Lucy's

Work continues over the road as the Three Tuns pub is slowly rebuilt.
It's the oldest building in Hay, apart from the Castle (the church was largely rebuilt in 1838). Along with the Old House next door, it was once one large house, and until recently it was one of the best loved pubs in Hay. It even gained a national reputation, after it was discovered by journalists attending the Hay Festival.
The reputation was not for the quality of the beer - or cider. Lucy, the landlady, had been known to pour dregs back into the barrel, and cider remained on tap until the barrel was empty, no matter what it tasted like. On the occasions it had turned into vinegar, you spent the evening sipping politely. Somehow, nobody ever complained. The glasses were of dubious cleanliness, too - one regular always brought his own beer mug.
Yet Lucy's had a loyal band of regulars, and holidaymakers who had experienced an evening there came back year after year. Lucy held court as if the bar was her own living room - which it almost was; she was born in the pub and lived there all her life. She got everyone talking and everyone always seemed to have a pleasant evening.
As Lucy got older, Haydn Pugh often helped behind the bar, and I think it was his influence that started the belly dancing evenings. It was a tiny bar, so the belly dancer had about a square yard of space to perform in, and the spectators were crammed against the walls, but they were popular evenings.
Once, Lucy opened up the room opposite the bar, which no-one had ever seen, for a slide show about the Arctic. Most of the room was taken up by a huge round table; the dust of ages covered the mantlepiece. The speaker, his slide machine, and the audience all squeezed into the corner by the door. I think there were eight of us - there was no room for any more.
Another regular occasion was St Lucy's Day, modelled on the Swedish festival, in which Lucy dressed up in a long white dress (which may have been an old nighty) and a crown of candles for the evening.
Then came the fire.
I was having breakfast....'Bit misty outside - no, it's Lucy's chimney. It's smoking a bit. Actually, it's smoking a lot...." It was at this point that I phoned the fire brigade, one of three calls they had.
Lucy wandered out, quite unconcerned, when the fire engine arrived. The people at the Old House were already removing items that would be affected by the smoke, and taking them across the road to a neighbours' for storage.
The fire engines were there for most of the day. The story was on the front page of the B&R. Blue tarpaulin was put over the roof, and for a year or so, nothing happened.
Lucy moved into another house she owned in Hay. The regulars, led by Haydn Pugh, hired a minibus weekly for a while to go out to the Hollybush, with Lucy as guest of honour.
Finally, there was an auction, and after that the builders moved in. They've rebuilt the main chimney stack, the seat of the fire, replaced burned beams, and put a new slate roof on. They've knocked down the jumble of sheds in the back yard. At the moment, half the back wall has been removed completely. There are rumours that the new owner wants to put an extension on the back and turn the pub into a reasonably priced bistro. (There are always rumours in Hay; it's the local entertainment). The builders seem to be doing a good, careful job, and it'll be interesting to see what it finally looks like.