Inns on the Edge

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• Ball House, Boston

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  This week I am heading to Fishtoft and along the way, I call in at the Ball House, Wainfleet Road on the outskirts of Boston. Originally a smallholding, the Ball House is conveniently located along the busy A52 towards the coast. During the early 1800s, the property became a popular beerhouse. An old photograph shows the original pub was a farmer's cottage, demolished to accommodate the current building in 1953.

  Loosely L-shape in plan, the Ball House followed the trend of many pubs built in the first half of the 20th century, emphasising reform and improvement to the image of the public house. Built-in a mock Tudor style (e.g., the timber framing to the gable end, prominent multi-shaft brick chimneys and tall narrow casement windows) the design is a deliberate attempt to evoke feelings of inns and taverns during earlier times (a motif, known as 'Brewer's Tudor').

  Inside, the "olde worlde" theme continues with a large hearth in the dining area and decorative stud timbering along the walls and door surrounds evoking notions of old-style hospitality and comfort. A central bar serves the dining area and lounge opposite. A second, smaller fireplace is in the lounge with a mixture of chairs and fixed wall seating.

  The pub is busy, serving a mix of traditional and contemporary dishes. I have a brief chat with licensee Andy Robinson, who has been running the pub since last November before heading to my next stop, the Red Cow, Fishtoft.

  
  

• The lost pubs of Boston

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  This week I’ve gone for a slightly different approach. I’ve chosen a handful of pubs that operated (in one way or another) during the early modern period in Boston.

  As many will know, some of Boston’s oldest Inns used to be located within the Market Place. The Ostrich Inn was a 16th Century building that stood on the current site of the statue of Herbert Ingram, next to St Botolph’s Church. According to P. Thompson’s History of Boston, the pub shared a space next to the prison, and four other shops rented from Alvingham Priory. In 1774, Mr John Parrish gave the inn to the church for additional burial space, and the pub was demolished.

  Across from where the Ostrich Inn once stood was The Three Tuns on the corner of Church Lane. Oliver Cromwell visited the town during the Civil War and stayed a night here. A 19th Century engraving of the Three Tuns depicts a large timber built house decorated with a running herringbone pattern to the first floor. The last license for the Three Tuns was in 1810, with this section of the Market Place demolished and rebuilt in 1820 by the Boston Corporation.

  The Saracens Head was a 16th Century Inn located at 25 High Street. In 1590 it was one of five licenced houses to be ‘a Tipler or seller of ale brewed out of the borough’ (meaning it didn’t have to sell beer brewed exclusively on the premises). The inn fronted the High Street but was also accessible from nearby West Street. In 1674 the pub was recorded as ‘Sergents Head’ but no further references (or what became of the inn) are found after this date. A small section of the building’s old timber frame can be seen above the modern shopfront (curved end braces to the first floor and part of the jetting) from the High Street.

  A few doors down, located at 35 High Street, is another 16th Century building that was once a pub. The site, grade II listed, was part of a Medieval Hall but no mention of The Rodney & Hood in the official listing. While it is not possible to accurately date when the inn came into existence, The Rodney & Hood was certainly well established by the 18th Century. In an earlier post, we learnt how the Lord Nelson Inn opened in 1805 after victory at Trafalgar. Like Nelson, George Rodney and Samuel Hood were famous Royal Navy admirals securing important naval victories for the British. A 1794 post from the Stamford Mercury confirmed the inn was in operation during this period, but it may have traded under a different name before this date. During the 19^th Century, the pub was kept by members of the Tooley Family and closed in 1914.

  Further down the High Street, at number 82, was the Mariners Home. Gillian Harden’s book ‘Medieval Boston’ dated this building to the 1600s, although the pub was not established until the 19th Century. In 1840, the inn was known as The Boat and later renamed the Mariners Home by a retired sailor that took over the inn. The pub closed at the beginning of the 20th Century and now serves as a barbershop.

  
  

• The Red Cow and The Mill, Boston

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  An Inn existed on the site of the Red Cow since the 16th Century when the pub was known as The Bell. The old cattle mart closed around 1758 and cattle sales moved to the open site in front of the current building. The pub was rebuilt in 1760 and renamed The Red Cow. This was likely in honour of the Lincoln Red, an old breed of beef cattle originating from Lincolnshire.

