History of Warwick Pubs

Written by John Crossling (JohnCrossling@aol.com).

WALLACE TAVERN 
Wallace Street was built in 1827 and the Tavern was created on 6th Feb 1832. They were both named after a lion named Wallace 
from Wombwell's Circus, he won the famous Dogs v Lion fight in the factory yard there in 1825. A painting of the lion is on 
display in St. Johns Museum. 
This pub was situated at 1 & 3 Wallace Street. 
It was first recorded in 1849 in the Trade Directories, however Tony Talliss has it appearing in 1841 on his list of pubs, 
and it continued in existence until 1923. 
It disappeared from the trade directories in 1924. The licensees were: 
1835 William Clemens					1841 William Standish 
1849 William Standish  					1862 John Gill 
1881-1883 John Grinsell					1884-1891 Thomas Gregory 
1892-1899 C Bromage 					1900-1903 AE Wyatt 
1904-1913 John James 					1914-1923 Arthur Such 

WARWICK ARMS HOTEL Link to website
This famous landmark is situated at 17 High Street. 
It first appears in 1790 according to Tony's list of Warwick Pubs but the first record I have tracked down yet is the 1806 
Map when it was owned by the Earl Of Warwick and the landlord was Christopher Hall. It has been described at various times 
a Family and Posting Hotel. It was described in Field 1815 as "one of the principal inns - it presents a spacious front built 
of white stone in a pleasing style of simple elegance". Even allowing for the pollution of today I would never have called 
the local Warwick Sandstone a white stone!
The Earl of Warwick owned the property and the deeds circa 1790 indicate the White Swan as being alias the Warwick Arms. 
According to West's Directory in 1802 Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton stayed there. 
In 1807 a mail coach was established between Warwick, Southam and Daventry leaving the Warwick Arms at 2.15 arriving between 5-6pm. 
In 1813 a post coach to Bristol left the Warwick Arms every morning except Sundays at 10.30 am arriving the same evening. 
In 1815 the Rising Sun Post Coach left every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 7am for Cambridge. 
In 1824 the Warwick Arms Inn was sold by William Marsh to a Martha Ridler of Gloucester who called it a Hotel 
(a fancy French term claimed by up-market Inns). In 1941 the licence was suspended and the building was used as a Government 
department until it was released in 1945 when warwick Town Council toyed with the idea of turning it into flats. However in 1946 
Mr Victor Ellison became manager for Trust Houses and it re-opened to the public. 
At one point the hotel used to have the bar or tap on Castle Lane but this is not obvious today. 
The Licensees were:
1806 Christopher Hall					1830 Martha Ridler		1833 Robert Lake
1849-1851 Grace Pinhorn Lake & Son			1880-1893 Leonard Baldwin
1894-1907 Edward Sherrey					1908-1909 TC Bird
1910-1927 AH Tyack					1927-1929 J Dykes
1930 -1931 G Snoad					1932-1933 EA Baillie 
From then on names are not given but it was owned by Trust Houses Ltd as it had been since 1927 since Mr Dykes onwards were 
all listed as managers.  It remained with Trust Houses till 1971 when it was run by Turnpike Inns Ltd. 
Leonard Baldwin was listed first as Hotel Keeper and Car Proprietor and in 1885 the Hotel was referred to as having Posting 
and Funeral departments.  It goes to show that even one of the main hotels in the town was forced to diversify to stay afloat. 
For a short time between 1896 and 1901 there was a single carrier service operating from this Hotel on a Saturday and I find 
it strange that this was the only one for such an important building in the town. 

WARWICK TAVERN 
This pub is situated at 27-29 Crompton Street. 
Now known as the Old Fourpenny Shop Hotel , it is a replacement of an older pub on the site know as the Paul Pry. 
Both of these I have covered earlier in this series. 
Tony Talliss has the first mention as being 1833 in his list which may be under the previous name - Landlord John Winbush
however the first entry I have is for 1849. 
The licensees were: 
1849-1862 John Winbush					1880-1881 Thomas Harwood 
1882-1887 Mrs Eleanor Burton				1888-1893 J Hewitt 
1894-1896 J A Nixon					1897-1898 W Pearce 
1899-1905 William J Turner				1906-1916 John Frisby 
1917-1919 E Meredith					1920-1929 AS Antrobus 
1930-1931 Edward Paskett					1932-1953 Alfred Patrick John Howlett 
1956-1959 Leonard T Howlett 
Then names are no longer given. 
An interesting alternative job was listed for John Frisby in 1906 who claimed to be a horse breaker - that's a combination 
I not encountered before!!  The Howletts established a period of stability at the pub and it looks like another example of 
the business passing from father to son. 

