The next pub on our little meandering around West Norfolk was the Old Bell at Saham Toney. As an aside, I like the village name with its first word being Saxon and then the second word being a Norman word shoved on.
Back to the pub, originally known as just the Bell Inn (as it obviously wasn’t old when they opened it), and this has been a licensed premises since the late eighteenth century, being owned over time by the Watton Brewery, the Wymondham Brewery, Morgans, Bullards and then Watney Mann who closed it in the early 1980s. It remained closed for a few years and was then reopened, which feels like a fortunate thing for the village as it could have easily been permanently lost. This is another pub that once had accommodation available upstairs, but I don’t think there are rooms now for visitors.
Arthur Lister ran the pub briefly in 1937 and early 1938, but it didn’t go entirely well and he ended up bankrupt. It was something of a tale of woe, he decided to also go into farming and decided to rear ducks but his 1,000 birds died from illness and he lost £200. He then got some pigs and fed some of his dead ducks to the pigs, which then in turn got ill and died. He decided to move onto something else and grew sugar beet and then that crop promptly failed. He was able to get alternative employment and the brewery let his wife run the pub for a short while.
As an historic aside, pubs were often held for inquests and that was the case in 1870 when a local woman Ann Payne the wife of the local shopkeeper, died. It was concluded that after being in a low and desponding state for some time, she had deliberately drowned herself. The newspapers are full of this sort of story in the nineteenth century, the levels of depression must have been high and it’s certainly not a new thing.
I didn’t get a photo of the real ale selection, but there were three to choose from, including the Woodforde’s Wherry. I went for the Proper Job from St. Austell Brewery which was light, fluffy and well-kept, with the French Fries adding a certain extra charm to proceedings.
It’s a long pub with the bar opposite the main entrance door, with a TV and small sports area to the far end. Food is served here most lunchtimes and evenings.
Large fireplace.
A map of the old parish of Saham Toney.
A little out of date perhaps, but an award’s an award.
There’s a pleasant outside area, although that’s closed off at this time of the year. There’s also a large mere at the back of the pub and I had to look up what the difference between a mere and a lake was, but it seems to be primarily that the former is shallower.
Anyway, I wasn’t sure what this pub would hold when we approached, but it felt like a friendly venue and the atmosphere was welcoming. The team member at the bar was personable, there was a decent choice of real ales and the beer that I chose was well-kept. The selection of bar snacks was above average and I rather enjoyed this visit.