The Old Pubs of Chester 1

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Many more old pubs and their licencees were added here 7th February 2010. New additions were also added to the gallery.
Where the buildings still survive, photographs of Chester's lost pubs are being added as time and opportunity allow.
Please help us- your contributions, photographs, anecodotes and memories are always very welcome!

From our Mailbox:
21/2/09: Ian Palin in Blacon wrote to us, "Hi, great site, very interesting. I spent hours looking through the 'vanished pubs of Chester'. My granddad, Mr Thomas Shrives Evans was the landlord of a few in his time, his first pub was the Town Hall Vaults in Princess Street, not sure of the years he was here. Then he had the London Bridge Hotel in Bridge Street. There were 2 bars, one on street level & a row level one which my mum run for him. They went to the Royal George Hotel George street in the 1940s. My grandmother died in the Royal George in May 1946 & my granddad died there in 1952. My auntie & uncle, Bill & Kitty McAdoo, had the Painters Arms, again not sure of the years they were there but probably late 1940s or early 50s."

In March 2009, Geraldine Hesketh (nee Wikeley) wrote with some reminisciences of the pub where she grew up, the Grosvenor Park Hotel...

"Wine is but single broth, ale is meat, drink, and cloth." 16th century English proverb.

These pages, thanks largely to your valued contributions, dear readers, have rapidly grown to excessive length so we're planning a new layout as soon as time and money (a sore point) allow.
Talking of money... our Chester Virtual Stroll and its associated sites (such as this one) have, we hope, been entertaining you for well over a decade now, but we really can't function for much longer doing this for free. Please, please consider helping us out in whatever way you can: donations are always gratefully received, sponsorship of individual pages or chapters equally so. If you have a pub, bar, restaurant or whatever, do yourself a favour and put your advertising banner on the page or pages of your choice- support the living pubs of Chester!

he production and consumption of strong drink has long been enjoyed in Chester. We know nothing concerning the drinking places of the Roman occupants of the fortress of Deva Victrix, but much, perhaps, may be inferred from the Roman city of Pompeii, where there were said to be 900 bars (thermopolium) and taverns (tabernae) to serve a population of a few thousand- in addition to the seamen, travellers and traders of the port. Many of these establishments have been wonderfully preserved, down to the drinking vessels (sometimes chained to the bar to deter theft) and grafitti scratched upon their walls.

Granted, Pompeii was an affluent, settled civilian town at the heart of the empire whereas Deva was a frontier military fortress, but we do know that considerable quantities of wine were brought here from the continent and that the legions also became increasingly fond of a brew that had long been produced on these islands, cervese (beer). Accounts dating from AD 90-130 found at the fort of Vindolanda on Hadrian's Wall show that considerable quantities of the stuff was purchased from local producers and one such, 'Atrectus the Brewer' (Atrectus Cervesarius) is the first named brewer in British history. And there seems little reason to doubt that others just like him played their part in satisfying the thirsts of the thousands of soldiers, sailors, merchants and others here in the great fortress of Deva.

"Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Chester strode
The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road"
G K Chesterton

Much about the drinking establishments of Saxon Chester are an equal mystery to us- as the 19th century local historian Thomas Hughes wrote, "The Anglo-Saxons had their eala-hus (ale house), win-hus (wine house) and cumen-hus (inn) but there are no records of their whereabouts". We do know, however, that a variety of weak beer was the staple drink of the entire population, being much safer than water, and the law stated that anyone brewing or selling bad ale would have to pay a fine of four shillings, or be forced to "sit in a chair full of dung" (certain modern brewers please note!) A chair mounted on the end of a long pole- the 'ducking stool'- was also utilised to repeatedly dunk bad brewers into filthy ponds.

“Whoever makes a poor beer is transferred to the dung-hill.” Edict in the City of Danzig, 11th Century

“The selling of bad beer is a crime against Christian love.” Law Record, the City of Augsburg, 13th Century

In the 14th century Chester mystery plays (see also a few photographs by the author here), Christ redeems a bunch of characters from Hell- apart from the brewer who heads straight for eternal damnation after admitting,

In 1552, during the reign of Edward VI, an Act was passed that restricted the number of taverns in London to 40 and in Chester just two.

The guild system dominated and regulated the trade of old Chester. The Guild Mercatorial was divided into companies of two or three trades each and only members of these companies were permitted to trade freely. All others were deemed 'strangers'. 'The Company of Innkeepers, Victuallers and Cooks' was considered ancient when it was incorporated by Royal Charter under the Mayor of Chester in 1583. The restrictions of thirty years earlier upon tavern numbers had obviously been relaxed for 34 brethren were recorded at this time. The company enjoyed many rights and privileges including a monopoly on the sale of liquors within the boundaries of the city.

