The Widow's Son, London facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Widow's Son |
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The Widow's Son
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| Location | Bromley-by-Bow, London, England |
| Built | 1848 |
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Listed Building – Grade II*
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| Type | English Heritage |
The Widow's Son is a famous old pub in Bromley-by-Bow, East London. It is a Grade II* listed building. This means it's a very important historic building that is protected. The pub was built around 1848. People say it stands where an old widow's cottage once was.
Locally, the pub is often called "Bun House." This is because of a special Good Friday tradition. Every year, people hang hot cross buns in a net above the bar.
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The Widow's Buns: A Special Tradition
Every year on Good Friday, a unique tradition takes place at The Widow's Son. It's called the Widow's Buns tradition. This custom is based on an old story.
The Legend of the Widow's Son
The legend says that an old widow's only son went to sea. This might have been during the Napoleonic Wars. He wrote to his mother, promising to return home at Easter. He asked her to have a nice hot cross bun waiting for him. Sadly, her son never came back. But his mother never gave up hope. She continued to bake a fresh hot cross bun every Good Friday. She did this for the rest of her life. After she passed away, people found a huge collection of hot cross buns. They were hanging in a net from the ceiling of her cottage.
Why the Tradition Might Have Started
Some people think the story of the widow and her son might not be completely true. They believe the tradition comes from an older custom. In the 1700s and 1800s, many people believed in the special powers of buns baked on Good Friday. This "Good Friday bread" was thought to have healing properties. People believed that if it hardened over time, you could grate it into food. This was thought to help with digestion.
The Pub's Name and Continued Tradition
In 1848, a pub was built where the widow's cottage was said to be. It was named "The Widow's Son" to honor her tradition. Locals still call it the Bun House. The tradition has continued ever since. Each year, a sailor from the Royal Navy places a new bun in the net. This practice might have started because people believed hot cross buns baked on Good Friday would never go bad.
For many years, Mr. Bunn from Mr. Bunn's Bakery in Chadwell Heath has baked the special annual bun. In the 1980s, a fire happened in the pub. Many of the old buns in the net were burned. But even their burnt pieces are still kept in the net. They serve as a reminder of that fire.
In 2013, a local newspaper wrote about Patrick Hines. He was 93 years old and born across from the pub. He had visited the pub every Good Friday for almost 70 years.
Recent Years and Similar Traditions
The pub was closed for a while between 2015 and 2017. Many thought it would close forever. Because of this, the 2016 bun ceremony happened at the Queens Head pub in Limehouse. Luckily, The Widow's Son reopened in early 2017.
There is a similar tradition at the Bell Inn in Horndon-on-the-Hill, Essex. There, people nail buns to the ceiling on Good Friday.
The Pub's Future
In 2012, the company that owned the pub, Punch Taverns, sold it. The new owners wanted to close the pub and build new homes. In 2013, they asked for permission to build flats above the pub. They also wanted to build houses in the pub's garden. But this plan was not approved.
In 2016, new plans were made. These plans did not involve changing the pub itself. Instead, they wanted to build houses in the area used as the pub's car park and beer garden.
