Individual Inns & Pubs in Beeston - B-C

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Boat & Horses - originally named The Boat, this pub has stood on its present site since its origins at the end of the 1830s - although, like many, it was largely rebuilt in the inter-war period. Its origins were remarkably documented by Elizabeth the daughter of Richard Harwood its original owner, in her diary which survives at Nottinghamshire Archives, was recently published by Notts County Council and which is featured elsewhere on this site. Richard had farmed the land around the pub site - Rylands Farm, remote from the centre of Beeston, with two houses, a garden croft, an orchard and 50 acres of meadow - for some years. There was perhaps always an occasional visitor looking for accommodation from the canal that passed the land but, in 1839, when the railway arrived, there was a opportunity of a different scale altogether - and the family embraced it.

Richard Harwood and his family responded immediately and comprehensively to the increasing numbers that arrived by train on day trips from the City. On June 9th 1839, the first Saturday after the line opened to the public, Elizabeth wrote in her diary, "The railway trains brought a great many people from Nottingham. We could not find seats for them all." Before the month was out, Richard had started to build extra accommodation - the "room in the garden" which, as we can see from the photograph on the right, survives to this day. What is more, on June 29th 1839, he also bought "some ninepins" - so beginning a tradition of skittles at the Boat which has continued over the years.

Now that the railway made it accessible from the crowded City and beyond, Beeston Rylands developed quickly as a popular destination for day trippers and the area changed accordingly - where previously the river carried mostly commercial traffic, pleasure boats began to appear and fishing parties were frequent callers. Cricket had recently been established at Trent Bridge and the meadows below the railway at Beeston benefited as an alternative venue with a popular following, so much so that, in August 1870, a 3 day game was played between the Gentlemen of the South and The Gentlemen of the North in which the famous W G Grace was top-scorer. The fortunes of the area - and therefore The Boat Inn - had been transformed - at least during the summer months.

Richard Harwood continued to run the inn until his death in 1864 after which Joseph Emerson was licensee for perhaps 3 or 4 years before moving to Manchester and giving up the trade. He was followed by three Scotton brothers who, with other members of their extended family, ran the Boat for several years as a team. Although only relatively young - in their early 20s - when they arrived, they had the experience and guidance of their father Thomas, who had been a publican for many years at the Britannia Inn on Mount Street and the Crown on Long Row, both in Nottingham. Indeed, it may be significant that John Scotton was described in 1881 as a brewer which may well indicate that the family's operation at the Boat went further than just local provision.

William Henry Scotton became landlord in 1879 and it is he who gives the biggest clue as to the attraction of the family to this location for it was he who was to distinguish himself as a first-class cricketer. Born in Nottingham in January 1856, he spent all his adult life in cricket although he did, on occasion, turn out for Notts County as a footballer. After a start at age 17 with a Derbyshire side, he played his first first-class game for Nottinghamshire in 1875 and continued there until 1891. By 1881, his brother John had taken over at the Boat enabling William to concentrate on the game - although William appears to have resumed as licensee by 1883. After a relatively slow start with Notts, interrupted by his participation in a strike by seven Notts professionals over pay, he was to develop, by 1884, into the best left-handed batsman in England. That year he scored 567 runs for Notts in 13 games, and turned in a similar performance in 1886. He played five test seasons for England, touring Australia three times. Known for his defensive straight bat, his performance in 1884 against Australia was crucial in saving the match. Faced with a massive total from the touring side, Scotton opened for England, batting through for 5¾ hours for 90 runs before becoming the ninth man out, enabled England to escape with a draw. His life was to end in tragedy in July 1893 when he took his own life; it was said that he had been depressed and in a low state since losing his place in the Nottinghamshire side after the 1890 season. The remainder of the Scotton family had left the Boat before 1885, his brother John moving on to run the Cricketers Rest in Sneinton.

There followed a period of change of less than a decade with brief occupations by John Jamson, who moved on to run the Flying Horse at Markfield in Leicestershire, William Collishaw and Edward Woodhouse. By about 1893 however, the Boat had been taken over by Samuel Slater who, although not himself a publican - he had spend most of his live as an iron moulder in the Alfreton area and had even served as a local preacher at one stage - but his son William and daughter Annie had gained experience in catering and restaurant management in Nottingham and probably encouraged him. Although Samuel's wife Elizabeth died in 1893, soon after they arrived, and William moved on to manage another public house in Nottingham, Samuel remained at the Boat for well over ten years.

