Originally, the Bird in Hand was two adjoining cottages, believed to date back to the 17th or early 18th century.
Wakefield’s History of Henstridge states that a Mr George Gulliver sold beer from the corner on Plum Pudding Hill in Victorian times from 17th century buildings and this is corroborated in the 1872 version of Kelly’s Trade Directory which shows a G. Gulliver, beer retailer, in Henstridge. Kelly’s does not name the Bird in Hand until 1939.
Plum Pudding Hill was an old name for the road outside the Bird now known as Ash Walk. It doesn’t seem much of a hill now but at one time the stream from the mill pond to the flour mill actually ran across a road at a lower level so that Plum Pudding Hill was much steeper than it is now. It wasn’t until the late 1950s that the road was raised to cover the stream thereby reducing the gradient.
Situated just a stone’s throw from the mill, the Bird was ideally placed to quench the thirst of workers at the mill and its customers. Then in August 1863, the Somerset and Dorset railway line came to Henstridge, so it is reasonable to assume that there was an increase in traffic on Plum Pudding Hill and Blackmore Lane (leading to Station Road). This would have led to teams of so-called Anchormen in the area ready to assist horse-drawn vehicle up and down the steep slopes of Plum Pudding hill and Blackmore Lane. George Gulliver’s ale house was also conveniently positioned to refresh the Anchormen and so business grew. George must have been a diligent businessman who believed in protecting his property as there remains a fire-stamp on the wall of the Bird in Hand which proved to the fire brigade that he was entitled to benefit from their services: very important in Victorian times when fire brigades were private enterprises. Even though the fire stamp is weathered it is just possible to discern a date of 1871.
Although listed as a beer retailer, being in Somerset it is likely that the cottages might be better described as a cider house as there were several orchards in the village to provide the apples for brewing. One orchard remains at Quiet Corner Farm, no longer producing cider but award-winning apple juice. At some point between George Gulliver’s time and 1939 some changes were made to combine the two cottages into one and rename the new property as the Bird in Hand when it became listed as such in Kelly’s Directory.
It continued to remain a cider house until the 1960s when a Henstridge resident wrote to the licensing authority then located in Wincanton, in support of extending the licence to include the sale of spirits. He asserted that he would like to take his wife out for the evening on a Saturday so that she could enjoy a tot of gin in pleasant company. The licence was granted much to the amusement of those who knew the good lady who never touched a drop of gin in her life! However, we are all grateful that she played her part in ensuring that the Bird in Hand enjoys a full licence so that we can enjoy a tot of gin in pleasant company!
The current owners of the Bird in Hand, Chris and Mark, took over in 1982 and made significant changes to the building. The Bird now has only one door with the door to the second cottage being replaced by a window, a catering kitchen has been added to improved living accommodation and the skittle alley is now properly housed.
As well as changes to the building, Chris and Mark have made the Bird in Hand a centre of the community. It is a thriving hostelry in the old tradition of a local village pub. Everyone can be sure of a warm welcome, with a variety of well-kept ales and a full range of other beverages and delicious food served on Monday to Saturday lunchtimes. During the evenings, as well as skittles and darts there are regular quizzes held to raise money for local charities and evenings where many different board games are enjoyed and meetings of formal clubs or just a few people getting together to put the world to rights.
After over 40 years at the helm, Chris and Mark are proud of their achievement but they want to retire and enjoy life on the other side of the bar. They are thrilled that the village wants to retain the character of the pub and they are enthusiastic supporters of the Bird in Hand Society Ltd in their efforts to purchase and run the pub following in their footsteps.