The Falcon at Warmington

Warmington, Banbury

About Us

Here is just a little info to let you get to know us better...

History

Here is a little potted history of our pub and the local area... if you have a spare minute or two and maybe a cup of tea (or is that a G&T), we think it's well worth a read.

Our forebears from many hundreds of years ago were every bit as entrepreneurial as we might consider ourselves, and the deep history of the Falcon demonstrates clearly how many of our current businesses were seeded way back in the roots of time and still bear fruit today.

The Falcon was built in 1770, five miles north of Banbury and on the road to Warwick. It was built there to specifically take advantage of the busy turnpike road that led to the expanding centre of commerce that was Birmingham, and faced the tiny Toll House cottage, where travellers would have to stop to pay their levy for their on-going journey.

The road, now the B4100, was  turnpiked under an Act of Parliament of 1727 which permitted a  private company of trustees to take over the roads from Birmingham to  Warmington via Warwick (and the Birmingham to Edgehill road via  Stratford-upon-Avon) and to exact tolls for road maintenance and  improvement. These roads lay wholly within the county of Warwickshire   and it was a few years before the next section of the road from   Warmington to the south through Banbury was also turnpiked. It was   the manufacturers of the Birmingham region who badly wanted the road   improved for conveying their products.

The gradient on Warmington Hill has been improved on several occasions, but was quite precipitous in those early days. It is likely extra horses would have been needed to help heavy loads up the hill and the pub would be the obvious place to unhitch them before they were returned downhill.

What better place to take advantage of passing trade horses could be fed and watered, and re-shoed if necessary, coaches could be repaired , and the travellers themselves would be in need of sustenance, a pleasant rest from the toils of travel, and perhaps a bed for the night.

One of Alexander Carse's 17th century works, 'Revellers in an Inn', depicts a happy group consisting of local men, women, children and some finely dressed soldiers, with a family as the central tableau in the foreground. Whilst they eat and drink (even the child is being helped to a glass of punch from the shared bowl) a band plays in the background, and the patrons of the inn raise their arms and dance.

Much like now, in fact.

What is now the Falcon was at one time called called the Hare and Hounds, then became the Hare and Dog - the hunting of hares was a popular sport. The stone and thatch property was built by a local carpenter named Samuel Taylor, who had already built several cottages and converted various buildings to residential use within Warmington.

The square plat of land, measuring one rod and one perch (about a quarter of a acre) , had been granted to a local man, Thomas Parish, in lieu of the right to graze two sheep on the common lands when the fields surrounding the village were enclosed, Previously, it had been very rare to be able to build outside the curtilage of the village, but in this manner Thomas was able to take advantage of the opportunities the turnpike afforded.

Thomas Parish, a childless widower, died in 1798, and the property passed to his nephew William Parish, a woolcomber from Northamptonshire, who duely sold it on to a local farmer, James Jobson, for £18 and 18 shillings. He himself sold the land on to the aforementioned carpenter Samuel Taylor who had actually previously built the property.

Samuel Taylor owned the property for nine or ten years before he sold it to a local publican, Thomas Wilkins of Warmington.

Thomas Wilkins already owned a pub in the village, called the Hare and Hounds, and it was during his time as landlord of the two pubs that he transferred the name the 'Hare and Hounds' from the pub in the middle of the village to the pub on the main road opposite the Toll house. The pub in the village then was re-named the Plough.

The new Hare and Hounds was known by that moniker for some 150 years, and was subsequently re-named The Wobbly Wheel in 1970: about this time it lost its thatched roof as a result of a fire.

Presumably the pub had become so-named in recognition of the 19th century Wyatt family, who had a long association with the pub as tenant landlords, while continuing to operate their trade as wheelwrights servicing the carriages using the toll road, as well as local agricultural and domestic transport. William Wyatt held the licence from 1816 until his death in 1856, and was succeeded for many years by his son of the same name.

The Wobbly Wheel operated under the auspices of the Spirit Group, then became a 'Brewer's Fayre' under Whitbread, who built a 54 bedroom hotel to the rear of the pub.

But then, on the afternoon of Thursday 5th September 2013, a fire started in the roof space of the hotel, which was consumed by flames. Thankfully, all were evacuated and no-one was injured, though the hotel was eventually pulled down.

We bought the property in 2015 and renamed it the Falcon, to signal the major change in operation.

Publicans

  • Thomas WILKINS had become the licensee of the pub in Warmington village in 1807. It was called The Plough.
  • The Hare and Hounds was operating as a tavern in 1847, run by William Wyatt who was a farmer, wheelwright and publican. It was in a track-side location so a wheel wright would have been in demand. When William Wyatt was publican the pub was called the Hare and Hounds. He was still there in 1850.
  • In 1866, COLEMAN Thomas is listed against 'Hare and Hounds.'
  • In the National Archives, there are deeds relating to the Hare and Hounds (also known as the Hare and Dog), together with nine acres purchased by the Reverend Charles William Holbech from John Alfred Stranks for £1,000.
  • In a trade directory of 1869, John Tasker was the Victualler of the Hare and Hounds, and the Wyatt family were still listed as wheelwrights. He was still there in 1874.
  • In 1883 a RN Mace is listed as "Hare and Hounds".
  • In 1928, Taylor William is at the Hare and Hounds public house.

