The sheer peace surrounding this original wayside inn, is the same today as it was here a century ago. First you may notice when visiting - and it is well worth the trip - that a new sign swings in the breeze; that the tall elms have been replaced and that the ancient pub is a little larger. But inside, beneath the low black beams, you will feel as though nothing has been changed. Although the old elm tree has been transformed into settles and uniquely sculptured chairs, the same log-burning inglenook is cosy and inviting. The quarry tiles show wear going back many centuries, reminding one of the generations who enjoyed their momentary rest right here.

While the pond is no more either, the road to the east is the same, though the distant views are now masked with foliage. Doves bask on the thatch enjoying their sunny vantage from above the apple blossom, and the chickens in their never ending quest, scratch for every tiny morsel. The little girls are exchanging their latest school-room gossip before going home for lunch.

The tethered horse indicates a passing visitor in need of a pint of traditional English hospitality. He's probably asked the child to mind his loyal thoroughbred, with the bribery of a shiny new farthing. You can just make out the woman in the distance coming back from shopping in the village. She is walking leisurely towards us, for the Spring day is very pleasant.

By this evening you can be sure some merriment will be going on inside, as some will surely relate the tall stories of their day. Will the old Pineapple Inn still be here in another 500 years?

Edward Wilkins Waite was a prolific landscape painter who lived just outside Blackheath, and later at Reigate and Dorking. He was a member of the New Watercolour Society and exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1878. His picture titles include 'The Daisy Field, Fittleworth', 'The Water Mill', 'Boxhill Bridge' and 'Autumn at the Mill' amongst many others in the Sussex and Berkshire landscapes.