According to local lore, when Pablo Picasso visited the Six Bells pub in the East Sussex village of Chiddingly, he wholly misjudged the landlord.

It was November 1950 and he was staying with his friends, the photojournalist Lee Miller and her husband the surrealist artist Roland Penrose, who lived in Farley Farm House on the edge of the village. Picasso had strolled to the Six Bells for a drink, but on arrival realised that he had empty pockets.

The walk was nearly a mile and Picasso really wanted a beer. He made an unconventional proposal to the proprietor: could he get a drink in exchange for a sketch?

The landlord was having none of it and told him to use money like everybody else. Picasso was spurned. One suspects the landlord would have been a staunch supporter of Telegraph Money’s Keep Cash campaign.

Picasso should have known that star power would have little clout in Chiddingly. Despite its unassuming population of 1,247, the village has seen a disproportionately large share of celebrities over the years.