The Oxford Blue

2079-12-31T05:46:00.001Z

A tribute to an old soldier and his regiment.
The 'Oxford Blue'

The Oxford Blue is a family run establishment offering a warm and friendly welcome. It has a new kids play area in the garden.
Facilities include free wifi Internet, award winning chef, Sunday Carvery and function room available.

The Oxford Blue is situated on the borders of Berkshire and Surrey, with magnificent views over the open countryside, and close to the centre of Windsor and Runnymede Easy access to the M25 and M4 (only five minutes away) very easy to find being only five minutes drive from Junction 13 of the M25, close to Staines, Windsor, and Heathrow Airport. Extensive car parking is available.

The Oxford Blue pub in Old Windsor Opened in 1829 by Waterloo veteran Tom Evans of The Royal Horse Guards (The Blues) also known as the Oxford Blues, hence the name of the pub.In the Eighteenth Century ‘Woodside’ was one of the large estates in Old Windsor village, and among the property were two Gamekeepers cottages on Crimp Hill.

In 1800 when Tom was just 19 years old The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (The Blues) now The Blues and Royals were stationed in Northampton Tom enlisted from his shoemakers bench to the regiment.

The Blues moved to Windsor, and exercised at Winkfield where Tom met Jane Broughton who was later to become his wife.

In 1812 Tom went with the Blues to Portugal to serve under Arthur Wellesley the Duke of Wellington .

During this campaign he was to take part in the crossing of the Douro in 1813 and in the Battle of Vittoria later that year.

At the conclusion of the Peninsular War in 1814 Tom returned to Windsor, where Jane commented on how much weight he had put on – Tom was over 6ft tall and well built with it!

1815 The Colonel of the Blues at the time was Sir Robert Chambre Hill, and when the the regiment was called to go to Belgium, Tom’s name was not on the regimental roll he was frankly too fat.
Tom had become a dangerous animal - a trooper with a grievance, orderly hour at Cavalry Barracks Windsor was always held at 2pm a good comfortable hour, when the commanding officer is consoled with a good lunch and a glass of port.
Colonel Hill was faced across his office table by a very disgruntled and angry trooper Evans, Sir Robert Hill relented and added Tom on the regimental list - which was very lucky for Sir Robert.

During the Battle of Waterloo Sir Robert was wounded and found himself cut off from his regiment and surrounded by five French Cuirassiers.

A lone trooper fought and barged his way through the fighting to help.

This lone trooper was Tom Evans who had noticed that his Colonel was in trouble.
Tom barged and fought his way through the chaos of the battle to help his troubled commanding officer, four of the Cuirassiers who surrounded Sir Robert fell to Tom's sword which splintered during the engagement he then used the hilt to pummel the fifth Cuirassier.

1816 in Windsor Cavalry barracks (Now Combermere Barracks) the regiment was paraded colonel Hill acknowledged his debt to the old soldier Tom for his valor.

1817 Tom married Jane Broughton in Winkfield church he left the Blues in 1820 and served as a Drill instructor in the Carmarthen and Pembrokeshire Yeomanry.
In 1829 Tom retired from the army and wandered back to Windsor where he then opened the ‘Oxford Blue’.

The name Oxford Blue was derived from The Royal Regiment of Horse Guards (the Blues) or Oxford Blues. The regiment was raised on 16th February 1661 following the restoration of the monarchy. Styled the Royal Regiment of Horse: The first colonel of the regiment was the 20th and last Earl of Oxford Aubrey De Vere, he was able to muster the regiment to full strength in a matter of weeks by re-embodying the Parliamentarian cavalry regiment which had been recently disbanded at Bath in December 1660 initially raised on Cromwell’s order by Sir Arthur Hesselrigge at Newcastle in August 1650. From the colour blue of their coats arose the regiments nickname ‘The Blues’.
When William of Orange came to the throne in 1689, he brought his Dutch Horse Guards with him from Holland. They also wore blue coats, and this led to the English regiment of Horse Guards becoming known as the ‘Oxford Blues’ in order to distinguish the two.
The Royal Regiment of Horse was considered to be the 1st Regiment of Horse, but in 1746 it was treated as a special Regiment and did not achieve the full status and privileges of Household Cavalry until 1820.
In 1750, the regiment was titled, ‘The Royal Horse Guards (Blue)’ In 1819, their title was yet again changed to ‘The Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)’.

The two gamekeeper’s cottages on Crimp Hill were converted into an Inn (The Oxford Blue).
The license for the pub was transferred from an older pub in the village ‘The Ramping Cat’.

Tom remained in Old Windsor until his death in 1859 at the age of 78.
He is buried in Old Windsor Churchyard.
Tom left behind his widow, three sons and a daughter.

