#265 The Wheatsheaf, Banbury, Oxon : 1998 to 2019

This pub is one to file away under..."What? Really? We've Never Been Here Before!"

And I'm going to break with a tradition that I've maintained over the years I've been doing this blog...I'm going to give you the 'Now' picture first!

It was lunchtime on Saturday 27th July 2019 and we were slightly lost, trying to find Ye Olde Reindeer. It was a number of years since we'd been to Banbury and we couldn't get our bearings having ventured through the Castle Quay Shopping Centre. We were getting a bit thirsty, saw The Wheatsheaf and went inside.

Not a particularly inspiring place; a typical back-street town boozer decorated inside in 'music venue black'. Neither I nor my fellow traveller believed that we'd ever been here before. I didn't give it another thought until I'd returned home and was going through my old pictures looking for candidates for the blog. This is what I discovered.

Obviously the same pub although the exterior decoration has been completely changed over the past 21 years. Checking back through the old logs, we were in Banbury on the evening of Monday 7th September 1998 when we'd obviously done a bit of a pub crawl.

This vindicates my whole raison d'etre for taking these pictures, but it is still frustrating to have forgotten whole pubs!

At least it is good to see that it is surviving and found it's own niche!

#154 The Royal Oak, Crick, Northants : 2003 to 2013

Crick is a village on the Leicester Section of the Grand Union Canal and the first time I passed through was in 1986. We were there again in 1997, but we only visited the Red Lion (#135) and The Wheatsheaf (#123). It wasn't until 2003 that we ventured further into the village and discovered The Royal Oak.

This was on the evening of Monday 18th August 2003 and, as I recall, it was a pleasant village pub.

Our next visit was on the evening of Wednesday 9th September 2009.

The pub was largely unchanged, although the hanging sign had been replaced and the hanging baskets were more verdant.

That was the last time I had a pint in The Royal Oak, but I was in the village for the Crick Boat Show and took this picture in the early afternoon of Monday 27th May 2013.

Again, largely unchanged, but the hanging baskets are no more.

One thing I hadn't noticed until I started this entry and when I looked at the pub's website is the small yellow sports car. Presumably it belongs to the landlord, but it is quite amazing what you don't notice in a picture!

#151 The Wheatsheaf, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire : 1997 to 2013

It's back to Stourport-on-Severn for yet another pub that town has to offer. Our first visit to The Wheatsheaf was on the evening of Tuesday 27th May 1997.

Back then it was a Banks's pub that wasn't particularly memorable, but Stourport is about quantity, not necessarily quality! (That's not a bad thing in my book!!)

We didn't go back there until the lunchtime of Tuesday 27th May 2008 discovering that it'd had quite a makeover.

It was now branded as a Marston's pub with a more contemporary 'feel' to the outside. Inside it was no more memorable than before.

And finally we move on to the evening of Thursday 16th May 2013, when we'd been stranded in Storport because the River Severn was flowing at least 2 metres above safe levels!

Seemingly unchanged externally apart from the hanging baskets and the signs (from Marston's) saying 'Make it a success' and 'Retail Opportunity...Call 0844.....' We didn't venture inside as there were many more pubs to potentially visit...and we did pop into a few!

#126 The Wheatsheaf, Crick, Northants : 1986 to 2013

Crick is a village in the Northamptonshire countryside and sits on the Grand Union Canal Leicester Section. It is home to the annual Crick Boat Show. There are three pubs in the village which we've visited on numerous occasions.

The first time I went to Crick was on the evening of Monday 21st July 1986 on a canal trip that would take us to Leicester and Nottingham.

I don't recall too much about it, but I think that The Wheatsheaf was a fairly standard village local with a Bar and Lounge. I do seem to remember that many of the pubs in that region seemed to be Mann's pubs.

It was quite a few years before we returned to Crick and this is how The Wheatsheaf looked.

This was a repeat of the previous journey and the photo was taken at lunchtime on Tuesday 26th August 1997. Quite a change in the intervening 11 years, although the hanging sign appears to be the same. Also, the light fittings are in the same place, but different in design.

We were back again a few years later on a similar itinerary (except that we didn't go to Nottingham this time) and we spent the evening in Crick.

