The Bell
The Bell has had a varied life. The building on the present site was originally a timber-framed house which became a brewhouse and off-licence, owned by William Parsons, in the 1850s. In 1891 the old building was occupied by 36-year old Mark Browning - "Beer retailer" - who lived there with wife Ann and their son.
The present building was built in the 1900s and continued as a pub under various names - the Bell, the Raven, the Henfield Tavern and the Bell once again - before closing and becoming a funeral business in 2014. In the 1970s, when the ground floor of the pub consisted of 3 separate bars - a public, a snug and a music room - plus some living quarters in the back, the publican was Phil White. Phil was an irascible character who hated to be disturbed when he was sitting on a little, pull-down stool in the corner of the main bar. It was from this vantage point that he could look through the doorway into his lounge and watch the cartoons on the TV while puffing on his pipe.
PUBS 1
Henfield Tavern 1 & 2: This is the pub around 2007, when it had changed from being the Raven to the Henfield Tavern - with a succession of different managers.
The Bell 1: This is a drawing of the original Bell from 1897 - pulled down to make way for the present building.
The Bell 2 & 3: Photographs of the interior of the Bell after it had been changed back to its original name - from the Henfield Tavern - by Ray, the last owner. Ray decided to retire and his son had no interest in running the pub, so the building was sold and became Henfield Funeral Services. The business is run on the ground floor, and the upper floors have become flats.
Henfield Funeral Services: The building as it is today. From beer to bier...
PUBS 2
The Bell: A photo from 2014, showing the pub in its second, and last, incarnation as the Bell and as a pub before it was sold.
PUBS 7
Henfield Tavern: The Henfield Tavern in the late 1990s, painted blue. On the left-hand side of the photo, you can see what is now the coffee bar "Full Of Beans" when it was still a butcher's shop. The shop sign on the mid-right of the photo says "The Henfield Bakery" - hanging outside Barnard's bakers.
PUBS 8
The Bell interior 1-3: More photos of the Bell in its last period before closing down.
The present building was built in the 1900s and continued as a pub under various names - the Bell, the Raven, the Henfield Tavern and the Bell once again - before closing and becoming a funeral business in 2014. In the 1970s, when the ground floor of the pub consisted of 3 separate bars - a public, a snug and a music room - plus some living quarters in the back, the publican was Phil White. Phil was an irascible character who hated to be disturbed when he was sitting on a little, pull-down stool in the corner of the main bar. It was from this vantage point that he could look through the doorway into his lounge and watch the cartoons on the TV while puffing on his pipe.
PUBS 1
Henfield Tavern 1 & 2: This is the pub around 2007, when it had changed from being the Raven to the Henfield Tavern - with a succession of different managers.
The Bell 1: This is a drawing of the original Bell from 1897 - pulled down to make way for the present building.
The Bell 2 & 3: Photographs of the interior of the Bell after it had been changed back to its original name - from the Henfield Tavern - by Ray, the last owner. Ray decided to retire and his son had no interest in running the pub, so the building was sold and became Henfield Funeral Services. The business is run on the ground floor, and the upper floors have become flats.
Henfield Funeral Services: The building as it is today. From beer to bier...
PUBS 2
The Bell: A photo from 2014, showing the pub in its second, and last, incarnation as the Bell and as a pub before it was sold.
PUBS 7
Henfield Tavern: The Henfield Tavern in the late 1990s, painted blue. On the left-hand side of the photo, you can see what is now the coffee bar "Full Of Beans" when it was still a butcher's shop. The shop sign on the mid-right of the photo says "The Henfield Bakery" - hanging outside Barnard's bakers.
PUBS 8
The Bell interior 1-3: More photos of the Bell in its last period before closing down.