Questions we’re frequently asked. ‘When did George Harrison play at The Crooked Billet?’ (more about the Beatles later). ‘What’s it like cooking for Marco Pierre White, Pierre Koffman, Heston Blumenthal?’ (lots of chefs eat with us). ‘Kate Winslet’s wedding?’ But most of all - the pub/Crooked Billet’s history. So here you go.

The Crooked Billet, Stoke Row | The History

There was an Oxfordshire saying “If you want a beer & jolly good fight, go to Stoke Row on a Saturday night”. Most of the following information comes from the 1753 Victuallers' Recognizances. Also, folders of The CB’s history & photographs kindly given to us by historian Angela Spencer-Harper. Angela’s published book 1999 - ‘Dipping Into The Wells’ also gives a fascinating insight of Stoke Row’s history.

National Heritage Archaeologists date The Crooked Billet to 1600; so we’re older than the Founding Fathers discovering America & establishing the first colonies. Timbers from the defeated Spanish Armada were brought up the Thames, some used in the pub’s construction. Originally a small holding, cherry orchard & bodger’s workshop where ale was available.