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The Three Sisters circa 1910. |
With the coming of the brickfields to lower
Rainham in the mid-19th century which required a large number of men
to do hard physical work, the construction of The Three Sisters in 1863 came as
no surprise. Throughout the second part of the 19th century and into
the 20th century brickfield workers regularly drank in the pub and
some even lodged there. This contributed regular business which is probably a
major reason why the pub survived while the Anchor & Hope and the Lord
Stanley at Otterham Quay eventually closed.
There are several theories about how the pub acquired
its name but the exact reason is unknown. The first of these is connected with
three sarsen stones which are situated at the south west corner of the pub.
These mark the footpath that passes through Natal Farm. Secondly, there were
once three beacons situated on the marshes to guide shipping that were known as
The Three Sisters. Another theory is that the pub was named after the three
Hubbard sisters who lived in a nearby cottage during the 19th
century.
George Freeman served as the first publican of
the Three Sisters with his wife Ellen who originated from Ireland. In 1871 his
niece Frances Sarden and a lodger named William Lacy also lived there. George
Freeman’s name appears on the 1861 census list as publican of the Anchor and
Hope pub in Otterham Quay where he worked before taking on The Three Sisters.
By 1881 George Clark had taken over and he remained there until the 1890s. Bill
Edmunds then took over with his wife Rose and two children William and Rose.
Bill Edmunds, a short, stocky man with bushy black eyebrows and a mustache
became well known in the area and became a prominent member of Rainham Cycle
Club whose headquarters were based at the Green Lion Inn in Rainham High
Street. While serving as publican at the Three Sisters he organised regular
excursions to the seaside and short cycling trips for customers.
During the 1890s ‘The Jolly Brickmakers club’
became established in the pub. Members contributed money so that social trips
could be organised to different locations. Many trips took place including one
to Yalding in 1894. Concerts were also held at the pub in aid of needy
parishioners. In August, 1899 a smoking concert raised £4 for blind parishioner
Richard Turrell from Otterham Quay.
In 1900 brickfield workers like Richard Parr
and Fred Wilkman lodged at the pub along with a servant named Edith Wills who
helped out in the building. Landlord Bill Edmunds who had made a big
contribution to the pub while managing it died prematurely from pneumonia aged
40 in 1902.
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David Wood. |
After the death of Bill Edmunds Henry Tassell
took over as publican in the period leading up to the 1920s. He married the
former landlord’s widow Rose and they had two children named Alec and Ethel.
Alec became a well-known cricketer with Upchurch and Rainham cricket clubs and
a bricklayer with E.C. Gransden Ltd. William Edmunds, son of the former
publican of the same name also played cricket for Upchurch and became landlord
during the 1920s. When he left Albert Roche and his wife Caroline arrived. They
were succeeded by Ernie Huseman and his wife Eleanor during the 1930s and
1940s.
During the 1960s brickfield workers, foreign
seamen from Otterham Quay and locals continued to
patronise the pub with characters like Bill Richardson who lived nearby in a
bungalow. He personally constructed it single handed over more than a decade.
‘The Keg Boys’ from Rainham with members like Stan Peace, Neville Huggins and
Colin Chapman also periodically drank there along with other locals.
Robert Moulton and his wife Margaret became
long serving landlords at the pub until the 1970s but with the closure of the
brickfield trade from brickfield employees ceased and the pub had to rely on a
hard core group of locals to keep the pub going.
One of the most popular landlords and
innovators at the pub, a former talented local footballer named Mick Harris,
resided there during the 1980s to the mid-1990s. A very outgoing, sometimes
outspoken and lively individual, he encouraged a younger clientele with discos
and music nights and proved to be a very popular landlord with large numbers of
customers attending at weekends. In 1997 Sue and Graham Fry took over and they
stayed until 1999.
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The Three Sisters as it looks today. |
Sally Godden who is a familiar local figure in
the equestrian world now runs the pub which is known to many customers as
‘The Six Tits’. The pub has a regular band of drinkers, it serves food and hosts
regular, live weekly music with Karaoke nights. Singers and musicians like
Mickey Blue Eyes, Annie Love and Lisa Mills perform there. With a main bar at
the front, a functions room and a beer garden at the back, oak beams on the
ceiling, an open fire in winter and pub games like pool, darts and cards, The
Three Sisters remains a popular pub in the area and has developed a new image
compared to the old days when it attracted brickfield workers.
About David:
David Wood was born and raised in Upchurch and is able to write from personal experience about many people and aspects of the village and of changes that have taken place over the years making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable book and a detailed historical study of the village. David's book ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + £3.50 postage and packing.
David Wood.
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