Painting displayed in St. Michael and All Angels Church Hall
The Tabard Inn sign in position in the St. Michael and All Angels Church
May 4, 2024
A significant piece of local history that had been presumed lost has been restored to Bedford Park .
The original Tabard Inn sign, specially made for the public house on Bath Road, was painted by the distinguished artist Thomas Mathews Rooke in the early 1880s.
Rooke was a leading figure in the Victorian art world who was a resident of Bedford Park and his sign aimed to capture the appearance and ambience of early Bedford Park.
Despite its importance, the sign mysteriously disappeared and was presumed lost some time ago. It was apparently replaced by a modern sign in the 1970s but remarkably was rediscovered in 2016 when the Tabard pub was refurbished and the 1970’s sign was being replaced. The contractor spotted, when dismounting the sign, an earlier painting hidden underneath the boards.
Luckily, the landlord of the pub contacted the Bedford Park Society about the discovery. Recognising the sign as Rooke’s original, the Society acted quickly with the help of the Victorian Society to ensure the immediate safety of the work and Greene King, the owners of the Tabard, offered to gift the sign to The Bedford Park Society.
A Condition Survey report commissioned by the Society indicated that the side of the sign, which bears an image of the pub, including the sign itself, was in a good enough state to be conserved. The other side showing “The Trumpeter” was in much poorer condition and only a stabilisation of what remains was recommended. The Society was able to raise support for the conservation work from The Pilgrim Trust and the Hounslow Thriving Communities Fund, allowing specialist conservators McNeilage Conservation to take on the project in 2023.
The Tabard Inn sign before and after restoration
The work was completed in December and arrangements made to hang the sign in the Michael Room of St Michael & All Angels in April this year with the side showing the Tabard Inn displayed. Bedford Park Society members and guests were the first to see the finished work when it was “unveiled” at the Society’s Annual Members’ Party held in the Michael Room on 26 April.
The unveiling of the sign in its new home took place during the Bedford Park Society's members' party
Helen Jameson, Chair of the Society, said, “We are thrilled to see how much detail of the original painting emerged after the conservation process and delighted that we’ve been able to preserve this wonderful piece of Bedford Park history. Thanks go to local architect John Scott for his major role in the project, to the supporters for help with funding and to St Michael & All Angels for agreeing to provide a permanent home for the sign a few metres from its original position on the pub.”
Anyone who attends an event in the Michael Room will be able to see the sign on display. Otherwise, to request an opportunity to see it, contact the Parish Office at: parishoffice@smaaa.org.uk
For more information about The Bedford Park Society and its work, see: www.bedfordpark.org.uk.
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