Living In The Swan Inn From 1966

A Memory of Newtown.

From the ‘Local Chit-Chat’ column in the Newbury Weekly News, October 6th 1966
SWAN AT NEWTOWN CHANGING HANDS
Due to take over the Swan Inn, Newtown, when Mr R. C Coxworth retires on October 19th after 23 years is Mr David Foster, a partner of T. N. Foster Ltd, of Clere Chase, Burghclere who is leaving the family business to take over the Inn. Married with three sons Christopher (15), Mark (13) and Andrew (1), Mr Foster he is looking forward to this new enterprise and, though he has no experience he has been spending evenings helping at another “Local”. An Old Boy Of St Bartholomew’s Grammar School, he joined the regular army when he left school in 1943, serving in the Middle East, Far East and in Korea for a year in 1953.
OLDEST IN HAMPSHIRE
Mr Foster was a captain when he left the army after 16 years in 1959 to joint the family business founded by his father. The Swan, a Wethered’s house, is thought to be the oldest licensed house in Hampshire and is Tudor half timbering is a familiar sight and landmark well known to thousands of holidaymakers en route to the South coast on the Winchester Road, a few miles south of Newbury. Built in the 12th century the Swan was originally a bakehouse for the nearby Sandleford Priory. The building is mentioned I records of 1448 and was named the Swan at least as long ago as 1761.

I lived in the Swan until I left home to go to art college in 1972. My mother Marye ran the kitchen with the help of a family friend called Muriel Ackworth. The menu featured items like Chicken or Scampi in the basket and Pork and Pear pie. The pub was fairly run down prior to my parents taking over and they built up the food trade and it became a very popular place for people from Newbury and the surrounding areas as well as those passing on the journey to Basingstoke or Winchester and Southampton.

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