What’s in a name? – Walsingham Planning persuade the Council that it is none of their business!

Hand & Spear, Weybridge

In advertisement terms the content of a sign is generally left to the owner, but when it comes to renaming pubs everyone takes an interest.

Walsingham Planning acted for Allied Domecq when they rebranded part of their estate through the introduction of micro-breweries and the renaming of the pubs as the F...... and Firkin, often with controversial results.

A case in point was when the Hand and Spear, Weybridge became the Formula and Firkin, a locally contentious change highlighting a split between a respected family crest and the pub’s association with Brooklands race circuit.

Walsingham Planning persuaded the Council to distinguish between any dispute over the merits of the signs themselves and over the naming of the pub.

Consent was secured for the new name and signage, though the pub is now The Hand and Spear again, so everyone got what they wanted, at least for a time.