Community (Warminster) – Page 159

The Bird In Hand, West Street, Warminster

Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:

The Bird In Hand. The second inn of this name in Warminster is recorded in the 1801 Survey of Warminster. Its location is given as West End, and George Warren is listed as the owner. It probably adopted the name of the High Street inn (when that closed in the mid-1700s).

There is no mention of The Bird In Hand at West Street in Pigot’s National Commercial Directory 1822, so it must have ceased to exist by that time. As far as can be ascertained, it was on the site of a house known today as Westhaven, the former Orphanage of Pity for Girls at West Street. The orphanage was founded in 1867 by the Rev. Sir James Erasmus Phillips, Vicar of Warminster.

The Lamb Inn, Market Place, Warminster

Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:

The Lamb Inn
The Lamb Inn stood on the site, on the north side of the Market Place, which until recently was occupied by Stiles Bros., ironmongers.

According to an annotation in the 1801 Survey Of Warminster James Webley had apparently taken over the inn in 1803. He was the proprietor in 1822 when it was known as The Lamb And Flag. He was also a maltster and in the 1838 Survey Of Warminster he is recorded as the lessee under the Marquess of Bath, with Richard Bedford as the occupier.

The inn was still in existence in 1859 when Moses Glass was the licensee but the building ceased to be a public house by 1867.

The Bird In Hand, High Street, Warminster

Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:

There were two inns with the name The Bird In Hand in Warminster. They were both recorded by Daniell and Halliday.

The first-known and probably the earliest was located by Halliday at High Street, and being in existence in 1740. He noted that about 1830 it was Mr. F. Seagram’s house. Seagram was a surgeon who lived at The Chantry. This house, which still survives on the north side of the High Street today, and is currently a dental surgery, could have been built on the site of The Bird In Hand.

The Bear Inn, Warminster

Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:

The Bear was situated on the east side of The Anchor in the Market Place. The site, on the north side of the street, is occupied today by Paynes the newsagents. These premises were formerly (before Paynes) International Stores and before that they were the shop and office of an ironmonger called Hurlstone.

The 1801 Survey of Warminster records the Bear Inn under Plot 421 but (according to an additional entry in the record of the Survey) by 1803 it had been sold to John Pring, druggist. Daniell and Halliday both suggest that its origins go back to the 1700s and Halliday also states that it was once called the Cross Keys.

The Butchers Arms, Warminster

Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:

The house now called Portway Villa, on the west side of the road at Portway was formerly an inn called The Butchers Arms.

In the 1783 Inclosure Award Of Warminster the owner of the property is given as the Rev. W. Slade and the tenant is recorded as W. Lambe.

Daniell recorded this inn, so did Halliday who stated that it had also been called The Carpenters Arms.

Prior to the 1801 Survey Of Warminster it had closed as an inn, and was then the residence of Benjamin Everett, the son of a local clothier who lived in a larger house further south along Portway.

For a time the former Butchers Arms was used as the “manse” for the Minister of the North Row Baptist Chapel, Warminster.

The Masons Arms At Pound Row, Warminster

Reg Cundick and Danny Howell, writing about The Masons Arms public house, at Pound Row, Warminster, in the book The Inns & Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:

The 1801 Survey Of Warminster refers to Plot No.117 as the “late Masons Arms” in the occupation of John Pearce (a mason). The site is identified in the middle of a small row of cottages situated halfway along Pound Row, between Pound Street and West Street. Neither Halliday or Daniell made any reference to this former inn or alehouse.

The Duke William, Warminster

Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:

The Duke William
Halliday records the Duke Of Cumberland inn being in existence in 1710 and 1740. There is no mention of it in the 1801 Survey Of Warminster, so presumably it had closed before this time. Halliday, writing in about 1830, tells us the inn’s location was then Edward Hinton’s house at West End. Hinton’s large house is listed as Plot No.185 on the Inclosure Award Map, and can be identified today on the south side of Vicarage Street, opposite The Minster Stores grocery shop.

Daniell mentions an inn with the name Duke William but gives no location. This may have been the same inn, because William Augustus, one of the sons of George II, was Duke of Cumberland. He led the British Army to victory over the Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden in 1746. It seems likely that the Duke of Cumberland inn may have been known locally as the Duke William.

The Shearmans Arms, Warminster

Reg Cundick and Danny Howell in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, stated:

The Shearman’s Arms
The Shearmans Arms was not recorded by Daniell in the History Of Warminster but was listed by Halliday who stated that it was in existence in the early 1700s. He gave its location as Benjamin Everett’s house at Portway.

