As the future of our public houses once again looks precarious, I thought I would look back at some of our local pubs.

I have been a resident of Chesham Bois for over 23 years now and have often wondered why the village doesn’t have a pub.

Before the railway arrived in the late 19th Century, Chesham Bois and Amersham Common were small rural communities.

The pubs on the common were scattered from Hyde Heath in the west, to Little Chalfont in the east, serving travellers and the small number of farms and labourers’ cottages around them.

Many of these pubs, have been lost now, either demolished by housing developers or converted to other use, as the way of life that sustained them is gone.

The Boot and Slipper on Rickmansworth Road, which has been associated with the drinks trade for several centuries, is the pub closest to Chesham Bois today.

However, many years ago the village did have a pub or rather, half a pub. The Unicorn on Bois Moor Road had its front lounge in Chesham Bois, and its back bar in Chesham with different licensing times!

In 1934 a local government reorganisation moved the parish boundary to the railway line which meant that Waterside, and the whole of the Unicorn became part of Chesham town.

John Birch

It is believed that John Birch, who lived on Bois Common, strongly opposed anyone establishing a public house in the village. He was clerk to the parish council and sexton at St Leonard’s Church for 40 years from the 1870s.

Deeply religious, he was a staunch teetotaller, and as parish constable, was “alert in suppressing gambling on the common”! Birch’s moralising did not always make him popular though.

In June 1890, five of his neighbours appeared in the magistrates’ court charged with injuring him in a serious assault and were each given substantial fines.

A shoemaker by trade Birch became a parish overseer, collecting poor-rates, and even worked as a surveyor using his extensive local knowledge.

When the railway came to Chesham, transforming the village of Chesham Bois completely, he worked for the railway company to identify the different landowners so that they could purchase the land.

The Unicorn

The railway also had an important part to play in the history of the Unicorn. There was a public house here around 1770 but it was completely rebuilt in 1889 as a grander Victorian hotel. The railway company’s original plans were to put the Chesham terminus on the Moor, next to the Unicorn, which was to be renamed the Station Hotel. However, the people of Chesham raised the money, through public subscription, to extend the line to the centre of the town.

During the twentieth century the Unicorn Hotel was at the centre of the Waterside community, or at least the male community, as the headquarters of Chesham Rovers Football Club, the Chesham Moor Cricket Club, and the Unicorn Pool team. For many years there were two active dart teams competing in local leagues and a sea angling club met regularly at the pub! It was also a popular venue for American soldiers during the war, where they were guaranteed a warm welcome.

During the 1980s, regular Saturday night discos were held, advertised as the “Local Nite Spot” featuring live bands such as Orion, “of local fame and notoriety” and Smokey Haze. In 1999 the then landlord, Ken Hutchinson, wanted to offer an alternative to discos and karaoke nights. He started the Chesham Comedy Club with 80 regulars packed into the pub to see five comedians give a “rip-roaring” performance. Sadly, this latest venture was not enough to keep the pub going and it closed soon after and became a children’s nursery.

Ken House Hotel

The cocktail bar of the Ken House Hotel on North Road was the closest Chesham Bois ever got to having a pub in the centre of the village. Kensworth, a large Victorian house with an extensive garden, was converted into a hotel in 1951. Vivian and Joan Sakal were the owners during the 70s and 80s when it was a popular wedding venue. It closed in 1986 and was destroyed in a fire, during a controversial planning application, a year later. The site was developed as apartments known as Laurel Court in 1989.

The Longlow Club

During the 1950s the Longlow Club on South Road, on the border of Chesham Bois and Amersham, became a regular dance venue for young people. Most of the time it was a rather staid bridge club but once a month, Marjorie Dixon, the manager, held dances and started attracting a younger crowd. The entrance fee was 3s 6d and drinks were served at half time. However, all the refreshments were non-alcoholic, until the club obtained a license some years later. Joan Gorecki owned the club in the 70s when it became a popular venue for the Young Conservatives and for private bookings such as 21st Birthday parties. It became Guido’s restaurant in 1982.

Red Lion

The Red Lion pub at 69 Chestnut Lane was on the parish boundary between Chesham Bois and Amersham Common. It was established as a Victorian public house by the Batchelor family in the 19th century. The ground floor trading area comprised a traditional bar with a pool room to the rear and a skittle alley next to the bar. The pub closed in 2012 and within a few weeks it had been demolished without planning permission. The police couldn’t stop the demolition as the building wasn’t listed. Although it is believed that the developer received a small fine for demolishing the skittle alley which had been served with a preservation order.

For more information on the development of Chesham Bois and Amersham-on-the-Hill please visit Amersham Museum or our website at amershammuseum.org.