The Flag Inn - formerly The Union Flag
 The Flag Inn's own
web site for more information. |
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The Flag Inn was formerly known as the 'Union Flag'
named after the 1707 Union of Scotland and England.
A public house has been on the site since the
18th century, being one of eight Wivenhoe public
houses listed in the 1769 Alehouse Recognizes. This hostelry, along with the Horse and Groom and
the Beehive, would have served Wivenhoe Cross, the
more rural agricultural based community at the top
of the town which was almost a separate village
until the construction of The Avenue in the 1930s. Often the male landlord of a pub had another main
employment, in the 1880s William Goldsmith is
recorded living at The Flag but his occupation is
given as a gardener, his wife would have run the
pub. Many wives took over after the deaths of their
husbands, in 1776 Elizabeth took over from her late
husband John Plume, in 1816 Mary took over from
James Wyatt. The 1901 census shows William Lawrence
as head of the household, he was also the landlord
of the Royal Oak in Dovercoat, his wife Julia was
the landlady of The Flag. On 25 April 1884 Wivenhoe was hit by an earthquake
and it was reported in the Essex Telegraph the
following day that The Flag at Wivenhoe Cross had
suffered from demolished chimneys. Like most pubs The Flag brewed it own beer until
1911 when Daniel & Sons took ownership and
supplied from their Colchester brewery, in 1958
ownership transferred to Truman Brewery with the
beer coming from their Romford brewery. Following
the Tied Houses legislation in 1989 the Flag passed
through various pub companies until its closure in
2018. 1911 saw a change in the physical building with the
sheds, probably the location of the former
brewhouse, being replaced by the two storey brick
building central to the current pub. The replacement
of the garages with the twin gabled building to the
south formed part of the 2022 refurbishment together
with the final removal of the mis-shapen ridge to
the original building. After this extensive remodelling and extension the
property reopened in Autumn 2022 as 'The Flag Inn',
described as: In 2024
this venture failed and the pub closed again, this
time to be bought by a company who are successfully
running six other venues across north Essex. The
re-opening in 2025 has been warmly welcomed by the
residents of Wivenhoe. |
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Publicans: 1769: John Plume |
The Union Flag in the late 19th century.
Note the main building with its mis-shapen
roof and two dormer windows
- much the same today although the bay window on the ground
floor is now a flat window.
Photo: © John Stewart, Wivenhoe History Group
The Flag in about 2005.
A 20th century building replacing the shed and
outbuilding to the south. The original building with its
mis-shapen roof still standing with central door and two
altered windows visible behind the two motor cyclists.
Note the proud display of the EU flag alongside the Union flag
on the end gable!
The refurbished Flag Inn in 2023.
A twin gabled extension over the re-purposed garages but the loss of the mis-shapen roof although the form and dormers have been retained on the historic building structure. The entrance is now to the rear in an extended car park.