A few 17th-century records name Helmdon victuallers in 1630, 1673 and 1692, but none says where there alehouses were or what they were called.
Hemdon's earliest public house to be recorded by name was the Cross in Cross Lane.
It was built late in the 17th century, and takes its name from the Cross family that ran it from then until late in the 18th century.
Early in the 19th century Hopcroft and Norris's brewery in Brackley acquired it as a tied house.
The Cross closed on 15 August 1914, just a fortnight after the outbreak of the First World War.
It is now a private house called the Old Cross.

Publicans of the Cross included James Campin (in 1884–1909) and Edward Campin (in 1913), who share the same local surname as the stonemason William Campiun commemorated in the parish church in 1313.
The last Campin in Helmdon died in 1969.

The Chequers opposite the parish school was trading by 1758 and possibly much earlier.
In 1872 it was taken over by Hopcroft and Norris, which in 1945 merged with the Chesham Brewery to form the Chesham and Brackley Brewery.
By 1960 it had passed to Phipps Northampton Brewery Company, which in 1970 sold it to Charles Wells Ltd of Bedford.
It was closed in 1992, demolished and replaced by four new houses.

The King William IV was trading by 1841, just four years after the death of its namesake.
In about 1884 it became a tied house of the Leamington Brewery Company and its name was changed to The Bell.
After 1934 a dance hall with a sprung floor was built behind the pub.
Also in the middle of the 20th century the Bell diversified as a filling station, with a single hand-operated petrol pump outside.
The dance hall was demolished and replaced with a bungalow before 1970 but the petrol pump remained well into the 1970s.
The Bell continues to trade today.

The Cock and Magpie in Wappenham Road opposite the Baptist chapel was trading by 1861.
Its name was later shortened to the Magpie.
When the Great Central Main Line was being built in the second half of the 1890s, the landlord added a wooden building behind the pub in which he lodged some of the navvies.
The Magpie closed down in 1909, giving it the shortest trading life of Helmdon's four known pubs.
It is now a private house, Magpie Cottage.

A Charles Fairbrother had the Reading Room built in 1887 as a men's meeting place as an alternative to the pubs.
Newspapers and magazines were donated and until 1930 a small annual subscription was charged.
Women were not admitted until 1921, when the local Women's Institute started meeting there.
It was run by the parish Rector and churchwardens until the 1970s, when it was transferred to the parish council.
Throughout its history the Reading Room has been the meeting place of many of Helmdon's activities, serving in effect as the village hall.
A few 17th-century records name Helmdon victuallers in 1630, 1673 and 1692, but none says where there alehouses were or what they were called. Hemdon's earliest public house to be recorded by name was the Cross in Cross Lane. It was built late in the 17th century, and takes its name from the Cross family that ran it from then until late in the 18th century. Early in the 19th century Hopcroft and Norris's brewery in Brackley acquired it as a tied house. The Cross closed on 15 August 1914, just a fortnight after the outbreak of the First World War. It is now a private house called the Old Cross.
Publicans of the Cross included James Campin (in 1884–1909) and Edward Campin (in 1913), who share the same local surname as the stonemason William Campiun commemorated in the parish church in 1313. The last Campin in Helmdon died in 1969.
The Chequers opposite the parish school was trading by 1758 and possibly much earlier. In 1872 it was taken over by Hopcroft and Norris, which in 1945 merged with the Chesham Brewery to form the Chesham and Brackley Brewery. By 1960 it had passed to Phipps Northampton Brewery Company, which in 1970 sold it to Charles Wells Ltd of Bedford. It was closed in 1992, demolished and replaced by four new houses.
The King William IV was trading by 1841, just four years after the death of its namesake. In about 1884 it became a tied house of the Leamington Brewery Company and its name was changed to The Bell. After 1934 a dance hall with a sprung floor was built behind the pub. Also in the middle of the 20th century the Bell diversified as a filling station, with a single hand-operated petrol pump outside. The dance hall was demolished and replaced with a bungalow before 1970 but the petrol pump remained well into the 1970s. The Bell continues to trade today.
The Cock and Magpie in Wappenham Road opposite the Baptist chapel was trading by 1861. Its name was later shortened to the Magpie. When the Great Central Main Line was being built in the second half of the 1890s, the landlord added a wooden building behind the pub in which he lodged some of the navvies. The Magpie closed down in 1909, giving it the shortest trading life of Helmdon's four known pubs. It is now a private house, Magpie Cottage.
A Charles Fairbrother had the Reading Room built in 1887 as a men's meeting place as an alternative to the pubs. Newspapers and magazines were donated and until 1930 a small annual subscription was charged. Women were not admitted until 1921, when the local Women's Institute started meeting there. It was run by the parish Rector and churchwardens until the 1970s, when it was transferred to the parish council. Throughout its history the Reading Room has been the meeting place of many of Helmdon's activities, serving in effect as the village hall.
Helmdon