The Bell and Harp
The Bell and Harp was an ancient ale house on the packhorse trail, located at a stopping point that dates back to Roman times.
It was originally known as The Bell Harp (and is sometimes still referred to as this by long standing locals). A Bell Harp was a musical instrument played by folk musicians, so one can imagine this being played by some of the travellers who came through the village on their way to trade in Derby or Nottingham.
The pictures show a Bell Harp, the position of the Inn on the 1900 OS map, and a Victorian drawing of a 16th century packhorse train.
The only way of transporting these goods along narrow, muddy and uneven country tracks was by horse. The horses had bells hanging above their loads so that they could be heard from a distance.
Teams of up to 40 sturdy packhorses, each carrying up to 240lbs and travelling around 30 miles a day, transported essential supplies that had to be delivered to villages or transported across country. Little Eaton would have relied on the packhorses for stone, cloth, coal for the blacksmiths’ forges, and salt to keep meat fresh. It was essential for the village to see a number of these deliveries every week, especially after 1790 when the canal and gangway were built. The mills and the quarries of the village would also have relied on the packhorse trail.
Packhorse bridges have survived in the village, and were essential, as even small rivers could prove a serious hazard for these packhorse teams.
19th and early 20th Century at the Bell and Harp
In the 1880s the landlord was William Brown, living with his sister, Fanny Crookes and her five children.
By 1891, the pub had been taken over by one of Fanny’s sons, Tom Brown Crookes, and he carried on as landlord for the next ten years. Tom Crookes and his wife Sarah lived at the pub - in 1901 they had 4 children aged 11, 9, 6 and 3 in 1901 plus 2 lodgers.
In the early 1900s, the licence was passed to his wife Sarah Crookes and by 1911, Sarah had six children living at Bell and Harp aged 23, 21, 19, 16, 13, and 9. The older girls Fanny, Sarah, Minnie were all teachers, whilst son Robert (aged 16) was a butcher and farmer’s apprentice.
At this time, the Bell and Harp was listed on the census as having 10 rooms, although it is not clear where all these rooms were.
Fights in the pub were commonplace - for example in 1902, a story in the Derby Mercury told of Annie Hall and her sister Mary Sanders, going to the pub for their “supper beer” and ending up fighting, with one biting the other on the cheek and punches being thrown. Both were fined 9s 6d.
Sarah Crookes was followed by Robert and Hannah Allen and their children and two lodgers. Throughout this time, there were lodgers at the Inn, including William Timberlake, a bicycle manufacturer (who went bankrupt in 1901). Laurence Rice, a quarryman, and his wife Leila are also recorded as lodgers in 1939.
Post war
Laurence Heath Rice was landlord at the Bell and Harp for over thirty years between the wars and up until 1957. He appeared to be quite a robust character: often fined for out of hours drinking (in common with the other Little Eaton pub landlords), he was also fined £2 in 1940 for leaving his lights on during a wartime blackout. Despite having a stroke in 1951, he carried on running the pub and was assaulted and badly hurt in 1952, aged 70.
Laurence Rice finally retired in 1957, and was given a leaving present by the village - an electric blanket!
The Bell Harp: Landladies and Landlords
William Brown 1880s and 1890s
Tom Brown Crookes 1890s
Sarah Crookes 1900s, 1910s
Robert and Hannah Allen 1920s
Laurence H Rice 1920s to 1950s
Alfred Sharpe 1957
Arthur and Joan Bacon 1950s
Ralph Kearney 1960s
Ken and Sheila Brown from 1967 to 1990s
Tracey Tunnicliffe, 2000s
Franki Esposito, 2000s
Current owners John Green, Martin Archer and Nathan Radford bought the pub from Marstons in 2019
The Bell Harp Tug of War team, run from the pub, was highly celebrated. The local teams often made the papers with their local, regional and national success. A championship competition was run every July on fields adjoining the Bell and Harp for years, attracting big crowds.
These open days and competitions often attracted around 30 teams from across the country, and by the 1980s included women’s teams as well as men. One local woman, Anne Harbison, told the paper: “ours was the first ladies team in the Midlands”
In 1987, the Bell Harp men’s team won the Derbyshire Championship.
By 1950s the landlords were Arthur Bacon and his wife Joan. The Bacons remained landlords until 1955 when they moved to the Fox and Hounds.
Subsequent landlords included Ralph Kerney, the son of the local painter and decorator, and then Ken and Sheila Brown ran the pub fromthe late 60s into the 1990s.
Throughout this period, the Bell and Harp was famous for its festivals and events. It often won the prize at carnival for best float.
The Bell and Harp now
In 1990, Marston’s bought the pub from Ansells and the pub had various landlords but a succession of licensees found the rent too high to make the pub a viable concern.
Under threat of closure, three local residents John Green, Martin Archer and Nathan Radford bought the pub in 2019.
The picture shows them with previous landlord Ken Brown.
Nathan Radford, John Green and Martin Archer had been drinking in the pub for years and told a local paper why they bought the pub:
“This is not about making money,” says Nathan. “It’s our local and we just want it to be a good local. It’s just the three of us and we are called Serious Taverns, which is a bit tongue in cheek. We’re not planning to have another pub.
Work began to refurbish the Bell and Harp: “Everything is brand new. The only thing that is left is the four outside walls,” says John.
Original steps to the cellar have been uncovered – just inside the main door. They’ve been covered with a glass panel and now make a feature.
