The Two Brewers Inn

The next Point of Interest in this trail is the Two Brewers Inn, situated on the East side of the High Street, some 300 metres from the Cherry Tree restaurant along the east side of the High Street.

Photo 1 of 6 shows the Two Brewers Inn around 1953 - probably decorated for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Two Brewers Inn has spent most of its life as two separate properties. A closer look at the ground floor reveals an archway between the two front entrances to the building. The centre of the arch houses the bar area.

Until the early 1950s the larger property on the north side accommodated the Mechanics Institute and the Conservative Club. The smaller building on the south side was the Two Brewers Inn (formerly the Queen's Head)

In earlier times the archway between them was the primary route for the fire engine to reach the High Street from the Fire Station situated at the rear of the property. After the siren had sounded, summoning the firemen to the station, it must have been exciting to watch the horse drawn fire engine, with its bell frantically ringing, emerge from the narrow archway into the High Street. Photo 2 is of an Olney Fire Engine around 1930.

Photos 3 and 4 of the former Two Brewers were believed to have been taken in the late 1940s or perhaps the early 1950s. The first clearly shows the size of the archway leading from the High Street to the Two Brewers yard, which led directly to the fire station beyond at the bottom of the yard. The second, again taken from the High Street, shows a closer view of the archway and particularly the sheet metal tracks used to align a vehicle’s wheels when passing through the archway so as to avoid damage to the walls of the archway.

During WW2 on the night of 28th October 1940, a German bomber dropped a large bomb (or bombs) in the meadow on the Clifton Reynes side of the River Ouse adjacent to the railway line. Maybe they were intended for the railway bridge which they missed by a couple of hundred metres. However, the resulting blast was so severe that, having progressed towards Olney and up The Two Brewers rear yard, it funneled through the archway and completely blew out two large windows of the shop on the other side of the High Street, then called 'Linco stores' (now Stephen Oakley Estate Agents). Photo 5 shows the Linco Stores during the 1930s. This bombing incident is confirmed by Bucks County Council's 'Bombs over Bucks' website, which reports that 69 properties were damaged that night in Olney and Clifton Reynes.

In the 1950s, when the Two Brewers took in the whole building, it developed into a very popular pub under the tenancy of Bob and Ida Ford. Photo 6 is of the wheelbarrow race that ran on QE11's Coronation Day, as part of Olney's festivities.

When Bob and Ida retired in the 1970s, Jack Dreuce acquired the tenancy. Again the pub prospered and continued to be the most popular pub in town. Jack retired in the 1990s and the business has continued to be successful to the present day.

Incidentally, according to Olney Devil Law, the last appearance of the Devil in Olney was at The Two Brewers Inn!

Some 80 metres further along the East side of the High Street will bring you to the former Lace Factory, the next Point of Interest.