The Plume of Feathers

In the 1920s the Plume of Feathers installed this enormous sign. Although the sign was a popular addition, the advertisement was really quite irrelevant. This 1930 picture features two local characters, namely Reg Mason (leaning on the bus) and John Cawse, taxi driver (far right). Both men served in the Auxiliary Fire Service (AFS) during the war. Nick Palmer (third from the left) was the landlord’s son.

The bus was a regular feature at the railway station, where Reg Mason would meet every train and even after the Second World War would deliver passengers to Fore Street for threepence or to their front doors for sixpence, old money of course! In the early part of the twentieth century the Plume of Feathers was certainly an enterprising pub for it offered stabling facilities, hospitality for cyclists via the National Cycling Club and also 20 HP Germain motor cars for hire.