Beverley Pubs K to L
King’s Arms
North Bar Within.
Two 17th Century coins or tokens known as pub checks exist for the King’s Arms dated 1664 and 1666, which bear the legend “George Lamplugh at the King’s Arms”. They relate to a property that was located at the north side of St. Mary’s Church (see Thomas Malton junior’s illustration of 1780 in Old Beverley page 23) that was demolished circa 1810-20.
In 1784 Francis Weldon, innholder, was recorded in a corporation lease (DDBC/16/221) at “an inn called the King’s Arms on the east side of Within North Barr”. The inn was relocated to No.28 North Bar Within, a property that still survives on the east side of North Bar Within (divided into two shops in 2000), complete with bracket from which the inn sign once hung.
The 1851 Census recorded Sarah Akrill aged 70, her daughter, an ostler and boots, a chambermaid and a barmaid at the King’s Arms. The following is an advertisement from the Beverley Guardian, dated 9th January 1858:- “KING’S ARMS COMMERCIAL AND FAMILY HOTEL, NORTH BAR STREET, BEVERLEY.
GEORGE SMELT begs to tender his best thanks to his friends for the kind support he has received since occupying the above Hotel, and respectfully announces that he has retired from, and disposed of the same along with the Cab and Posting business, to Mr. J. C. PICKERING, V.S., whom he can confidently recommend to their notice, and for whom he solicits a continuance of the patronage bestowed upon himself for a long series of years. J.C. PICKERING, V.S., on entering the above Concern, respectfully announces to the Public that the utmost attention, as heretofore, will be paid to the comfort of all those who may honour him with their patronage, and every endeavour will be made, by supplying articles of first-rate quality only, to secure a continuance of the patronage so liberally bestowed on his predecessor. Cabs, Gigs, and Horses, for hire, on the shortest notice, and at reasonable Fares. N.B.- VETERINARY INFIRMARY AS USUAL.”
During the horse-fairs that were regularly held in Beverley, the King’s Arms was noted for its horse-trading and was host to many foreign dealers as were many other hotels in the town. The Beverley Guardian reported in November 1859:
“A fine drove of Scotch Ponies at the King’s Arms Inn brought direct from Brough Hill by Anakin brothers of Thirsk were all sold at prices varying from £12 to £25”.
During the 1870s and into the 1880s the King’s Arms also served as a posting house, but following a decline in trade and the removal of the many fairs, the old pub was made redundant in January 1927 when £1000 was paid in compensation to the owners.
The signboard of the King’s Arms was described by The Rambler in 1939, as “a humble sign of the Heraldic Order, but the badge of the reigning Sovereign, which it commemorated in the olden days, has disappeared”. A postcard view of the King’s Arms of circa 1905 showed that the board had been gone for some years as it showed only the hanging bracket (see above). The property was awarded Grade II listed building status in 1969 (DoE serial No.9/233/69). A map of the area can be seen by clicking the link below.
Select victuallers: - 1664-66 George Lamplugh; 1784 Francis Weldon; 1791 Ann Kirman; 1806 William Kirkhouse; 1814-40 William Ackrill; 1846-51 Sarah Ackrill; 1858-59 George Smelt; 1864-69 William Boyes; 1872-82 Thomas Barnes; 1889-92 Miss Fanny Sharp; 1897 John Payne; 1899-1905 George Allison; 1915-21 John Cupit; 1925 Henry Gadd.
King’s Head Hotel
Market Place.
The King’s Head is a Grade II listed building (DoE serial No.9/333/50) and in its listed building description the fabric of the building is suggested to be of the mid-18th Century. The description was written in 1950 however, and more recent analysis by The Royal Commission on Historic Monuments in 1982 revealed that it could easily be of the late 17thCentury, so it had probably been an inn for many years before its first appearance in the trade directories from circa 1806, and was up for sale by 1811, when the following notice appeared in The York Courant on 16th December that year: -
“KING’S HEAD INN To be Sold by Private Contract,
All that well accustomed and eligibly situated Public House or Inn, on the East side of the Market Place in Beverley, known by the sign of the King’s Head Inn. Lately occupied by Israel Marshall, deceased. The stables are capable of containing accommodation for 60 horses at least. The premises have the advantage of a road or thoroughfare from the Market Place to a street called Walkergate. The purchaser will be required to take at a fair appraisement and valuation, the brewing utensils and all the beds and furniture now occupied with the said inn.”
