The Bird in Hand Beerhouse, Ampthill

The Bird in Hand Beerhouse: 2 Park Hill/Park Street, Ampthill

This beerhouse is known only from licensing records and directories and a single drainage plan. The first Ampthill Petty Sessional Licensing Register shows that the licence was transferred from George Abbott to Percy Ogden on 4 Dec 1890. Directories reveal that George John Abbott was a baker in Park Hill in 1885 and 1890 but by 1894 he had moved to Dunstable Street. Unfortunately directories never name beerhouses and do not always state whether someone with a primary profession was also a beerseller (as was often the case) though the drainage plan of 1900 confirms that this was the premises as it clearly shows a bakehouse. The Licensing register confirms that it closed in December 1918, the last real licensee having been William Fossey, Francis Allfrey (a partner in Newport Pagnell Brewery Company) being made provisional licensee on 28 Mar 1918.

The same register confirms that the beerhouse was owned by Allfrey & Lovell in 1890. This firm was incorporated as Newport Pagnell Brewery Company Limited in 1899.

List of licensees: note that this is not a complete list. Italics indicate licensees whose beginning and/or end dates are not known:

• 1890: George Abbott
• 1890-1892: Percy Ogden
• 1892-1914: John Billington Wheeler
• 1914-1918: William Fossey
• 1918: Francis Allfrey

Beerhouse closed Dec 1918.

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives:

• UDA14/S144: Proposed drainage plans: 1900