Following our piece on the closure of the Shepperton Wine Bar and Grill recently, we were contacted by a local reader whose mother, Stella Smith, had told her stories about a previous incarnation. Mrs Smith had often visited The Hovel in the late 1950s and early 60’s. I had heard of The Hovel, but it was great to find out some more about the “world’s craziest restaurant”, which was even featured on a Pathé news clip.
The name “The Hovel” was boldly displayed on front of pub but was written back to front. It had a fake spider hanging over it. Already you realised you were not going for an ordinary night out. Venturing inside this was confirmed as the décor resembled a cross between a taxidermist, a museum and the shed of a crazy inventor.
The building itself dates back to the 16th century and was at one point used for curing ham. This made it a popular stopping off point for the stage coach. The story goes that the landlord Tom Leonard (or Len as he was known) a retired sailor from the Norwegian Merchant Navy, bought the restaurant in 1937 and decided to display some of his accumulated bits and pieces from his travels. In looking around the establishment he discovered 20 human skulls in the attic and decided that the macabre theme might be rather a draw.
He set about creating a unique and crazy restaurant where the food was not the main attraction! A huge lion skin was nailed to the ceiling. Not just any lion. It sprouted two huge horns from its head and a human hand hung from its mouth. The place was littered with the skulls and invigorated with the addition of electric wires criss-crossing to bring exhibits to life. Thus the hand protruding from the lion’s jaws would wave at diners and you were never quite sure what to expect.
In another room a walnut tree grew through the centre of a table and was festooned with lights as well as an alligator and a stuffed owl. It rapidly became the place to nail your visiting card, autograph or club tickets. People would send postcards and documents of interest which were also displayed and provided fascinating reading matter.
The Pathé film clip shows a couple sitting at the bar. Len, the landlord walks in wearing a gas mask and places some smelly cheese on the counter. Apparently he had a 13 year old cheese as well as a piece belonging to Garibaldi, which was occasionally sampled. No wonder his buy line was “If you bring it up, bring it back”!!!