The village of East Hendred has always thrived throughout history and it's strong association with agriculture and the close proximity and easy links to the larger Market towns has allowed it to prosper through the ages. The Ridgeway, a few miles up towards the Downs was the main thoroughfare for travelers one thousand years ago when the whole area was heavily forested and a place where wolves abounded. East Hendred nestles at the foot of those downs and developed where the springs rose to provide irrigation for farming A large working population in older days meant that local inns were always busy places.

The Eyston Arms has been an inn for hundreds of years and was originally owned by a Mr Bewsley and named the "Crown" and even had it's own brewhouse until 1832 when Customs and Excise arrangements were changed. Today it is owned by the Eyston Family who reside nearby in the village and have done so since 1443! The inn was recently renovated to restore some of the original old fashioned style.

The "Eystons" as it is known by the villagers, is a great success in it's new form and has become the venue for diners and drinkers alike who seek a country pub atmosphere. Inside it is a beautifully decorated inn where you will find a wealth of features to include flagstone floors, exposed beams and even the original water pump actually inside the inn!

East Hendred's village name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ‘Hennerithe’ or ‘rill of the waterhens’. Like many another English village its roots go deep into the past, to Saxon times and beyond. After the Norman Conquest, Norman knights and abbots were given land in Hendred. The manor of Arches or Hendred House has been occupied by the Eystons since 1453 and this gracious house is a focal point in the village. The look of the village has changed very little over the last hundred years and it is only the colour in the photographs that allow them to be dated as recent.

For many years East Hendred was associated with racing stables and it used to be a common sight to see a string of fine racehorses going to and from the gallops on the Downs. Alas the racehorses have now gone but the beauty of this village remains.