The Walnut Tree Inn - Fawley, UK
The Walnut Tree Inn Fawley: 15-Year Village Campaign to Save a Lost Pub | Buckinghamshire/Oxfordshire
Discover the remarkable story of The Walnut Tree Inn in Fawley - one of the UK's longest-running campaigns to save a village pub. This Brakspear pub closed in 2003 and became the center of an extraordinary community battle that lasted nearly 15 years.
The Story:
Built in the early 1960s by Brakspear Brewery, The Walnut Tree served as Fawley's village pub for over 40 years. In November 2003, the pub closed when the tenancy went into liquidation, leaving the building boarded up and eventually becoming derelict and overgrown.
The 15-Year Campaign (2003-2017):
2004: Fawley Village Association seeks clarification from Brakspear
2004: Pub contents sold, barrier erected, pub sign removed
2005: Property sold to developer, triggering planning battles
2006: Public inquiry ruled in village's favor against change of use
2011: Village benefactor purchases site for community
2015: Detailed planning proposals presented to packed village meeting
2017: Planning permission finally granted by Wycombe District Council committee
Key Campaign Figures:
Alfred Waller (Chairman, Save the Walnut Tree Action Group), local councillor Chris Whitehead, and an anonymous village benefactor ("Mr Moneybags") who purchased the site to preserve it for the community.
Planning Battle Details:
Despite planning officer recommending refusal, the application was passed to committee where villagers demonstrated support - including a vintage Bluebird bus taking residents to the planning meeting. The victory came after multiple rejected proposals for residential conversion and enabling development schemes.
Historic Context:
Fawley had limited pub history before the 1960s - only a beerhouse run by Henry Harman in the 1861 census. The Walnut Tree represented modern village life and became a focal point for the community's determination.
Location: Fawley, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire/Buckinghamshire border RG9 6JE
Nearby: Henley-on-Thames, Fawley Green (home to one of the Chilterns' deepest wells at 338-397ft), Stonor Park
A testament to community resilience and the fight to preserve village pubs across Britain!