In 1655, Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell divided England and Wales into eleven areas and placed each under the authority of a major-general. These officers were instructed "to encourage and promote godliness and virtue" and, in conjunction with the other justices of the peace, to put the existing laws against drunkenness into more effectual execution. Later the officers were ordered to see that "no house standing alone and out of a town was to sell ale, beer or wine, or to give entertainment."

The local regional officer was also very severe on horse-racing in Cheshire, where men have always liked horses, and he was equally severe on ale houses- his agents reported that in Cheshire they were "the places of receipt of wickedness, drunkenness, Sabbath breaking and other impieties"- and nearly 200 of them were suppressed in the city of Chester alone.
Breweries were prohibited from selling beer to any suppressed or unlicensed ale house keeper. A desire for moral reform doubtlessly lay behind these actions but there was an additional reason for them- ale houses, and especially those standing alone and out of a town were considered to be possible places of association for Royalists and as such dangerous to a minority Government which verged very closely on dictatorship.

"Alcohol sloweth age, it strengtheneth youth, it helpeth digestion, it abandoneth melancholie, it relisheth the heart, it lighteneth the mind, it quickeneth the spirits, it keepeth and preserveth the head from whirling, the eyes from dazzling, the tongue from lisping, the mouth from snaffling, the teeth from chattering, and the throat from rattling; it keepeth the stomach from wambling, the heart from swelling, the hands from shivering, the sinews from shrinking, the veins from crumbling, the bones from aching, and the marrow from soaking." Anonymous, 13th century

The Chester Directory for the year 1792 recorded around 140 inns in the small market town. By 1858, numbers had increased considerably and Thomas Hughes recorded 36 trading in Northgate Street alone, and several considered by him ancient then continue to flourish today. There is an old and oft-repeated local saying that Victorian Chester boasted "a pub for every day of the year"...

Nontheless, times- and the brewing industry- have changed and well-loved pubs continue to disappear or are 'improved' out of all recognition- often including an unnecessary change of name. In some cases the buildings are retained and adopted to other uses: the boarded-up Wheatsheaf Inn on Christleton Road re-opened as Wheatsheafe Antiques and the historic Bear & Billet Inn (above) in Lower Bridge Street in 1999 was briefly converted into a pizza restaurant of all things, complete with an absurd new name, Benson's at the Billet. (It has, however, thankfully now returned to its ancient role as a traditional pub. You can see a 19th century painting of it by Louise Rayner here.) In 2002, the 18th century Ye Old Vaults in Bridge Street, affectionately known as Barlow's (see below) became yet another clothes shop with apartments above. We will meet with numerous other examples in the following pages.

Over 500 Chester pub names have been recorded over the centuries, but such evocative names as The Sun, Moon & Angel, The Brewer's Dray, The Corkcutter's Arms and The Blackamore's Head have sadly disappeared without trace (these and others are listed under unknown locations). Here, however, we present a list of many more of Chester's public houses that have vanished- and continue to vanish... Your additions, reminisciences, pictures- or corrections- are most welcome!

"What two ideas are more inseparable than beer and Britannia?" Rev Sydney Smith, English clergyman and writer.

Barker's Lane: (where was this?) The Union Arms is mentioned in Pigot's Directory for 1828/9 when the licencee was Jas. Fitzgerald.

Black Diamond Street: The Ostrich Vaults (details wanted!)

The George Hotel (no. 5, now the corner of the busy Hoole Way stretch of the Inner Ringroad, illustrated left in February 2010). The George was, after sitting empty for a considerable period, converted for residential and commercial use and now, replete with a brand new sign 'The Old George', houses a pizza company and hi-fi retailer with flats above.
An advertisement in a 1903 guide book mentions a most interesting room at the George: “The GEORGE HOTEL Black Diamond St., is well worth a visit, on account of its Grand Room of UNIQUE OIL PAINTINGS of CHESTER in the olden times.”
One wonders what became of them. The landlord at this time was Richard Billington. He was still there in 1910. Earlier, in 1857 it was William Axon, in 1880 Henry Hewitt, in 1914 F W Attewell, in 1942 Win Hughes. You can see a larger photograph of the George in our gallery.

Blacon: On 10th July 2003 time was called on the Lord Byron in Shelley Road. The 1960s local was demolished and replaced with a 41-bedroom old people's home. A campaign and petition against closure by regulars, who considered the Byron a "vital community resource and popular meeting place", was ignored by councillors and planners who, to quote the local press, "felt that the loss of the pub could be accomodated by other facilities in the area, such as the Highfield pub". In addition, they said, the proposed residential home "is considered to likely to improve the streetscape".

