The Fairy Belle Restaurant 1950''s

A Memory of Uxbridge.

The building that was once The Fairy Belle still stands at the bottom of the High St on the opposite side to The Crown & Sceptre. The name has nothing to do with bells. The word belle was a shortened form of belledame which meant witch. The Fairy Belle in the 1950's was largely unaltered from the days when it was an inn. The Old inn sign of the witch on her broomstick is in the local museum. The double frontage with the lattice windows is intact. Otherwise it was sadly altered out of recognition when it changed ownership (around 1972 I think) and converted to a pizza restaurant.
The interior was full of original items from the 18th century. The two wide beamed fireplaces held heavy iron hooks for pots and the old roasting spits. Ranged around the walls were age and smoke darkened highback oak settles and heavy oak tables. The plaster between all the beams yellowed with age. Battered and well used copper warming pans and murky pewter items decorated the walls. You really could, without much trouble, imagine the local highwaymen puffing on clay pipes as they planned their next coach robbery. (I read somewhere that being on the outskirts of the town it was a popular haunt for shady characters.)
My father and I went there most Saturdays for lunch. There was a paydesk in the centre of the restaurant, presided over by Kate, the owner. Plump and smiling, her hair always a bit skew wiff and coming down despite the many hairpins she used. She spoke so softly you had to lean in to catch what she said above the buzz of conversation and the clatter of knives and forks. The waitresses really seemed to enjoy working there and were always bright and cheerful. My favourite waitress wore ear pendants that were ivory dice, which amused and fascinated me. The menu never seemed to vary. We usually had the set lunch, which cost three shillings and sixpence. Brown Windsor soup to start. The colour was always the same but the flavour always different as this was a name given to any soup that was based on surplus gravy and any other leftovers! Or you could have a BritVic tomato or pineapple juice. This was served in glasses not much bigger than whisky tots so one took minute sips to make it last. Main course was a roast with most of the trimmings or fish. Pudding was usually a steamed jam sponge with custard or cheese and biscuits (a square inch of New Zealand Cheddar and two water biscuits). I often chose the latter as by taking the tiniest possible nibbles I could prolongue the "dining out" experience! If father was in an extravagant mood we would venture into the a la carte menu (which included such delicacies as tinned fruit salad!) but that was not often.
There was a bar upstairs, unknown to many. In the early days Argosy members hung out there after rehearsals in the old army hut in Bennets Yard. The floor sloped sharply towards the bar at one end. My mother (now 84) remembers this and jokes that it was wise not to drink too much or you would never manage the uphill haul to the exit without someone to push from behind!!

When it was taken over the building was subjected to "modernisation". The entire inventory was sold off, the fireplaces blocked up and all the beamwork boarded over.
I do not know what it looks like today. I only hope that the present owners are aware of the heritage to which they are entrusted.