, shopkeeper Tonson, Henry, Green Man Waller, William, farmer Wallis, Isabel Agnes (Mrs), grocer Warren, Amos, baker Welch, Samuel, miller Wilson, John, Railway Tavern Wood, Thomas, farmer Woods, Samuel, Bell Worland, Frederick, shopkeeper Worland, Thomas, cow leech Worland, William, cow leech Wright, Charles, boot & shoe maker...
...ior, Joseph, carpenter Roads, Charles, coprolite merchant Russell, Joseph, Railway Tavern & Coal Merchant Smith, Charles, grocer & agent for W. & A. Gilbey, wine & spirit merchants Stockbridge, Martha (Mrs) shopkeeper Titchmarsh, Mynot, farmer & rate collector Tonson, Henry, Green Man Waller, Charles M. farmer Waller, W. Mortlock, brewer and maltster Waller, William, farmer, The Grove Warren, Amos, baker Warren, George, farmer Woods, Samuel, Bell...
...rmer & fruit grower Jacklin, Louisa M (Mrs), fruit grower Kirby, Benjamin, Railway Tavern Law, Albert, farmer Law, Samuel, farmer Liddiard, Charles, grocer *Medlock George, farmer Miller, Harry, beer retailer [The Sailor’s Return] Nodder, George, fruit grower Nodder, Sidney, carpenter Norman, George, boot repairer *Palmer, George, farmer Pepper, Samuel, farmer Stockbridge, Joseph, farmer St. John’s College Thurley, Charlotte (Mrs), beer retailer [...
...ts, Bert and Mildred Winter, the Allerton Terrace railway cottages and the Railway Tavern. Lewis Harrup remained in this job until the outbreak of the First World War when he served as a gunner in the Royal Garrison Artillery (RGA), regimental number: 115421. During the conflict he was wounded in one arm and left partially deaf. However, he survived to return to civilian life and his former employment in Meldreth. He was fond of sport and in his y...
...Adcock, Jas., farmer & miller (water) [Topcliffe Mill] Bates, William A., Railway Tavern Bowman, S.D. (Mrs.) farmer & landowner, The Laurels Cam Blue Lias Lime & Cement Co.Ltd., (Alfred Russell, sec. & managing director) Conservative Club (H.O.S. Ellis, Pres.) Course, Humphrey Fredk. Shopkeeper Course, Jonathan, farmer Driver, Nathan, miller (water) [Flambards Mill] East, John, farmer Elbourn, Alfred, machinist & farmer Elbourn, Percy E. machinis...
...George, farmer Payne, John, beer retailer [The Dumb Flea] Russell, Joseph, Railway Tavern Smith, Charles, grocer & agent for W & A Gilbey, wine & spirit merchants Stockbridge, Martha, (Mrs) shopkeeper Tonson, Henry, beer retailer Waller, Charles M. farmer Waller, W. Mortlock, brewer & maltster Warren, Amos, baker Warren, George, farmer Wedd, Walter, farmer Wood, Thomas, farmer Woods, Samuel, Bell [Public House] Worland, Frederick, farmer Worland,...
