The Wheatsheaf - crowborough
Dotted around the walls of the pub are to be found, as perhaps expected, a variety of lovely photographs dating from the turn of the 20th century onwards, as well as a list of landords since it was first licensed in 1853 . Also to be found is the result of some painstaking research carried out by the 15th landlord, David Pace.
The Wheatsheaf is a rare unspoilt example of an early Victorian beer house. The building is probably 18th century, and the tithe map of 1839 describes it as a homestead surrounded by arable land, an orchard and wood, paying £2-1-10d in tithes. It was occupied by a farmer,William Wood, and owned by Theo King. The lines of the surrounding lanes were exactly as they are today.
The Licensing Act of 1830 had freed beer from licensing laws and duty. In a single year, 30,000 ‘beer shops’ sprang up. One such enterprising individual taking advantage of the legislation was John Knight, who lived with his wife Selina at Park Corner (as the bottom end of Mount Pleasant was then called). He opened a beer house to supplement his income in 1853 thus becoming the first landlord.
Soon after, a small one up-one down cottage was added to the side of what is now the main pub building. Local legend has it that this was originally in the way of what became the line of the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway which was driven through in 1868, and so was moved out of the way, up the hill. Whether this cottage was in fact John Knight’s original beer house, we shall probably never know.
The Wheatsheaf as we know it was now complete in all it’s essentials, the bar was restricted to what is now the lower saloon bar area, served through a simple hatch, and with stairs up to a club room. In 1880 the pub was aquired by Smith & Co, family brewers of Lamberhurst since 1833. At about this time the Crowborough brick works were developed on adjoining land and the three kilns were operational until their demolition in the late 1970’s.
By 1893 Crowborough had a population of 2800, and The Wheatsheaf tenancy was taken on by George Frampton. Though his wife died in 1917, he stayed on until 1933, and he remains the longest serving landlord. Smith and Co had in the meantime sold the pub to the Kemp Town Brewery of Brighton, who were in turn acquired by Charringtons after the Second World War, during which time the Wheatsheaf had been taking paying guests.
It was only after Charringtons sold The Wheatsheaf as a freehold that the license was upgraded from a beer house to sell all intoxicating liquor in 1972. Other changes followed, hitherto private accommodation and gardens were opened up to the public, and the currrent familiar layout of three bars around a central servery was established.
And so, after 26 years as a freehold, The Wheatsheaf was sold to Harveys Brewery by David Pace. Ted and Maggie have become the 18th landlords.