Reports in the Eastern Counties Herald noted it was sold again in 1827 and October 1841: - “To let the King’s Head with brewhouse, large dining room and upwards of 20 beds, ground plot 1,200 square yards. R. Clark – the owner”
The Census of 1851 recorded David Morley aged 53, his wife, one son David (a bank clerk), three daughters, a male servant and a female house servant at the King’s Head. During Mr Morley’s tenancy the King’s Head was another of Beverley’s many posting houses.
The Pevsner guide states simply “The King’s Head Hotel … mid 18th Century, altered in the early 19th Century. Its distinctive three-storey five-bay stuccoed facade has a Doric porch and above a balcony to round-arched window flanked by coupled pilasters”. All of these details can be seen in the 1920s photograph shown here.
The pub was later extended to encompass adjoining offices and the new bar has been known by a variety of names including the Sovereign Lounge and the Market Tap. It does retain some original details but inevitably much has been lost during several refurbishments in recent years – the most recent of which has unfortunately seen the removal of many original details – some containing logos and crests of The Hull Brewery Company who owned it for many years.
Select victuallers: - 1806 William Witty; 1810 Israel Marshall; 1814-27 Robert Witty; 1828-34 Robert Clark; 1840-64 David Morley; 1867 George Oates; 1869 C Taylor; 1870 T Dunning; 1872 George Bielby; 1877-79 John Walker; 1882 George Carr; 1889 Francis Otter; 1892-97 Alfred Hoyle; 1905 Edith Ellen Farnill; 1915-21 George U Hodgson; 1929 Mrs Eliza Bell; 1937-39 Percy Stephenson; 1943 H A E Stephenson; 1955 F Mansford; 1965-75 A C Barnes; 1987 Paul Brooks.
Lady Le Gros
Norwood.
A report in The Hull Packet newspaper of 16th September 1866 told how Thomas Raspin, the landlord of the Lady Le Gros beer-house in Norwood, was charged with a breach of the Sunday Drinking Act on the previous Sunday. This is the first reference I can find to this pub by name until 1881. The Census of that year recorded Samuel Peacock a beer-house keeper aged 36, his wife Sarah aged 27 and their four children, with Jane Marshall aged 15 a general servant present at the pub. Samuel Peacock arrived in the area around 1870, from his native town of Burstwick (his first child was born in Beverley in 1873 or 74 according to the 1881 Census).
The origin of the name of the pub has been lost over time, but could the “Lady Le Gros” have simply been a landlords wife?
The current premises of the Lady Le Gros are the result of various alterations, additions and rebuilding of a simple farmhouse, although none of the original building remains.
Plans drawn for Charles Darley of Darley’s Brewery in Thorne in March 1893 for “additions and alterations to the Lady Le Gros Beer-house in Norwood” show the original building was a simple three-bay farmhouse facing west with its gable end to the road. The alterations of 1893 added buildings to its north side including a new kitchen, bedroom, cellar, wash-house, pantry, cart shed and two rivies. In 1936 more alterations involved an almost total rebuilding of the pub, and the whole of the original farmhouse was demolished, setting the building back from the road in its current position. Click the link below to see a plan showing the pub before alteration.
Select victuallers: - 1874-1928 Samuel Peacock; 1866-72 Thomas Raspin; 1943-55 J S Shawler; 1929-39 Charles Henry King; 1965 L A Cattermole; 1967 J T Cook; 1975 G Sanderson; 1987 Malcolm Firth.
Lincoln Arms
Lincoln Way. Also known as the Sanctuary.