Boughton (see also Christleton Road): The Red Lion. No. 30, corner of Beaconsfield Street. Landlord in 1942, John Holmes. The site is now occupied by a bank.

The Coach & Horses. Listed in the Chester Trades Directory in 1850, when the licencee was John Smith, and in the 1857 Post Office Directory of Cheshire, licencee T Smith.

The White Horse. Licencee in 1828 Mrs Wright, in 1902 Frederick Bulger.

The Plume of Feathers. This inn was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789, when the licencee was Ann Challiner, and in Pigot's Directory in 1828 when the licencee was Sarah Challinor. (Ann's daughter?) Another Plume of Feathers was trading in Bridge Street at this time.

The Ship & Plough was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was Stanley Burrows. The Ship Inn (the same place with a name change?) appears in Pigot's Directory for 1828/9 when the licencee was Jas. Davies. There were other Ships in Bridge Street and at Crane Wharf.

The King's Head is listed in Pigot's Directory for 1828/9 when the licencee was Catherine Ellis.

The Farriers' Arms is also listed in Pigot's Directory 1828/9 when the licencee was Mr Wright.

The Tub is mentioned in the Chester Trades Directory in 1850 when the licencee was Sarah Yates.

The Foresters' Arms is listed in the Chester Trades Directory for 1850 when the licencee was John Gerrard.

The Black Lion- no. 154, corner of The Mount- illustrated right. Now a landscaped, but otherwise empty, space. It was supposedly demolished for road widening but also, allegedly, because of the 'undesirable' nature of some of the regulars, or so we were informed- by one of them!
This inn was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was Thomas Blades. The landlord in 1828 was William Twemlow, in 1850 John Twemlow (who was still there in 1857- William's son?), in 1880 David Jackson, in 1902 John R Tushingham, who was still there in 1914 (when it is listed as number 166), in 1942 was John H Tushingham. (40 years between them- What was their relationship?)

Reader Paul Adamson told us, "The Black Lion closed in the early seventies. The final licensee, Gordon- I don’t remember his surname (but see below)- was a nice friendly young bloke who ran a good pub. He was a keen scuba diver when not pulling pints but tragically drowned in an accident whilst diving off the Wirral either just as the pub was closing or very shortly after. I can still recall in vivid detail a large charcoal caricature he had posed for smiling down from its perch above the optics. As your other correspondent mentioned, there was a rumour, rife at the time, that the place closed on account of its undesirable patrons. I don’t to this day know the real reason they knocked this handsome building down but an old regular said to me one night in there just before the axe fell, “You mark my words son-they’ll knock this place down and do nowt with it”.

In June 2009, we received the following letter: "The last manager of the Black Lion was Gordon Dentith who died on 3rd June 1972 whilst on a short holiday in Anglesey. I should say I am his eldest daughter Anita. He died two years after the pub was pulled down on the pretext that the road was to be altered. He left three young daughters and a wife who has also recently passed away. Regards, Anita Watson (nee Dentith)."
Another photograph of Black Lion can be seen in the gallery. The excellent Mount Inn continues to thrive just around the corner.

Pigot's Directory in 1828, The Chester Trades Directory in 1850, The Post Office Directory 1857 and Slater's Directory, 1880 all list an inn called The Mount Pleasant trading in Boughton, its licencee in 1828 being William Mayler, in 1850-57 Mrs Catherine Lloyd and in 1880 Edward Lewis. Was this an earlier name for The Mount Inn?

The Harp Inn (no. 58), also now a grassed-over empty space. Landlord in 1942 Ernest Brazendale. A photograph of it is in the gallery.

The Volunteer is mentioned in Pigot's Directory for 1828/9 when the licencee was George Rhoden.

The Peacock appeared in the Post Office Directory of Cheshire in 1857 when the licencee was Mrs M Moore.

The Universal Inn (no. 71, corner of Victor Street, landlord in 1942 John T Stockton) and The Cheshire Sheaf (no.70, corner of Fosbrook Street, both illustrated below) were demolished and their sites sites were until recently occupied by a petrol station, which in turn was demolished, leaving a vacant site- watch this space for what arises there. The Sheaf's licencee in 1942 was Mrs Phyllis Slynfield. The Universal can be seen again here.

The Exchange Vaults (details wanted- as with everything else on this site!)

The Waterloo Inn Vaults (no. 65/59)- now the Chester Backpacker's Hotel. Licencee in 1828 (when it was called The Waterloo Tavern) was Richard Chadwick, in 1850 Thomas Chadwick, in 1859 J Nuttall, in 1880 (when it was listed simply as The Waterloo) William Stewart, in 1902-1910 Mrs Elizabeth Addis, in 1914 Thomas Addis. Some photographs of it are in the gallery.

