21 High Street once The Three Horseshoes
John Roadley
The Three Horseshoes as part of village life
The Three Horseshoes is believed to have been built in the early C19 and the first landlord we have found recorded is William Stearn in 1850. It was part of William Long’s Harston Estate which was split up and sold in 1893. It was purchased by Mr Beales, a brewer and corn merchant, for £285.
In Nov 1910 a newspaper recorded: ‘The People’ bioscope car arrived at the Three Horse Shoes Inn, Harston, on Monday evening and gave an excellent exhibition of pictures with gramophone selections. There was a large attendance and the military scenes especially aroused the enthusiasm of the local Territorials and Harston Boy Scouts. Those who cared to do so were, by the courtesy of the manager of the car, enabled to listen to further gramophone selections until closing hour when hearty cheers were given for ‘The People’ car.
In the 1913 June 13 Cambridge Independent Press said a Clothing Club dinner with music was held at Three Horseshoes (Haylocks hosting). Thanks were expressed to Messrs Bailey &Tebbutt, brewers, to Mr Peachey, secretary, Mr Robinson, (tailor to the club), and The Haylocks.
At various times there was a bicycle/motor cycle shop to the left of the pub and a petrol pump in front manned by Bill Ward. He was listed in all Kelly’s Directories from 1908 to 1937 as cycle manufacturer.
A 1938 newspaper entry noted that the Three Horse Shoes, Harston was granted a licence and it had tea room. To the right of the pub was a dovecote which had been converted into two cottages by the time of the 1893 sale. These cottages were basically one-up, one-down with outside WC and the pair were bought by George Warren for £120. About 1937 the cottages were converted into the Dovecote Tearooms.
In 1985 a newspaper recorded “When pub tenants Brian and Jean Smith moved not only did they pack their furniture but they took the darts team with them. The unusual move came when the Greene King brewery announced that it was to close the 400-year-old Coach and Horses in Harston, which Brian and Jean had run for the last two-and-a-half years. But they were offered the tenancy of the Three Horse Shoes on the other side of the road. So after serving their last pint at the Coach, they reopened just opposite. And as the Horse Shoes didn’t have a darts or quiz team they followed them across”.
From 2002 the story of the pub was one of changing names as it became the Crayfish & Oyster Bar (2002-05), Truc Vert (2005-06), LCs (2006-08), the Anthurium (2008-10) and finally the Three Horseshoes Thai restaurant until it closed in 2016.
The property was then purchased by Neptune Furnishing. Some outbuildings were demolished, the original pub building was completely refurbished and a new extension built behind the original. This new furniture showroom opened on 2 December 2019, see https://www.neptune.com/our-stores/uk/cambridge/
, We have compiled a list of names and approximate dates of the landlords but it is not complete and may not be totally correct. Can you amend/add to this list?
Pub landlords
1850 William Stearn
1855-62 Mrs Stearn
1881 Matthew Stittle
1911-35 Charles William Haylock
1937-39 George Porter
1949 Mrs D Cullingford
1950s-60s William J Griggs
1973-8 Patrick Roofe
1985 Richard Kennedy
1985-87 Brian & Jean Smith
1987-2002 Bob & Elaine Mabbit
2005 Eamonn Webster (Crayfish & Oyster Bar)
2006 Russell Cameron (Truc Vert restaurant)
2008 Lynne Phillips (LCs restaurant)
2008 Lee Scott (Anthurium restaurant)
2009-2016 Lynda Barter (Thai restaurant)
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