St. David's Tavern

St. David's Tavern is a former tavern on Little Stoke Road, in Stokes, East Surrey, that was closed under environmental circumstances in 2001, however, it was not demolished until 2006 due to demands from Stokes Parish Council. The tavern was built in 1790 and was the only building on the road to survive the Second World War.

History
St. David's Tavern was built during the Georgian era, in 1790, it was designed by architect Harry Jacobson. During the First World War, the pub refused to serve alcohol every Monday, in efforts to help England. In the 1920s, the pub went through expansion and a faience tiled exterior was built. During the Second World War, it was the only building in the road to survive from the Blitz bombing. The pub was owned by Newton Taverns, until at least May 2001, when they were unsuccessful in their application to have opening hours extended. The tavern was especially popular with Stokes United players and was where one of it's players Tommy Robbins' wake was held in 1945.

In 2001, the tavern was closed after failing to abide by health standards when a Health Inspector visited and was closed soon after. The residents of Stokes signed a petition to try and get the tavern re-opened, a committee meeting was held in the local town hall and many residents protested when the council had the pub boarded up.

Demolition
In 2006, when a building inspector visited St. David's Tavern, he immediately noticed that the building was now being used as a shelter for homeless people, who used to keep warm by setting fire to a metal bin, when the inspector reported this to Stokes Parish Council, they gave out orders to have the building demolished.