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Original Sun & Whalebone	Picture source: Hania Franek
The Sun & Whalebone was situated on Potter Street.
Local newspaper review by John Cutting, 1960s
The Sun & Whalebone has a commanding position on top of Latton Hill, one of the highest points in the County of Essex. Once it shared with the neighbouring garage a situation of splendid isolation to the South of Potter Street, but to-day to the North and West the turreted skyline of the new Harlow stands out like a theatrical back-cloth.
The inn sign is striking and original and consists of a cheerful italianate sun flanked by the jaw bones of a blue whale. The huge mammal whose jaw has somehow found a permanent resting place at Latton was apparently an adult male about eighty feet long who weighed between eighty and eighty-five tons. Records show that when flensed at sea on board the floating factory 'Svend Foyn' it produced over five and a half thousand gallons of oil.
The present inn was built in 1935 on the site of an earlier building. A photograph shows stables attached to the old inn which were used by the hay wagoners and their horses. One of these stables was taken over by the brothers Parsons when they first started their cycle repair and motor shop. When the inn was rebuilt the garage was moved to the opposite side of the road. A gable brick from the earlier inn was preserved when that building was demolished and this bears the initials R.D. and the year 1777.
The construction of the Potter Street by-pass has changed the character of the Sun & Whalebone. Previously it was a regular stopping place for coaches on their way to and from the races at Newmarket. To-day the coaches stop only by appointment.
The present tenant is Reg. Green who, during the past four and a half years has built up a flourishing local trade and has won for the inn the coveted Courage Grill Sign in recognition of the excellent home-cooked meals he serves. Chief responsibility for the catering is in the hands of Joyce Green who, in addition to the hot meals at lunchtime, also prepares a wide range of snacks during the evening. She is assisted by her sister Josie Hancock, while her brother-in-law is responsible for the wines and spirits.
The Courage Grill Sign is only awarded to catering establishments who have passed stringent tests. To have the privilege of displaying the sign there must be an extremely high standard of cleanliness and the menus which have to be in keeping with local demand and custom, must include hot grills. All dishes have to be well served, the service must be prompt and the prices reasonable.
Mr R H Courage, the Chairman of Courage Barclay and Simonds, has said that he was most anxious to see the Courage Sign of good food increasingly used to mark his determination to give the best food and drink to the public.
Decorating the Saloon Bar there is a splendid screen of wrought-iron work, a feature which is becoming increasingly popular in modern inns. The Public Bar is large and, in addition to a well-placed darts board, there is a bar-billiards table. Above the counter there is a series of plates depicting 'Transport through the Ages'.
The most poignant picture in the Saloon is a photograph of the Sun & Whalebone taken during the War and signed by a large number of the 'Battle of Britain Boys' stationed at North Weald. Signatures include men from Australia, Canada and Souh Africa. How many, I wonder, survived the War.
Not far from the Sun & Whalebone there is Whalebone Lane which, today, is a busy thoroughfare.
The whale conjures up thoughts of the wide oceans. As the poet said:
'I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the winds like a whetted knife'
But what connection has the whale with Latton or Chigwell Row?
Brewers: Courage (Eastern) Ltd
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