The Anchor Inn

A Memory of Bishopstoke.

I spent a lot of my social time at the Anchor. Does anyone recal when the dart boards were made of wood and the landlord would leave them to soak in the river opposite. It somehow seemed so much deeper then. The landlord and his wife were Charlie and Dolly Raymond, such nice people. As with pub life then, there was always plenty of characters. Daisy and Vi Bell, Ken Cowerd, Matt Sharp, Gordon Nicoll, Dick Dowley, Bert and Vera Mills, Joe Luffeman to name but a few. The pub had a keen darts team of which I was one. And because Sunday lunch time, it was only open 12 to 2pm, if you never had your eye in, you would only get one or two games due to stiff competition. Once you had earned the trust, you were made eligable for a "lock in"after closing time at night. At 1 shilling and 11 pence a pint, happy days. Melvin Hellard