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Picture source: David Packer

The Victory was situated on the junction between King Street and The Green the Victory and has been through both name changes and rebuilds. The pub that finally closed must have been a handsome pub when first built sometime in the 19th century. With three gables with a recessed balcony under the middle one, it echoed look of the Tudor manor House, just yards away. By the time it closed for the last time, sometime in the early 1980s (I think, feel free to provide and exact date) it had sadly declined and looked a shabby shadow of its former self. According to A History of the County of Middlesex, Vol 4 the Victory was originally called the Plough, then the King’s Head, and in 1814 was renamed The King of Prussia, after Frederick William III. At that time Britain was allied to Prussia in the wars against Napoleon. Fast forward a century to 1914 and Britain was at war again, this time against the King of Prussia, Wilhelm II, Kaiser of Germany and great grandson of Frederick William. Along with a number of other name changes, including that of the Royal Family, the King of Prussia pub became the more patriotic Victory, named after Lord Nelson’s flagship at Trafalgar, the long-established pub’s third and final name. This seems to have happened sometime in 1915, earlier than more prominent First World War name changes. Although I was too young to go there, I was aware of the Victory during its last few years trading. I remember the sadly faded sign with a painting of HMS Victory and the generally dark, tatty and tumbledown look of the place. I also remember it had something of a reputation as a bit lively at the weekends, or as my grandad put it, “A proper blood ‘ouse that place, keep away from it.”.

Source: David Packer

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