The Beehive
This public house was in the Bailey family for 200 years. The only direct descendant, Horace is now aged 81 and is the last of the original family in which the Beehive had passed from generation to generation. Originally, the beer was brewed on the premises in what was called the Tap room and sold in the bar.
When I came to Kirtling and made the Beehive my local, Horace’s mother, Edna Bailey had taken over as Licensee. Her husband Frederick Bailey had died in 1949 aged 67, and so Edna ran it until 1970, helped by her daughter Doris (known affectionately as Dorrie) and Horace. Even in her old age, Edna Bailey herself could still serve a pint or two and you did not need to check your change when it came to paying. Sadly she died in June 1970, aged nearly 91.
The Beehive was only 150 yards from my door. I used to just walk across the road if I ran out of cigarettes (don’t smoke now!) and whoever was in the bar always had time to talk to you. It was the sort of pub that if you went in a stranger, you did not come out a stranger. One side of the counter or the other, someone would always have a word with you. You could always tell when someone in Kirtling had visitors to stay because it wasn't long before the men folk make their way to the Beehive.
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