Colnbrook, famous for its apples and the killer bed in a pub

Colnbrook is a rather neglected village near the M 25 and the M4, just after Heathrow Airport and attached to Slough. It has a very long history having been listed in the Doomsday Book in 1100. The Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre does not have a good reputation as it is located just outside the village, next to Heathrow Airport. Here they lock up illegal immigrants waiting to be repatriated.

Colnbrook is also famous for being the place where the first cox orange apple was created, believed to be the best fresh apple to eat. It was created by Richard Cox, a brewer in 1875.

Colnbrook is also home to The Ostrich the third oldest pub in England dating back to 1106. Here King John stopped before going to sign the Magna Carta and Queen Elizabeth I also stopped to sleep.

The most extraordinary thing however is what  Thomas Jarman did. In 1700 he was the owner of the pub and designed a bed nailed to a trap door above the kitchen. When the guest slept the bed would tip over and  they would end up in a pot of boiling water in the kitchen. Jarman and his wife sold the guest’s items and horse and threw their body into the river. It appears that 60 guests have come to this ugly end, but Jarman was eventually discovered. Now you can still see the diabolical bed in The Ostrich pub. It is said that the pub is still haunted by the ghosts of all the people killed.

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Liyana Parker

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