The Sun Inn Lemsford Village

Lemsford Village is lucky to have two great Pubs. The oldest is the Sun Inn, the heart of village life. _ To view Gallery Click Here

1717 is the first mention of this house as an ale – house. The licensee was the widow Ann Gilbet, her husband John Gilbert had died in 1716. However, trouble was bought about by disorderly customers and in 1718 she and her son, also John Gilbert, were forbidden to use the house ‘ the signe of the Sun as an ale-house as apparently they were not licenced to do so. From about the mid 1700s The Sun or ‘Rising sun ‘ as it was known, was a hostelry and for some time was also the village butchers shop.

1780 - 1850

From about 1780 to 1850 it was the family home of the Clark and then the Allen families (1883) . In 1824 the actual owner was a Mr Crabb and in 1838 John Marshall. By 1855 it had been acquired by the Hatfield brewery. At this time the landlord was a Mr John Males who was also the village wheelwright. He had awife and son living at the pub. Later it became the home of the Halseys. In 1882 Pryor Reed an offshoot of the Hatfield brewery, were the owners. Thomas Halsey was the publican and lived there with his wife Hannah and three children. Noah Wallis, a farm labourer and his wife Emily (nee Halsey) with two children also lived there at this time. They kept cows in the adjoining field and milk could be purchased at the back door of the pub from Emily Wallis.

George Halsy to Arthur Moyse

In 1901 George Halsey was the publican and lived there with his sister Sophia. Noah and Emily Wallis were still present and now had four children living with them aged 21, 20, 17 and 14. It remained the home of the Halseys until the late 1940s when Arthur Moyse became the landlord.

The Sun becomes a one bar pub

The landlord in 1956 was Arnold Scofield . Arnold had a wife, Marjorie, and a young daughter. During the tenancy the wall between the public bar and saloon bar was removed and a single bar set up. Food was also now being offered. At one time a small dining area was made but discontinued and preference given to bar snacks and meals rather than offering a restraint service.

The modern era

The pub had been sold in 1920. Later in the 1970s the office of fair trading decreed that no one brewery should have a monopoly of trade in any one area. Benskins had a monopoly at this time in the Hatfield area and they were obliged to release ‘The Sun’ to Ind Coope. At this time the landlord was Graham and with his wife Shirley one of the most popular pubs in the area. The next landlord in the early 1980s was Louis Smith who became one of the most popular landlord to run the pub. In 2006 the lease was sold to Laura and Ian who have run the pub up to the present day. A popular pub in the village with great food, to view the pubs website Click Here

Occasionally a leopard/ puma from the kennels in Green lanes was bought into the pub by its handler Pat Dellar and a baby elephant parked outside. She owned Lemsford kennels I believe she did some film work with her zoo.

When the Great North Road went through Lemsford it is said as many as 150 coaches a day. Carriages and wagons would pass through the village daily. All the inns would have offered food and drink for the travellers. Accommodation would be provided if required. Wheelwrights and blacksmiths were available to service the wagons and horses. Stabling for the horses would also have been provided.Read More about the Golden Age Of Lemsford - Click Here