Everett was one of the last clothiers to operate in the Warminster area. His home at Portway is today two houses (Nos.40 and 42). The old entrance to this house is the door with the rounded arch over the top, currently at No.40. Its position is almost opposite the Newcastle Estate Offices.

This inn must date from the time when the clothing trade flourished in Warminster. A shearman was a person employed in the trade; his job was to trim the nap off the cloth with a large pair of mechanical shears.

An entry in Rambles In And Around Warminster (1883) states that the Brown family kept the Shearmans Arms at Portway during the 18th century.

The Admiral Vernon Inn At Warminster

The pre-Victorian Warminster historian, John Halliday, writing circa 1810, mentions the existence of the Admiral Vernon inn at [Silver Street] Warminster during 1700.

(In different parts of England and Scotland, a depiction of Admiral Vernon’s head was for many years a favourite subject for public house signs – Dictionary of National Biography, volume XX, pp287-272.)

The Admiral Vernon inn at Silver Street, Warminster, was on the south side of the street, opposite the entrance to Ash Walk. At the time of publishing this post (1st February 2025) the location of the former Admiral Vernon inn has the address 2 Silver Street, Warminster, BA12 8PS, and is occupied on the ground floor by the designer wedding dresses boutique Bride By Design.

In the Indexed Summary of the Alehouses named in the enrolled recognizances of licensed victuallers, 1747 to 1757 (held at the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Chippenham, reference number: WRO A1/325/8 to 15), Box 15/9; the Admiral Vernon at Warminster is listed, and the licensee for the period 1754 to 1757 is named Daniel Webb.

The Reverend John Jeremiah Daniell, in his History Of Warminster, first published in 1879, includes the Admiral Vernon in a list of 48 inns which he said existed in Warminster at the beginning of the 18th century. He also says the Admiral Vernon was one of 15 inns on the list which ceased to trade between 1740 and 1766. He adds that “the New Inn only took their place.” It was, indeed, the New Inn that took the place of the Admiral Vernon.

Reg Cundick, in the book The Inns And Taverns Of Warminster, published in November 1987, concluded his notes about the Admiral Vernon inn at Silver Street, by saying “Warminster’s inn with this name was changed to the New Inn, presumably after Admiral Vernon fell into disgrace.”

Warminster Local Plan First Review News No.1

Thursday 1st October 1987

Warminster Local Plan First Review News No.1.
Published by West Wiltshire District Council.

Draft Review For Discussion.
Your chance to comment.

The Warminster Local Plan was adopted as policy by West Wiltshire District Council in August 1984. Already some of the policies and proposals need to be updated to take account of recent changes in and around the town.

A Draft Review of the Plan has been prepared and is available for discussion and comment. This leaflet summarises the main policies and proposals in the Draft Review, and the arrangements made for publicity.

Constraints to development

The scope of the Local Plan Review is limited by Structure Plan policy, by landscape constraints in and around the town, and by a high level of committed housing development. For these reasons it looks to stimulate small scale changes which will help to meet the town’s development needs, and provide for environmental improvements.

Opening of the Bypass, in the autumn of 1988, will provide a much improved climate for the new investment necessary to foster improvements to the town’s environment and services, particularly in the town centre.

Warminster Town Centre
Traffic Relief

Warminster town centre serves the needs of local people, army personnel and visitors. It currently suffers from the volume of heavy traffic passing through the town, and policy TC1 calls for a study of traffic management options which will be available on completion of the Bypass.

What do you think?

There are likely to be a wide range of options available for treatment of the town centre, including changes in on-street parking provision, tree planting and repaving. The public are invited to make suggestions which can be considered in preparation of the traffic management environmental improvement study; this will be made available later for discussion and comment.

Shopping policies

Policies TC2 and TC3 of the Review aim to guide changes in shopping provision, by allowing for new units but restricting the loss of ground floor space to office and other uses in defined frontages of High Street, Market Place and the Three Horseshoes Mall.

Areas of change

The commercial centre of the town is defined on the Proposals Map, Town Centre inset. Within this general area a number of specific policy areas are identified.

Land south of High Street (TC4) is identified for the development of a supermarket, additional car parking and pedestrian links to High Street and Weymouth Street.