Tom Evans in middle age

Aubrey De Vere 20th and last Earl of Oxford
first Colonel of the Blues 1661

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Christmas at The Oxford Blue

2009-10-14T19:55:00.004+01:00

Boxing Day & New Year’s Day Carvery

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Festive Menu

Lunch time or Evening time

Starters

Roasted Red Pepper & Sweet Potato soup
Prawns on a bed of lettuce in a Rosemarie sauce
Homemade Pate & toast served
with orange chutney
Deep fried breaded Brie with sweet chilli relish

Mains

Traditional Roast Norfolk Turkey
with stuffing & sausage and bacon roll
Roast Beef in a red wine and mushroom jus
Goats Cheese & Red Onion Tarte
Supreme Scottish Salmon
with a cream & dill sauce
All main meals served with seasonal vegetables & potatoes

Puddings

Traditional Christmas Pudding
with brandy butter & cream
Apple & Cinamon Crumble
served with custard
Baked Belgian Chocolate Tarte & ice cream
Profiteroles in a toffee sauce
Coffee & mince pies
Party poppers and streamers
Lunch time £17.99 per person
Evening time £19.99 per person
(Rear consevatory for evening music)

Events at The Oxford Blue

2009-10-14T19:36:00.003+01:00

The Oxford Blue

2008-11-20T15:02:00.043Z

The Oxford Blue has been newly refurbished. It is a family run establishment offering a warm and friendly welcome. It has a newly refurbished kids play area in the garden.
Facilities include free wifi Internet, award winning chef, Sunday Carvery and function room available.

The Oxford Blue is situated on the borders of Berkshire and Surrey, with magnificent views over the open countryside, and close to the centre of Windsor and Runnymede Easy access to the M25 and M4 (only five minutes away) very easy to find being only five minutes drive from Junction 13 of the M25, close to Staines, Windsor, and Heathrow Airport. Extensive car parking is available.

Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle, one of England's most popular tourist attractions, the Castle is an official residence of The Queen. The Changing of the Guard, one of the highlights of Windsor, takes place throughout the year, depending on the weather.
Visitors can watch the new Guard march up the High Street to the Castle at 10.50 am and the old Guard march back down at about 11.25 am. The actual 'Changing' ceremony takes place at 11.00 am outside the Guardroom in the Lower Ward of Windsor Castle.

Legoland
Set in 150 acres of beautiful parkland, Legoland offers lots of fun for all the family, with over 50 interactive rides, attractions and live shows to choose from. Formerely Windsor Safari Park.

The Long Walk & Windsor Great Park.
On either side of the long walk are the London Planes and Horse chestnut trees, which were planted to replace an avenue of elm trees which fell victim to Dutch Elm Disease. It is a pleasant walk from The Oxford Blue through to Windsor Great Park the route may be slightly muddy in parts depending on weather conditions.

To get to Windsor Great Park from The Oxford Blue
With the Union Inn on your right continue up Crimp Hill and turn right where the road bends sharply to the left.
Enter the Great Park through the Deer Park Gates.
Carry on passing the Bears Rails Camping area on your left.
Soon, looking to your left, you should see the spectacular Copper Horse surmounting snow hill.
Next turn left on a track to join the Long Walk.
Turn left into the Long Walk and climb steadily up to the Copper Horse. (King George IV, erected the statue in memory of his father George III, laid the foundation stone in 1829).
Follow the road round to the right and pass through the deer gates.
Follow the road round to the left, at a pedestrian only sign turn left into a wide grassy path.
At the next cross paths turn right and follow the path to the perimeter fence of the Royal Lodge. The Royal Lodge was once the home of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

It is reported that the Lodge is now being refurbished for Price Andrew.
Follow the path to a junction of several roads and turn left, continue on to a "T" junction and turn left and follow the road round the front of the Royal Lodge gatehouse.
Cross the road and pass through the deer gates to join a bridleway which soon slopes downhill. After some distance cross a bridge over a small stream and continue on to rejoin the track by Bears Rails.
Turn right and carry on back through the deer gates and onto crimp hill.
Turn left at the "T" junction with Crimp Hill and back to The Oxford Blue

Hotel's Cancellation Policy24 hours be for arrival.

The Oxford Blue

Facilities

Parking On-Site 40
Bedroom Facilities:
Tea/Coffee
TV
General Facilities:
Bar
Children’s Play Area
Giant Connect Four
In House Catering
Kitchen
Large Screen TV
Laundry Service
Restaurant
Special Diets Catered For
Walking
Wedding Receptions
Wireless Internet - Conf Rooms
Wireless Internet - Free
Wireless Internet - Public
Dining/Cuisine:
Bar Meals
International
Traditional British
To see our Baguette menu Click Here!
To see our Starter and Main course menu Click Here!