WEDGNOCK
This typical 1930s roadhouse stands on the junction of Cape Road and Miller's Road, but a few years ago was renamed the 
Jolly Miller .  It was built for Ansells brewery and its licence was transferred from the volunteer in 
Smith Street in 1935 when that pub was closed. 
Although we believe it started operating in 1936 the directories do not list any landlords until 1942. 
In fact this is so late in terms of directories that they are only able to list the names of two landlords before they 
change their format and no longer give the names of licensees. 

1942-1950 Ernest Augustus Steele			1953-1956 Oliver Perry 
The interior is very typical of 1930s pubs, with a large open plan bar and a smaller room. The later has for several 
years now been used as a pool room. 

WELCH HARP
The Welch Harp, soon known as the Welsh Harp, stood on the South Side of Smith Street at number 30. 
It first appears on the map of Warwick for 1806 when it was owned by St Nicholas Church. Intriguingly it was referred to 
as the Old Welch Harp - did this suggest some earlier history or was it just a marketing device to suggest some pedigree 
for the establishment. As yet we have not found evidence of an earlier date for this pub. 
The licensees were: 1806 Charles Mellors		1828-9 Ann Dyke
1849 - 1862 James Simmonds			1880 George Edney
1881 - 1891 William Lester			1892 - 1893 Mrs Lester
1894 - 1895 E. J. Robinson			1896 - 1901 Mrs Charlotte Robinson
1902 - 1906 Fred Jason Coulson			1907 - 1908 A. Stone
1909 F. H. Cooke					1910 - 1911 John White
1912 - 1913 Mrs White				1914 Albert E. Jackson
1915 J. H. Paskett				The pub was not listed from 1916. 
Although nobody stayed at this pub for very long it is interesting to note that the licence seems to have transferred from 
the husband to the wife three times during the life of this pub which is quite unusual. 
It is also unexpected to find that for a while there was a carrier service running from the pub. 
In 1895 the service ran on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In 1896 the service ran as above but with an additional carrier running 
twice on Saturdays. >From 1897 - 1903 the service had then dropped to just a single service running each Saturday. 

WHEATSHEAF
This pub situated on the north side of West Street at number 54 stands on the junction with Crompton Street. 
It was kept by Samuel Moore in 1713 according to Kemp's History of Warwick. From the 1820s Robert Ledbrook had the license 
until his death in December 1844 when his son in law William Butler took it on until 1881.  
In more recent times the pub was taken on by Keith Hinton in April 1978 and he kept it for 20 years until October 1998 when 
he moved on to take over the Aylesford Hotel. 
The pub is now owned by Kewal Singh Sohal and family. The most recent licensee is Mrs Valerie James who was granted the license 
on 4th April 2003. Her husband informed Tony that very afternoon! 