Backland Areas Have Potential

Areas off Market Place and East Street (TC5) and north and south of High Street (TC8) have many buildings in a poor condition. There are also problems in rear servicing the frontage properties.

The aim of policy for these areas is to provide for improvements by attracting new investment. This will be facilitated by the removal of through traffic.

The Fairfield Road frontage (TC6) is recognised as having a different character to that of the East Street frontage to the south. Policy for this area is to attract investment for employment uses.

Areas north of Market Place (TC7) and off George Street and Silver Street will improve with a reduction in heavy traffic. The aim of policy is to stimulate further improvements through tree planting and through investment in the conservation of existing buildings.

Housing

The Structure Plan Review allocates between 900 and 1,000 additional dwellings to Warminster in the period to 1996. Sites to accommodate this level of growth have already been granted planning permission.

The aim of policy (H1) is to ensure that any further housing developments make a positive contribution to the enhancement of the town or meet a recognised housing need.

The main outstanding commitment is for 300 dwellings north of West Street. Development here will provide large areas of public open space and recreational land.

Land for new jobs

The Structure Plan Review allocates up to 45 acres of employment land to Warminster of which over 30 acres are available at Gas House Farm off Bath Road. Development of this site has been constrained by surface water and access problems.

Recent housing development north of Portway Lane has provided for land drainage locally and there are a number of ways in which access problems could be resolved. On this basis the Local Plan Review is hopeful of an early start to development at Gas House Farm and looks to concentrate investment in that area (E1).

The aim of employment policy E2 is to safeguard job opportunities locally by resisting the loss of general employment sites to alternative uses.

Policy C3 seeks to keep the Geest site at Copheap Lane in employment uses.

Recreation & leisure

Policies for recreation and tourism remain largely unaltered from the adopted Local Plan, with identified sites at Longacre, Henfords Marsh and Warminster Common Valley (RLT1).

An existing policy (RLT3) for a pedestrian link between the Western Car Park and Weymouth Street is now included under town centre policy TC4. A new policy RLT3 is included. This is for the development of a mobile caravan and camping site at Boreham Road.

Community Facilities

There are no new proposals for the development of community facilities but a new policy is added to guide the re-use of land in community uses which becomes vacant during the Plan period to 1996 (CF2).

New conservation policies

The Plan has many policies for care, protection and enhancement of the town.

Policy C1 seeks to safeguard from development land within the line of the Bypass which is coming under pressure.

Policy C2 lists areas of the town proposed for tree planting and other environmental improvements. These are:-The junction of Boreham Road and

Woodcock Road

Longacre

Land off Ashley Coombe

Adjacent to the Health Clinic. The Avenue

At the Lake Pleasure Grounds and Henfords Marsh

At Gas House Farm

There are a further 14 policies which seek to guide development and redevelopment proposals for the benefit of the town. Full details are available in the Review documents.

The map below summarises the main policies and proposals contained in the Draft Review for Discussion.

What do you think?

The process being used in preparing the First Review of the Warminster Local Plan is built around the need for the community’s input into the proposals for the town.

The stages in this process are:-

1 Survey Work

2 Preparation of Draft Review For Discussion and consultations with statutory undertakers etc

3 Publication of Draft Review For Discussion

4 Consideration of comments received on the Draft Review For Discussion by the Council and amendments made if necessary. Draft Review Prepared.

5 Certification by the County Council that the Draft Review, as approved by West Wiltshire District Council, conforms generally with the Structure Plan (as proposed to be reviewed).

6 Draft Review placed on public deposit.

7 Public Local Inquiry into objections (if necessary).

8 Modifications proposed (if needed)

9 Formal adoption of the Review

Visit the exhibition

A manned exhibition is to be held in Warminster to outline the proposed policies of the Warminster Local Plan, First Review, Draft Review for Discussion. This will give local people an opportunity to view the draft policies in more detail. It will also provide opportunities for discussion and comment.

The exhibition will be held at:-

The former Stiles Ironmongers Shop
51 Market Place
Warminster
Wilts

at the following times:-

Wednesday 7 October [1987] 10.00 – 4.30
Thursday 8 October [1987] 10.00 – 7.30
Friday 9 October [1987] 10.00 – 4.30
Saturday 10 October [1987] 10.00 – 4.30

Comments on the Draft Review for Discussion should be made in writing to:-

Mr S N J Blades
Chief Planning Officer
West Wiltshire District Council
Bradley Road
Trowbridge
BA14 0RD

Comments should arrive by 4 December 1987.