During the 1930s The Plough pub in Elstree came to be Alfred Hitchcock's favourite watering hole.

Each day after filming at Elstree's British International Pictures (BIP), Hitchcock used to join his film crew for drinks at the pub in the village's High Street.

They would sit amongst the regular patrons, drink beer and recount anecdotes about the day's filming.

Hitchcock and his friends from BIP became renowned for the practical jokes they used to play on the pub's owner and staff.

The bottom photograph seen here was taken in the 1930s, around the time that Hitchcock began visiting the pub. A number of smart motor cars can be seen parked outside the inn. And in the photograph, which was used for advertising, landlord Ernest Cox boasts that in addition to "many acres of beautiful gardens", the pub also offered lunches and dinners.

A string of pubs opened up in Elstree during the 17th and 18th Centuries. The Red Lion stood in the Elstree parish area of the village from 1656, The Artichoke opened in 1750, The Holly Bush in 1786, The Green Dragon 1756 and The Plough which opened in 1753.