The Bell Inn
Selsley has no school, post office or village shop. However we do have The Bell, a 16th century Grade II listed Inn. It's at the heart of the village and village life. The Bell is a meeting place for clubs and groups in the village, a dropping off and collection point for parcels, source of excellent take away fish and chips and of course, a welcoming pub and restaurant with quality local food and drink. It welcomes all visitors, with and without paws!
In the summer the Bell plays host to teams of Morris Dancers! The book club meet in the pub every 5 or 6 weeks with a wide range of literature under discussion. Pub quizzes and curry nights raise money for the community group and the Bell is instrumental in making fetes, festivals and village events a success. Christmas carols are often hosted by The Bell and we’ve even seen the odd reindeer outside!
There's also a defibrillator located outside the Bell. The pub sponsored the purchase and running of this important community asset.
Mark and Sarah are the Bell’s owners. Mark began his career in the kitchens of Claridges Hotel in London. After working his way up the ladder, gaining experience in a number of prestigious London restaurants, he moved to Wiltshire where he met Sarah. After moving to Gloucestershire, they purchased the Bell in 2015 and in 2019 were joined by general manager Justyna who was previously food and beverages manager at Harvey Nichols.
The Bell is known locally for its quality food offering and have won many awards. Having a chef proprietor is key to the consistently high standard. The pub work closely with local suppliers and Sarah grows as much fruit and veg as she can in a kitchen garden at the end of Bell Lane. She's also an authority on gin (The Bell stocks over 75!) and as for beer, Uley ale comes from just up the road.
The Bell is a dog friendly pub and is a firm favourite with walkers as it's only a minute or two from the Cotswold Way. The accommodation over the pub makes for a very comfortable overnight stay, and its legendary breakfasts are available to all villagers and visitors. Check out the menu
Olive Williams stands outside the Bell Inn. Olive was named after her mother and was one of seven children. Her parents were Arthur and Olive Williams. Between them they ran The Bell, kept the shop at the end of the building and delivered coal to neighbouring villages. They also supplied Selsley with chickens and cockerels which they bred in the garden behind the pub, now the car park.
The child next to Olive playing with the dog is Eric Williams, her nephew. Eric lived at School Square just down Selsley Hill. We spoke to Eric about his family's tenure at The Bell over three generations of the Williams family from 1903 to 1978. The building Eric remembers is quite different from The Bell today.
Today the ground floor of the pub is almost entirely given over to the public. It's laid out to maximise the space, with internal staircases having been removed.
In the 1950s the public bar consisted of a couple of tables, some chairs and a window seat. Beer was served in the cellar and drunk in the bar. There was a clock on the wall and a picture of the Royal Navy at the time of WW1 with all the ships named. It was a room of darts and dominos. Eric can remember lying in bed in the room above, listening to the conversations of the regulars below and the dominos knocking.
The Bell was also home to the Williams family. The living room was used day to day, but for family gatherings they would use the bottom room, which was larger. In the fifties, stair cases led upstairs from the bottom room and from the living room and today's "Snook" served as the village shop.
There were a number of outbuildings. The wash room contained an old boiler for heating up water. Next to that was the ladies toilet. The men's toilets were at the other end of the pub, next to the stable and the slaughterhouse where the chickens were killed. Both toilets were double bench seats. You never knew who you'd be sat next too!
The Bell was also home to the Williams family. The living room was used day to day, but for family gatherings they would use the bottom room, which was larger. In the fifties, stair cases led upstairs from the bottom room and from the living room and today's "Snook" served as the village shop.
There were a number of outbuildings. The wash room contained an old boiler for heating up water. Next to that was the ladies toilet. The men's toilets were at the other end of the pub, next to the stable and the slaughterhouse where the chickens were killed. Both toilets were double bench seats. You never knew who you'd be sat next too!
Selsley Hill then known as "The Avenue". You can see the Cricket pitch on the right.
The stable housed the horse that Arthur, his grandfather, used to deliver coal and fetch beer barrels from the brewery in Stroud. The coal was kept in a large shed and delivered around neighbouring villages in hundred weight wicker baskets.
Three Generations of Landlords.
Edward
Eric's great grandmother Annie was Edward's third wife.
Eric's great grandfather Edward Williams moved into The Bell in 1902 and was the first of the Williams family landlords. Up until then Edward had had a variety of jobs, working in the wool industry and then as a grocer.
Edward's family was from Ledbury but moved to the Stroud area where he was born in Minchinhampton in 1846. He lived to be an old man and had a large family having been married three times. (Two of his wives died in childbirth)
This photograph of the Williams family was taken across the end of Bell Lane and you can see the forge which became part of the Scout HQ, and to the right, The Green.
