Local historian John W Brown explores the fascinating history of one of the ancient inns of Streatham which closed on May 15.

On May 15 last orders were called for the final time at the William IV public house, at the junction of Streatham High Road and Hermitage Lane.

The closure of this pub brings to an end a tradition of selling ale on this site dating back at least 320 years.

The earliest mention of the tavern dates from March 26, 1681, when the burial of "John, a lodger at the Green Man" is recorded in the Streatham parish register.

By 1716 the pub had changed its name to the King's Head and in 1739-40 the inn appears to have been briefly known as The Blackboy.

However, by the mid-18th century this ancient hostelry was called the Princes Head, by which name the building was to be known for more than a century.

The Princes Head is an old tavern sign that became popular in the late 18th century. The first reference to the tavern in Streatham occurs in 1757, making it one of the earliest known inns to bear the name in London.

In the 18th century, the isolated position of the Princes Head made it an ideal meeting place for a number of felons who frequented the locality.

That the Princes Inn was a popular spot for highwaymen is well documented, as the adjacent stretch of road, lined with thick hedges and isolated fields, provided a perfect place for them to rob lonely travellers and demand coach drivers to "stand and deliver!"

When coaches travelling along the London to Brighton Road halted here for refreshment, the local ne'er-do-wells would absent themselves from the bar and journey down the road to conceal themselves in the hedges, ready to waylay the travellers after they had resumed their journey.

Local legend has it that Dick Turpin drank at the Princes Head. Close to the inn, in nearby Hermitage Lane, stood a number of old cottages dating back to at least the 1660s.

It is said that when visiting the area Turpin used to hide out in one of these hovels in which lived relatives of his wife.

This may well be true as there is a recorded robbery by him in nearby Thornton Heath.

In the early 1790s the ancient inn that stood on the spot now occupied by the William IV appears to have been rebuilt as a book of this period refers to the inn as "a genteel, new-built public house, late in the possession of Pickett, now of Foot."

The Pickett referred to is Benjamin Pickett, who it is known was publican here, at least up to 1789.

James Foot is recorded as holding the licence in 1791, indicating that the rebuilding possibly took place at some time in the intervening two years, more than likely when Foot took over the licence.

However, despite its "genteel" appearance, the pub continued to act as a magnet for the undesirable element in the neighbourhood, as confirmed by events in 1817, when the then publican, Richard Powell, had his licence taken away.

Adjacent to the tavern was a forge, or blacksmith's shop. It appears that it was here that the highwaymen and robbers arranged for the gold and silver jewellery and watches they had stolen to be melted down.

The resulting ingots were then freely sold with all traces as to their illegal source obliterated.

However, when this practice was discovered the magistrates were quick to snatch the inn's licence away and at a stroke, the local villainy were deprived of a meeting place and processing centre for their ill-gotten gains.

It was to be almost 40 years before a new licence was granted in 1856 to Henry Gibbs and it is likely that it was at this time the inn started to trade under the new name of the King William IV.

Beer has been supped under this sign ever since, other than for a brief period in the 1980s when it was re-christened the Schooner Inn and afterwards the Berni Steakhouse, before reverting to the William IV again in 1992.

The present inn dates from 1903 when it was rebuilt by Henry Mays. His new inn boasted a "spacious and handsome" saloon bar; a billiard room with two tables and a smoking room. The rear garden was laid out as a bowling green and was subsequently used as a beer garden and car park.

In July 1903 Henry hosted a special house-warming dinner for 60 guests to celebrate the opening of his new premises.

From 1907 to 1937 the licensee here was Mr Harry Lee, who had two famous sons: Benny, who became world roller skating champion, and Sydney, a champion billiard player and famous TV snooker commentator.

May 29, 2003 13:00