  The pub, which has 2 storeys and an attic, was built in a decorative alternating pattern of red bricks known as Flemish bond. There are several other recognisable decorative features in the exterior design. Banding is visible on the 1^st floor and there is a wooden dentiled eaves cornice where the walls meet the roof. Above the windows are uniformed cambered brick heads with stucco keystones. There is also a neat pedimented door surround. The Red Cow would likely have been a good place to settle business between cattlemen on market days. Especially so during the weekly cattle markets established in 1847. A map from 1888 shows the extent of the pub’s operations. There is a large courtyard behind the pub for stabling and carrier carts. The map also shows the nearby pig market. This has since been demolished and replaced with an existing building built in a sympathetic Georgian style to the Red Cow. Sadly, the Red Cow is currently vacant and not used as a pub.

  My next pub, the Mill Pub along Spilsby Road, is a short distance away. The pub presumably takes its name from a mill known as “Burton Corner Mill”, which stood near the current site. The mill was demolished in 1878 along with the bakery. An earlier map reveals the existing site of the pub was formerly part of ‘Burton Cottage’, a large late Victorian house next door. In 1849, the house was described as a ‘pleasant’ modern-built brick tenement containing extensive gardens, a coach house, stables and outbuildings. The house was considered ‘most suitable for the residence of a genteel family.’ Charles Wright JP bought the property and lived here until he died in 1907. The pub is located a few meters away from Burton Cottage. It replaced an earlier building on the same site before being demolished and rebuilt in the early part of the 20th Century. The existing pub acquired some of the outbuildings that once served as the stables to Burton Cottage.

  In 1935, former boxing champion Johnny Cuthbert was licensee. Cuthbert had been British featherweight champion between 1927-31 and British lightweight champion between 1932-34. A life-size cut-out of Cuthbert in fighting kit hung over the pub’s entrance and was floodlight at night.
  

• Lost Pubs of Boston

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  This week's blog focuses on lost pubs of Boston and follows some of the changes to the town's built environment during the 1960s. This included the introduction of the inner relief road known as John Adams Way. I also want to mention three pubs which closed during this period; the Peacock and Royal Hotel, Loggerheads Inn and the Red Lion Hotel.

  
  

  Once Boston's most prestigious Inn, the Peacock and Royal was located at 25 Market Place (now occupied by retail giants Boots). The Old Peacock Inn was demolished in the mid 18^th Century and rebuilt in a recognisable Georgian style. For over 200 years, the Inn was a busy coaching house with regular services to London and elsewhere with some coaching services owned by the Hotel. At the rear of the premises this busy enterprise was served by a series of buildings. These included a brewery, stables, trap sheds, blacksmiths and saddlers. An advertisement from the period tells us there was also a pavilion and bowling green operating from within the grounds of the hotel. In 1880, Queen Victoria's son, HRH Alfred Ernest Albert Duke of Edinburgh, stayed the night and the inn became known as the Peacock and Royal. During this period, the business was owned and operated by the Jackson Family (c.1819-1887). Later it was owned by Henry Clemow before the whole site was put up for auction in 1917. After WWII, the Hotel opened again but closed its doors for the final time in 1962 and was demolished.

  
  

  The Three Loggerheads Inn was sited on the Pack House Quay, South Street (now part of the outside seating area for the Folly Bar and Kitchen). The inn was Licensed in 1784 as a beerhouse but was probably operating before this date. Loggerheads was a modest two-storey quayside house, complete with bar, taproom and two kitchens. It also had a large dining room which doubled as a dancing room (attracting complaints about noise and prostitution from the premises). Loggerheads was often used as a meeting place for several societies and clubs. The United Ancient Order of Druids held their monthly meetings there, as did the Victoria Benefit Society who helped those in financial difficulty. The pub also had ties with Boston United (before they moved to York Street). The teams changed at the pub and ran down Shodfriars in their kit! Loggerheads was demolished in the 1960s.

  
  

  Another pub demolished during this era was the Red Lion Hotel situated at 22 Strait Bargate. It was one of the oldest Inns in Boston, dating back to 1515 during the reign of Henry the VIII. Despite the Inn's narrow looking frontage, the Red Lion was popular with stagecoaches for many years. A map of the Inn reveals a coach house, brewery, tap house and large field at the rear of the property. In 1848, locals witnessed a 'Grand Ballon Ascent and Parachute Descent in the Red Lion Field', admission one shilling. Inflated by gas supplied by the Boston Gaslight and Coke Company, the balloon was called 'Rainbow'. In 1962 the Inn was closed and demolished to make way for the Woolworths high street retail chain (a local supermarket now occupies the site).

