Historic pub sign 'cock-up' to be rectified by Greene King

The Blue Bell in Attenborough, Nottinghamshire, gained its name as a tribute to the former Blue Bell Inn, an 18^th​ century pub nearby, which was knocked down in the 1930s.

But regulars at the pub complained after a rebranding saw the pub named The Bluebell – meaning the flower.

Greene King told the PMA ​it’s committed to preserving the heritage of pub names and buildings.

A spokesman said: “We have recently acquired the pub and it will inevitably take us a little bit of time to get to know the heritage behind each one, so input from our regular customers is helpful in this regard."

The pub has had The Bluebell signage since 2007 when it was acquired by Spirit Pub Company from Mill House Inns, and has not been changed under Greene King’s short ownership. 

“Following further investigation we can confirm that the pub’s signage does incorrectly state the pub name, and we will be working to install The Blue Bell signage at the pub shortly. We are grateful that this has been brought to our attention,” the spokesman added.

Regular and retired Nottinghamshire Police officer Karl Bloch wrote to Greene King to inform them of the blunder.

He told the Nottingham Post: “I have been going in there for 20 years and up until about four years ago the picture on the board at the front of a pub as that of a blue bell.

"It's a simple cock-up. You would like to think they would put the sign right, it's a bit of history."

Is it important to preserve traditional pub names? Send your views to byv.tebff@jeoz.pbz​