(from electoral registers): William TAYLOR (in 1920), Frederick Henry BENNETT (in 1939)

Particular thanks to Liz Newman, local historian, for her invaluable help in compiling this article and sharing her hard-won knowledge so freely.

If you wish to know more about Warmington, there is an excellent website here, which has informed much of this article:

http://www.warmingtonheritage.com

If you'd like to put a name to a face, allow us to introduce you to the crew...


Front of house

Dale

Manager

Dale is a Yorkshire lad at heart but moved down to the Midlands to start his career in pubs, and hasn't looked back! He is an avid Middlesbrough supporter and when they aren't playing, Dale enjoys skiing and Geocaching (ask him if you're unsure of what this is, we were!) If you want to impress him, he has a keen liking for French and Italian wines.

Isabella

Deputy Manager

Izzy has been in hospitality for 20 years and joined the Falcon team in 2023 as a Deputy Manager. Food and drink isn't her only passion, she is a mother to an aspiring 4 year old vet, loves going out to listen to live music and has dreams of owning a cattery one day. She also enjoys long walks of the beach and wishes for world peace.

Rachael

Deputy Manager

Rachael joined the Falcon in 2023 after having worked in various other B&P pubs including the Physician in Birmingham. With experience in all levels of management she is a fantastic asset at the Falcon and has quickly taken on the mother bear role for all the staff. Outside of work she will usually be spending time with her husband and son or will be working hard to improve her gin knowledge by sampling the many gins we have on our bar, she promises it's for research purposes only.

Harry

Trainee Assistant Manager

Here is Harry, at the young age of 20 he has already found his perfect career in hospitality and has worked up to being Trainee Assistant Manager. As an avid rugby and cricket fan and player he loves talking anything sport to our visitors, or if sport isn't your preferred conversation Harry loves to share his knowledge of lager and ales and will always be able to help you find the perfect brew to enjoy while visiting us.

Jude

Supervisor

Jude is our own pocket rocket. An all rounder with a good eye for detail, she is perfect in her role as Front of House Supervisor. Jude has completed her degree in Equine Therapy and Rehabilitation and is looking into working for a post graduate degree in Mctimoney animal chiropractics. Safe to say Jude loves animals and always gets excited when people bring their furry companions into the pub.

Kelly

Supervisor

Kelly is one of our Front of House Supervisors who help keep the Falcon in tip top shape. After trying a few different careers she's found that hospitality is her glass slipper and thrives when given the chance to talk to our customers. Known for her quick wit and humour she is sure to bring some extra joy to your visit at the Falcon.

Mel

Bar/Waiting

Mel is a passionate gardener and loves socialising and eating out. She has two grandchildren that she loves spending time with and a wonderful family. Mel is also extremely passionate about mental health and is a qualified MIND mental health first aider. Before joining us she worked in Event Management for 25 years.

Katie

Bar/Waiting

Katie is one of our wonderful servers at the Falcon. Always ready to greet customers with her big smile and matching personality. Never one to stand still you will always find her keeping herself busy at work, whether that's running food, talking to tables or giving every dog that comes into the pub their own personal greeting. Outside of work she also keeps herself busy by playing rugby and by studying to become a cardiology doctor.


Kitchen

Szabolcs

Head Chef

Szabi is a B&P veteran having been with us since 2008! Szabi has worked as a Head Chef in a variety of our other pubs, and so he definitely knows his onions when it comes to new openings! Szabi is a serious worker and loves experimenting with new ingredients. We are extremely lucky and grateful to have him as the Head Chef at the Falcon and both the front and back of house staff appreciate his skills and calming presence in the kitchen.

Out of the kitchen he loves his camera and wasting time editing pictures 'til they're perfect.

Peter

Sous Chef

After moving to Banbury and working several years in retail, Peter finally decided to take the leap and pursue his dreams of being a chef in 2015. Since then he has enjoyed the highs and lows of the industry but has never lost his smile or sense of humour. When not making jokes he loves to talk about his lovely wife and two sons, so much so they are basically a part of our Falcon family as much as he is.

Shay

Chef de Partie

Shay has been working in the Falcon kitchens for nearly 7 years now, from his humble beginnings as a Kitchen Porter he has worked his way up to beginning one of our most reliable chefs capable of working on every section in the kitchen. He loves working in the kitchen as much as he loves sitting down with the staff after a busy shift with a pint of lager in his hand. His larger-then-life personality make him well loved and respected by all the staff and we simply couldn't imagine the Falcon without him.


Maintenance

Jack

Kitchen Porter

Jack is one of our Kitchen Porters. He got into hospitality because he wanted to work in an industry that could be challenging but also rewarding. Always with a big smile on his face and his happy-go-lucky attitude he is a true joy to have in the kitchen. being a huge motorsport and football fan he likes nothing more that to talk about these with (or at) anyone he can get to listen to him. Outside of work he will usually be found attending some sporting event with a Peroni in hand.

Boon

Gardener/Maintenance Person

Nobody knows Boon's real name or why he's here. Boon's natural habitat is at the bar, ale in hand, or behind the mower. His work is invaluable and his creations are absolutely boontastic.