With the current plans to redevelop the Anchor as housing, I thought it was timely to have a look at the history of what is probably Shepperton’s oldest-established inn. Although the earliest written evidence for the Anchor is a licensing register of 1722, it seems certain that an inn of some form would have existed in this prime spot in the Church Square for many years, even centuries, before this date.
The first recorded licensee was Hannah Smith, and a succession of private owners followed until it was acquired by Messrs Farnell of the Isleworth Brewery in 1839. In 1899 it was extended by the addition of the single-storey billiard room seen on the right of this postcard, which was posted in 1915.This was rebuilt as a two storey wing to match that on the left, after a bad fire in 1984.
The licensee from 1922 was Amy Ethel Turpin, who no doubt was the unwitting origin of the story that highwayman Dick Turpin used to hang out at the Anchor. He was never anywhere near it as far as is known.
After the Second World War, the Anchor was especially popular with film stars from the nearby Shepperton Film Studios, including John Gregson and Richard Burton. The singer Tom Jones was a regular there in the 1960’s when a resident of Manygate Lane, Shepperton. The Anchor has also been used several times as a film set itself, including the TV adaption of ‘Take a Girl Like You’ by Kingsley Amis in 2000.
After its long and varied history, it would be a huge shame if such a notable part of Shepperton’s heritage were to be lost.
For more information on Shepperton’s pubs, past and present, see ‘The History of Shepperton’s Pubs’, published by Sunbury and Shepperton Local History Society. ‘TV and Film Locations in Spelthorne’, by Nick Pollard, will be the subject of the next meeting of the Society on Tuesday 20th September at the Sunbury Methodist Church in Staines Road East, starting at 8pm. All welcome, £2 for non-members of SSLHS.