  
  

  Further out of the town was the Queen's Head Inn on Bargate Bridge. This Inn stood on the far side of Bargate bridge along the main route to the town and marketplace from the north. It was a large Georgian building built at the beginning of the 1800s. The Inn had a brewhouse and in 1894 the Boston Guardian recorded the Hotel and brewery sold for £2,500 (around £350,000 today) to Messrs Mowbray and Co. brewers of Grantham. In 1963, the Queen's Head Inn permanently closed and was demolished to make way for the Inner Relief Road (John Adams Way).

  
  

  Another casualty of the new inner ring road was The Lord Nelson, 69 High Street. First licensed in 1805, and named after Admiral Lord Nelson who lost his life at the Battle of Trafalgar that same year. This was a large house with brewhouse and stabling accommodation at the rear. Two classical statues, possibly representing Victory and Britannia, were positioned above the main entrance with figures of Lord Nelson in a gas lamp over the doorway. During the 1890s, the annual Boston Cycle Sports were held in Lord Nelson Field (the paddock and field behind the pub). Championship races were in front of a large crowd of up to 1500 spectators. During this period, bicycles were a popular mode of transport, especially for the working classes. Still, competitive cycling was a relatively novel sport – one can almost imagine the excitement that must have surrounded this unusual event!

  
  

  Next door to the Lord Nelson was the Royal Oak. Records show that an Inn existed on this site before 1784 but the entire structure was rebuilt around the same time as the Lord Nelson. An old photograph of both Inns shows several design similarities between them, such as splayed lintels to both floors with coaches entering on the right beneath comparable archways. Like the Lord Nelson, the Inn had a large yard at the rear to accommodate horse travel in addition to buildings needed to support its brewery named after the Inn. Located near the foot of the new Haven Bridge, the Royal Oak was demolished together with the Lord Nelson to make way for the new ring road.

• Goodbarns Yard, Boston

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  Goodbarns Yard, Boston

  After a week of annual leave, I’m keen to get the last few visits to Boston finalised. On my list of site visits was Goodbarns Yard. Formerly known as the Dog and Duck until the 1870s (and for a while Wormgate Tavern), Goodbarns Yard has been in existence since the 16th Century. It was the resting post for boatmen from the barges and small craft trading on the river before the Grand Sluice was built in 1766. Much later, the pub had a smoke room that was ‘magnificent, the mirrors reflecting the ruddy faces of some of the leading citizens who gathered for liquid refreshment.’ (Boston Guardian, 28 Nov 1925). The current building dates to the late 18th Century.

  The exterior is 2 storeys with render and pantile roof, bricked coped gables and stacks at either end of the building. The yard is accessed via the archway to the side. A bookbinding business once operated within the outbuildings owned by a man named Brown. One of his daughters later became the Mayoress of Boston, married to the late Ald. Chas. In 1842 when the Session House was completed, the magistrates marked the occasion by giving some 40 workmen a supper of roast beef, plum pudding and beer at the Inn. Apparently, all turned up for work at 6 am the next day, I bet, some still with sore heads from the night before!

  The entrance to the pub is via a low doorway from the front elevation or from the coach yard at the back. Inside, the pub is served by a single central servery covering all areas. Some of the building’s old post and beam construction is still visible around the ground floor, in addition to what looks like fixed period wooden seating by the front window, enhancing the feel of a traditional pub. These features are complemented by an original fireplace towards the front of the house and a sympathetic 20th Century wooden bar counter dressed with mirror balusters with inlaid panels.

  At the bar, I was met by Julia, Julia has owned the pub for the last 15 years. I explained the project and handed over a ‘memory book’ for locals to record historical information they might wish to share about the place. Julia introduced me to other members of her team (all lovely by the way) and tells me that the rear area of the pub was once covered in sawdust – and would have previously been where the lower classes drank. As many will know, sawdust was often spread across the floor in pubs during the 17/18th Century to sock up both spillages and the spitting from patrons – hence the term "spit and sawdust". Open daily, Goodbarns Yard has a wide selection of beers and spirits, along with a variety of hot and cold dishes at competitive prices.

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• The Eagle Hotel, Boston

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  Happy New Year! The first post of 2022 sees a return to the wintry streets of Boston.

  Among the pubs on my list is the Eagle Hotel. Fully licensed in 1855 (proprietor Thomas Allewhite), this Victorian building stands on the corner of busy West Street and Queen Street. Among the exterior features is a semicircular arch with a keystone to mark the main entrance (echoed in the corner window) with muted pilaster columns on either side and along the ground floor.

