The Bell Inn, Upminster history behind the lost pub

The Bell Inn once stood at the corner of Corbets Tey Road and St Mary’s Lane. 

The watering hole is understood to have first been built in the 1760s, roughly where a nail and beauty salon is now on Bell Corner. 

An earlier premises is rumoured to have been in existence from before the 17th century, according to Havering Libraries. 

It was flanked on one side by a family-run blacksmiths that went by the name of Eldred’s Smithy from 1799, before it closed down in 1907. 

The pub seen at the end of the road, with the fence of Saint Laurence church on the right (Image: Havering Libraries – Local Studies) A picture taken in 1908 in the village shows the pub covered in snow, with the blacksmiths to the left.

That same year, the Suffragettes and some of their supporters were pictured gathered in significant numbers outside The Bell Inn. 

According to Havering Libraries, the group had formed for a meeting in the Boys’ Schoolroom nearby. 

The group included those that aligned themselves with the Women’s Freedom League. 

The pub was demolished in the 1960s (Image: Havering Libraries – Local Studies) READ MORE: People and places of Essex village celebrated in train station painting

On November 28, 1908, the Suffragettes visited for a third time, as documented by Havering Libraries archives, whilst on their way to Chelmsford. 

It is understood that The Bell Inn as pictured in the early 1900s replaced the earlier building, as part of the redevelopment of Upminster and Corbets Tey. 

The pub closed in 1962 and was demolished the following year.