The Plough
The Plough Inn probably dates from the 1840s and stands in the upper part of Henfield High Street in between the One Stop supermarket and Sustainables 4U. The Post Office Directory of 1851 lists James Cain as the as the landlord of the "Plow inn", and John Hyder, aged 50, was the inkeeper in 1861 with wife Ann and a servant. In 1871 William Hill, aged 60, was the "Licensed Victualler" with his wife Elizabeth and their two children. In 1881, the landlord of the pub was 63-year old William Page. His wife was Sarah Page and their inn servant was daughter-in-law Mary from Fletching - who was aged 31 and was a widow. In 1901 the pub was run by Mary A. Knight from Chailey, and, in 1915, the publican was Edward John King.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Plough was run for some years by Bill and Barbara, in the days when there were two separate bars - a public and a snug - with meals being occasionally served in the snug. The snug was Bill's province, while Barbara looked after the public. Barbara's mother was known as Matty because she used to be the landlady of the Matsfield Arms (now the Jack & Jill) at Clayton. Her habit was to sit in the snug window seat of an afternoon - this was the time when pubs closed at 2.30pm for the afternoon - and read a book, glass in front of her and a ciggy clamped in her mouth.
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Plough 1, 2: Two photos from 2007.
Plough 3: I scanned this photograph from a framed print in the Plough, courtesy of the then landlord. I've put a tentative date of 1900 to it - though it may be earlier. The pub seems to have had four doors instead of the current two. The tree, alas, is long gone.
Plough 4: This drawing of the pub appears to have been done by the same A. Elliot who drew the White Hart on 25th August 1897, and on the same day.
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Plough 1 & 2: These two black & white photos date from 1965.
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Plough 1-6: Photographs of the interior taken on 11th January 2016, a fortnight before a change of management.
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Plough: A rare view of the pub with no cars parked in front of it. Late March 2019.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Plough was run for some years by Bill and Barbara, in the days when there were two separate bars - a public and a snug - with meals being occasionally served in the snug. The snug was Bill's province, while Barbara looked after the public. Barbara's mother was known as Matty because she used to be the landlady of the Matsfield Arms (now the Jack & Jill) at Clayton. Her habit was to sit in the snug window seat of an afternoon - this was the time when pubs closed at 2.30pm for the afternoon - and read a book, glass in front of her and a ciggy clamped in her mouth.
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Plough 1, 2: Two photos from 2007.
Plough 3: I scanned this photograph from a framed print in the Plough, courtesy of the then landlord. I've put a tentative date of 1900 to it - though it may be earlier. The pub seems to have had four doors instead of the current two. The tree, alas, is long gone.
Plough 4: This drawing of the pub appears to have been done by the same A. Elliot who drew the White Hart on 25th August 1897, and on the same day.
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Plough 1 & 2: These two black & white photos date from 1965.
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Plough 1-6: Photographs of the interior taken on 11th January 2016, a fortnight before a change of management.
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Plough: A rare view of the pub with no cars parked in front of it. Late March 2019.