This modern pub on the Keldgate Park Estate opened in 1988 as the Sanctuary, and may have taken its name from the ancient Sanctuary Stones, which stood around Beverley. Three of these survive, one not far from the pub, in Bentley. It was renamed the Lincoln Arms in 2000.
Lion & Lamb
Ladygate.
Writing in the updated Pevsner David Neave says “ a typical success was the retention and restoration of No.11 Ladygate, externally an unpretentious building, but late medieval with timber-framing exposed on the first floor and to the side elevation along Sylvester Lane. Again a long narrow medieval plot.” It is clear that the former Lion & Lamb building was medieval and had probably been an inn from a very early date. A draft conveyance and assignment of the property dated 21st November 1786 records that “Robert Dalton innkeeper and wife Elizabeth, Alice Stephenson spinster and John Lockwood gent” passed the property to “John Tuting cordwainer and Isabel Doughty spinster, all of Beverley…(Lion and Lamb Inn on the east side of Ladygate)” (Hull University Archives DDCV/15/174).
In 1858 the Beverley Guardian ran a concerned article with a description of Sylvester Lane at night, “When the pubs close on a Saturday night people congregate there and use bad and disgusting language. The watchman on duty is ignored when he tells them to go home”.
The Census of 1881 listed William Stephenson as licensed victualler at the small pub with his wife and son, and one female general servant. The Lion & Lamb, which held a full licence closed in November 1909 and compensation of £656 was paid to the owners John Smith’s Brewery of Tadcaster. Thankfully the property was awarded Grade II listed building status in 1980 (DoE serial No.9/127/80) and is afforded some protection from any future threat of demolition etc. The location of The Lion & Lamb can be seen by clicking the link below, which reveals a map of the area based on a 19th Century Ordnance Survey plan.
Select victuallers: - Pre 1786 Robert Dalton; 1784 Richard Tuting; 1814/15 Joseph Turner; 1823-34 Joseph Turley; 1840-55 John Taylor; 1858-79 Frederick Voase; 1881-82 William Stephenson; 1887 John William Richardson; 1889-92 Robert Sanderson; 1897-1909 Walter Whitehead.
Litchfield Arms
Toll Gavel. Also known as the Red Lion.
The Census of 1851 recorded innkeeper Henry Anthony aged 44, his wife, five daughters, his mother in law, one female house servant, a traveller and militia staff present at the Red Lion on the night of the Census. The Red Lion had an inn-sign “with an image of the said heraldic beast, which was later replaced by a model of the beast” according to “Rambler - an old time scribe”, writing in 1939 (see bibliography).
The Red Lion had undergone alterations late in 1888 following the death of owner Mr Johnson and it is likely the premises were sold by his daughter following his demise (BOBE/6, 1888-211). This pub was another that was purchased by Robert Attwood Litchfield in the 1890s and, possibly representing his flagship premises, was consequently renamed as the Litchfield Arms. In 1899 he submitted plans drawn by a Hull builder & contractor J Hancock, of the Steam Saw Mills, 38 Waterloo Street Hull, for “a public house and shop at No.30 Toll Gavel” (BOBE/6, 1899-2). This involved a complete remodelling and re-fronting of the premises in typical high Victorian style.
In 1912/13 Miss Lucy Litchfield, presumably a daughter had a tobacconist’ at No.32 Toll Gavel, next door to the Litchfield, which was No.30. Both the pub and the shop can be seen in this illustration made by the architect of the plans mentioned above. The link below provides a map of the area showing the location of The Litchfield Arms and the second link shows the layout of the pub re-drawn from the plans mentioned.
The Litchfield closed in 1972, but is partly preserved on the first floor level above the present modern building society, and remnants of the impressive frontage are visible on the ground floor.
Plans from the rebuild of 1899 show that the pub had a wholesale department and a surviving example of a bottle marked with Litchfield’s name and monogram (author’s collection) suggests that beer and spirits were available for off-sales by the public.
Lord Nelson Inn
Flemingate. Also known as the Admiral Lord Nelson.
