The Bell

Construction of the Bell commenced in the fifteenth century and much of the structure which we see today was completed by the time that the first of the Tudors, Henry VII, came to the throne in 1445.

The Bell served, from its earliest days, as a coaching inn as can well be seen from the courtyard and the archway with its gallery above.

Baggage would have been transferred to and from the coach roof from the balcony. It was through this archway that stage coaches would come and go carrying farmers to and from the hay and corn markets at Aldgate as well as other travellers to and from the metropolis.

Inside is the original king post which carries roof timbers nearly a thousand years old. Much use was made of second-hand timber; its proximity to the river ensuring that ships timber were often employed. Many timbers show clear evidence of earlier use.

A more recent tradition, only about 90 years old (!) relates to the hot cross buns to be seen hanging in the saloon bar. Jack Turnell took over the Bell on a Good Friday and marked the occasion by hanging a bun from a beam. It's a tradition that has continued ever since - now the oldest person in the village (or at least the oldest available on the day) hangs the bun. The tradition even continued during the war - a concrete bun bearing witness to the shortage of food.

The Inn's importance as a social centre of village life has continued throughtout the centuries. One of the less pleasant incidents in its history concerns the use of an area to the rear of the building for a burning-at-the-stake. It was during Mary Tudor's troublesome reign that local landowner, Thomas Higbed, was accused of heresy. After a trial and his conviction he was returned to the village for the sentence to be carried out.

Elizabeth stayed at nearby Arden Hall after reviewing the troops at Tilbury at the time of the Armada. It was Tilbury that she made her famous speech including the lines "I know that I have the body of a weak feeble woman but I have the heart and stomach of a King and King of England too."

The Bell has now been run by the same family for over 50 years. Mr & Mrs Frank Bonson took over the business on November 11 1938 finding it without both electricity and running water. The pump in the courtyard was the only source of water and for their first Christmas in the building they arranged a supply of power from the butcher's shop next door.

The outbreak of the Second World War shortly after their move to Horndon resulted in the Bell becoming even more a focal point of village life than before, a real "Communuity Centre".

Mrs Bonson was charged with the task of fitting gas masks to villagers and had particular trouble with the older and much bearded men. Gas masks did not seem to have been designed with them in mind. She also had to contend with 40 officers and men billeted at the Bell and to drive the village taxi.

Mr Bonson had meanwhile become the local "fire chief" as he had the only vehicle suitable for pulling the pump. It also fell to him to provide a parade ground, the Bell courtyard, for the Home Guard as well as finding temporary accommodation for those villagers "bombed-out" of their homes.

All in all it was an eventful introduction to Horndon and since that time this local involvement has been continued, by Christine their daughter and her husband John Vereker. In fact Christine and John have extended the family's involvement by establishing a hotel in Hill House almost next door to the Bell.