The Bars Hotel. When this closed in the early 1970s it became The Tavern in the Town with King's Nightclub above. It was later transformed into Cindarella Rockafella's nightclub. With it's 'monk's retreat' and impressive facade- which could easily have been preserved- it was nontheless demolished to make way for a large 'luxury' apartment development. JD wrote to tell us, "One of the pubs I can vaguely remember a few years ago was The Schooner Inn which was next door to Cinderella Rockerfellas. If I remember correctly it changed to The Sports Bar which was at its busiest on a Sunday night". Reader Hoolite also recalled, "Oh, yes, I remember Sports Bar alright. Lots of neon and chrome in the 'Amercian' tradition, a couple of pool tables, long bar on the right hand side as you walked in. Guaranteed major ruckus on most nights, being positioned right next door to Cinders, which was the first club I ever went into being about 16- they weren't too choosy". More information under The Bars and you can see a photograph of Cinder's just before it was demolished in the gallery.

The Ram Inn (location unknown). Advertisement in Adams’s Weekly Courant, 11th April 1780: "RAM INN; Great Boughton. JOHN RICHARDSON, Cabinet-maker, from Tarporley, impress’d with a Sense of Gratitude for the many Favours he has already received, takes this Opportunity to thank his Friends and the Public in general, for all their past Favours conferr’d upon him; and hopes, by his diligent Attention and Study to please, all who have formerly made the old Ram their House, will still confer their Favours on their most respectful, and most obedient, humble Servant, JOHN RICHARDSON". Charles Weaver was the landlord in 1828.

The Chester Trades Directory for the year 1850 mentions a pub in Boughton with the cheerful name of The Jolly Gardener, landlord Joseph Horrocks. Was this an earlier name for the still-thriving Gardener's Arms (33 Christleton Road)? The Gardener's Arms was in existence in 1857 when its licencee was Charles Chesworth.

The Bull's Head. This inn was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was Richard Coddington.

The Red Lion was also listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789, its licencee being William Edwards. After his name is the additional entry, "Cooper".

"Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me." Winston Churchill

Bridge Street: The Sign of the Rising Sun (Bridge Street Row East)- mentioned in a 1750 edition of a long-defunct local newspaper, The Chester Courant (there is also, in that publication, a mention of The Sun Inn existing in 1725- the same place?) Recorded as being used as a polling station in 1809.
The Rising Sun in Bridge Street Row was recorded in Cowdroy's Directory in 1785, its licencee being Thomas Smith, in Pigot's Directory in 1828 when the licencee was John Williams, the Chester Trades Directory in 1850, licencee Ann Roberts and the Post Office Directory of Cheshire 1857, licencee T Orme.

Right: The junction of Pepper and Bridge Streets before the coming of the Inner Ring Road.

The King's Arms, whose landlady in 1815 was Mrs Griffiths.

The Greyhound. Listed in the History, Gazetteer & Directory of Cheshire, 1850 when its landlord was William Bramall. Another Greyhound continues to thrive in Saughall.

The Rose & Crown- recorded as being used as a polling station in 1809. Another Rose & Crown was trading in Brook Street in 1828.

The Union Arms - also recorded in the polling station list in 1809. It appears in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was Samuel Thring, and Pigot's Directory shows it trading in 1828/9 when the licencee was William Griffith.

The Crown & Angel: "at the end of Saynte Olas Lane eastward".

The Three Pigeons- a 1750 edition of the Chester Courant advertised stage chaises setting out from here "every Moday to reach London in four days".

The & Crown- later renamed The Grotto Hotel- see entry below...

The White Swan.

Rowe Duttons- a wine merchants and public house which was part of the Brooksbanks company (see below) with, unique in Chester, a licence with allowed them only to open six days a week (closed on Sundays) and then only until 9pm. Their extensive crypt and cellar later housed the Chester Chronicle's printing presses and paper store. Today the site is occupied by Cafe Uno-Italiano. A special feature about the Brooksbanks business, with some fascinating photographs by Keith Rhodes and Chris Langford, is here.

The London Bridge Hotel (nos. 49 Bridge Street and 57 Bridge Street Row). Landlord from 1898 to at least 1914 Thomas Horn, late 1930s to 1942 Thomas Shrives Evans. Situated immediately to the right of Feathers Lane, there were 2 bars, one on street level & one on the row above. Its name derived, not from the famous bridge in the capital, but from its proximity to Messrs Beckett's 'London House' and also to the bridge which ran over old Feathers Lane (which is still there today) and which led to the extensive stables at the rear of The Feathers Hotel (see next entry). This bridge, which allowed continutity to Bridge Street Row as it crossed the lane, could be divided in the middle to allow high loads of hay, etc, to pass through. It was rebuilt, along with the rest of St. Michael's Row, in 1891 by Thomas Lockwood and was on street and row level with a steep stairway at the rear of the building, "very handy for a quick getaway" as Len Morgan recently wrote... It lost its licence around 1950, and became a branch of the Pearl Assurance Company. Today, the old pub is a coffee bar and clothes shop at one of the main entrances to the Grosvenor Precinct- or The Mall, as it is called now.

