Wayland, 43 Colchester Road, Weeley
Weeley pub history index
Wayland Restaurant, 43 Colchester Road - in 1977
Wayland Free House, Weeley - circa 1984
Wayland Free House, Weeley - circa 1984
The Birches, Weeley - in 2001
All kindly provided by Chris Estall
Year/Publican or other Resident/Relationship to Head and or Occupation/Age/Where Born/Source.
My mum & dad built the Wayland Tea House on spare land they owned with
their nursery. They were building it around 1959 and there was no Tea House
there prior to that only some pavilion that they used as a greengrocery &
sweet shop. They sold it just before VAT came in!! So 1972/73 but there was a
chap owned it from Frinton on Sea before Chris evidentally. Of course it
wasn't licenced whilst they owned it, so if only to put the information
correct prior to that. **
My friend Chris Estall brought the Wayland in December
1976, had the building enlarged and opened it as a Freehouse pub in October
1984. Sold it in 1986. The front building was built in 1950, however there
was probably a building on the site before that which was used as a Tea Room
before the second world war. For years the bus stop near the Wayland was
called the Weeley Tea Room stop. *
This pub had a fantastic 20ft bar top made from a thick single lengthways
section of Elm. For years before it was a pub it had been a very popular
venue for weddings and ’Firms’ Christmas Dinner Dances, unfortunately the
later being a long gone tradition! Only to be replaced by Annual Performance
Reviews & Team Meetings! There had been a Tea Room on the site from at least
the 1920’s. There is now a small housing development on the same site.
*
*
Provided by Mick Hearn & Chris Estall
** Provided by Mrs Bruce