Beautiful Eton # 6 - The Adam & Eve

While digging around in historical archives for interesting Eton history I have found a lot of pubs. At the moment there are three pubs and a hotel bar on the high street. I know of at least 15 former locations on the high street and 7 on other roads in Eton. The old newspapers have great articles about the goings-on in these establishments and I need to look at them further. The nearest former pub to Tastes was the Adam and Eve (at 51 High Street, Eton). Fifteen of my steps from the front door of the deli, would have taken me inside the ale house 110 years ago. The metal bracket suspended from the front of the building may well have held the old Pub sign.

The building is timber framed believed to date from 1398. If you look at the roof you can see how numbers 47 to 51 were all built together. They now have very different frontages, having understandably been altered over the past 600 years! According to the listed buildings register the red brick frontage to number 51 is 18th century and the shop front is neo-georgian.

Apparently, the ale house was originally located a few doors away at number 47, but outgrew the premises (which are now The Tiger Garden) and by 1597 had moved to number 51. Looking at its history, the landlords of the ale house include Thomas Goddard (1830 Pigots Directory), Samuel Rahey (1839 Robsons Directory), William Cooley (1842 Pigots Directory), Henry Harding (1863 Duttons Directory), Henry Pardoe (1899 Kellys Directory). In September 1890 the license was provisionally transferred from Edward Couter to Joseph Dominey (of Datchet) and then from James Coster to Joseph Domeney in November 1890 (Slough Observer). After 2 years Joseph Dominie transferred the license back to Henry Pardow (of Clewer). Henry Pardoe held the license for a further 14 years and in September 1906 transferred it to George Thomas Williams (Slough Observer). George transferred it back just a few weeks later. Henry was still the landlord in the 1907 edition of the Kelly's Directory. But in February 1907 at the annual licensing sessions, magistrates were in favour of renewing all licenses in the region except the Adam and Eve, on which a decision was deferred. In March Messrs Nevile Reid and Co made a formal application for the renewal of their license. The bench at the Slough Police courts referred the matter to the Quarter Sessions on the grounds that the license was not required. The license renewal was not granted. By January 1908, the ale house had closed, after more than 400 years. Which saw the end of the press reporting news items such as the recovery of stolen books from a bag found in the Adam and Eve (Windsor & Maidenhead Observer, August 1892), and the arrest of a man in the Adam and Even with 8lb of Stolen pork (Windsor & Maidenhead Observer, October 1895).

The building became a shop, and since 2006 has been the home of, Eton Design who have lovingly restored, and beautifully decorated the premises.

UPDATE: I have found an old photograph of the Adam & Eve and the bracket is indeed the one used to hold the pub sign.