The Feathers Hotel ("and commercial inn") in Bridge Street was for at least two centuries one of Chester's foremost coaching inns. In 1850 the landlord was William Robinson, who advertised "superior accomodation for visitors and families, neat cars, gigs etc". The Feathers was demolished in 1865 to make way for St. Michael's Arcade, whose high and elaborate pseudo-Tudor elevation now forms one of the entrances to the Grosvenor Precinct. What was once the entrance to the extensive stables situated behind the old inn remains with us today, and commemorates its name: Feathers Lane.
In 1658, the will of Thomas Heath stated, "my wife Anne Heath to have my messuage situate in Bridge-street in Chester called The Plume of Feathers, now in the possession of Edward Burrowes, innholder". This inn was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was Mrs Adams and .

The 1902 edition of Kelly's Directory lists William Williams as the landlord of The Feathers Inn at 33 Lower Bridge Street. In 1880, Slater's Directory gives the licencee as William Broe. In 1857 it was W Robinson, in 1910 William Williams and in 1914 it was John Newns. Another Plume of Feathers was trading in Boughton in 1828.

The Grotto Hotel. (illustrated right. no 30 Bridge Street Row West, corner of Commonhall Street and next door to Barlow's- see below). In the 1980s the Grotto became for a while Sir Edward's Wine Bar until being transformed into a branch of Liberty's clothes store. It had formerly been known as The Harp & Crown, mentioned in a 1751 Cheshire Sheaf as being "next to Common-Hall Lane". In 1707, one Thomas Heath petitioned "to build a shop in the Row before the Harp and Crown Inn". It was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was Mrs Doughterty.
It was recorded as being used as a polling station in 1809. It was one of a number of properties in Chester to be subject to the Execution Rent. Execution Rent tenants were bound to keep watch for the city on three nights in the year, namely on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and St. Stephen's Day (26th December) and they were bound to mount guard over and conduct felons and robbers as far as the gallows. For their services these tenants were "exempt from attendance on all inquisitions, juries and assizes, except when held before the Lord, the Prince and the Earl of Chester". In 1828 the licencee was Hamlet Ley, in 1850 William Edwards, in 1857 (when it was still the Harp & Crown) J Roberts, in 1880 Ebenezer W Jones, in 1902 Joseph Ingoldsby, who was still there in 1914.

The Ship Tavern- mentioned in a 1749 Chester Courant, when the landlord was a Mr Matthews.

The Highland Man- mentioned in a 1750 Chester Courant. In later years it was recorded as 'The Island Man'. Was the landlord a Scotsman who dropped his aitches? In 1752, Edward Williams advertised that he had moved from "The Highlandman to a well-accustomed inn, being the Sign of the Old Yacht in Watergate Street".

The Sign of St. George.

The Globe. Listed in Pigot's 1828-1829 Directory when the licencee was Thomas Ebery. Another Globe in Castle Street is listed in the History, Gazetteer & Directory of Cheshire, 1850.

The Bridge Inn. Listed in the History, Gazetteer & Directory of Cheshire, 1850 when the licencee was Thomas Haddock. Another Bridge Inn continues to thrive in Vicar's Cross.

The Punch Tavern (Bridge Street Row). Also listed in the History, Gazetteer & Directory of Cheshire, 1850 when its licencee was William Chambers.

The Livre- in existence in 1805

The Holywell Packet.

The Black Dog Tavern (Bridge Street Row)- recorded in the Cheshire Sheaf as existing in 1815, lying on the north side of 'Bromfield's Entry', in Pigot's Directory for 1828/9, when the licencee was Robert Griffith, and in the The Chester Trades Directory in 1850 when its licencee was Richard Hoskins, a once well-known local comedian, "a power on the Chester stage". "That favourite resort of many of the principal tradesmen.. Many a dramatic star stayed a night at the Black Dog and afforded pleasant recreation and harmony, no doubt, to Dick's then numerous and mirthful circle".

Ye Old Vaults (28 Bridge Street and 26 Bridge Street Row)- affectionately known as Barlow's, after one George Barlow, who was landlord in 1898 (and still there in 1914) - closed for good on the 15th March 2002 when owners Scottish & Newcastle found that it (to quote the Chester Chronicle) "did not fit in with their company portfolio, which is geared towards theme pubs". Frank Marnell, secretary of the Chester Licenced Victuallers Association (and landlord of the Watergate Inn), commented, "the brewery has sold out on Ye Old Vaults".

