By Graham Craig
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| The Woodman during the coronavirus lockdown May 2020 |
Notable dates and events
Owner: Marquess of Salisbury. First mentioned in 1851.
First landlord: The first landlord at The Woodman was James Lawrence. The pub remained in the same family until it closed in 1961.
Original building: The Woodman pub used to stand at the top right of the car park. It was demolished in the late 19th century. The present building was licensed from then.
Breweries: Originally Complins Brewery, then Hatfield Brewery which became Pryor Reid & Co Ltd in about 1882. Benskins of Watford bought Pryor Reid in 1920 and the Woodman remained with them until the pub was closed in 1961.
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| The Woodman as a Pryor Reid pub Photograph of a framed print hanging in the pub |
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| The Woodman as a Benskins pub Image courtesy of Welwyn Hatfield Museum Services |
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| The 1964 petition to reopen The Woodman Image by Tom Craig |
Reopening: The Woodman was reopened as a free house in 1964, leased from the Marquess of Salisbury by the Walduck family.
Managers: Original managers were Bob and Betty Woods (1964-75) then Norman Simmonds (1978) followed by Dave and Ann Roberts (1978-1990), then Graham and Ros Craig (1990-2006). Graham Craig’s son, Tom, took over the lease from the Walduck family in June 2006 and is still running it.
Awards: Multi-times winner of South Herts CAMRA Pub of the Year and three times winner of Hertfordshire Pub of the Year. Also won Greene King National Pub of the Year.