| Where: | Formerly Aldermaston, Berkshire at the Hinds Head on Wasing Lane |
| When: | Formerly Late November/early December every 3 years |
| Time: | Formerly 7pm |
The historic Hinds Head Inn at Aldermaston was until recently the setting for a traditional candle and pin auction. It was one of a handful of survivors of an ancient method of selling which involves the auctioneer (in this case the local vicar) taking bids for a pasture called Church Meadow whilst a candle with a horseshoe nail stuck though it burns; when the flame reaches the nail, it falls out and whoever placed the last bid wins. It was believed to date back at least to the eighteenth century and used to be held on 13th December every third year; in more recent times the date moved a little to fit in with the the commitments of the participants but continued (usually) to be held triennially up until a last-minute cancellation for legal reasons in 2022. The vicar and churchwardens were still treated to rum punch but under modern legislation the clay pipes given out at the event had to remain unlit!
Helpful Hints
Older sources may tell you this event is held on December 13th – it used to be but moved date latterly. All were welcome to attend but must take care to behave themselves as there is an ancient lockup behind the pub and miscreants might end up spending the night in it….
In 2022 it should have been held on Friday November 18th but was postponed for legal reasons and the next future date is yet to be announced -it seems unlikely to go ahead at the end of the current triennial cycle in 2025 and its future would appear to be highly uncertain.
Click here for the church website : https://www.awb.org.uk
and here for the pub : http://hindsheadaldermaston.co.uk/
and here for the local History Group Facebook page (usually has the event listed here): https://www.facebook.com/AldermastonHistory/
View this location on the map.
I went to this and met another “Calendar Customs” user! The event was great; the pub is really comfortable, and the auction was in a large room at one end. I wondered how long it would take for the candle to burn down, and thought we could be there for hours, but as it was tallow it was in fact quite quick. I was given a free rum punch that was so full of fruit that it probably counted towards my 5 a day.
Woohoo – fame at last for calendarcustoms!! I’m hoping to make it to the next one in 2019 – the people running this seem very friendly and welcoming so it’s definitely something to look forward to.