Established in 1789 and refurbished in 1900, Barlows was unusual in being on two levels, one bar on the street and the other on the Row above. You could walk from the cellar up to the top floor, three floors above street level, making it one of very few complete Rows buildings in Chester.
It was yet another Chester pub with a reputation for being haunted- over the years there have been reports of loud groaning wails and banging noises. It is said that these emanated from the spirit of an old-time landlord who had been very proud of his inn and dedicated his life to maintaining its quality. Unlike the philistine Scottish & Newcastle, sadly, who briskly turned the listed building into a 'shopping development'- the frontage was torn out and replaced by bland plate glass windows and the premises has become yet another clothes shop with self-catering holiday flats above. We can only hope that the outraged landlord's spirit does his worst.

(See the ghosts entry in our site index for links to many other reputedly-haunted Chester pubs.)

Talking of spirits, William Barlow, licencee in 1902 and a relative of George Barlow, used to blend and bottle his own whiskey at the back of the pub he also used to bottle beer and soft drinks. A later (?) George Barlow was licencee in 1942 and Nev Hewitt in 1976-79. Interestingly, the name 'Hewitt' appears on the building's facade in the famous 19th century painting of Bridge Street by Louise Raynor.
Reader Annette Edwards wrote to tell us that one of her family, Arthur Wilcoxon was the publican at the Olde Vaults from 1871 to at least 1875. By 1877 he had moved to 9 Paradise Row, a long-vanished street that once faced onto the Roodee.
We're informed that Barlow's upstairs bar or lounge was know as “the passion parlour" in World War II as it was a favourite, intimate rendezvous for servicemen and their lady friends.

• The landlord of the still-thriving 300 year old Coach & Horses (now renamed The Coach House) in Town Hall Square between 1881 and 1901 was one James Barlow. Were he and William related?

Advertisment in the Chester Courant, December 4th 1750: "To be let, proper for an inn or an ale-house, with stables or without, a good accustomed house, with very good cellars, formerly The Horse & Baggs, lately The White Horse, in the Bridge-street, Chester, at the corner of White-Fryer's Lane".

"In my opinion, most of the great men of the past were only there for the beer." A. J. P. Taylor, historian

Lower Bridge Street: The Lamb or Ye Olde Lamb (nos. 2 and 4 Lower Bridge Street). Popularly known as The Dive Bar as it was situated in the basement of Brooksbanks Wine Merchants and separated by a narrow lane, Little Cuppin Street, from the ancient, but still-extant Falcon Inn. Its landlord in 1910 was George F Sharp, in 1914 W C Thornhill.

This interesting photograph, remarkable even to those who thought they knew this area well, shows its final days in 1961, just before it was demolished to make way for the widening of Grosvenor Street as part of the Inner Ring Road scheme and its site is now lost beneath the busy road junction we know today. (See another rather fuzzy photograph of it and, possibly, its landlord, here). The photographer would appear to have been standing in the ruins of the recently-demolished Red Lion (see below).

Its predecessor, on the same site, was a timber building whose upper storey protruded so far over the street and whose creaking beams sagged so fantastically that it quickly achieved a reputation as being Chester's most picturesque building and was portrayed by many visiting artists. Originally constructed as the home of historian and heraldic artist Randle Holme III in 1655, it was later converted into shops, a market and finally into an inn- The Lamb Inn, which gave its name to a long vanished Row, Lamb Row. So unfeasable was the structure, however, that the whole thing inevitably collapsed into the street in 1821. The Chester Chronicle reported at the time, "this ancient pile, like all the works of man, underwent a severe shock from the hands of time... the projecting portion of the south end suddenly gave way and tumbled into the street with a loud crash. An immense volume of dust rose from the ruins, and it was some time before bystanders could ascertain what damage was done and whether any injury had been sustained". Miraculously, nobody was hurt, but an elderly inhabitant of the house, Sarah Adams, had a nasty shock when the wall of the room she was sitting in collapsed within six inches of her chair.

A special feature about the Brooksbanks business, with some fascinating photographs by Keith Rhodes and Chris Langford, is now here.

Also connected with a vanished Row was The Old Coach Inn which was the third house up from the corner of Duke Street in Old Coach Row- also known as Rotten Row. It is seen in one of Batenham's views of 1817 which records its sign, "W Carlile, Ale and Porter". The site is now occupied by a large, ugly and extremely inappropriately-situated car showroom. It was recorded as being used as a polling station in 1809.
The Old Edgar, on the corner of Shipgate Street (right) dates from around 1500. After years of dereliction it was restored and now serves as a private residence. In 1828, when it was called The Edgar Tavern, its licencee was John Moulton, in 1850 George Owens. A 1905 postcard advertised The Edgar Tavern, as it was then still called, as offering "refreshment rooms and accomodation for cyclists".

