Watering Hole of the Week: The Royal Oak at Great Wishford

Summary

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The sign at the Royal Oak in Great Wishford deserves more than just a glance. The majestic tree is plain enough, but look at the curious slogan written alongside. It is "Grovely! Grovely! Grovely! And All Grovely! Unity is Strength."

To explain: Grovely is the name of a 2,000-acre wood very close to the village. It is an ancient forest now within the estate of the Earl of Pembroke, but the people of Great Wishford have had the right to collect wood from it for a thousand years or more. Over the centuries, owners of the forest, anxious to hunt game in it, have tried repeatedly to deprive the villagers of this vital privilege, but they continue to claim it.

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Extract

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Watering Hole of the Week: The Royal Oak at Great Wishford

Each year, on May 29, Oak Apple Day - the anniversary of the restoration of the monarchy in 1660 - the village stages a noisy and col...

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