The Inn Sign Society

 


This site was updated on
22 January 2012

237 of 402 'lost'
signs 'found' to date
!

 

 

Welcome

Lost Signs

This Month's Signs   Speakers' Corner Contact us

Inns and their signs

Inn signs and pub names are seen daily by almost everyone, and have immense interest.

How were the names derived?
What are their stories? Who were the people the signs portray?
What do the odd names mean?

Some, such as Salutation or Seven Stars, record the early origins of inns as hostels for pilgrims.

Some recall battles, maybe half or long-forgotten today, for example, Sebastopol.

Some such as Beetle & Wedge, are linked with
local trades.

The Inn Sign Society is the acknowledged authority on inn signs and pub names all over the country.

We hope you enjoy your visit
to our website!



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ISS National Award Presentation


The overall winner of the Inn Sign Society
Sign of the Year 2011 Award -

St Anne's Castle
Great Leighs, Essex.

Click here for details of the presentation
 

From left to right:
Keith Forsdick, Roger Pester, John Saxton, Dawn White, AC, Geoff White, DD, GB & Peter Crosby & licensees
Photo of sign by Peter Crosby
Group photos by David Roe
Article from
Braintree & Witham Times
Proud licensees Dave & Pat Balcombe with Anthony Collis, Dave Davis (Punch Taverns) & Gordon Bentley


Spreading the word

A post-presentation press announcement about the winning sign has been sent to the following media outlets.

Daily Telegraph             Daily Mail           Metro News               Morning Advertiser       Daily Mirror       Essex Life 
CAMRA (What's Brewing)                       The One Show

The targets outlets were intentionally chosen as each appeals to a specific profile of the population.

We shan't hold our breath in expectation of a reply, let alone coverage, but if we don't talk about it, nobody else will!


The pub’s present site was once a hermitage that was an outpost of Leez Priory, some 5 miles away. The hermitage is known to have been visited by the pilgrims en route to the tomb of Thomas Becket (c.1118 – 1170).

The pub’s name refers to Saint Anne (Hannah) who was the mother of the Virgin Mary and the grandmother of Jesus Christ. The inclusion of castle in the pub’s name is thought to refer to the towers that adorned the hermitage. The sign shows the date 1171 A.D., which is the year following Becket’s assassination.

The original building lays claim to be the oldest licensed premises in England.

Click here to see the regional winners

Past winners of the national award are:

2008 - The Park (Lancaster, Lancs)
2009 – Poplars (Wingfield, Wilts)
2010 - Vulcan Arms (Sizewell, Suffolk)

Winter 2011 Journal

Contents include articles on:

Cock Fighting
Cricket - part 4
Lake District - part 2
William Hogarth profile
West Midlands group history

plus What's Inn a Name

Click here for quick access
to index of recent journals

 

ISS CD-ROM Vol 15 available soon!

The latest CD-ROM - Vol. 15 - is being prepared by ISS Archivist, Brian Curtis.

The disk contains pictures of more than 1,100 signs. It will be available to members only, priced at £20 to UK members and £25 to overseas members. Both prices include p&p.

Mail your order with cheque
(payable to Brian Curtis) to:
24, Steinbeck Rd, Carlton, Notts. NG4 1FF
 

Seventh Area Rep on board!

We are pleased to announce that Ray Scarfe will undertake the role of Area Representative for the South region. Ray's area covers Hampshire, Isle of Wight and West Sussex.

The list of Area Representatives to date is:

Cumbria & N Lancashire - Martin Norman
East Anglia
- Gordon Bentley
Kent & East Sussex
- Allan Leetham
Scotland
- Alex McCallum
South
- Ray Scarfe
USA -
Bill Conroy
West Midlands
- David Cole

Members who wish to offer their services in other areas are invited to contact the Publicity Officer in the first instance.
 

Regional Meeting

The next quarterly meeting of the WM regional group will be held at the usual venue on 14 April 2012. Click here for further details
 

 

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Signs of the Month

We feature a selection of inn signs that reflect events and past times associated with the month.

Sign Quest

Sometimes, we forget where we saw a particular sign. Can you identify the location of the above pub?
 

Inn Sign Database

The latest listing (January 2012) of the Society's database of inn signs is now available and can be downloaded FREE.

Also photographs, archived to date, are now available on CD-ROM at £5.00
 

Aims of the Inn Sign Society

The Society provides a national forum for persons interested in the variety of inn signs and researching the origin of pub names.
 

ISS Cut Crystal Glasses

In response to members' requests, we are now able to offer a cut crystal whisky glass and a matching brandy balloon, each decorated with the ISS logo. Plus the postage price has been reduced!

To be certain of getting your requirements, go now to the shop page and pre-order.
 

ISS Glass Beer Mug

The ISS glass beer mug makes a mug-nificent gift!

Tankards in stock and may be purchased at regional meetings  Alternatively, they may be posted

Ideal gift for Birthdays, Father's Day or just saying thank you!
 

Membership Enquiries

If you have read this far, we hope that you might like to join the society.
 

All material on this site is copyright of the declared contributor and all trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


© Inn Sign Society 2010/11/12
 

 
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Page last updated: 22 January 2012