Arthur Williams ((2nd row on the right) was the next to become landlord after Edward retired.
Edward's family was from Ledbury but moved to the Stroud area where he was born in Minchinhampton in 1846. He lived to be an old man and had a large family having been married three times. (Two of his wives died in childbirth)
This photograph of the Williams family was taken across the end of Bell Lane and you can see the forge which became part of the Scout HQ, and to the right, The Green.
Arthur Williams ((2nd row on the right) was the next to become landlord after Edward retired.
Arthur
Arthur and Olive had seven children, Barbara, George, Clifford, Doreen, Betty, Margaret and Olive. Doreen would become the third generation of the Williams family to run The Bell.
Arthur's path to landlord of the Bell was remarkable and he almost didn't make it! Born in Mill cottages, Woodchester in 1893, he started his working life as a foundry man in a foundry at the bottom of Selsley Hill, where Sainsbury's is today. In 1914 he enlisted in the Worcestershire Regiment and went to war.
Arthur was wounded on the Somme and was brought to a field hospital with shrapnel in his head. There was a rudimentary triage system in place with the badly wounded left on stretchers to die, while the surgeons did what they could for those that stood a chance. Arthur was left on a stretcher overnight. A telegram was drafted and sent to the Williams family back in Selsley, saying that he had been killed in action.
But in the morning Arthur was still alive and so the surgeons gave him a chance and removed the shrapnel. Months later he walked though the door of the Bell causing his mother Amelia to collapse as they'd already had a funeral in his absence. Remarkably, we can read Arthur's story first hand. The village had a quarterly magazine and Arthur's account of his injury was published.
Arthur was wounded on the Somme and was brought to a field hospital with shrapnel in his head. There was a rudimentary triage system in place with the badly wounded left on stretchers to die, while the surgeons did what they could for those that stood a chance. Arthur was left on a stretcher overnight. A telegram was drafted and sent to the Williams family back in Selsley, saying that he had been killed in action.
But in the morning Arthur was still alive and so the surgeons gave him a chance and removed the shrapnel. Months later he walked though the door of the Bell causing his mother Amelia to collapse as they'd already had a funeral in his absence. Remarkably, we can read Arthur's story first hand. The village had a quarterly magazine and Arthur's account of his injury was published.
READ ARTHURS STORY
Arthur was given an honourable discharge and returned to work in foundries for the rest of the war and beyond. In 1922 he married Olive Cullingford and on the death of his father, Arthur and Olive became landlord and landlady at the Bell Inn.
Doreen
Doreen married John Price from Dursley. They had Three children, Andrea David and Linda. In 1962, Arthur and Olive retired to Rodborough and the Price family took over at The Bell. They moved from Dursley into a caravan in front of The Bell while the pub was refurbished. An indoor bathroom was added, and the bottom room converted into a lounge bar. The slaughter house, coal shed and stable were removed and new toilets were added in their place for the Bell’s customers.
Doreen would run the pub and the village shop while John went off to work as an accounts clerk at BP Chemicals. John took over when he got home and ran the pub in the evenings.
Doreen and John were landlords until 1977. They moved from the pub to Fort view, only a stone's throw away, bringing to an end the Williams family’s 75 year tenure at the Bell Inn.
Doreen would run the pub and the village shop while John went off to work as an accounts clerk at BP Chemicals. John took over when he got home and ran the pub in the evenings.
Doreen and John were landlords until 1977. They moved from the pub to Fort view, only a stone's throw away, bringing to an end the Williams family’s 75 year tenure at the Bell Inn.
A Ghost Story
The Wiliams family were no strangers to tragedy. Margaret Williams, one of Olive and Arthur's daughters, was run over and killed by the village bus. She's buried in Selsley Churchyard and her parents decided that when their turn came they wanted to be buried with her. For one reason or another this never happened and it's said that Margaret was never at rest after her parents died.She's reported as a mischievous presence. Menus that were chalked on the board one night bear the marks of a child's fingers dragged through the chalk the next morning. Publicans locking up have heard a young girl's giggles when there is nobody there.
One of the previous landlords once told Eric of catching a glimpse of a young girl. "Don't tell me", said Eric and described Margaret to him from this photograph. " How in the world do you know that?" asked the publican, amazed. "Well," said Eric, "that was my Aunt."
Many thanks to Eric Williams, Andrea Farthing and Linda Jones for their time, information and photographs.