THE RATE of closure of public houses and inns throughout the country has seen a dramatic increase in the last two decades, mainly as a result of changes in society and decisions by politicians.

People may grumble but more and more ‘locals’ are disappearing. However, in some places customers are not taking the action of the big breweries so lightly – one such a place is Liss Forest.

Although established for more than a century, The Temple Inn, in Forest Road, was closed in March by brewery Fuller’s, which took over the business of Horndean brewers Gale and Co in 2006.

In the last three months, a committee of residents has been formed under the umbrella of Liss Forest Residents Association with the aim of ‘Saving Our Temple Inn’ (SOTI). Among its initiatives is to try to have the former pub declared an asset of community value.

In the days before much car ownership and when people’s lives were based primarily where they lived, pubs were very much part of their community.

Not much is known of the history of The Temple Inn but research by members of Liss Area Historical Society has revealed some information.

“The Temple Inn was built by Solomon Hounsome, a blacksmith. Built some time just before 1870, it was extended in 1871 and not long afterwards his son, Frank Hounsome, took over the running of the pub. The story goes that Solomon was undecided what to call it until a wit suggested ‘Solomon’s Temple’. This later became shortened to just ‘The Temple’.

“In the period including the First World War and the Second World War, the pub was run by another well-known local family, the Burst family. This was initially John Burst and then Jack.

“For much of its life the pub was part of the group of pubs operated by Amey’s of Petersfield. Trading conditions after the war proved difficult for Amey’s, and in 1951 the brewery was sold to Whitbread and Co Ltd. At some point it was sold to Gales which was eventually taken over by Fullers.

“The pub featured prominently in village life. For example, the Petersfield Post in 1987 records a visit by Glynn Edwards, the actor who was known for his role as the barman at the Winchester Club, the drinking club frequented by Arthur Daley and Terry McCann in Minder. This was part of a fund raising activity. Later, the Post records the pub’s role in fund raising for the Great Ormond Street Hospital’s ‘Wishing Well’ appeal.”

Amey’s Borough Brewery was built by Thomas Amey at the junction of Frenchman’s Road and Swan Street, in the late 1870s. In its heyday, Amey’s owned a chain of public houses, including one next to Waterloo railway station in London. After the Second World War, the family business was run as a limited company until being taken over by Whitbread.

Anyone interested in the future of the Temple Inn can contact SOTI online through Liss Forest Residents Association’s Facebook page or by calling Matt Enticknap on 01730 302240. A petition to demonstrate support for the campaign is at www.change.org/p/keith-budden-save-our-temple-inn