The Trade Signs of Essex: A popular account of the origin and meanings of the public houses & other signs — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Trade Signs of Essex: A popular account of the origin and meanings of the public houses & other signs
John Stuart Mill · en
Probably no better idea can now be obtained in Essex of an old-fashioned
thoroughfare than in the broad High Street at Epping. From one point no
less than ten sign-boards may be seen, all swinging over the pavement in
the ancient style. Only one, however, the WHITE LION, is now pictorial.
The number of inns in Grays, too, is very large. It has been stated in
print that “for its size, it contains more than any other town in
England.” In the narrow Tindal Street at Chelmsford the sign-boards
still swing across the street in the old style, and are hung upon the
old supports. The best example is that which supports the sign of the
SPOTTED DOG. Witham has many inns, nearly all of which have their
sign-boards hanging over the pavement, but neither they nor their
supports are of much interest. Colchester has hardly such a thing as a
projecting sign-board, let alone pictorial signs. Castle Hedingham, for
its size, probably has more pictorial signs than any other Essex town,
the BELL, the CROWN, the THREE CROWNS, and the RISING SUN being all thus
represented. Except the sign-iron of the _Six Bells_ (p. 168), Dunmow
contains but little of sign-board interest. The only pictorial
sign-board in Ongar is that of the COCK. Several signs and sign-irons in
Bardfield are hereafter noticed (pp. 170 and 169). In the High Street at
Romford are many very old inns, but their signs are all script. At Leigh
there are many inns, the most ancient of which, in the opinion of Mr.
H. W. King, are the CROWN and the HAMBORO’ MERCHANTS’ ARMS, though the
GEORGE was originally the more important.
The following interesting list of inns in the Epping Division in
September, 1789, has been kindly contributed by Mr. G. Creed of
Epping:--