Archived Page
This page is no longer maintained.
For up-to-date information please see the
new website
The Four Feathers
No, I don’t mean the book or the film. Back in ’09 the Feathers pub opposite Cliveden passed into new hands who then proceeded to renovate the building, removing the big palm trees at the front and also taking away the ancient piece of farm machinery by the roadside. Your Society made no objections to this makeover in principle since the building was protected by its Grade II listed status. However, the roadside sign has always represented part of the coat of arms of the Prince of Wales; the three feathers. The new owners, in their enthusiasm to modernise, replaced the three feathers with a single peacock feather, which simply did not look right and was out of keeping with the ambience of the pub. We did object to this change. The Feathers Inn dates from around 1730 but was first licensed in the 1870s, and used the Prince of Wales feathers for its sign. There is a question however about which Prince of Wales it represented. Apparently Victoria’s son and heir used to drop by for a pint, we know that, but it may also have referred to his predecessor, the ill-fated Frederick, son of King George II, who lived at Cliveden from 1739 until his death in 1751. SBDC agreed with our objection since this was a change too far and – eventually – the single peacock feather was replaced with the tri-feathered Prince of Wales sign you see today. Which sign do you prefer? Fred Russell
