New sign unveiled outside historic Cookham Dean pub The Jolly Farmer

A new sign has been unveiled outside a historic community-owned pub in Cookham Dean.

The sign outside The Jolly Farmer in Church Road was installed on Saturday and regulars and well-wishers gathered to raise a glass of mulled wine to mark the occasion.

Actor and TV presenter Ross Kemp, who lives in the area, also attended the unveiling.

The new sign was commissioned by landlady Jenny Power to mark two years of the pub being under new management.

The pub, which dates back to ‘at least 1788’, has been owned by villagers since 1987.

The lease was taken by Jenny, a Cookham Dean resident of 16 years, more than two years ago.

A year ago, the pub welcomed new general manager Luke Weston, and new head chef Martyn Sharp.

The new sign was painted by Cookham photorealist and portrait artist Matthew Burley, who has created works for the band Supergrass and portraits for clients such as actor Sadie Frost.

Jenny said: “I’ve lived in the village for 16 years and wanted The Jolly Farmer to continue to be a place that the community could be proud of, where friends and families would want to linger whilst enjoying a drink or meal together.

“We’ve refurbished the interiors and updated the garden, so it was time to give our sign a refresh and a new friendly farmer face for the village.

“It was great to find someone with such a strong connection to the pub create it for us. We hope the villagers enjoy his smiley face.”

On being commissioned to do the painting, Matthew said: “This is the first pub sign I’ve done and I'm really pleased it was for The Jolly Farmer.

“The Jolly has been my local since my first pint in the early 90s, and when-ever I come to visit my parents in Cookham Dean, The Jolly is where I try and meet up with old friends.

“Everyone’s local means a lot to them but The Jolly Farmer is very close to my heart and so when Jenny commissioned me to do a painting for the sign, I felt very honoured.”