  On entering the premises, you are greeted by a large rectangular green sign with the pub’s name and ‘Soulby’s Ales’, the Alford based brewery that owned the pub during much of the 20th century written underneath. Below the sign, but long since fallen out of use, is an original off-sales hatch (permitting the sale of alcohol for consumption off-premises). The door on the left leads to the saloon bar from the vestibule, while the right door is for the public bar and games room beyond. Each area is served by a single central server, which retains much of its original form. Unfortunately, Jacqueline, the landlady, was not available, but I managed to briefly chat with Kerry, who has been serving pints at the Eagle for 15 years! Kerry is lovely and tried her best to give me snippets of information about the place. Still, the pub is busy, so after explaining the project, I took a second look around (spotting a lovely Victorian fireplace in the games room) and took my leave.

  Historically, the Eagle was the last pub on the west side of the town (influential liberal residents of the Sleaford road area objected to any licence granted over the railway lines a few yards away). In 1866, Thomas Hall, a Spilsby saddler and wine and spirit merchant, was the innkeeper. Mr Hall sold locally brewed Boston beers (the town had 18 different brewers at the time). In 1905, Soulby Son & Winch, who owned a depot in nearby West Street, purchased the pub. Today, the Eagle is part of the Small Beer Pub Company, representing the company’s most easterly outpost.

• The Ship Inn, Chapel St Leonards

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  Last week I ended my trip to Chapel St Leonards with a visit to the Ship Inn. Originally a beerhouse, the Ship is among the oldest pubs in the village. Built during the early 19^th Century as a house or smallholding, the pub can be found on the old road to Mumby and Hogsthorpe next to Willoughby Drain. L-shape in plan, the ship is a two-storey structure with reduced ranges to the front and side.

  An early photograph (please click on title of this post to see all pictures) shows some of the changes to the exterior, including rendering to the exterior walls and mock half-timbering to the upper floor. Elsewhere, the entrance has been improved with a porch and windows added to each floor.

  When I arrived at the Ship, the pub was closed but I was lucky enough to catch the landlords Nigel and Mandy Bradbury who were very happy to show me around. Inside, the pub’s interior is a mixture of modern and period features. The bar area and counter has been completely reworked with the latter built in brick. Much earlier in date are the fixed benches by the window and fireplace and wooden wall paneling. Exposed oak ceiling beams once decorated in horse brass and brick fireplaces complete a tasteful balance of old and new.

  In 1888, the ship was sold to brewers Soulby and Son together with the Red Lion Inn at Alford. In 1897, a full licence (six days beer and wine licence) was granted to Thomas Short of the Ship Inn, a wheelwright (Kelly’s Directory 1909). A 1900 OS Map revealed there was once a long rectangular building behind the pub that would have served as a workshop and garage. As tourism to the coast increased, so did business opportunities for publicans. In addition to serving beer and wine, the Ship repaired vehicles, made caravans and supplied bacon and poultry (the Ship also had a corrugated iron shop on wheels). In the first half of the 20^th Century, a camping ground was added which is still in use today.

  
  

  
  

  
  

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• The Vine Hotel, Chapel St Leonards

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  A change in scenery this week as I’m in Chapel St Leonards on the coast. It was a refreshing change from recording the urban pubs of Boston which have been ticking along now for almost three weeks, with over 30 sites visited.

  My focus today is the Vine Hotel. The Vine is of note for its place within the history of Chapel St Leonard's – even in its inter-war form, it predates most of the buildings in its immediate area. It is also an excellent example of an interwar pub built in neo-Jacobean style, mixed with features from Arts and Crafts buildings. Its symmetrical butterfly plan, pitched gables, and towering stacks at the rear are comparable to other pubs built during this period. At ground level on the front facade, was a four-bay projection with arches. Originally, this formed an open loggia, or covered exterior gallery, since glazed to provide additional seating.

  Built in the early 19^th Century, The Vine stands at the end of what became known as South Road. Back then, Chapel St Leonard's was just a small agricultural village with tourism in its infancy. A 1926 advert posted in the Nottingham Journal tells us that The Vine was ‘ideal for restful holidays, splendid sands and natural sea hills.’ In 1928 the Skegness Standard reported the sea air at Chapel St Leonard's provided a ‘champagne-like affect’, that left visitors with the desire to ‘walk on air’. In 1936-7, The Vine was rebuilt by Thomas Smith and Sons Ltd, based in Mansfield. The Hotel provided 24 bedrooms with the latest facilities and gardens that ran up to the seafront as well as lawn tennis courts. (Please click on the title of this story to see an older photo).

