The Albert Victor

This image was kindly provided by Donna McMillan who said that the older of the two ladies was her 2nd great-grandmother, Ellen Eliza (lately Drew nee Melton) wife of Frederick William Hartley. The younger lady was Donna's great-grandmother, Florence Eva Drew (Ellen's daughter by the late John Drew). [Between 1901 and 1910]

Landlord Frederick William Hartley is standing on the far right wearing a bowler hat and Thomas Turner Drew, Florence's brother, is wearing a skipped cap and has his hand on the van's bonnet.

The van is possibly a 1926 Dennis; can an expert please advise.

The Albert Victor was the Public House that stood in Manor Road next to Westhall Manor. It ceased trading and is now a private house. Albert-Victor was the elder brother of Prince George (later George V) and known as Prince Eddy. He was in direct line of succession to the throne after his father but he caught influenza at Sandringham shortly after his engagement to Princess May of Teck. Pneumonia set in and he died on 14th January 1892, just after his twenty-eighth birthday.

The public house name 'Albert Victor' does not appear in the Directories until the 1930' s but iy was definitely trading before then.

In 1874 Charles Dye is listed as a beer retailer. In 1883 Edward Melton has that occupation and in 1890 there is the entry, Thomas Wright-Beerhouse Then Frederick Hartley is listed as a beer retailer from 1896 until 1916 when he appears as victualler of The White Horse and Percy Shepherd takes over as Beer retailer.ln 1925 Thomas Turner Drew is listed as a beer retailer and a Thomas Drew ran The Albert Victor for a number of years. In 1937 the pub is first mentioned by name with Albert Southgate as victualler.

Whether all or some of the others ran their business from the Inn we now know as the Albert Victor has to be proved. However. it seems quite likely that after the death of Albert Victor in 1892 the Inn was named in his memory.

Letter from Dick Melton

The Albert Victor public house was situated in Manor Road, Dersingham; it opened in 1868. The Landlords we know of were:

Charles Harper 1868-1872

Charles Dye from 1875

William Melton 1877

Edward Melton 1879-1883 (taken over from his brother William)

Thomas Wright 1888-1891 and Landlady Mrs Caroline Wright From 1892

Frederick William Hartley 1896-1912. He was also a wheelwright and carried on his trade in the large barn at the side of the public house, the barn is still there.

Percy Shepherd 1916-1922

Thomas Turner Drew 1925-1933

Albert Edward Southgate and his wife helped by their daughter Dorothy 1937-1961
Their son, Fred Southgate, worked for Queen Mary for 27 years first as a footman and then in 1940 was made her personal chauffeur. Mary Hawkes (nee Southgate), a daughter, sent us this information and she has a copy of his reference given to him by Lord Claud Hamilton after Queen Mary died.

Peter Rogers 1961-1967 died in 1967 aged 47

Margaret Ellen Rogers 1967-1970

Arthur Robert Oswald Daw 1970-1981

The Albert Victor was closed on 26 October1981and turned into a private house, the barn was used as a school for dancing.

[Perhaps someone can fill in the gaps in the landlord dates for us – Ed].

Over the years the Albert Victor had a good bowling green with some good players amongst them including my father Jim, my Uncle
Sid Hunter, my grandfather William Melton and my great uncle Tom Drew. Tom was a builder and became landlord of the pub in 1925.

The pub trade was in our family; others kept The Fox and Hounds at Marham, The Union Jack at Royden and I was head barman at The Kit-Kat Public House in Hunstanton for twenty years working there for a total of thirty years.

All the best,
Dick Melton from ‘Sunny Hunny’.
June 2020