The name “Lord Nelson” must surely rank amongst the top ten pub names in England and the average tourist or Beverlonian probably passes Beverley’s own unassuming Lord Nelson pub unaware that it is probably one of Beverley’s oldest pub buildings. The building has undergone some alteration including in 1912 a new Smoke Room and a scullery were created and a serving counter fitted in the Tap Room (by architects Bromet & Thorman of Tadcaster for John Smith’s brewery - BOBE/6, 1912-8). The layout of the pub can be seen by clicking the link below, which reveals a plan that I have re-drawn from c.1912.
Even in its altered state it was still considered of sufficient historical and architectural importance to be awarded the prestigious Grade II star listing by the Secretary of State in 1980 in whose description it is described as “probably late 17th Century” (DoE serial No.10/52/80).
David Neave writing in the updated Pevsner states “the stuccoed 19th Century façade of the Lord Nelson Inn disguises a much earlier building which is revealed in the first floor studding and braces exposed on the east elevation, and in the good late 15th Century crown post roof” although he was also describing No.15 Flemingate, which is incorporated in the same range of buildings. Other historians suggest that it was established as an inn circa 1620 (George Pinfold) but this has yet to be confirmed. It appeared in the trade directories circa 1814, only a matter of years after the death of Lord Nelson although it is very likely that the Lord Nelson had another name prior to this date.
Mair & Clarke, brewers of Wilbert Lane owned the Lord Nelson by 1813, and part of the marriage settlement (dated 9th May 1816) of Dorothy Mair (widow of John Mair, brewer) and William Edwards of Beverley, a saddler, was Dorothy Mair’s “moiety of brewery (Mair & Clarke), her personal estate; Lord Nelson Inn & a brewery in Appletree Lane” (DDCV/15/375).
The Census of 1851 recorded Robert Spink, a millwright and victualler aged 35, his wife, their baby daughter, and one female general servant present at the inn. The Beverley Guardian ran an article in 1858 regarding an inquest on a 42 year old Keel owner who “Partook of a glass of beer, sang a song and fell down dead” in the Lord Nelson Inn.
Writing of Beverley’s signboards the Rambler noted in 1939: - “The Lord Nelson, in Flemingate had an excellent hanging painting of that great Admiral of England.
This got severely weather beaten but continued to fulfil its mission of depicting Britain’s great Naval Hero, until its removal some years ago”. It would be interesting to remove the stuccoed plaster from the front of the Lord Nelson and try to gain more clues to its original appearance.
Select victuallers: - 1834-46 William Salmon; 1823-32 Mathew John Moor; 1892-99 Thomas Bielby; 1848-55 Robert Spink; 1867-70 William Pape; 1858-59 William Wilson; 1814-15 John Moor; 1864 John Priestman; 1872 Robert Booth; 1915-39 Edward James Turner; 1877 Henry Firth; 1879 Mrs Sarah Firth; 1882 Dan Secker; 1887 Samuel Bielby; 1889 Robert Stuart; 1905 J Turner; 1965 J Ralphs; 1967 G Cook; 1987 David Henderson.
Select victuallers: - 1791 Aaron Shores; 1814/15 Mary Shores; 1823-32 John Atkinson; 1834 William Atkinson; 1840 John Hutton; 1846 John Westerby; 1848-55 Henry Anthony; 1858-59 John Sanderson; 1861-64 Edward Stephenson; 1867 Thomas Coverdale; 1869-72 William Mason; 1877 Thomas Tomlinson; 1879 Hugh Jack; 1881 William Stitt; 1882 Samuel Bielby; 1887 Richard Hutham; 1889 William Cotcheifer; 1892 J May; 1893 Miss Ann Johnson; 1899-1915 Robert Attwood; Litchfield; 1921-29 George Henry West; 1929 Thomas William Cressey;1937-39 Alexander A Slesser; 1955 A E Johnson; 1965 R Bates; 1967-71 F E Battersby; 1972 M Battersby.
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