  Prior to redevelopment, The Vine didn’t always enjoy a good reputation; excess drinking on the premises was commonplace and in the evening the dining hall doubled as an illegal gambling den (apparently Whist being the game of choice). The renovation of The Vine from a ‘country pub’ into a ‘fine new structure with umpteen bedrooms and every mod con', was hugely admired by a 1930s motorist. Like many interwar pub redevelopments, The Vine aimed to lose its reputation for drunkenness to broaden its appeal to families and visitors in the area.

• The Ram and the Angel Inn, Boston

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  Former Angel Inn, Boston Market Place

  The sun may have been shining in Boston, but it is deceptively cold with freezing temperatures I've got a busy schedule today, with 6-7 sites to visit in and around the centre of Boston. Included on my list are the Angel Inn and the Ram. The Angel Inn was located at the very end of the western side of Market Place (Nos.41 and 41B), a few doors away from the crescent of shops built by the Boston Corporation in 1820. The site was listed in 1975, although no mention of the former Inn in the designation. An early 19th Century sketch of the Market Place shows the Angle Inn before later alterations (please click on title of this post to see all pictures ). A large sign can be seen in the gable end before windows replaced it. The pub was also accessible from a door on the south side (in the corner where the two ranges meet). The early 20^th Century first floor oriel bay window is also missing from the engraving, presumably added when the shopfront across the south elevation was extended.

  
  

  In the 1890s, the landlord, R. O'Connell, struck up a new venture and served mineral water from a well behind the Inn. O'Connell carbonated the water to make lemonade, soda and seltzer.

  

  Boston Market Place, c.1830s

  In 1909, the Angel ceased trading and is now a mobility store. My next stop was to the Ram on Wide Bargate, another former Inn, converted into flats in the late 1990s. The current elevation looks built around the mid 19^th Century, although the Ram Inn was much older, dating back to the 1600s. The first thing I notice about the front of the building is its lack of symmetry, the front door is off centre, as are the windows to each storey, including the attic.

  
  

  An early photo of the Ram revealed an oriel window (left-hand side), while the bottom (right) window was once a doorway with shutters.

  
  

  

  The Ram, Wide Bargate

  The Ram overlooked the cattle market, well placed for market visitors. In 1863, the annual 'Millers' Statute was held at the Ram. The local newspaper reported many millers, masters and servants attended in the hope of employment at 'fair average wages'. They would stand outside the Ram in their best clothes in the hope of catching the eye of a prospective employer. Those hired would expect to be given a 'fastening penny', a shilling to seal the contract - no doubt spent at the nearest Taphouse behind the Ram An earlier Map (below) shows the extent of the Inn with a large yard to the left surrounded by stables, cart sheds and a tap house, facilities that would have been popular on market day.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

  The Ram and outbuildings behind. The yard is now a car park.

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

• The Still Inn, Boston

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  Last week ended with attendance at a heritage and craft day at Boston's beautiful 14^th Century Guildhall. A range of activities were offered, including live demonstrations of spinning yarn, medieval cooking and wood carving – but alas, no mead tasting! The event was a chance to speak to visitors about the Inns on the Edge project and hear from members of the public about pubs in Boston. I talked to several people about the project with one lovely lady handing me a list of old pubs to research.

  This week, the recording project raised its game with visits to 12 Boston pubs. Among those surveyed was the Still Inn overlooking the Market Place. An inn has existed for centuries on this site (the outline of the medieval burgage plot is relatively unchanged). The front of the building was rebuilt at the beginning of the 19^th Century in Gault brick, a smooth heavy yellow clay brick that became popular during the Victorian era. At 4-storeys high, the Still is one of the tallest buildings along this range with an extra floor compared to its neighbours on either side.

  For many years, the Still operated like a working men club with women not made to feel welcome – thankfully those attitudes are ancient history and today the Still is undergoing a transformation to a new bar and restaurant. Throughout the 19^th Century, the Still doubled as a wholesale and import business. In 1891 this was in the hands of Charles William Rysdale and would remain so until the 1930s. An 1891 advert from the Boston Guardian tells us that in addition to offering ales and London stout, Rysdale dealt in whiskey, gin, and a suite of 'Old Bottled Ports and Sherries, Clarets, Burgundy, Champagnes etc., at prices to meet the times'. The festive period was a busy time for the pub's wholesale business; customers were told to get their orders in early to be 'certain for a joyous Yuletide' – some things never change! The wholesale business ended long ago, but its buildings remain behind the pub today.