The Grosvenor Arms Hotel
In the 18th century Grosvenor
Arms Hotel at Shaftesbury in Dorset is
one of the finest pieces of carved furniture to be seen anywhere. It is an enormous Victorian sideboard,
carved from a single block of oak in the 1860’s by Gerrard
Robinson. This fine piece depicts the events
immortalised in ‘The Ballad of Chevy Chase,’ an ancient border song dealing
with the rivalry between the English Earl Percy of Northumberland and the
Scottish Earl Douglas.
The Smith’s Arms
There is not much room in
The Smith’s
Arms at Godmanstone in
Dorset, in fact the outside dimensions of the building are just 39’ 6” by
11’6”, and warranting a place in the
Guinness Book of Records, it is a claimant for the smallest pub in England
title.
It was a blacksmith’s shop back in the 17th
century when Charles 11 called in to have his horse shod. Apparently the King asked for ale and when
the blacksmith told him that he had no licence for ale, the King granted him
one on the spot and it has been a pub ever since.
The Smoking Dog
Inn
The inn sign at The
Smoking Dog Inn at
Malmesbury in Wiltshire depicts a dog smoking a pipe! So what is it all about? Little seems to be known about the strange name of his pub but apparently the inn was so named after the
owners of the building found a picture of the smoking dog in the cellar.
Cannard’s Grave Inn
Situated on the A37 some two
miles south of Shepton Mallet in Somerset, the curiously named Cannard’s
Grave Inn, displays a sign depicting
a man hanging from a gibbet. A simple
story surrounding this is that the 18th century landlord of a
previous inn on the site, Giles Cannard, was hanged for sheep stealing and
buried in front of the inn. However,
there is another story that Cannard in fact hanged himself. Either way, Cannard was undoubtedly a rogue
who was involved in a variety of illegal activities, and his pub was frequented
by rogues and vagabonds. It seems to be
a well known fact that several travellers who spent the night at Cannard’s pub
failed to reach their destinations, whilst other guests were often persuaded to
part with their possessions. In the end
it seems that Cannard became closely involved with a plan to defraud the town
of its common land and when the news leaked out the furious townsfolk marched
to his pub and, one way or another, Giles Cannard ended up having his neck
stretched.
This pub has been refurbished and has changed its name to Cannard's Well. It is now a modern, welcoming pub.
This pub has been refurbished and has changed its name to Cannard's Well. It is now a modern, welcoming pub.
The Pack
of Cards Inn
The curious architecture of a striking white building at
Combe Martin in North Devon results from the whim of a 17th century landowner, Squire
George Ley, who apparently had a handsome win at cards. He built this
pub with his winnings, to
resemble a pack of cards, and in
keeping with the theme, this unusual building has 4 floor, 13 doors
and 52 windows.
The Ship Inn
A culinary delight in Cornwall
is Starry
Gazy Pie
- a fish pie, which legend
has it once saved the inhabitants of the tiny fishing village of Mousehole from starvation. Apparently
the villager’s were almost on the breadline due to bad weather and local fisherman, Tom Bawcock, bravely went to sea in a huge storm to return
with seven different types of fish, which were all baked together in a huge pie
to feed the starving locals.
They still celebrate ‘Tom
Bawcock’s Eve’ every year on 23rd December at The
Ship Inn at Mousehole.
The Admiral
Benbow Inn
As you walk down Chapel Street in Penzance in Cornwall,
you will be surprised to see the figure of a smuggler on the roof of The Admiral
Benbow Inn. This fine model draws attention to a fine old
nautical inn with its very interesting unspoilt interior, taking us back to a
former time.
The Logan Rock Inn
The inn sign at The Logan
Rock Inn at Treen near Penzance in Cornwall
depicts a huge ‘rocking stone’ which is situated on the cliff top nearby. The Logan Rock derives from the Cornish word
‘log’ = to move.
The story goes that back in 1824,
an army officer, Lt Goldsmith and some of his friends, pushed this curious rock
off the cliff, and such was the local outcry that the Lt. had to restore the
rock to its original position on the cliff top at his own expense. It was no mean feat considering that the rock
weighed some 65 tons and apparently cost £100 to achieve, a huge amount in
those days.
The rock is now in the care of
The National Trust.
I am grateful to Jim Champion for the use of his photographs and text.
The Hole in the Wall
This pub in Crockwell Street in the centre of Bodmin in
Cornwall was originally a debtor’s prison (1749-1779). Families of the inmates
would pass food through a hole in the wall which gives the pub its name. This
unusual pub is situated in the old
courtyard and is full of memorabilia including a stuffed lion.
The First and Last Inn
Just 1 mile from Lands End this pub in the little village of
Sennen dates back to 1620 and was once the haunt of
smugglers and wreckers around Sennen Cove. The northern side of the pub sign declares it to be the Last Inn, whilst the southern side declares it to be the First Inn.
Secret tunnels and passages were dug around the pub and a
glass covered well inside the pub is known as Annie’s Well is thought to have
been one of these.Joseph and Annie George ran the inn in the 1800’s and Annie made many enemies in the village when she gave evidence against some of the smugglers. To punish her the villagers staked her out on the beach at low tide and she was drowned. Her body was laid out in her bedroom at the pub which is said to be haunted by her spirit.
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