Was changing pub name a Wise move?

In the late 1960s, The Railway Inn in Banbury Road, Kidlington, was renamed The Wise Alderman after Frank Wise, a well-known county, district and parish councillor, and magistrate.

But this summer, the Punch Taverns pub was taken over by Nick Duval and his wife Sharon, who have renamed the pub The Highwayman.

John Amor, 80, of the Kidlington and District Historical Society, said members discussed the name change at their monthly meeting last week and thought the switch was “ridiculous”.

He added: “It seems silly to rename the pub The Highwayman when there are no historical connections to highwaymen in the area.

“Frank Wise was so well known in the village that he was called the ‘Lord Mayor of Kidlington’.

“He was vice-chairman of the county council at one point and held all sorts of other positions.

“Wise Avenue in Kidlington is also named after him, together with a school in Banbury.

“All sorts of prominent people were at Mr Wise’s funeral, and it seems a strange decision to change the name at a time when some of Mr Wise’s relatives are still alive.”

Mr Duval said he had not intended to offend the Wise family.

The father-of-three said: “We took over the pub at the end of May and we were closed for a short time while refurbishment, costing about £50,000, took place.

“We have renovated the pub inside and there is also a new children’s play area — since we have taken over there has been a threefold increase in turnover.

“I am a descendant of Claude Duval who I believe was a famous highwayman and we have put a gravestone with his name on in the fireplace.

“We asked Punch Taverns if we could rename the pub – it was purely a business decision and we didn’t mean to offend anyone. In fact we gave the old pub sign to Mr Wise’s family.

“We have both lived in the village all our lives and wanted to change the name to give our business a fresh start, particularly when people from outside the area look for reviews on the Internet.”