Category: About Warminster: Bath Arms Yard

Rope Walks Behind The Bath Arms, Warminster

Extract from The Changing Face Of Warminster by Wilfred Middlebrook, published in 1971:

At one time the Bath Arms Yard had a rope-walk, owned by a Mr. Webber, extending to the Avenue. Mr. Godden, the saddler at East Street, tells me that the rope-walks behind the Bath Arms were once used by Mr. Everett, another saddler, who had premises at East Street. A shop next to the entrance to the Bath Arms Yard was also run as a saddler’s by Mr. Godden, who moved to East Street when the Bath Arms bought the property. It is now a shoe shop.

The Bath Arms Hotel, Warminster, Sold In Longleat Sale, 1919

Friday 5th September 1919

The Bath Arms, Warminster, was included among the properties sold by the Longleat Estate in September 1919 (about 100 houses, cottages, shops, pubs, farms and smallholdings – described as the largest property sale ever held in Warminster).

The sale catalogue described it as follows:

“Lot 41.
The Bath Arms Hotel, Market Place.

The principal Hotel in the town and fully licensed, has a handsome front of stone, and is of pleasing elevation and situated in the centre of the Market Place.

It contains ~ On Ground Floor, paved hall with Booking Office and Telephone Box; Coffee Room, 17ft. 10in. x 17ft. 4in.; Dining Room, 19ft. 5in. x 15ft. 9in.; Bar Lounge, 17ft. x 14ft. 6in.; Bar, 11ft. 6in. x 10ft. 4in.; Smoking Room, 13ft. x 13ft.; (h. and c. water), Larder and small Sitting Room communicating with Kitchen and yard.

On First Floor, 2 Sitting Rooms (one 18ft. x 17ft. 9in.), 4 Bedrooms, large room now used as Billiard Room and Lounge, 38ft. x 17ft. 6in.; Bath room and Lavatory (h. and c.), Linen Cupboard, w.c., and Lavatory, Servants’ Bedroom and Box Room.

On Second Floor, 8 Bedrooms.

The yard, approached by gate from main street, contains large Trap Shed, 55ft. x 15ft.; Stabling (much of it with lofts over) for 22 horses; 2 Coach-houses and some Sheds and Pig Sty, and there is a large Garden with entrance into the Avenue.

There is a right of way over the yard for the owners and occupiers of the Gardens belonging to Nos. 45, 46 and 47 Market Place, all of which have also use of Avenue entrance.

This property is now let on a yearly Lady-Day tenancy, subject to six months’ notice to quit, to Mr John Smith, at an annual rental of £125.

Land tax, £1 17s. 2d.”

The sale of the properties was spread over two days, Friday 5th September and Saturday 6th September 1919, at the Town Hall. The auctioneer was David Waddington of Messrs D. and D.H. Waddington, and Messrs Ponting & Marshall were solicitors for the vendor, the Marquess of Bath, K.G.

The Bath Arms Hotel was put up for auction on the first day and purchased by a Mr Crook. The Warminster Journal, reporting the sale, noted: “The Bath Arms Hotel, the leading hotel in the town, was purchased by Mr Crook, of Torquay, for £2,500. Mr Crook, who is a brother-in-law of Mr Harry Parker, of Crockerton, has had considerable experience of hotel management. He also bought the two adjoining houses, now occupied by Messrs. J.W. Titt and Co., and Mr Walter Scott.”