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The Wheatsheaf |
The Wheatsheaf was a large beerhouse that stood on the west side of Sheen Lane at No. 64, opposite Nelson Terrace. It marked the entrance to Hampton Square. James Hampton was a market gardener who owned the site on which the Wheatsheaf and Hampton Square were later built. He died in 1853 and his estate was broken up and sold in plots; the Wheatsheaf plot being leased for 95 years to William Lipscombe in 1854. Charles Harvey then built the Wheatsheaf beerhouse in 1857 and was the occupier and leaseholder until 1864. From 1895 until 1941 the Wheatsheaf was owned by Hodgson's Kingston Brewery and Watney's purchased the freehold in 1949. The Wheatsheaf was never licenced for the sale of spirits although a wine licence was granted in 1953.
The 1914 Valuation describes the Wheatsheaf as an old-fashioned corner premises with a flat roof and stuccoed brickwork. On the ground floor were a bar, parlour, sitting room, kitchen and wc. There were four rooms on the first floor. An early 20th century photograph (above) shows the building with elaborate advertising boards on its roof parapet and the name of the landlord, Thomas Dixon, who was landlord from 1913 until 1920, over the door.
The Wheatsheaf was a popular venue for the residents of Hampton Square. On most weekends the people from the bar would spill over onto the pavements and on Saturday evenings the Salvation Army band would unsuccessfully compete with the noise and commotion coming from the overcrowded pub. The Wheatsheaf saw many landladies and landlords come and go over the decades – Harold Johnson was the last landlord and oversaw its closure in July 1962. The Borough of Barnes purchased the freehold of the Wheatsheaf, and the building was demolished in 1963 to make way for the Sheen Lane Centre.