This was on Monday 18th August 2003 and the six year gap had resulted in some more changes. New signage, new windows (I think!) and a replacement satellite dish. Also, no more car parking at the front.

Our next visit was another six years later, again on a similar journey, except this time the route had been reversed. We'd already been to Nottingham and Leicester and were on our way back to our moorings at Lapworth.

This was on the evening of Wednesday 9th September 2009 and again there were noticeable changes to the exterior of The Wheatsheaf. A new sign and yet another satellite dish!

Earlier this year I visited the Crick Boat Show for the first time and took the opportunity to pop into the village to get some updated photos of the pubs.

This was on Monday 27th May 2013. I think that the narrowboat mock-up is only there during the boat show. Other than that, there were some minor external changes...and the satellite dish has gone!

I haven't commented on the interior because, quite frankly, I don't recall what it was like. However, judging by the website, it looks as though The Wheatsheaf has gone a bit more upmarket.

#125 The Dry Dock Inn, Windmill End, West Midlands : 1996 to 2013 (RIP)

The first time I ever visited The Dry Dock Inn was some time in the 1980's. I remember it very well as I'd been given the use of a company car (for a business trip the next day) and so took friends out for a trip to a pub we'd not been to before.

My first visit as part of a canal trip was in 1996.

This was on the evening of Sunday 26th May 1996 and we spent the whole evening there. It had an unusual bar (more below) and did great, simple pub food.

We visited again three years later.

This was the view from our mooring at Windmill End Junction on the evening of Thursday 3rd June 1999. Again we spent the whole evening in the pub. The interior of the pub was dominated by the bar which was made from the bow of a narrowboat.

This was also the evening that I attempted a 'Desperate Dan Cow Pie' - I failed! When it arrived it didn't look to be too much of a challenge, but once I'd broken into the pie case and finished the layer of potatoes, the layer of carrots and the layer of meat I discovered that I was only half way and there were just as many more potatoes, carrots and meat! I still gave it a good shot, but I know when I'm beaten!

We were back at The Dry Dock in a couple of years, this time for a lunchtime stop.

This was on Sunday 27th May 2001 and, apart from the complete redecoration on the outside, inside it was largely unchanged.

Our next visit was five years later.

This was at lunchtime on Sunday 4th June 2006 and, although it looked to be mostly unchanged, they weren't serving food at lunchtime! So we had a pint and moved on finding a little local called the Red Lion where we managed to get a sandwich (which was all we really needed/wanted). The nearest pub is just over the road and is a typical Banks's estate pub that doesn't do food.

We made our final visit on Tuesday 14th May 2013.

Another lunchtime stop (it is just under 3 hours by canal from Birmingham via Netherton Tunnel) and it has certainly changed - it is now five flats! Disaster! Well not really as the Red Lion is nearby. (The Wheatsheaf across the road is still open, but still not doing food.) More disaster! The Red Lion wasn't open either - not fully closed down, just doesn't open on weekday lunchtimes.

The silver lining to our cloud was that we ended up in Ma Pardoe's (The Old Swan) just up the road in Netherton. Plain, simple sandwiches and three pints of Old Swan Ale (not bad as I don't drink at lunchtimes and I'm a lager drinker!!)

#121 The Wheatsheaf, Braunston, Northants : 1993 to 2012

Although Braunston has been a regular stop over the years of our canal trips, it wasn't until 1993 that we finally discovered The Wheatsheaf.

This was taken on Thursday 23rd September 1993. From the canal there are two pubs before you reach The Wheatsheaf and, by the look of it, we had visited both before we got here. As I recall it was a bog standard village pub; a basic local and, much to our joy, contained a skittles table!

We obviously liked the place as we were back again the next year.

This was on the evening of Saturday 3rd September 1994. The Wheatsheaf didn't do food in those days, so we'd probably eaten at The Old Plough before strolling up the road for a game of skittles.

It was quite a few years before we returned and although there were noticeable changes to the outside, inside it was pretty much the same as before - a proper village local!

This was on Saturday 25th May 2005. That was the last time we've paid a visit whilst on a canal trip, but I was passing by and took this final picture.

Seemingly unchanged in the intervening 7 years, this photo was taken on Sunday 30th September 2012. It is good to see that The Wheatsheaf has survived and is thriving - here is an up-to-date description.