89. Other People from the Harrow

1867 – 91: the licensee had the glorious name of Hezekiah Hollow bread. The Harrow was the venue for Public Auctions, meetings of the hunt, pigeon shoots, coroner’s inquests: in fact, the only organisation which didn’t seem to meet there was the Bulphan Temperance Society. At one time, those who had signed the pledge ran a tea room at Plough Cottages, China Lane, hoping to persuade people on their way to the Harrow to settle for tea instead. I’m not sure they had much success. Army Stick: he was an interesting character who lived in a shed at the Harrow, between the wars. Some people assumed he was nicknamed Army because he had been a soldier – and he may have been – but he was called that because he had only one arm. Stick was his proper surname. The owner of the Harrow used to put a bowl of water outside the cockpit, at the end of the pub, where there was a scrubbing brush nailed to the wall. This was so someone with one arm could wash their hand. In the 1950’s, Mrs. Ellen Thomas was the licensee at the Harrow, and her husband was the stonemason: he had a plot in Stanley Road where he cut headstones and engraved them: and he also cut hair in the shed at the plot.

 

Story writer/provider
Roy Thomas/Janet McCheyne

Flag Designer
Lesley Robinson/Margaret Hall

Painter(s)
Kinetika Artists

Landscape Character Area
Thurrock Reclaimed Fen