It has a long history going back at least as far as 1806 when it is marked on the map of Warwick for that year. 
It was formerly much more important in the town as it stood on one of the main roads and coaching routes into Warwick. 
The licensees were: 1806 John Taylor		1828 - 1844 Robert Ledbrook
1844 - 1881 William Butler (S-i-l to RL)		1882 John Dutton
1883 - 1885 Tom Bradley				1886 - 1894 John Marsh
1895 - 1897 T. W. Gregory			1898 - 1902 Mrs E. Gregory
1903 - 1905 Mrs E. Shead				1906 - 1909 Robert Hyde
1910 - 1927 Thomas W. Pease			1928 - 1943 George William Harper
1944 - 1949 NO NAMES LISTED			1950 - 1953 T. H. Wood
1956 - Mrs M. H. Wood				Names are no longer listed after this point. 
1978 - 1998 Keith Hinton
2003 - Mrs Valerie James
Being a coaching inn it has a long standing involvement with the local carriers. In 1880 there was a carrier to Barford 
on Tuesdays and Saturdays; to Kineton on the same days; another running to Kineton on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 
one to Leamington on Tuesdays and Saturdays; one to Loxley on the same days; a service to Tysoe on Tuesdays and to Wellesbourne 
on Tuesdays and Saturdays. 
The services increased over the next few years, so that in 1884 there were seven carriers all operating to Barford! Two on 
Tuesdays and Saturdays; one on Wednesday and Saturday; one on Tuesday only; two on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and one 
on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. There were three services to Kineton, two on Tuesdays and Saturdays and one on Saturday only. 
There were five services to Wellesbourne - all the previous year's routes plus an additional one on Tuesday only. The Tuesday, 
Thursday and Saturday service to Alveston continued. The Tuesday and Saturday routes to Chadshunt, Combroke and Compton Verney 
continued to be joined by another running to Charlecote on the same days. There was a Wednesday and Saturday service to Loxley; 
a Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday route to Sherbourne; a Tuesday service to Shipston and on the same day a service to Walton. 
From 1887 the directories no longer give destinations so we are only able to judge the business from the frequency of departures 
during the week. In that year there was a Wednesday and Saturday carrier; three on Tuesday and Saturday; one on Tuesday only; 
two running on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and one on Monday, Wednesday and Saturdays. They all ran to various destinations. 
In the first year of the 20th century, the pub was served by two carriers running on Wednesday and Saturday; four on Tuesday 
and Saturday; and one other just running on Monday, Thursday and Saturday. 
Carriers ceased operating in the years following the First World War as local omnibus services commenced. From 1917 through to 1919 
when the carriers cease altogether the services from the Wheatsheaf just consist of a single Wednesday and Saturday carrier. 
Today this pub continues to offer accommodation and also features food heavily in its services. The ground floor has been opened 
up to some extent but still features many different drinking and eating areas which help to maintain an interesting feel to the pub. 
It has long been filled with all manner of bric a bac which give the drinker something interesting to peruse whilst enjoying a beer 
from the small range of real ales which often contain a guest beer. 

WHEELWRIGHTS ARMS
This was at a premise that was later numbered 63 Coten End. Its origins are not established but by 1857 a Mr Jackson was the licensee. 
In the 1861 census shows the entry for this address as John Wright aged 39 who was wheelwright and Public House, he was granted a 
full license in September 1862. At the Annual Licensing Day held Monday 29th August 1864 Mr Wright of the Wheelwrights Arms stated 
he no longer wanted to run it as he required the premises for his business. He was still trading as a wheelwright from the premises 
when the 1871 census took place. 
In Kellys Directories only between 1908 and 1929, this pub is listed as standing at 69 Coton End. 
In 1908 the Licensee was T. H. Payne and in 1927 - 29 it was Harry G. Clamp. 
In Kemps "History of Warwick and Its People" 1905 on page 205 it states " proceeding along Coten End you find a picturesque ½ timbered inn 
(presumably the Millwrights Arms); this was formerly the poor House for St. Nicholas Parish. Near to this was the Wheelwrights Arms." 
No doubt someone will be able to help clear up this little mystery! 

WHITE HART
In the early part of the 19th Century Robert Chadband kept the Dolphin at the rent of £16 per annum. 
In 1826 he changed the name to the White Hart. After his death on 1st January 1830 his widow, Ann carried 
on the business for a few years - at least until 1841. 
The property was retained by the Chadbands well into the 20th Century; divided into a butchers and a bakers 
and was finally sold by the family in 1977. 
Kemps history of Warwick says it was situated at 12 Swan Street and in 1828-1829 it was run by Robert Chadband. 

WHITE HORSE (1)
This building still stands at the corner of Guy street and Coventry Road and is still a public house! 
It was originally numbered 35 Guy Street as the entrance is in Guy Street but it has been renumbered 55 Guy Street. 
John Cox was landlord in 1838 and obtained his full license in 1856. By 1854 however he had changed the name to the Railway Link 
which it still retains today. 
1838 - 1854 John Cox (continued running it, renamed as the Railway, until at least 1856)

WHITE HORSE (2)
The 1806 map of the town shows the landlady to be Mrs Ball, and the owner as a Mr Humphries. 
This White Horse adjoined the late Woolpack Hotel and was the corner building to Market Street. 
In 1804 Mrs Jane Ball kept the pub and by 1808 had changed its name to the Horse and Farrier; this she sold 1815 to John Glover. 
He changed its name to the Kings Arms and finally sold out in 1835. The building was a butchers shop for many years and today 
the shop is called Country Stile. 

WHITE LION (1)
Tony's list records a pub by this name on Northgate Street between 1718 and 1793 from a record he found in the County Record Office. 

WHITE LION (2)
Listed in Crompton Street in 1806. There is great confusion over the pubs in Crompton Street 
especially the premises at the corner with Monk Street. 
This pub had several names in the 19th Century - King William IV, Bear, Black Boy etc. 
By 1866 it was referred to as the Lion or Red lion. 
It was finally kept by Richard Edmund White when it shut at 11pm Thursday 4th January 1904. 
The owners, Lucas & Co. were awarded £523 compensation. 

