The Hen & Chicken
The Hen & Chicken early 1900s (old)
The Hen & Chicken 2007
The Hen & Chicken, on the A31 in Upper Froyle, or to be precise - Froyle. The old picture was taken early in the 1900s and the modern one in March 2007.

There are a quite a few visible changes between the pictures:-

  • Additional dormer windows have been added in the roof.
  • A single storey extension has been added nearest the camera.
  • The entrance porch has been enlarged.
  • The tree by the front entrance has been removed.
  • The road has been made up and white lines added. In fact it is no longer the main A31; a dual carriageway was built to the left of the picture and the ‘old’ A31 is now a service road to the Hen & Chicken, Turnpike Cottages and the petrol station.
  • A petrol station has been built next door.
Hen and Chicken 1910 Hen and Chicken 2008

These two show the reverse angle of the pair above. The old picture was taken around 1910 and the modern one in October 2008. I have included the full frame width of the original to show where the biggest visual change has occurred.

The changes to the surroundings are more noticeable from here:-

  • The modern service road is still wider than the original main road.
  • The trees on the right were felled in the 1960s when the A31 was upgraded.
  • The entrance on the left nearest the camera in the 2008 picture is access to the Hen & Chicken service station.
The pub was Grade 2 Listed in May 1985. English Heritage gives the following information:-

Hen and Chicken Public House. GV II Public house. c1740, with C19 extensions. A chaise house, erected following the construction of a new coach road, c1730. Brick walls, with a tiled roof. Symmetrical front (south-east) of 2 storeys, and attic, 2.1.2 windows. Plain roof, with 4 gabled Victorian dormers. Red brick walls in Flemish bond, rubbed flat arches, 1st floor bond, plinth; a centrepiece is formed by 2 pilasters. Sashes. Tuscan porch with entablature and 2 smooth columns. A single-storeyed extension at the east side, of 2 windows, is constructed in the same style.
Information from English Heritage, Images of England