The Cross Key's - Thame, Oxon - Pictorial Pub Signs on Waymarking.com

History of the Cross Keys.

On Saturday a new micro brewery was opened in Thame by Ken Bruce of Radio 2 fame. The Cross keys, which is owned by Oak Taverns, have built the brewery in the back of the pub and the first brew was Mrs. Tipple’s Ghost which Martyn Broughton of the Haddenham Real Ale Festival committee described as “a fusion of pale, crystal, munich & chocolate malt with Fuggles and Goldings hops providing a rich slightly sweet flavoured ale.”

The event was a great success and Ken can be seen above with Sue Yeats after the pouring of the first pint had been completed (and drunk). Ken also purchased a ticket for the Haddenham Winterfest which is on next week and where Mrs. Tipple’s Ghost will also be making an appearance and a big thanks is given to Simon Collinson of Oak Taverns for this generous donation.

The Cross Keys, Thame, had been the abode of pool tables, keg lager, loud music, and no small amount of trouble. It had been closed a year ago, declared ‘financially un-viable’ by its owners, and put on the market. Then, Thame based Oak Taverns considered buying the pub, and asked Peter and Trudi to spend a month assessing its potential. Having previously made their mark by reviving an Oak Taverns pub in west London, the couple arrived in Thame in February, trebled the Cross Keys’ turnover within a month and, having trebled it again, decided to stay.


Peter explained the formula that has enabled the Cross Keys to thrive at a time when 50 pubs per week are closing around the country. ‘There were two real ales here when we arrived, along with a well-known keg beer,’ he said. ‘The first thing I did was disconnect the keg and remove the pool table, and within a couple of months we had installed five real ale pumps. Then we added a sixth pump for our house ale, the Best Bitter from Vale Brewery in Brill.’
Selecting local brewery Vale, Peter provided the pub with a selection of beers that has appealed to local residents, drawing them in in great numbers.
‘During the nine months since we have been here, we have gone through 350 different guest ales, all of them from micro-breweries. I have never sold so much mild in my life, and we are also regularly offering porter and stout on draught.
‘Word has been going around the town and the community has become involved – it is a place where women also feel comfortable, where there is no background music and no fruit machines, and the only sound you hear is the sound of conversation.

Still not totally satisfied with this successful transformation, Peter decided to make use of abandoned brewery equipment from another Oak Taverns pub in Dorset. When he collected it, it was in a dreadful state. It had been left outside with a tarpaulin thrown over the top, and water had pooled inside the vessels. Many patient hours of scrubbing and sterilising were needed before the equipment could be put to use.

Peter was then faced with another problem. Though he had the component parts, he had no idea how to put all the parts together.
‘Having never brewed beer before, I have been learning fast,” he reflected. ‘Installing the equipment was a serious challenge, and I have never done so much plumbing in my life.’

The official opening of the brewery took place on Saturday 14th November, and members of the local CAMRA branch were lucky enough to be present as local MP, John Howell, served the first pint to Radio 2 personality and local resident Ken Bruce.

DJ Ken Bruce, who lives nearby, is a keen supporter of the pub, and the Cross Keys Christmas raffle, launched on the day, will this year be in support of Ken’s charity (with a polypin of beer amongst the prizes).
The launch brew is a medium-strength bitter called Mrs Tipple’s Ghost, named after a former landlady who ran the pub in the 1950s and whose picture still hangs by the bar.
The beer is aptly named, as current landlords Peter and Trudi Lambert have restored the pub to the levels of popularity that Daisy Tipple herself would have been proud of!

An additional 3.8% brew, called Olly’s Return, named after a customer who has just returned after a major operation, was also enjoyed.
In addition to the special guests, the pub was packed with residents from Thame and further afield. Let’s hope they all enjoyed themselves

Date of first pub on site: 1900c Name of Artist: Not listed Date of current sign: Not listed

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Date Logged Log   04/23/2014 Geo-Myck visited it