WHITE LION (3)
This was an old established Inn and in the 1820s the Landlord, Isaac Cherry changed its name from the Duke of York to the White Lion. 
It was known as the "Old White Lion" and was awarded a full license in 1856. In 1907 trade was worth £330 per annum, 
the rent was £20 per week and the rates were £35 a year. The owners were Messers Phipps of Northampton who were later taken over by 
Watneys in the 1960s. On closure in 1909 the licensee, Frederick Lilley received £100 and the owners £499 in compensation. 
The half timbered building was renamed "Robsart House" by a Mrs Hanson in 1911 and it was demolished in the 1960s to make way for the 
car sales business next to the Kings Head. The planners of that decade have a lot to answer for! 
Situated at 37 Saltisford. The licensees were as follows: 
1828 -1829 Isaac Cherry 				1849 Joseph Mander 
1880 - 1892 John Smith 				1893 William J Moon 
1894 - 1899 Thomas Harkell 			1900 Mrs M Harkell 
1901 - 1902 Edward Mudderman 			1903 - 1908 William Neal 
1909 - F W Lilley				The pub was no longer listed in 1910. 

WHITE SWAN (1)
Tony Tallis lists a pub dating from 1790 which a reference in the County Record Office suggests was also known as the Warwick Arms. 
This suggests that this may be the original name for the Warwick Arms Hotel which is still standing on the High Street today. 

WHITE SWAN (2)
This pub was first listed in 1806 where the map shows it on the North side of Cow Lane which was later called Brook Street. 
It was owned by Oken's Charity and the landlord was William Jackson. 
Licensees from then on were: 
1850 - John Stanley				1851 - 1862 Thomas Alsop Gill 
1880 - Mrs Murnane				1881 - 1885 Mrs Anne Pillips 
1886 - 1887 Mrs Woolison				1888 Thomas Savage 
1889 - 1894 John L L Knights			1895 - 1896 T C Page 
1897 - W A H Adams				1898 P R Mier 
1899 - 1901 W Thomas Messinger			1902 F W Keites 
1903 - 1906 Arthur Stone				1907 Lewis E Pratt 
1908 - 1909 Henry France				It was not listed in 1910. 
This pub also played a minor role as a staging point for the carriers. 
In 1850 there was a service to Birmingham on Mondays and Fridays.  
In 1880 there was a Saturday service to Ashorne, Banbury, Eatington (surely Ettington), Langley, and Stratford 
possibly just the one service to all of them.  In 1881 the Saturday service still went to Ashorne, Ettington, 
and Langley but now also Claverdon, Norton Lindsey and Wolverton. This must be at least two different services. 
In 1882 the service was identical to the previous year but with the addition of Wellesbourne and Wotton Wawen. 
The following year Newbold Pacey had been added to the list. From 1884 - 1886 the services were consistent and had only 
dropped Langley from the previous routes.  In 1887 the style of the directories changed and destinations were no longer listed.  
All we can tell now is that there were two Saturday services in 1887. In 1888 there were three and from 1889 - 1893 there were four. 
From 1894 - 1899 it dropped back to three services.  In 1900 it strangely went back up to four but by the following year it 
had returned to three and it remained at that level till 1904. 
In 1905 it dropped to two services and from 1906 until the last entry in 1909 there was just a single service as other forms of 
transport started to dominate. 

WHITE SWAN (3)
Tony Talliss has noted in his list of Warwick pubs that this name was used for the Warwick Arms 
according to a record he found in the County Record Office dating from 1872 

WOODMAN
This fine little boozer was located at number 2 Priory Road. 
It was a Davenports pub before finally becoming a free house and then a bed and breakfast establishment 
before finally closing down about 5 years ago. 
It has recently been converted into housing. It was first recorded in 1880 as a beerhouse. 
The licensees were:
1880-1881 Mrs Sarah Elvins			1882-1891 Mrs Maria Elvins
1892-1920 J B McCartney				1921-1927 F Tophill
1928-1929 Ernest Brookes Wager			1930-1931 George R Wainwright
1932 Frasier E Dodd				1933-1950 Frederick Fenner
1953-1956 James Marshall				The names were no longer recorded from then on. 

