Category: Inns, Pubs, Beerhouses and Temperance In Warminster

Information and pictures for inns, public houses, beerhouses, drinking hostelries, and the temperance movement in Warminster.

The Bunch Of Grapes At Weymouth Street, Warminster, Sold After Being Withdrawn From Auction In 1919

The Bunch Of Grapes at Weymouth Street, Warminster, was included among the properties sold by the Longleat Estate in September 1919 (about 100 houses, cottages, shops, pubs, farms and smallholdings – described at the time as the largest property sale ever held in Warminster).

The sale catalogue described it as follows:

Lot 36. The Bunch of Grapes. A Six Days’ Licensed House in Weymouth Street, Warminster, containing, on Ground Floor, Bar, 21ft. x 17ft. 9 in. (fittings claimed by tenant); Smoke Room with servery to Bar, 13ft. 10in. x 13ft. At the rear is an annexe used as a Smoke Room, 23ft. 6in. x 9ft., also a lavatory. On the First Floor, Room 22ft. 6in. x 20ft., and one Bedroom. On Second Floor, 3 Bedrooms and large board. In Basement, Kitchen, w.c., and good Cellar. There is a small back yard.

Now let to Mr. Albert Applegate on yearly Lady Day tenancy at £68 per annum. Land Tax, £1 1s. 3d.

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

The Bunch of Grapes was put up for auction on the first day of the auction sale. It failed to reach its reserve price and was withdrawn, but was sold afterwards for £1,500 to the Lamb Brewery Co., of Frome.

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.”

The Vicarage, Warminster

Some notes by the Reverend Henry Robert Whytehead in the booklet The Minster And Church Life In Warminster, published in 1911:

The Vicarage
Warminster Vicarage bears upon its front walling the initials J.L. and the date 1712. The initials are those of James Legertwood, the then Vicar. This worthy man appears to have been possessed of good taste in domestic architecture, but of execrable judgement in Church architecture, for though the Vicarage is a beautiful house, the Rev. James Legertwood was guilty of pulling down the ancient Gothic Nave of the Minster, and its Screen, and of building that part, which gave the Church for 150 years the character of being the ugliest one in the diocese. Next year the Vicarage will complete its 200th year.

Licensing In Wiltshire

From The Wiltshire Times, Saturday 18th June 1910:

Licensing In Wiltshire.
What is designated as the Principal Meeting of the Wilts Compensation Authority was held at the County Offices, Trowbridge, on Thursday, to take into consideration licences which had been referred to them by the Licensing Justices, of which there were three.

[The three licences referred to were the White Horse, Wilton; The Royal Oak, Southwick; and The Star Inn [Vicarage Street], Warminster. In each case the committee was of the opinion the licence should not be renewed.]

Qualifying Property: Ship Tavern, High Street, Warminster

Electoral Roll : The list of Ownership Voters, Parliamentary Voters and Parochial Electors, for Warminster (Parliamentary) Polling District (Bb), Parish of Warminster, Wiltshire, 1894 – 1895, includes:

No. 183
Name of each voter at full length: Stephen Sidney White.
Place of Abode: 354 Kennington Road, London.
Nature of Qualification: Freehold house.
Description of Qualifying Property: Ship tavern, High Street, Warminster.