Hilaire Belloc bought King's Land (in Shipley, Sussex), 5 acres and a working windmill for £1000 in 1907 and it was his home for the rest of his life. Belloc loved Sussex as few other writers have loved her: he lived there for most of his 83 years, he tramped the length and breadth of the county, slept under her hedgerows, drank in her inns, sailed her coast and her rivers and wrote several incomparable books about her. "He does not die that can bequeath Some influence to the land he knows, Or dares, persistent, interwreath Love permanent with the wild hedgerows; He does not die, but still remains Substantiate with his darling plains."

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Sunday 20 November 2011

Author List of Pubs & Inns with a literary connection

The Eagle has Landed!

"From the towns all inns have been driven; from the villages most... Change your hearts, or you will lose your inns, and you will deserve to have lost them. But when you have lost your inns, drown your empty selves - for you will have lost the last of England." 

Hilaire Belloc, "From This and that on Inns", 1912


Dickens pips Belloc and comes joint second with Thomas Hardy:

http://www.homesteadbb.free-online.co.uk/author.html

Funnily enough, one of Belloc's favourite watering holes was the Spread Eagle Hotel in Midshurst. Herman Goering liked it to and the Eagle in the lounge adorned his chair in the Reichstag. He apparently chose a site, down the road, which was to be his country seat after the successful conquest of Britian!

I wonder what would have happened if Belloc had bumped into him. Belloc, of course, had a track record of opposition to German (Prussian) militarism by then. The origins, of which, lie in the Franco Prussian war of 1870-1871. During the conflict the family home (in La Celle Saint-Cloud) was wrecked by invading Prussian soldiers.

Belloc, Hilaire
BlackboyBlackboysSussexThe Four Men
Black SwanPeas PottageSussexThe Four Men
Bridge InnAmberleySussexThe Four Men
Crabtree InnCrabtreeSussexThe Four Men
Cricketer's ArmsDunctonSussexThe Four Men
Fountain InnAshurstSussexThe Four Men
Franklands ArmsWashingtonSussexThe Four Men
Forester's ArmsGraffamSussexThe Four Men
Fullers ArmsBrightlingSussexThe Four Men
George InnHenfieldSussexThe Four Men
George InnRobertsbridgeSussexThe Four Men
George & DragonHoughtonSussexThe Four Men
GreyhoundCockingSussexThe Four Men
Gun InnFindonSussexOften frequented
Spread EagleMidhurstSussexOften frequented
SwanPetworthSussexOften frequented
Tabby Cat InnWest GrinsteadSussexOften frequented
Three HorseshoesElsteadSussexThe Four Men
White HartStorringtonSussexThe Four Men
White HartSteyningSussexThe Four Men
Washington InnWashingtonSussexThe Four Men


Washington Village - 'Holy and Secluded'
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1 comment:

  1. Villas in pattaya26 February 2012 at 17:24

    This place has an amazing history. Good to know that Spread Eagle Hotel is still operational now. I wonder how it feels to hang out there nowadays.

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