This inn was created upon the site of a farm labourers cottage near Poulter’s Gate in the hamlet of Ham with Hatch, built for Sarah Burnham, a widow, in 1946. It was later inherited and held copyhold, by one Edward Newton, in 1793.

By about 1802, after Newton had left the district and the cottage lay unoccupied, it fell into disrepair and reverted to the Lord of the Manor, Wilbrahim Tollemache of Ham House, Earl of Dysart, and shortly afterwards was rebuilt and a further piece of land added.

In 1848 it was let to Henry Barnett Esq., a beer-housekeeper there since 1843.

Beerhouses then were simple labourers cottages with a room downstairs, two upstairs and probably an outhouse or shed, and scullery or kitchen; where thick and strong home-brewed beer would be served to other labourers by the tenant. Inns, on the other hand, were patronized by farmers, tradesman, craftsmen, carriers and suppliers.

The house appeared as the ‘Hand and Flower’ in the 1861 Census an it seems the property was elevated to the status of an Inn sometime between 1851 and 1861, with Henry Barnett being its first victualler. It has undergone alteration in recent years, but sections of some of the inner walls may still suggest the original structure of the little old two-storey dwelling. The Gothic-style upper lancet windows facing the Garden on the North side also lend a certain touch of antiquity to the building.

The ‘hand’ in the Hand and Flower inn – sign is believed to derive from the hand of the Archangel Gabriel, and the ‘flower’ is the lily, symbol of purity, he is shown offering to the Virgin Mary in the 12th Century Renaissance paintings.

In those days before mechanized transport, patrons of beerhouses and inns would have comprised a motley collection of foot and horseback travellers on the then dusty or muddy roads, all seeking refreshment. These would have included inter- village travellers, hawkers, knife-grinders, muffin men, carters resting between deliveries, bands of gypsies, itinerant labourers and the occasional footpad.

Now, as then, the Landlord and Staff of this house invite you to share the welcoming ambience and hospitality within these old walls, whether for your regular relaxation and cheer with jovial company, for celebration of one of life’s happy occasions, or as one of today’s refugees seeking respite from the stress of the modern world.

The Hand and Flower is also mindful of the cordial relationship it has enjoyed over the years with its neighbours, the Ham and Petersham Cricket Club, founded 1815.