The Tumbledown Dick

The Tumbledown Dick
public house
Location	Farnborough
Coordinates	51°17′35″N 0°45′12″W / 51.293188°N 0.753418°W / 51.293188; -0.753418
Area	Hampshire
Built	1674
Owner	McDonald's
Location of The Tumbledown Dick in Hampshire

The Tumbledown Dick was a former public house in

A pub on the site is believed to have been built prior to 1700, with an original building having been constructed in 1674.[3]^[5] It was used in the billeting of troops in transit from no later than 1696, continuing until at least 1756, five beds and stabling for five horses, and was the start of the continued relationship between the Army and the pub.^[6]

It was during the 18th century that the pub was first used as a post house, and it was described at the time as a hub of the community.

Important land and property sales were both advertised and held at the pub, including the sale of Farnborough Place and Park and the pub itself in 1861.[10] As late as 1862 the pub was being used as the location for the manorial courts of the Manor of Farnborough, the Courts Baron and Customary Courts, wherein rents were paid and Coroner's inquests held.^{[citation needed]}

The middle of the century saw the building as a place for local people and visitors to celebrate and be entertained, ranging from post-match meals for

In the late 20th century the pub with a large addition on the south side operated as a live music venue and was a focal place in Farnborough. A number of bands played there early in their musical careers,^[citation needed] or performed there while on tour. Notable bands to perform at the venue include Mega City Four,^[12] Reuben,^[13] Hundred Reasons,^[14] and Paul Weller and The Jam.^[15]

In September 2007,

In August 2012 the freehold owners of the building, Bride Hall Investments, made an agreement to sell it to the McDonald's restaurant chain.[17]^[4] The following October, a community group was formed as The Friends of the Tumbledown Dick with the goal of raising local awareness, mounting a legal challenge to the demolition of the pub, and eventually purchasing the property to re-open it as a community run pub. In February 2014, a petition to save the pub had attracted over 3000 signatures. The campaign did not succeed, ultimately failing to attract sufficient funding or interest.

Although planning regulations at the time meant that use of a public house as a restaurant did not require permission, in 2013 a planning application to adapt the building for use as a restaurant/takeaway, involving partial demolition and addition of new structural elements was successful.^[17] This followed an earlier version of the plans in which the building was to be demolished entirely. The proposal was amended to retain the facade and other parts of the existing structure partly through the intervention of local MP Gerald Howarth who met with McDonalds.^{[citation needed]} The building later re-opened, refurbished as a restaurant and drive-through. During refurbishment, removal of external tiling revealed an early 20th century 'Simonds' of Reading brewery sign on the north wall which was retained and repainted.

Heritage status

The building was listed in the 1980s as a "Hampshire treasure" by

References