William Bower, who took over at The Boat in about 1908 ^More with his wife Amy, was born in Brinsley in 1859 into a coal mining family and had spent his adult life up to that point as a collier in the Eastwood area - interestingly, a similar background to Samuel Sisson, the previous licensee. It was during his time at the Boat that the area was changing and becoming more urban in character. As a result, the attraction of the area as a destination for day-trippers fell away and there was a need for the Boat - now the Boat and Horses - to cater for a changing clientele. The resulting rebuild, with the "room in the garden" retained, probably dating from 1932 ^More, is the building we see today. It certainly appears that William (shown left with his wife Amy in the garden of The Boat and on the right behind the bar) was able to take full advantage of the changes that were happening around the pub. Up to the time of his death at on Christmas Day 1935, he had participated actively in the development of the area and owned numerous properties on Trent Road, including 5 Trent Road (the corner shop at Trafalgar Road, at one time "Connies' Corner", opposite the old Post Office), and 7, 9 and 11 Trent Road. Before Amy Bower died in March 1939, their son Barry Edward Bower and his wife Daisy had settled on Trent Road having previously run the Nelson and Railway Inn at Kimberley in 1930/31. It is also possible that they had some involvement with the Boat before going on to run the corner shop on Trent Road as well as the Post Office near the Sherwin Arms on Derby Road, Bramcote before his retirement as Sub-Postmaster in 1947.

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The The Commercial Inn

The Commercial Inn, in its original form, had opened by 1838, probably as another alehouse built to serve the then growing lacemaking community in the Cross Street area, off the other side of what was then Butcher Lane (and is now the lower end of Wollaton Road). The landlord in these very early years and therefore probably its first, was William Yeomans, the son of Thomas & Fanny (née Bradshaw), who was born in Basford, Notts where he was baptised at St Leodegarius Parish Church in September 1798. He married Elizabeth Green in Lenton, Notts in March 1820, lived there in the early part of their marriage and it was there that their two children were born, Sophia in 1821 and William in 1823. He was to die relatively young, aged 47, in 1845, in Beeston, followed by his widow in 1873 and they are buried together in the Parish churchyard where their memorial survives.

After Yeoman’s death, tenancy of The Commercial was taken up by William Markham who, together with his wider family were to manage the house for about 50 years as well as making their mark in other aspects of the Beeston community. Although he was born in Beeston in 1804 he had spent his early working years, like his predecessor, in Lenton, Notts where, in 1929, he married a local girl, Mary Ball, the daughter of cowkeeper, George Ball and his wife Elizabeth (née Shepherd). As he himself had worked as a lace maker, he would undoubtedly been attracted to an area of his birthplace that was the centre of a growing lace industry and to take over The Commercial which had become part of the community.

William Markham also owned the adjacent Markham’s field, about 2 acres of land, then part of the gravel workings that were a feature of that part of Beeston at that time and later became part of Roundhill School field that, in turn, was eventually partly used as the site for the re-sited Lads Club. At some point, certainly by 1871 but perhaps as early as 1861, William opened up the field to the Beeston population to celebrate Wakes Week, a holiday period traditionally celebrated annually around the time of the Parish Church Patronal Festival. Previously, crowds had developed in the streets as part of the celebrations which eventually led to a child being trampled to death and it was this tragedy that led to William offering his field as a safer alternative to the streets. The tradition was to continue on this field, including under later owners, latterly in the form of a funfair, until the field became part of the new Roundhill School in the early 1950s.

The couple had five surviving children who had been born in Lenton between 1830 and 1842, who must have added extra pressure to the task of running the business but somehow, they appear to have managed it well, as they were to continue to develop the business up to William’s death in 1871 followed by his wife in 1874. They are buried together in the Parish churchyard.

What is particularly clear is that the benefits of pub business became attractive to all of their adult children as all but Amelia, their youngest (1838-1802), were to enter the trade:

• Emma (1830-1898) married Edward Dix in 1854, the son of William Dix, the blacksmith who traded at the forge across the road to the Commercial. They later moved to Leicester where William traded as a publican up to his early death in 1868. As a widow, later in her life, she took over the Wheatsheaf in Whetstone, Leicestershire, that had been run, in turn, by her sisters Harriett and Selina and their respective husbands, and continued there up to her death in 1898.
• Harriett (1831-1874) married Edward Bloodworth in 1861 and, by 1871, were running a pub in Birmingham. By the time of her death, they were running The Wheatsheaf in Whetstone, Leicestershire and Edward died in the following year.
• Selina (1837-1883) married John Cannam in 1865, the landlord of the White Swan in Wheatstone, Leicestershire and previously the White Swan there. Selia continue to run the Wheatstone after John’s death in 1879, up to her own death.

