Topics about organisations and activities in Warminster.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
Rev. J. J. Daniell, in his book The History Of Warminster, published in 1879, records The Saddlers Arms as a tavern during the 1700s. Its location is unknown.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
The Lamb Inn
This inn, which had its own brewhouse, was situated on the south side of Vicarage Street, at the junction with Pound Street and West Street.
The 1838 Survey Of Warminster credits it with a smithy at the rear and stabling for a number of horses.
At one time it was known as The Queen, probably after Queen Victoria. The first known reference to this is in 1867 but by 1879 it was referred to as the Lamb Inn.
It closed in 1961 and has ever since been a private dwelling.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
The Search Hoop was on the north side of the High Street, near the brow of the hill, on a site currently occupied by Warminster Arts Centre (the former Athenaeum).
The Search Hoop was in existence in 1695, when a shop at the rear of the property was sold on 2nd November. Deeds were exchanged between Richard Exton, a yeoman of Great Sutton, and Richard Hodge, a cloth-worker from Warminster (WRO 540/10/15).
The Search Hoop was recorded in the 1801 Survey Of Warminster when the landlord was William Adlam. The inn had its own brewhouse at the rear.
The Search Hoop was destroyed by fire in 1818. According to Manley, a coat-of-arms was discovered, carved in some stonework, when the remains of the inn were demolished. These were generally believed to be those of the Kyngeston family, whose Manor House was once on or near the site. Sir John de Kyngeston owned land at Corsley and Warminster during the reign of Edward II.
Another inn, The London Inn, was later built on the site of The Search Hoop.
Reg Cundick, in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in 1987, referring to the Angel inn, noted:
In its “heyday’ the Angel was quite a large inn. It was situated on the south side of the High Street, at the top of the hill. The inn’s doorway can still be seen today, used as the entrance to the West County Cleaners and Herbert J. White’s, the jewellers (which occupy the ground floor). The building used to be the largest posting house in the town and was also the stopping place for the Bristol mail coaches. Extending well back at the rear, it offered plenty of room for coaches and ample stabling for horses.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
The Royal Oak
This was situated on the south side of Fore Street, much further east of the present-day Globe Inn.
It is recorded at Plot No.1487 in the 1838 Survey Of Warminster and referred to as a licensed beerhouse; the licensee being Thomas Hill. According to local directories this inn was still operating in 1852.
The diary of Edward Price, which recalls experiences in both the old and new poorhouse at Warminster during the early part of the 19th century, mentions an old inmate of the Workhouse at the Common with the name of John Poore. He was 70 to 80 years old and looked after the garden and the pigs at the Poorhouse. Price describes how Poore visited the Royal Oak every night, drank a glass of ale and smoked his pipe before returning and retiring to bed at the Poorhouse.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell, writing about The Roebuck public house, in the book The Inns & Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
The Roebuck is recorded by both Daniell and Halliday. The latter says it was in existence in 1740 at Chain Street [now George Street]. Halliday also records that, in about 1830, it was known as The White Hart.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
The Checkers
Daniell mentioned The Checkers in his History Of Warminster. He spelt the name as Chequers. Halliday records that it was Checkers in 1740 and was situated outside the Turnpike at Portway. The site of the Turnpike he referred to, is today occupied by the entrance to the Portway Lane housing estate. The precise location of the inn is uncertain because there appears to be no documentary evidence.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
The Church House Ales
During the 15th century it was customary for people of the outlying parishes to attend the mother church for festivals of Christmas, Easter and Whitsuntide (particularly the latter). Ales were brewed at the Church House to provide refreshment for the large congregations attending the festivals. The profits from the sale of the ales went to the Church; and in Warminster some of the revenue (until about 1600) was made available to the Chapel of St. Laurence. Church Ales were abolished after the Reformation but the practice continued in Warminster until the 1800s.
Both the Inclosure Award and the 1801 Survey Of Warminster list the Church House. It was situated in front of the Parish Church of St. Denys’, between the great yew and the road to Bath. It was demolished in 1813 and had been used for some years previously as a house for the sexton. The land the Church House occupied is now part of the churchyard.
A cottage in Ash Walk, opposite the main gateway to the churchyard, was then purchased and demolished, making way for the building of a new house for the sexton. The brewing of ales was transferred to here. A notice in 1814 advertised: “A Church Ale at the Sexton’s House”. The practice terminated in 1826.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell, writing about The Ring Of Bells public house, in the book The Inns & Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
According to Halliday, this inn was at Chain Street (an area on the south side of today’s George Street). There is no mention of the Ring Of Bells in the 1801 Survey Of Warminster; it had obviously closed some time before.
Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:
The Bush, Warminster
The site of The Bush Inn is occupied today by Wilson & Kennard’s grocery shop on the south side of the Market Place.
The Bush was in existence in the early 1700s and was recorded by both Daniell and Halliday. It closed before 1801. The 1801 Survey Of Warminster describes its location as “Plot 313, the Bush (late)”, occupied by Brodribb.
Uriah Brodribb’s grocery business eventually passed into the hands of James Dudden Brodribb (mentioned in Kelly’s Directory 1859). From circa 1867 onwards, Richard Sherring Brodribb was the proprietor of the store. By 1899 it had passed to Wilson & Mayo, shortly afterwards to Wilson & Kennard, under which name the shop’s proprietor today, Peter Mead, still trades.
