It is situated at 186 Great Knightleys adjacent to the neighbourhood shopping centre where at that time, 1964, the first shops had only begun opening the previous November.

Work on the building began in 1963 and was completed the following year. Builders J.M. Hill & Sons Ltd. of Heather Park Drive, Wembley were responsible for its construction from a design by the noted Coventry architect and filmmaker Barnard Reyner. The dark brick and attractive woodwork of the interior scheme was by Druce & Co. of Baker Street, London.

The official opening ceremony took place on Tuesday 7th April, 1964 and was attended by Major A.G. Mann, managing director of the brewery company Mann, Crossman & Paulin. A large "Manns" sign adorned an outer wall for many years.

Included in the design was a stage for live attractions, an upstairs 'Hayloft Bar', and an off licence, which later closed in the early 1980s. Additional toilets were added to the rear of the building sometime around the mid 1970s.

In the 1980s the main saloon area was halved to create an additional bar and the stage area resited and equipped with its own P.A. system for use by live bands and solo artists with regular music nights every Thursday and Saturday. During this time strippers would also perform at lunchtime sessions in the smaller additional bar area.

Sometime around 1987 the pub was renamed 'The Stores' following a refurbishment that removed the three bar layout in favour of an 'open plan' look. Other work included the addition of outdoor bench seats which were placed on the paving to the rear of the building and also on the grass along the Great Knightleys side of the rear grounds. This change of name which lasted to at around 1993 proved unpopular with the locals and the pub subsequently reverted back to its original name.

Two further changes occured in the years following the introduction of the 'smoking ban'; these being an outside canopy and seating area along the paved approach to the shops along with a weatherproof area overlooking the rear car park. Another refurbishment also took place in early 2023 that saw the outside signage replaced and an upstairs window covered over. A mobile food trailer has also in recent years become a permanent fixture in the pubs rear car park.

Mr. & Mrs. Gerry and Joan Stovell were the first publicans.

Notes:

1) The interior wood panelling, partitioning and first and second fixing at the time of opening was carried out by the woodworks contractor R. Kerly Bros. and White of 112 Tamarisk Road, South Ockendon, Essex.

2) On 1st July, 2007 a ban on smoking in enclosed areas of the workplace was introduced in England as a consequence of the Health Act 2006.