Laurel and Hardy pulled pints in village pub

14 hours ago

David McKenna,East Yorkshire and Lincolnshireand

Karl Bird,Barkston and Grantham

News image — Stan Laurel (front left) and Oliver Hardy (front right) sit either side of Laurel's father Arthur Jefferson in Barkston, with Laurel's sister Olga and brother-in-law Bill

Dave Tomlinson A black and white signed photo of Laurel and Hardy's visit to the Plough Inn Barkston in 1947. Three men sit in the front row of the photo, with two women and a man behind then. A cabinet full of wine glasses can be seen in the background. — Stan Laurel (front left) and Oliver Hardy (front right) sit either side of Laurel's father Arthur Jefferson in Barkston, with Laurel's sister Olga and brother-in-law Bill

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy created more than 100 films together and became a global phenomenon, famed for their slapstick comedy.

But while the iconic duo walked the Hollywood walk of fame, they also enjoyed a taste of the quiet life in rural Lincolnshire.

This included pulling pints at the Old Plough Inn in the picturesque village of Barkston, near Grantham, as the Secret Lincolnshire podcast has been hearing.

The pub was run by Laurel's younger sister, Beatrice, who was known as Olga.

Sam Soutar, the parish clerk, said: "Stan came to visit in 1947 along with Ollie and it caused quite a stir in the village.

"Apparently, it was known as the pub that had no alcohol left because they were so popular they used to run out on a Saturday night."

Listen to the story of Laurel and Hardy in Lincolnshire

The Old Plough Inn is now a residential property, but the sign can still be seen above the door as a nod to the past.

Stan's father, Arthur Jefferson, lived with Olga up until his death in 1949 and is buried in the local cemetery.

Soutar said: "The gravestone is quite a recent addition, it was an unmarked grave for a long time.

"It's lovely and peaceful down here and a nice place for people to sit and just contemplate."

The epitaph reads: "Arthur Jefferson, husband of Margaret and father of Stan Laurel, master of comedy."

Karl Bird/BBC Headstone for Arthur Jefferson - a grey rectangular stone block with slightly faded inscription. The epitaph reads: Arthur Jefferson, husband of Margaret and father of Stan Laurel, master of comedy. There is a vase of pink flowers to the right. — Arthur Jefferson is buried in the local cemetery in Barkston

Laurel had previously been to visit his sister while she was performing as an actress at the Theatre Royal, Grantham, in 1927, and it was here she met her husband, Bill Healy. Together, they became licensees of the pub.

She would later run another pub in Bottesford, about seven miles from Grantham in the Vale of Belvoir. Laurel and Hardy spent time there before performances at the Empire Theatre in Nottingham.

During their trips to the region, the comedy duo also performed at Grimsby's Palace Theatre and judged the Holiday Lovelies competition at Butlin's in Skegness.

On another occasion, they caused something of a stir during a visit to Grantham, according to Shannon Davis, manager at the town's museum.

An archive report in the Grantham Journal, from 29 February 1952, details how the pair were in town to open a trade exhibition.

"I like this part where it says a chimney sweep pushing his barrow quietly along the road was caught up in the crush and had to battle his way to the open road," she said.

Getty Images A black and white photo of Laurel and Hardy wearing their iconic Derby hats and smiling broadly. Laurel, on the left, is slim and wears a bow tie. Hardy is larger and wears a straight tie. — Stan Laurel (left) and Oliver Hardy (right) are credited with being the first on-screen comedy double act

The critically acclaimed film Stan & Ollie documents the duo's final tour, which came to an abrupt end in Plymouth in May 1954, after Hardy had a mild heart attack.

They would set sail from Hull the following month, leaving the UK for the final time.

However, according to Ross Owen, who runs the Laurel and Hardy forum and was a consultant on the film, they went out with a bang.

"It was like Beatlemania," he said. "The streets were packed and that was across the country. They always left their mark wherever they went.

"You've got it in Grantham, obviously, with Stan Laurel's sister, that's a great piece of history."

Getty Images Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker disguised as a storm trooper in white body armour in a scene from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. — Mark Hamill, pictured in a scene from Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, described himself as a Laurel and Hardy devotee

Even today, Laurel and Hardy are hugely popular around the world.

Among their celebrity fans is Mark Hamill, who starred as Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars franchise.

"I am a lifelong devotee," he told BBC Radio Lincolnshire.

"Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are, in my mind, the greatest comic duo ever. I don't expect them ever to be topped, and I'll never stop loving them."

Hamill recalled a conversation on the set of Star Wars after he learned film great Peter Cushing had appeared in a Laurel and Hardy movie.

"I said to him, it must have been such a thrill to work with Laurel and Hardy. He's taken aback and he said 'most people don't remember that at all'."

Laurel's great granddaughter Cassidy Cook, who looks after his legacy, added: "If my great grandfather was here today, I don't think he'd realise how impactful this would still be.

"I don't think there's anything better than being able to laugh because this world needs it more than ever."

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