But, it was to be William and Mary’s youngest child - Rosa Boot (1842-1919) – who ultimately was to carry on the family tradition at The Commercial by first helping her mother to keep it going after William’s death in 1871 and taking on full responsibility after the death of her mother’s, death in 1874. This is said to have been in line with Mary’s expressed wish that Commercial should pass to Rosa in a way that protected her interests against claims by any husband she may have – although no will was proven that would substantiate this.

In 1875, Rosa married Maurice Boot from Lenton, himself a bleacher but part of a family of small farmers - described as "cowkeepers" - and publicans. Born and brought up in Lenton herself and having indirect family connections through her mother's side, Rosa probably knew Maurice and his family well. His father had kept the "Red Cow" in Lenton which was continued by his widow after his death sometime before 1861. His brother Cyrus had operated as a beer seller in Lenton - and his widow was later to marry George Cheetham who ran the Wheatsheaf Inn on the Derby Road - and an older brother William was, by 1871, keeping the Boat Inn, also at Lenton. Maurice’s background was clearly one that would have helped Rosa at the commercial.

But, in the event, this was to be short-lived as Rosa and Maurice were to be together for only six years, during the last years of which, Maurice was severely affected by illness and, as a result, he was unable to assist with the running of the business. To add to this these difficulties, the two youngest of the couple’s four children sadly died in infancy. It must have been a very difficult time for Rosa.

Maurice died in 1881 and, for the next six years, Rosa continued to run the Commercial which, by then, appears to have had a full licence - this gin bottle label from that era bears this out. It seems that it was her involvement there that brought her into contact with William Thornhill, the well-known local tailor and property entrepreneur, then a widower, who is likely to have frequented the Commercial as a member of some of the philanthropic groups who used the meeting rooms that were available there. They married on 1st September 1887 at Beeston Parish Church.

For the remainder of her life, she devoted her life to her husband and his family as well as her own, moving first to her husband home on the High Road and eventually to their home on North Street, part of the Imperial Park Estate which William had been a promoter of. This part of their lives may be seen here. She died in 1919 and is buried, with her sister Harriett Bloodworth, in the Parish churchyard, where their memorial survives. As the churchyard had been closed for burials in about 1886 following the opening of Beeston Cemetery, it is likely that her burial in the churchyard would have been an exception and one of the last to take place there.

For the early part of the years with William, Rosa continued to own The Commercial and therefore needed someone to operate it. By 1888, that was Arthur Burnham, the well-established self-employed joiner, part of a wider family that was centred on nearby Villa Street. In 1892 he was superceded by John Robert Norton who had previously operated the Royal Oak in Radford, Nottingham. However, in 1896, had Rosa sold the property, for £3,000, to Robert G Hanson who completely rebuilt the Commercial in the following year, costing £2,000. It then became part of Hardys & Hansons (Kimberley Brewery). The first tenant under this new regime was Harry Flowers. Born in Hampshire in 1872, he moved to Lenton with his parents and started work there as a provision dealer’s assistant. In 1893 he married Emma Ash in Lenton who may have inspired him to move into the licenced trade as Harry Ash, her late father, had. He may also have known the Boot family in Lenton as William Boot, possibly a brother of Maurice, was a witness at their wedding. They had first taken a tenancy of the Earl of Chesterfield Arms in Carlton, Notts before moving to Beeston to take on The Commercial. By 1901, however, they had move on and were running a pub in Arnold, Notts.

The next tenant, William Smith had had a remarkably similar introduction to the trade as the previous tenant. He was born in 1863 in Hannington, Wiltshire, the son of James, a labourer and Agnes Smith. As a young man he took a position in the household of The Duke of St. Albans whose principal family seat was at Bestwood Lodge, Nottinghamshire. In October 1896, he married Sarah Ann Ash (b. 1866 in Witcham, Cambridgeshire) who appears not to be related to Emma Ash who married Harry Flowers the previous tenant but did, as we will see, develop a similar attraction to running a pub. In 1891, Sarah had been working as a lady’s maid at Coates Castle in West Sussex and it appears likely that she had since moved to a similar position at Bestwood Lodge and that she had met William there – where he had then risen to the position of House Steward. Their marriage took place in Hartlepool where Sarah’s sister Elizabeth was living with her husband John Wallace who was keeping the Angel Inn there. The couple received a remarkable fine array of gifts from The Duke of St Albans and his family. It seems that, for the time being, the couple returned to Bestwood Park as it was there that their first child, Hilda Agnes, was born in July 1897. It seems that, after the duke died in 1898, the couple were out of work and looking for a change of direction in their life and it that it was then that Sarah thought of her sister’s life, with her husband, running a pub. Thus, she was inspired to suggest a move into the trade – just as the previous tenant’s wife had done!