The Lower White Bear (Lower Bridge Street)- possibly an old name for the still-thriving Bear & Billet (also illustrated right, behind the Old Edgar). This inn was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was Mrs Evans. Pigot's Directory shows the Lower White Bear trading in 1828 at 12 Lower Bridge Street, its landlord being Thomas Jones. It appears in The Post Office Directory of Cheshire in 1856 ( called simply The White Bear) when its licencee was Mrs E Onslow, and Kelly's Directory, 1902 lists Robert Smith as the licencee. David Thomas was there in 1880 and William Donworth in 1914.

The Upper White Bear (Bridge Street). Advertisement in Adams’s Weekly Courant, 26 March 1782:
"ROBERT JONES, Respectfully informs his Friends and the Public, THAT he is removed from the White-Hart in Foregate-street to the UPPER WHITE BEAR Inn, Bridge-street, and has fitted up the same with every necessary Convenience, suitable for the Reception of Travellers. He has also laid in a good Stock of genuine Wines, Liquors, &c. and his Customers may depend, that every Endeavour will be used to render their Accommodations perfectly agreeable, and a scrupulous Regard paid to their Commands, by the Public’s obedient Servant, ROBERT JONES".

The Upper White Bear is listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1782, its licencee being Robert Jones. Pigot's Directory shows the inn trading in 1828, its landlord being Richard Snelson.

The Talbot, originally the lower floor of the grand private mansion Park House which was built around 1717 for Elizabeth Booth. Extended in 1818, it became The Albion Hotel (it was this in 1850 when its licencee was Thomas Whaley and in 1857, landlord J Chambers) - and then The Talbot Hotel. When it ceased to be a private home, the two acres of parkland behind the house became Chester's first public pleasure gardens. When these closed in 1865, the land was covered with terraced houses (most of which remain with us as charming private homes today) and the old hotel commemorated by naming one of the new streets, Albion Street. The large central hall had served as a ballroom, an assembly room and an antiquesemporium and later became Claverton's and the upper floors utilised as offices. With the demise of Claverton's the place became, briefly, The Lobby. When this in turn closed, there was some hope of it reverting back to being another Lee's establishment (as when it was Claverton's) but it seemed Lee's had had their fill with Chester after their financially disastrous adventure with The Mansion House in Love Street (see below) and the premises are, we hear, about to become yet another estate agent's. Reader Keith Ellis told us "as far as I can recall the Talbot was a McEwan's house selling Tartan Bitter. It had a car park at the side through which you could get to the Albion".

Kelly's Directory for 1902 lists The Birmingham Arms at 15 Lower Bridge Street when Reginald Johnson was the licencee. He was still there in 1910. In 1880 it was Joseph Beckett.

The Liver. Listed in Pigot's 1828-1829 Directory when the licencee was Thomas Phillips and in The Post Office Directory of Cheshire in 1857, licencee .

The Nelson appears in the Post Office Directory of Cheshire in 1857 when the licencee was T Parry.

The Phoenix (Bridge Street Row). Also listed in Pigot's 1828-1829 Directory when the licencee was Charles Blake.

The Vaults.

The Millstone. Listed in Pigot's 1828-1829 Directory. A Millstone also appears under Lower Bridge Street in this directory so may have been the same pub situated at the junction of the two. However, the licencees names differ; Thomas Ball at the Lower Bridge Street Millstone and Charles Hilditch in the Shipgate Street one...

The Victoria. Listed in the History, Gazetteer & Directory of Cheshire, 1850

The Oxford Blue. Also mentioned in the History, Gazetteer & Directory of Cheshire, 1850 when its licencee was Thomas Smith.

The Swan With Two Necks. Another inn with the same curious name is recorded as trading in Princess Street in Cowdroy's Directory, 1782.

The Crown Vaults (no 22/26). Listed in the 1890 Kelly's Directory of Cheshire and also in the 1910 edition when the licencee was William Deacle. Another Crown Vaults existed at this time at 33 Canalside.

The Red Lion (no 7, corner of Pepper Street, across the road from St. Michael's Church: illustrated left). In November 1771, one John Manwaring, retired butler, let it be known that he had taken "the old and well-accustomed inn, the Red Lion, late of Widow Penstone's". In its time, the Red Lion was full of company when elections were on, being a 'Grosvenor' house.