It was a fine little multi-roomed pub in the angle of two roads. 
The small rooms were at different level which all added to the atmosphere of the place. 
It had a small drinking courtyard and the building behind it was the original brewhouse. 
The arm for raising the grain through the top hatch was still visible. 
J B McCartney was listed as a brewer as well as a licensee. 
This was the last pub in Warwick to still brew its own beer which continued up to the 1920s. 
It used to have a good lunchtime trade from Council employees as the good value food was well appreciated 
and it was a great loss to the town when it finally closed down. 

WOOLPACK
This sizeable property was once known as a commercial Hotel and while listed as being on the Cornmarket 
its address was 54 Market Place despite its "vaults" being on Market Street. 
This inn has a long history and is mentioned on the 1788 map of Warwick as being run by Mr. Osbourne. 
Other recorded licensees are: 
1806 N S Baly (owner John Osbourne of Hampton) 		1830 Ann Baly 
1849-1851 Henry Baly 					1880-1882 Maria Cook 
1883-1885 William M Whyte 				1886-1897 Miss A Knapp 
1898-1909 Mrs Anne Halbeard 				1910 No Name 
1911-1920 Manager listed as Albert William Bradshaw 	1921-1939 No Name 
1940-1947 Sidney O Oliver 				1948 onwards No Names listed. 

The Hotel was latterly owned by Bass Mitchell & Butlers and it finally closed in December 1987. 
It stood empty for many years and only recently was converted into luxury apartments. 
Being situated just off the town's Market Place and offering accommodation it is hardly surprising 
to find that it was a regular stop the local carrier service. 
Field in his 1815 book on the History of Warwick wrote "The Market Place forms a pretty good square 
surrounded by numerous and some of them handsome shops and by several good inns of the second rank. 
At the southern extremity stands the Market house. 
Near it is the Woolpack newly erected, conveniently arranged and well conducted. 
It is well frequented by travellers ... one of the principal inns at which the post office is established." 
In 1850 there was a Saturday service to Long Itchington; Loxley: Snitterfield; Stretton on Dunsmore and Wellesbourne. 
By 1862 the Saturday services to Snitterfield and Wellesbourne were still running and were joined by a new one to Harbury. 
In 1880 the Saturday routes ran to Henley in Arden; Northend and Southam. 
On Saturdays and Tuesdays one also ran to Pillerton Hersey. 
In 1881 services were building up. They ran on Saturdays to Northend; Pillerton Hersey; Barford; Walton and Butler's Marston. 
On Tuesdays and Saturdays they ran to Snitterfield; Wellesbourne and Sherbourne. 
1882 had all routes as the year before. By 1883 the Saturday routes were to Northend; Butler's Marston; Walton; Burton Dassett and Gaydon. 
On Tuesdays and Saturdays they ran to Wellesbourne and Pillerton Hersey only. 
1884 sees Saturday routes to Butler's Marston and Walton. 
Tuesdays and Saturdays had routes to Snitterfield; Wellesbourne; Pillerton Hersey; Barford and Sherbourne. 
In 1885 all services ran on Tuesday and Saturday to Snitterfield; Wellesbourne; Pillerton heresy; Barford; 
Sherbourne Walton and a new route to Kineton. 
In 1886 the Tuesday and Saturday routes were to Snitterfield; Wellesbourne; Barford; Sherbourne Kineton and now Tysoe. 
In 1887 the style of directories changed and it only told you of a Tuesday and Saturday service to Snitterfield. 
From 1888 to 1890 there was a Saturday service and two running both Tuesdays and Saturday. 
1891 and 1892 both saw an extra Saturday only service added. In 1893 one of the Tuesday and Saturday services stopped. 
In 1894 a Wednesday and Saturday service was added while there were now four Saturday only routes 
and two running on both Tuesdays and Saturdays. 
From 1895-1898 the Saturday only services dropped back to two again while the others remained unaltered. 
In 1899 one more of the Saturday only services dropped leaving just the one. 
From 1900-1903 there was the one Saturday only route and two routes running on both Tuesdays and Saturdays. 
In 1904 and 1905 one of the Tuesday and Saturday route stopped. 
In 1906 and 1907 a Wednesday was added to the Tuesday and Saturday route so it ran on three days in the week. 
In 1908 the Wednesday dropped again. From 1909 to 1913 an extra Saturday only service was introduced. 
In 1914 and 1915 the services dropped to three Saturday only routes. 
In 1916 that dropped to two on Saturdays and from 1917 till 1920 when they ceased to be listed 
there was only the one remaining Saturday route. 




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