Within a couple of years, they had moved to Beeston to take over the tenancy of The Commercial, However, by 1902, they had moved on and were to take the tenancy of The White Hart, in Red Hill, Arnold. It was here that, sadly, William died in November 1909, very soon after the birth of their second daughter, Sibyl. He was buried at Bestwood. With help from another sister, Julia and two hired staff, she was able to continue as the Licensee but, by 1921 she had retired and was to live out her life in Nottingham with the help of her daughters.

Over the period of about twelve years up to the Great War, The Commercial saw a number of landlords coming and going, none staying for very long. By 1902, the licence was held by a Henry Chaplin of whom nothing else is known. By 1905, Joseph Halladay was in place but. In 1907, his licence was suspended for allowing billiards to be played on Good Friday. Cornelius Widdowson, who had taken over by 1911, was born in Gunthorpe, Notts in 1865 and had married Agnes Bradley in 1891 in Lowdham. He had previously worked as a cycle engineer, probably at Humbers in Beeston which closed and moved to Coventry in 1908 – although Cornelius seems to have moved first by becoming the licensee for a short time at the Malt Shovel in 1907 and his time at The Commercial seems to have been similarly a short one. It appears that he later returned to engineering as was described as a retired engineer, a widower, living on Gladstone Street in 1939. He died in Scarborough in 1945. Another man named William Smith is recorded as the licensee by 1913 but left in August 1915.



It seems likely that this frequent turnover of landlords was concerning to the brewery which sought to improve the pubs popularity with a series of advertisements in the Beeston Gazette & Echo which featured the newly decorated smoke room – ‘the best in Beeston’ - the club room that was to let for up to 300 and a claim the ‘everything was of the very best’. Happily, for this or whatever reason, management of the pub became a little more stable in the years that followed, up to the Second World War.

A particularly attractive feature was the large clubroom that was upstairs which attracted clubs and societies to meet there. Notably, for example, it was eventually to attact the Beeston Silver Prize band who met there for their practice sessions.

In August 1915, the licence was transferred to John Parramore who was born in Hucknall in 1866, the son of Ralph Parramore, a collier. He had started worked as a lace maker and moved to Beeston where he married Angelina (known as ‘Ange’) at the Parish Church in March 1890. They were to have three children and lived, in turn on Stoney Street and Derby Street. Later they moved to Radford before, in 1913, they took on the Hop Bloom pub on Blue Bell Hill in St Anns, Nottingham, a Hardy Hansons house, before moving to The Commercial in August 1915. In February 1916 they had to face the tragedy of their youngest son, William, being badly injured in the War. Having lost three fingers, he was invalided out of the Army but was, thankfully, able to lead a reasonable life. John left The Commercial in April 1928 and went back to the lace trade as a lace certain maker and the couple made their home on Sherwood Street, Nottingham. Tragedy struck again in August 1933 when Angelina died and the grieving John, himself in deteriorating health, took his own life in the following December. They are buried together in Beeston Cemetery, where their memorial survives.

The new licencee, in April 1928, was Richard Archer Wakefield who was born in Beeston in 1874, the son of George & Mary (née Archer) Wakefield. In 1896, he had mad married Emma right in her home town of Kimberley. He had first followed his father into the painting and decorating trade and, by 1911, he was self-employed in the trade and they had made their home at 2 Newton Street, Beeston.



Having taken over management of The Commercial, he too was to launch an advertising campaign (above) which emphasised a fine skittle alley and catering – as well, of course, of the fine ales. ‘Space for motorists’ reflected a new facility which was now in demand. In the event, he was to remain there for barely five years before leaving and taking on the Castle & Falcon in Newark. By 1950, ready for retirement, Wakefield and his wife returned to live in Beeston – in their old home at 2 Newton Street. Emma died in October 1942 and Richard was to and live on at Newton Street, up to his death in May 1959.

He was followed immediately by Mrs Ethel Taylor who was born Ethel Beales in1883 and had married Sidney Frank Stone, then the landlord of the Cricketers Arms, in 1904. They had continued in the role up to her husband’s death in 1921. Ethel herself took over the licence after the death of her husband in 1921. In 1924, she had married the Bramcote farmer, William Taylor and gave up the Cricketers licence. Sadly, William died suddenly of a heart attack in 1931, aged 43. Then, in 1933, as we have seen, she came back into the licenced trade. Her taking on The Commercial was to be the start of a string of members of the Stone family that were to hold that position for some years. Sadly, her own time there was short as she died, at The Commercial, in February 1937, aged only 53. She was buried in Beeston Cemetery where her memorial survives.