The Oxford Blue 10 Crimp Hill Road, Old Windsor, Windsor, Berkshire, England, SL4 2QY. phone - +44 01753 861954
- email - info@the-oxford-blue.com

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION

www.britishlegion.org.uk

"SLEEK HEADED MEN"
By S.Q.M.C. FREARSON
Royal Horse Guards (The Blues)

HOUSED in the selfsame showcase in the Household Cavalry Museum, the propinquity of the sword of the Iron Duke to the Waterloo medal of Trooper Thomas Evans (1781-1859), possibly affords posthumous pleasure to at least one of these old warriors. Nearby them, the Waterloo service coat of Tom's Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Robert Chambre Hill (1778-1860), indicates that Sir Robert was a man of slender build, an observation which is confirmed by the A. E. Chalon miniature of Sir Robert made when he was a young Captain, circa 1800.

Miniature of Capt. Sir Robert Chambre Hill (1778-1860)
byAlfred Edward Chalon circa 1800

This miniature shows a serious faced young man, not too fastidious about appearance, as witness the tousled hair; he seems to be an officer who drank claret by preference and port under protest, and had always the best interests of the Regiment at heart. Indeed, Sir Robert's two brothers rose to fame on the staff of the Duke of Wellington, whereas he served for twenty-nine years in the Blues, which Regiment he commanded for over ten years.

Service coat and helmet worn by
Lieut.-Colonel Sir Robert Chambre Hill at the Battle of Waterloo.
Given to the Household Cavalry Museum by Miss Emily C. Hill, his great-great-granddaughter.

The photograph of Tom Evans, shows him in late middle age and still careful about his appearance; his hair is almost too carefully brushed. Above the powerful shoulders, the handsome face looks disdainfully at the new-fangled "photographic machine"—a compound of Jeeves and John Bull.

Thomas Evans in middle age
From a photograph in the Guildhall Museum, Windsor.

Tom served for twenty years in the Blues and retired, still a Trooper. This is the story of Colonel Sir Robert and Trooper Evans, but it is the Trooper who plays the dominant role.

Tom Evans 'listed in the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards on 24th October, 1800, aged nineteen and standing half an inch over six feet. He gave his occupation as "cordwainer," characteristically scorning the term "shoemaker." He had been born and bred in the tiny Northamptonshire village of Collingtree and was doubtlessly recruited there, since Troops of the Blues were in the town of Northampton at the time.
As a Trooper, Tom considered himself well paid at the rate of ls. a day "subsistence" and 6 3/4d. "clearings" for laundry, clothing and equipment.
Charges for rations were made from "subsistence," but then again, strong ale was 3 1/2d. a quart. There was not very much free time to enjoy such luxuries since Troopers of the Blues worked until "evening stables" at 7 p.m. and had to be in quarters by 9.15 p.m. All candles and fires were extinguished by 10 p.m. They wore great cocked hats, the loss of which incurred a penalty of two extra drills. Loss of a cockade was paid for by one extra drill.

Nonetheless, it seems to have been a happy Regiment, and never more so than when His Majesty King George III brought the Royal Regiment of Horse Guards to Windsor in the year 1804 and showed them all marks of Royal favour. At this time, the Regiment held Field Days on Winkfield Plain, and so it seems, during the course of one such day, Tom fell in love with a bright-eyed girl at Winkfield, Miss Jane Broughton, thereafter spending much of his free time marching over the open fields around Barracks, to visit his sweetheart.

On 10th November, 1812, the Regiment sailed from Portsmouth for Portugal and Spain, and Tom with them. Held up by storms, they landed in the Tagus the day before Christmas Eve, 1812. They crossed the Douro 4th June, 1813, and fought at Vittoria on 21st of the same month. Maybe because of the peasant bread or perhaps because of the cheap wine, Tom grew even heftier and when, after his return to Windsor in July, 1814, he showed Miss Jane Broughton the splendid Peninsular medal with its two clasps, her bright eyes noted, "My ! Tom Evans, how you've put on weight in those foreign parts."

Miss Broughton's bright eyes were not alone as witnesses of Tom's increased bulk, for the keen eye of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Robert Chambre Hill had noticed the very same thing, so that when in April, 1815, orders were received to "March for Foreign Service," Sir Robert decided that Tom Evans would be left behind in England on account of being overweight.

