SOME HISTORY OF THE PUB
On the Beehive's first day of trading on 27th October 1959, The Eastern Evening News, our local newspaper, had a full page feature advertisment on page 9.
It's interesting to see how pubs have changed over the last forty years when you see the list of features which included:-
Bullards Beers (An old Norwich brewery)
Full Licence
Public & Saloon Bars!
Retail Department (off-licence to you and me)
Large Car Park
and not forgetting... Central Heating!
The tenants at the time had no heating upstairs in the flat - it must of been mighty cold up there, I can tell you!
The feature advertisement also listed the contractors who carried out the vital works on the building - see if you remember them, and which ones are still around today:-
Thos. Gill & Son Ltd., Hall Road, Norwich - Main contractor for the pub.
Edward J. Edwards - Forecourt Surfacing.
Gale & Galey, 72 Prince Of Wales Rd. Norwich - Fireplaces Of Distinction - they boasted 300 models to choose from!
Holmes, Norwich Ltd., Globe Lane, Cattle Market, Norwich - Flooring specialists.
Attoes Of Stump Cross, 54-56 Magdalen Street, Norwich - Furniture specialists for the licenced trade.
Dixon's Paints, Barking, Essex.
Gilbert C. Lamb, 15 Colgate, Norwich - Sign Maker.
W.J. & F. Taylor Ltd., 98 Pottergate, Norwich - Plumbers.
Brown & Payne, Bedford Street, Norwich - Electricians (specialists in Neon signs!)
G. Wilson Ltd., St Margarets Street, Norwich - Glaziers.
As well as The Beehive throwing its doors open for the first time on October 27th, the pub shares it birthday with Norwich station Anglia Television. What a dilema to face the people of Sprowston that day - new pub or new TV station? Couldn't really set the VCR back in 1959!
Below - Eastern Evening News - Opening Day - Tuesday October 27th, 1959 !!
NEW PUBLIC HOUSE OPENED
- Eastern Evening News, 27th October 1959
A new public-house, the Beehive, at Cannerby Lane, Sprowston, was opened today on the site where many years ago, there used to be a farm house and a "hoss pit".
Mr Gerald Bullard, Chairman of Bullard & Sons Ltd., Brewers, who opened the new house, said that the horses would be brought in from the fields and allowed to "drink and gossip" at the horse pit.
"It's rather fine to think that this pub has been built on that site, surrounded, not by farm buildings, but by one of the finest housing estates in Norwich. I hope that for many years the ladies and gentlemen living here will treat this most splendid building as their horse pit." said Bullard.
The name for the public-house which cost about £14,000 to build has been taken from a public house at Diss which has been closed down. The landlord is Mr Stanley Brown, formerly of the Rainbow, which has also been closed in King Street, Norwich.
Hilda & Stanley Brown, and below,
the original pub sign from 1959.
Please note. This is an historic site hosted by Kevin Reed. The Beehive Pub no longer exists as a pub. Greene King sold it to The East of England Co-op group in 2014. Kev was the first Greene King tenant to operate the pub between 2000 and 2002. Do feel free to contact us with any comments or memories of the pub!