Regulars from the Tucker’s Grave Inn, Faulkland, have waved a sad farewell to Glenda Swift, who has retired from the business, where she also lived, after 33 enjoyable years of work. Speaking to The Journal, Glenda reflects on three decades of memories.

The well-known and much loved by locals Tucker’s Grave Inn was named after the story of farm worker, Edward Tucker, who, in 1747, committed suicide in a barn a few miles away. At this time, the bodies of those who had taken their own lives were buried in unmarked graves, often at a crossroads, as they were not permitted to be buried in church graveyards. The designation of a crossroads was believed to confuse the soul of the deceased, and cause them to get lost on their search for heaven.

After being built in the mid-17th century as a farmhouse, Tucker’s Grave Inn opened as a public house in September 1827, with Joseph Rossiter as the first landlord. In the 1950s, a Mr and Mrs Wilson bought the pub and adjoning land from the Hylton estate.

Glenda, and her husband, Ivan, took over the pub in 1984. Glenda continued to run the pub for another 33 years. She said: “My mother and the previous landlady were friends, and I had visited here all my life, so I will be closing the door on 75 years of history. I’ve enjoyed it; it’s been lovely.”

Glenda took over ‘Tucker’s’ aged 42, having previously worked in a chemist in Frome, making the transition from “pills to pints”, as she humorously puts it.

Following her husband Ivan’s death in 2011, Glenda briefly stepped away from the pub, which was eyed up by several local developers as a consequence. She said: “My husband had Alzheimer’s disease. It was hard work, looking after both him and a pub.”

CAMRA and other locals got together a petition of over 2,500 signatures via a ‘save the Tucker’s Grave’ website. This reportedly halted proceedings, as the pub was deemed of historical and community value.

Much to the relief of the locals, Glenda announced a few years later that she would be re-opening Tucker’s Grave. However, the run could only last so long, as Glenda, aged 75, decided it was time to step away and let a new owner take over. She said: “I realised just before last Christmas that it was time, when some people were trying to break into my shed [outside], and I thought, ‘I’m so vulnerable out here’.”

Last Sunday, Glenda opened the door for the last time during her tenure as landlady. On Monday morning, she packed her bags and headed to her daughter’s house in Devon, where she will be staying for the time being. She said: “I haven’t found anywhere up here yet, and I want to get it right, so I’ll be with my daughter until something crops up, because all my friends and some of my family are here.”

The Tucker’s Grave has become something of local legend over the years; not only for its origin story, but because it is one of only nine pubs left in the country without a bar, Glenda believes.

Its uniqueness and friendly atmosphere has produced a number of loyal customers over the years, some of whom would make the journey down every night, and would often volunteer their services for fixing things around the pub or Glenda’s house.

In 2004, British punk band, The Stranglers, wrote a song dedicated to its history. The band are also returning customers to the establishment, with singer, Baz Warne, playing in the garden for the pub’s reopening. However, the band are not the only famous faces to visit the premises.

When asked about any particular highlights over the years, Glenda responded: “The funniest thing I can remember is that I once served Mick Jagger and didn’t recognise him. I was serving this man, and I thought to myself, ‘I should know that craggy face’, but I don’t really recognise pop people.

“Then Hugh Cornwell from the Stranglers happened to come in, and he said ‘Glenda, Mick was in the other week’, and I said ‘Oh don’t talk silly’, and he said ‘Yes he was, I met him at a party’. And then in Hello! magazine, there was a picture of Mick Jagger with the same straw hat on, that apparently he’s had for years, and I realised it was him. I suspect he laughed his head off that nobody recognised him!”

When asked what it is about the pub that keeps their loyal customers coming back, Glenda replied: “I think it’s got a lovely atmosphere, especially when it’s all buzzing with conversation. You get all these [regular customers] biting against each other and having fun. I think it’s well-loved because it’s different, and you get characters all across the board – all different sorts, and all lovely people.”

Although Glenda will miss running the pub, she is also looking forward to a new start.“I look on it as a new part of my life. I shall certainly miss it for a while; obviously. I shall miss the people and the joviality of it. But when your mind gets round it, you settle down into your new life.”

New landlady, Sue Gait has signed the paperwork and moved into the premises to become the third consecutive landlady for Tucker’s Grave Inn. Sue, a farmer’s daughter, originally from Stratton-on-the-Fosse, has worked in various Somerset pubs for many years, as well as working behind a bar whilst living in Portugal.

Whilst Sue told The Journal that she is “nervous filling Glenda’s legendary shoes,” and that she does not plan to completely remodel the pub, Glenda is less worried about the inn being preserved, saying: “Times change. When we came here, they’d say ‘it will never be the same’, and we came in and tweaked it, and you know, things change. I wish Sue well.”