The Bird In Hand, Lovedean Lane, Lovedean, Hampshire.

A Whitbread Pub for many years, run by Dave Higgins in the Late Eighties & Nineties during which time it was extended and the restaurant at the back added. Dave later moved to the Isle of Wight taking his infamous Red Fire engine with him to the Woodvale in Gurnard. He left the pub trade a couple of years later taking on a role behind bars at a prison on the Island. Living in West Cowes, not far from Yarmouth where he met Lee, he works there !


This is Dave behind the bar. Some people may recognise Tanya (is she falling asleep ?) on the right, last heard of still living in Spain with Ray.
Under Whitbread's wing, the pub continued with Judith at the helm, barely 5ft tall, little feisty Judith & Tim are still affectionately remembered... Judith for the Pete Cross disco hosted Music quiz nights, and Tim for those big eyes & the YMCA dance routine !
Dave had researched the pub's history and it's thanks to him that these old pictures are still around...
Home to the FA cup during part of the second world war and the background to the popular quiz question "Which team has held the FA cup for the longest period ?" The answer is Portsmouth FC who won it, then WW2 postponed the contest. The cup had been kept in the City until the threat of bombing raids when it was moved to the safer location of The Bird in Hand public house in Lovedean.
The landlord kept it under his bed although it was paraded around the pub from time to time and it's said that some of the pub locals drank ale from it.
In February 2009 the FA Cup was once again back at the Bird in Hand for a charity fund-raising event.
The Bird in Hand has undergone another facelift and is now a restaurant with a 'pub' element run by Peppermill Pubs, the people from the Hurdles in Droxford.
The Bird in Hand's website is here.
The Bird in Hand 269 Lovedean Lane, Lovedean, Waterlooville, Hampshire PO8 9RX 023 9259 1055