Chesham Arms
Date
1866
History
The Changing Face of the Chesham Arms
Nobody can tell us what Edmund Evans; the first landlord of 1866 was like, what beers he had in the cellar or which football team he supported. However we do know that there were two doors in from the street. Victorian society cared greatly about class, appearance and social standing. The two doors would have led to two very different areas of the pub. The public bar, for working class men, was for drinkers of mild. Mild was the most popular drink in London’s pubs from the 1850s to the 1950s. Mild had replaced Porter, the previous staple of London’s working classes since the 1720s. The saloon bar, home to the middle class, more affluent drinkers, saw the consumption of bitter. Bitter was more expensive than mild. With the decreasing significance of the class system from the 1950s onwards, the trend in all parts of England was to “open up” urban pubs. Internal dividing walls were removed to create much larger, open-plan drinking and socialising spaces. These internal walls certainly came down at the Chesham, as evidenced by steel (or perhaps concrete) beams at ceiling height were the various subdivisions would originally have stood. The original floor would have had a wooden finished surface, or possibly th have been covered in tiles. There would have been no indoor toilets of any kind until well into the 20th century and the addition of facilities for both female and male customers would have been a later improvement still. The garden was not open to customers until the Rita and Bob years when the decking was installed. The pool table, quiz machine, televisions and the contentious karaoke are all very recent additions, reflecting the changing expectations of the clientele frequenting the pub.
The Chesham in Recent History
All evidence suggests that the pub was a simple affair in the 1970s. There were no televisions or music, no public access to the garden, indoor smoking was the norm, and the place had something of a reputation for good value sandwiches and snacks. The 1983 CAMRA East London & City Pub and Beer Guide supports this. The entry reads as follows:
E9 CHESHAM ARMS: 15 Mehetabel Road . Free House.
FULLERS LONDON PRIDE,
S SMITH’S OLD BREWERY BITTER
WHITBREAD WETHERED,
GREENE KING ABBOT ALE.
Lively and friendly boozer with basic comforts; small, one bar. Snacks/Juke Box. By 1983 a juke box had arrived clearly. Also the link with Fullers is still evident today from the splendid etched glass mirror in the left hand half of the lounge and the clock above the bar, clearly displaying the famous Griffin emblem on the face. If only such fine and renowned ales were widely available in Hackney today!
Nobody can tell us what Edmund Evans; the first landlord of 1866 was like, what beers he had in the cellar or which football team he supported. However we do know that there were two doors in from the street. Victorian society cared greatly about class, appearance and social standing. The two doors would have led to two very different areas of the pub. The public bar, for working class men, was for drinkers of mild. Mild was the most popular drink in London’s pubs from the 1850s to the 1950s. Mild had replaced Porter, the previous staple of London’s working classes since the 1720s. The saloon bar, home to the middle class, more affluent drinkers, saw the consumption of bitter. Bitter was more expensive than mild. With the decreasing significance of the class system from the 1950s onwards, the trend in all parts of England was to “open up” urban pubs. Internal dividing walls were removed to create much larger, open-plan drinking and socialising spaces. These internal walls certainly came down at the Chesham, as evidenced by steel (or perhaps concrete) beams at ceiling height were the various subdivisions would originally have stood. The original floor would have had a wooden finished surface, or possibly th have been covered in tiles. There would have been no indoor toilets of any kind until well into the 20th century and the addition of facilities for both female and male customers would have been a later improvement still. The garden was not open to customers until the Rita and Bob years when the decking was installed. The pool table, quiz machine, televisions and the contentious karaoke are all very recent additions, reflecting the changing expectations of the clientele frequenting the pub.
The Chesham in Recent History
All evidence suggests that the pub was a simple affair in the 1970s. There were no televisions or music, no public access to the garden, indoor smoking was the norm, and the place had something of a reputation for good value sandwiches and snacks. The 1983 CAMRA East London & City Pub and Beer Guide supports this. The entry reads as follows:
E9 CHESHAM ARMS: 15 Mehetabel Road . Free House.
FULLERS LONDON PRIDE,
S SMITH’S OLD BREWERY BITTER
WHITBREAD WETHERED,
GREENE KING ABBOT ALE.
Lively and friendly boozer with basic comforts; small, one bar. Snacks/Juke Box. By 1983 a juke box had arrived clearly. Also the link with Fullers is still evident today from the splendid etched glass mirror in the left hand half of the lounge and the clock above the bar, clearly displaying the famous Griffin emblem on the face. If only such fine and renowned ales were widely available in Hackney today!
