Inns on the Edge

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• Join Marc as he charts the historic pubs of the Lincolnshire coast

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  My name is Marc Knighton and I am the project officer for Inns on the Edge.

  Over the last few months I have been researching historic pubs from behind a desk, but for the next phase of the project, I will be travelling up and down the Lincolnshire Coast visiting historic pubs to capture their stories and record the current use and condition of the buildings.

  I have always had a love of old buildings. I studied art, history and historical architecture at University and catalogued 1000s of architectural plans before spending a few years working at an auction house as a fine art consultant.

  My expertise in historical research, technical knowledge of buildings, and an eye for period detail will hopefully stand me in good stead for this unique and extraordinary project!

  Please join me on my journey by following my blog.

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• Please click on the article headings to see all the pictures.

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• "How to find your pub's history" workshops

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  White Hart Hotel, BostonWe held four “How to find your pub’s history” workshops at venues along the coast in April.

  Whether they were interested in local heritage, or just curious about the origins of their ‘local’, attendees learned how to discover the history of pubs.

  We explored how these much-loved community buildings evolved over time, and how to read the history in their walls. We also used free and easy to access resources to discover their history.

  However, since much of the rich community history of pubs remains unrecorded, the workshops also looked at how we can all do our bit by recording and sharing memories.

  
  

  
  

  The Ship, Grade II Listed Art Deco public house in Skegness photographed c.1935

  
  

  
  

• Inns on the Edge Exhibition

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  We held a special exhibition in the stunning gallery space at the North Sea Observatory celebrating the historic pubs of the Lincolnshire coast from 16th-29th May 2022.

  The Lincolnshire coast is a land of shifting sands and changing fortunes. We explored how these inns, taverns and beerhouses were shaped by our coastal communities.

  We told the stories of smugglers, shipwrecks, ghosts and local legends. We also shared memories from more recent history and the games, drinks and communities that have made Lincolnshire's pubs special.

  You can be part of the story visiting and sharing your memories with our team. Like pubs across the country, many of these much-loved buildings now face an uncertain future. Find out what you can do to support them and help preserve their history.

  Exhibition on Tour

  The exhibition is now available to loan to community venues and heritage sites free of charge.

  If you're interested get in touch innsontheedge@lincolnshire.gov.uk

  Confirmed venues so far include:

  • Lincoln - David Chiddick Building, Brayford Pool, University of Lincoln - 20th-24th June 2022
  • Skegness - Tower Gardens Pavilion - 6th & 7th August 2022

  
  

  Pavilion, Skegness

  
  

  
  

  
  

• Seven lost Grimsby pubs

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  Over 70 pubs were demolished in Grimsby over the years, a remarkable number for any city, let alone town. Many of these demolitions took place when large areas of housing slums were cleared along with the re-development of parts of the town centre during the second half of the 20^th Century.

  Read all about the pubs below.

• The Oil Miller's Arms

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  The Oil Miller's Arms stood on the corner of East Marsh Street and Holles Street and is now the site of Machine Mart. Licensed in 1866, the pub took its name from the nearby oil mill at the end of East Mash Street.

  Originally a beerhouse, there was a petition against its licence in 1866 by the Teetotal Society due to the number of beerhouses in the area, up from 19 in 1864 to an incredible 33 by 1865!

  The pub was built of red brick and resembled many of the terrace houses it served (especially the upper floor with its plan sash windows and roofline the same as many houses along this street) however, the ground floor was distinguished by its mullioned bar windows and corner entrance marked by pilasters and signage above.

  In 1879, George Beavers (aged 15) stole £17 from the till of the landlord, his Uncle George Kerman. Police later found much of the stolen money hidden in a rabbit hutch and coal house at his sister's house. The crime earned Beavers 6 months hard labour – it was, after all, his 4^th theft from the pub!

  Like so many pubs during this era, several inquests on the deaths of young children were held at the Oil Millers Arms; this included the landlord's son Raymond Schofield (aged 8), who tragically died when his nightgown caught light after going behind the fire guard.

  The pub continued to operate until the 1980s, when it was put up for sale and the site demolished soon afterwards.

• Chapman's Hotel

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  This substantial hotel stood in a prominent position in the Central Market opposite the Liberal club and next to the Fountain Inn. The hotel was one of the first visitors would have noticed after crossing the Corporation Bridge and heading to the square.

  In 1952 the Earl of Annesley began his parliamentary campaign from the hotel window addressing his supporters below (this may explain why the hotel appears to have been briefly named the Annesley Arms) and supported by the hotel's owner John Chapman, chairman of the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. Chapman also became a member of parliament in 1861 for Grimsby.

  With an L-shaped plan, the hotel was three-storeys high with entrances along the ground floor, including a corner entrance to access the bar and above a statue of a 'Buccaneer' (also the hotel's local nickname) in front of a blind window. The market was demolished in the late 1950s, along with it, the hotel.

• Duke of York

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  At the lower end of Burgess Street, among terrace housing, was the Duke of York. Established at the beginning of the 19th Century (in 1826, the licence was with a Mr Samuel Plumtree), the Duke of York remained in operation until the late 1950s, when much of the street was cleared. The pub stood behind the Bluebell Inn on Victoria Street close to Alexandra Dock in an area notorious for drunkenness and bad behaviour.

  A 1930s photograph of the pub shows the front of the building mainly rendered with a central entrance leading to a bar or function room on the right and a part timbered shop front leading to the main bar on the left. Displayed across the parapet at the top was the name of the pub in large letters and below this a bind window advertising the local brewer.

  In 1831 the Duke of York was the scene of the murder of Edward Button by William Hall, who stabbed his victim to death. A complete account of the murder was written up in the press, and Hall was sentenced to death and hung at Lincoln castle.

  
  

• The Queen's Head

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  Not too far away from the Duke of York was the Queen's Head at No.63 Victoria Street (not to be confused with the Queen's Head at the top of Victoria Street). The Queen's Head dated from at least the 18^th Century and was conveniently located close to the River Head and South Dock Street, ideal for those with trade connections to and from the docks.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  A 19^th Century postcard shows a Georgian coaching Inn with large bay windows and a central doorway with a gabled cross-wing to the left. Above the door are a lantern and the pub's name in capital letters.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  A map of the Inn shows a substantial yard to the rear, which would have been accessed from the side passage at the end of the building. In the late 1950s, the Duke of York was demolished and replaced with Woolworths. Poundland currently occupies the site.

• The Black Swan

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  Established in the 17^th Century, the Black Swan was a corner pub on Victoria Street and Flottergate and one of the oldest in Grimsby.

  At some point, the pub was re-fronted with quoins and a parapet with updated windows on each floor. A shop front was added with fluted pilasters, cornice and a wainscoted base.

  
  

  
  

  In 1925, The Black Swan was demolished and rebuilt in a vernacular style like many pubs during the interwar period. A double gabled front marked the corner point of the new inn, and an extra storey was added across the build.

  The windows were different on each floor, a mixture of traditional ideas of the English Inn with the use of narrow stone mullion windows along the ground floor.

  In contrast, the gable's window heads were crowned with classically inspired (demi-lune) pediments. Known locally as the 'mucky duck', the pub was demolished to make way for the Riverhead Shopping Precinct in the early 1970s.