Seven Stars Inn

A Memory of Dinton.

I was born in the public house called Seven Stars Inn, Dinton. The date was the 5th November 1940. My godfather, then Doctor Ralph Gardiner, delivered me. He lived over the stile in the farm nearby. The pub was run by my nan and her second husband Harry. Her first husband ran a cattle business at the rear of the pub. Unfortunately he died after a truck door hit him in the back. My mother lived at the pub with nan (her mum) where, on arriving looking for digs, my father met her.
The pub bar itself had two rooms, a small lounge in which I was born, and a large bar. Nan served from a small bar in the wall. Dominos was an almost nightly game and darts were played sometimes. The pub took in some refugees from London and I met a few of them. There was a strong touch of 'Cromwell' about the pub, it had very narrow stairs to the bedrooms, two small and one very big, which were used to house the refugees. During the mid 1940 period my parents and I moved to a cottage at the bottom of the hill from the pub. This still never stopped me from going to the pub nearly every day to see my nana. We had a fish and chip van which would visit the village each week, and of course a daily milkman. During 1949 Sir Carol Reed filmed 'Daughter of Darkness' in which I was an 'extra', riding on a cart. I have a pretty decent photograph of that little take. The whole village was swanning around like Hollywood stars, for a few weeks.
The pub has been modernised, but still the ABC logo on the main wall sticks out in my mind. The Aylesbury Brewery lorry would come every Thursday and the men always had a pint outside before going on. The cellar was right under the front door entrance so was easy to stock into. My Nan, Ellen is buried in the churchyard at Dinton church, she was a rough type of woman but was loved by all.
My mother was Peggy Selina Young, my father was Thomas Haydn Young. Both have passed on. I am looking to my 70th birthday in November.

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