Villagers in Langton Herring behind a £650,000 campaign to buy their historic, seaside pub where the ‘bouncing bomb’ was invented, are calling for royal support.
Sir Barnes Wallis drank and lived in The Elm Tree Inn at Langton Herring during the Second World War, while he was testing his famous device, using The Fleet, the five-mile-long seawater lagoon, to conduct his top-secret tests.
And during the Cold War, the 300-year-old pub was the secret rendezvous point for Portland Spy Ring couple Harry Houghton and girlfriend Ethel Gee worked for the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment (AUWE) at Southwell on the island and would funnel information to their KGB controller at the pub.
The pub has been the social hub of the village for centuries and there are still descendants of previous owners living in the village.
Time was called on the pub in 2023 after 300 years of trading.
Anxious not to lose their pub, locals joined forces in September to find the £650,000 needed by February 2025 to buy it.

 
The pub is now listed as an Asset of Community Value and the village has so far raised £272,000 in pledges.
But another £378,000 is to be secured in just a matter of weeks and The Friends of the Elm Tree steering committee member Anne Kerins has even written a plea to The Duchy in the hope that Prince William and Kate will buy a share or two.
Anne said: “This pub is vital to our community in so many ways.

“The village has no bus or shop, and The Elm Tree was the place where social groups could meet, where villagers could catch up with each other without having to travel, where walkers and visitors could stop for a drink or bite to eat.
“The pub hosted christenings, engagements, birthday parties, family celebrations and it was where our book club, creative clubs and table tennis clubs would meet.
“We had carols from the pub at Christmas and the Salvation Army would perform. Musicians and music clubs would meet here too.
“We have been holding informal pop-up pubs every Friday from people’s gardens or houses, but these are not sustainable and of course, not everyone can get an invite as we don’t know who will be visiting Langton Herring at the time.

     
“We are a friendly village, and the pub was an inclusive, safe and friendly one where people were welcomed, the perfect antidote to loneliness.
“We are planning a share offer for people who would like to invest and support us, and we are hoping local celebrities will endorse our campaign, businesses will offer their support and William and Kate might buy some shares.”
n If anyone would like to support the campaign, email Anne at anne.kerins6040@gmail.com