Tom Evans was most indignant. Examine the face in the photograph and imagine how indignant Tom could be, and then imagine Regimental Corporal-Major Bell marching Trooper Evans into the presence of the Commanding Officer. Now Sir Robert Chambre Hill was a very wise officer and held his "Orderly Hour" at 2 p.m., a time of day at which, fortified with a good old English lunch and the odd glass of claret, any Commanding Officer is likely to show greater wisdom and patience than one who administers "regimental justice at 12 noon."
Tom stated to Sir Robert that if he could not march with his Regiment as a "regular," then he would follow them as a "volunteer," and Sir Robert being a good old English gentleman, and having the best interests of the Regiment at heart, said, "March for Foreign Service he would—march out !"

After a night of rain and electric storms, the British army rose from such repose as could be enjoyed in the open on a muddy Flanders ridge. It was Sunday, 18th June, 1815, and Waterloo was still no more than a rudely painted name on a Flemish signpost. The sun came out and dried the wet, shoddy uniforms that absent artists would later depict in all the finery of a Review in Windsor Park. Towards noon, the familiar sounds of camp life had changed to the roar of a French army in attack. By 2 o'clock, the sound of battle was closer to the ridge, a vast ocean of sounds of batteries, small arms, hooves, drums, trumpets, bugles and thousands of human voices raised in screams of hatred, fear and agony.
To this accompaniment, the Household Heavy Brigade trotted forward to the crest of the ridge, and there, the first line, 1st and 2nd Life Guards saw the foe, a broad, straight line of shiny Cuirassiers of the Guard, galloping up the ridge over the mangled remains of British and Hanoverian batteries and infantry.
The Heavy Brigade charged; there followed an almighty clash, which halted the French, and then rolled them back. Their line broken, the Cuirassiers fell into disorder and from disorder to headlong flight right and left of the Brussels-Charleroi road, with 1st and 2nd Life Guards in pursuit.

Sir Robert Chambre Hill, who had brought the steady line of Blues from 2nd and 1st charging line, looked left and right and saw the victorious Heavy Brigade's flanks opening out at the gallop and brought the Blues into the breach.
Somewhere at this stage, Sir Robert, well out in front of his Regiment found himself surrounded by a remnant of five Cuirassiers and was wounded in the sword arm by a pistol ball. A hefty Trooper of the Blues galloped out of the line and with all the might of a Northamptonshire cordwainer's right arm, cleft four Cuirassiers from their saddles, aimed a blow at the bridle arm of the fifth, shattered his sword on the Frenchman's cuirass, and struck again so that his broken blade came out at the hilt. Then Tom Evans led Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Robert Chambre Hill back to the ridge. Both men were still alive when, at sunset, the French army was in full flight and 50,000 corpses lay on the Plain of Waterloo.

At Windsor in the Riding School in the following year, the Colonel acknowledged Tom Evans's valour at the head of the Regiment. On 21st October, 1817, at Winkfield Parish Church, Tom Evans and Jane Broughton were married and on 4th July, 1820, Tom ended his service with the Oxford Blues, and went as Drill Instructor to the Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire Cavalry.
He continued for nine years, with this Yeomanry Regiment, until Jane and he grew homesick for the Berkshire landscape in which they had courted.

In 1829, Tom and Jane became landlord and landlady of that neat and well conducted inn, "The Oxford Blue" on Crimp Hill Road at Old Windsor, where at any time during the next thirty years, favoured customers might be shown the dignified old gentleman's Peninsular and Waterloo medals, and I've no doubt that the name of Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Robert Chambre Hill would be mentioned quite often.

Tom fought his last great battle on 17th January, 1859, and aged 78, he was laid to rest in OId Windsor churchyard, with military honours, by the 2nd Regiment of Life Guards. He left a widow and three grown sons and a daughter.
Sir Robert, who retired in 1823, lived to the ripe old age of 82. He died a year after his erstwhile rescuer and kept his old Waterloo service coat in a glass fronted case in the library of his home at -Prees Hall in Shropshire. He probably recalled Trooper Evans and told much the story told here, which I somehow feel, in justice to a good yarn, ought to end like this:

One evening, old Sir Robert was sitting in the library of his home, the candles were lit and his butler, Edward Edwards, had brought a book for the old gentleman to read. Sir Robert's finger pointed his place as he read. Something he read seemed to amuse him. He chuckled to himself and dozed off, the book on his lap. Edwards wondered what had so amused his master and looking over the shoulder of the sleeping, grey haired old man, Edwards read the line which the finger still pointed.
"Let me have men about me that are fat,
Sleek headed men, and such as sleep o'nights."

The Oxford Blue Public House at Old Windsor as it is today

Extracted from The Household Brigade Magazine Winter 1965/66

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