The Merry Bells

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Archive Notes:

Copy of postcard (from Hinton Collection) circa 1914, also replacing the road surface in 1910 from article in Oxford Journal - original in newspaper box.

Since the building of the new turnpike road from Oxford to London in 1775, trade had slumped. The village had become a refuge for rough quarry workers, highwaymen and students. In fact, if you fancied a pint of beer and a punch-up, it seems that Wheatley had been the place to go. The change in Wheatley’s profile began by the banning guns and dogs in 1834, followed by a halt to bull-baiting and badger-baiting.The Temperance Movement resulted in the building, by Kingerlee, of the Merry Bells as a temperance hotel in 1888 by Dorothy Miller (photo shown) of Shotover House. It was a coffee house with ‘two large meeting rooms, a refreshment bar, a bathroom, cubicles, commercial and travellers rooms and stable accommodation for four horses’. Bought as a village hall in 1970.

According to the records the manager at its opening was Mr Ayling, followed in 1891 by Mary Miller or, according to the Kelly Directory John Miller. In 1895 it was run by Joseph Gould, in 1901 by Ernest Turner and his wife Blanche, in 1908 by Henry Atherton and his wife (see next paragraph), and in 1911 by George Silvester and his wife Emily. In 1921, the managers were Jonathan and Mary Baldwin who came from Worminghall.

An article in the Oxford Journal on 21 October 1893 included the following accolade about The Merry Bells which was a place of meeting which formed

‘a centre for every good work as well as for necessary recreation. No country village in England possessed so perfect a building as that in which they wero assembled; so far from being intended to injure anybody it was built to be a help to every class. It had not as yet taken its proper position as the natural centre for educational purposes for all kinds, of lectures of an instructive nature (such as were now supplied by the County Council), for night school, musical meetings, temperance entertainments, as well as being the natural home of all those societies that had a more directly religious object, such as the Mother’s Union, the Girls’ Friendly Society, the Sons of Temperance, the Church of England Temperance Society, and many others.’

In 1908 there were two groups, led by Henry Atherton (then manager of the Temperance Hotel) and Mrs Atherton, with the Men's Mutual Improvement Class shown in record 2446, and the Ladies' Wednesday Afternoon Class, record 246.

There are two press articles from 1925 about Whist Drives in the Merry Bells. At one in February, in aid of the Cricket Club and hosted by George Gould, Club secretary, Hilsdon, Brandum, Bathard, Gostick are mentioned. At the other, in December in aid of the Women's institute with Mrs Miller their president, the Misses Briggs, Miss Barns, Miss Harding, Alex Hilsdon, Mrs Rawson, Mrs Shorter, Munt, Smith, Miss Cullum, Castle, Brown, Whiting, Brandom, and Bathard are all mentioned.

A history of the Merry Bells, written by Michael Heaton in 2020, is one of the files which can be accessed.

The Merry Bells Management committee were shown in the 1977 Jubilee booklet.

On its centenary in 1988, an 80-page booklet of photos, history and recollections was published. many of the photos are shown in the archive reproduced from the original prints.

There is an undated plan of the interior of the building.

In the same year, 1888, Kingerlee built another Temperance Hotel at 33-35 Queen Street, Oxford, shown in a photo.

See 1554 for collection of Hinton postcards.

Map Address:

Merry Bells and Post Office/shop