A contributor to a 1927 edition of the Cheshire Sheaf wrote of the Red Lion, "although built in the middle of the 17th century, it bears no external sign of antiquity in consequence of restorations and structural alterations. In the interior, however, some idea of the age of the building may be gathered from the oak beams, floors and staircases, particularly those of the upper stories, which are in a fair state of preservation. On the first floor, at the front, there is a room containing an ornamental plaster ceiling... framed by a beading of plaster at the four corners of which, projecting towards the centre, are fleurs-de-lis on long stems. The centre of each panel is occupied by designs in relief but many coats of whitewash have all but obliterated them..."
The Red Lion was listed in Cowdroy's Directory in 1789 when the licencee was William Hancock. In 1850 the licencee was Samuel Pilston, in 1857, the interestingly-named David Thom Millions, in 1880 Elizabeth Norris, in 1902 John Lloyd Jones, in 1910 Robert Johnson, in 1914 Thomas Miley, in 1942 Ernest G Bennion. For over 300 years, the inn occupied a set-back site at the top of Lower Bridge Street until the alterations which turned Pepper Street into Pepper Row and the Inner Ring Road. Since then, this prominent site has been occupied by the large and hideous office block / hairdressers premises, Windsor House.

Denny Colley wrote to us in August 2002 asking if we had any photographs of the old Lion as she was born there in 1944. "My aunt was the licensee but in partnership with my father. It's a shame that they pulled it down, it still had the stables at the back where the coach horses where housed". If anyone can help, contact her direct: dennycolley@onetel.net.uk. See our rather fuzzy photograph of it above.

The venerable Chester historian Len Morgan speaks of it as the 'notorious' Red Lion, "the scene of many a conflict of fisticuffs, and that's putting it mildly. It was not exactly the place to take a girlfriend or go for a quiet drink". He also added that, such was its reputation during the war, it was the only pub in Chester where US Servicemen wouldn't go, and that it was carpeted throughout in red- "for good reasons!"...

Reader Paul Adamson wrote to tell us that "I used to participate in a game of darts in there and the occasional jar of course. The elderly couple that ran the place up to its demise in 1968 were named Swallow. I used to go to school with their grandson Melvin who was a canoeist of some repute and who, I believe, was up to Olympic Standards in the early 1970s. In turn his parents ran the Albion Hotel opposite the General Station- now called the Town Crier.
I would agree with Len’s comments. My father used to call the Red Lion the worst pub in Chester for trouble and one to give a wide berth to. (I didn’t dare tell him I went in there!!) However, I think this reputation was born in an earlier age, most probably during the war. American Servicemen featured but I’m not sure whether they were responsible for the Wild West Scenes or they refused to use the place because of them. In any event I was still young in the late sixties and part of a group of motorcycle lads and lassies who frequented the pub. We weren’t welcome in most places on account of our apparel, but we were there and even had our own darts team called the “Wheelers”. We took on other pubs’ second teams and in the Angel (Brook Street) one night I recall throwing a winning dart after being stuck on double one with my opponent for an eternity. A huge Irishman, one of the Red Lion regulars, congratulated me with a pat on the back that I can still feel today. Heavens knows what he would have done if I’d have lost!! After they called last orders for the last time we moved onto the Black Lion in Boughton. This became our new HQ with occasional visits to the Ring O’ Bells in Foregate Street".

The Black Horse Inn was adjacent to Rock's Court and in existence in 1810 when the licencee was James Walker. Landlord in 1828 Richard Smith, in 1840 William Smith, in 1846 George Davies, in 1850 Mary Ann Hopkins. In 1826 and 1827 meetings of the Smiths and Bricklayers Companies were held there. In that year is was described as "third south of the Red Lion (see above) and fifth north of the Hawarden Castle Inn, about eighty yards south of St. Michael's Church." The licence seems to elapsed about 1860. The inn was formerly the private house of John Rock, a member of the legal profession, who lived there from 1664 (when he enlarged it from two hearths to four) until his death in 1689.

Talking of the Hawarden Castle Inn, in October 2008, Norma Vachet (nee Stanley) from faraway Vancouver, Canada wrote to tell us that "my Stanley family lived in Chester at Lower Bridge Street in 1858. My Great Great Grandfather William Stanley was a 'licensed victualler' and his wife Mary (Blundell) Stanley is listed as a Publican's wife according to the 1861 census. One of their sons is listed as being born at the Hawarden Castle Inn, Lower Bridge Street, Chester". A few years earlier, the Post Office Directory for the year 1857 lists one William Stanley as the licencee.

We'd like to know more about this inn. In Lower Bridge Street, next to the splendid 16th century Tudor House, is a narrow passageway by the name of Hawarden Castle Entry which formerly led to an area of mean and squalid court dwellings. It features in one of Louise Rayner's famous watercolours and can be seen here. Did the inn serve the poor community in the vicinity of this narrow street? In 1828 the licencee was William Ellis, in 1850 John Hughes.

"A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her." W.C. Fields