In 1941, the tenancy was taken up by William Henry Wood, the son-in-law of Ethel Taylor and her first husband, Sidney Frank Stone who each had previous run the nearby Cricketers Arms. Shortly after, the licence was transferred to his wife, Ethel Annie Wood (née Stone), their daughter who is known to be still there in 1958.

In November 2017, the freehold of the property was acquired by Greene King Retailing Limited and has since been fully renovated, including new covered seating at the rear and operates as a classic real ale pub with an extensive food menu. The exterior brickwork has now been decorated with street art in the style now widely applied and displayed around the Beeston commercial area.

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The Cricketers Arms

The original Beeston establishment of this name, stood on what was then Butchers Lane, now Wollaton Road on the northern corner of what became Albion Street. Although we don't have an exact date for its opening it was probably in about 1870 when the lace making trade was beginning to take off in what was to be a major boom period for the industry in Beeston, largely centred around that area. Significantly, in 1871, the landlord was Alfred Cox, then aged 25 and described as a publican and lace maker. He was the second youngest son of Matthew Cox and his wife Esther (née Robinson who were part of the early lace making pioneers - many of which were members of the wider Cross family network - in the adjacent Villa Street/Cross Street area that had survived the earlier slump in that trade. Esther died in October 1872 and was followed, in August 1880, by Matthew. Both are buried in the churchyard where their memorial survives. As Matthew left personal assets valued at up to £2,000, it is likely that Alfred received an inheritance that helped him and his wife and family to have moved to Nottingham by 1841 and taken on the Windmill Inn on Weekday Cross, Nottingham.

The next known occupants of The Cricketers were Richard Armstrong and his wife Amy (née Jackson) who had taken over by the time of the 1881 Census. Both were originally from Bardney in Lincolnshire where they had married in 1860. Richard had worked as a blacksmith in his early career in Bardney and had used these skills when taking a job on the railway and, in that role they had moved to Long Eaton by the time their second child was born in 1872 and to Beeston by 1875 when their third child was born. There, at some point in the next few years they grasped an opportunity to take over the running of the Cricketers - a move that may have been inspired and encouraged by Amy who had been raised at the Black Horse Inn in Bardney, where William, her father. had been the innkeeper. In the event, this experience became a savior when Richard died in January 1885, aged only 45, and was buried in the churchyard in Beeston. More happily, Amy was able to continue to run the pub using the reasonable legacy of £350 left to her by her husband and the help of John, her eldest son and two others of her children. The youngest was still at school. But, by the late 1890s, Amy had and her children had moved on and she was living in a house and shop on Wollaton Road, at or near the corner of Broughton Street and her children, led by her eldest son John, had begun to develop a business trading in lace curtains and he was soon joined by his brother Robert. This was to continue for some years and was soon to involve all four of Amy's children including Mary and Ethel who were, in 1911, to be found lodging in Blackpool, as lace-curtain saleswomen. It appears that all four children remained single and kept close to and supported their mother who, by the time of her death in 1930, aged 88, had moved to the Isle of Man and had been able to leave £567 to her two daughters.

Albert Hooley the son of George and Harriet (née Start) Hooley, of Wollaton. George was working as a coal miner ar the time of Albert's birth in 1872 but, soon afterwards, became the innkeeper at the Horse and Jockey in Stapleford. Although Albert worked as a lace maker in the early part of his career, he too entered the licencing trade by taking over the running of the Cricketers shortly before 1901 and, at more or less the same time, in 1900, he married Elizabeth Mary Wright. Together, they set about running the business, but it was to be short lived as, sadly, Albert died, apparently suddenly, at the Cricketers in April 1904 although, thankfully, he had been able to leave his widow the then comfortable amount of £1,217, perhaps an indication that their short time there had been reasonably successful although ultimately devastating for his young widow. More happily, she was able to marry again in the following year.

The next to take over, in about 1905, was Sidney Frank Stone, born in 1883 in Beeston, the eldest son of Sidney and Ann Rebecca (née Buxton) Stone. Born in Nottingham in 1841, his father had been highly successful trading on Beeston High Road, first as a butcher and, by 1901, as a publican at the Greyhound Inn where Sidney Frank had gained experience in the trade and, having married Ethel Beales in Nottingham in 1904, it is not surprising if he wanted to settle down and enter more deeply into the trade. The Cricketers continued to be a beerhouse trading under the terms of the Beerhouse Act of 1830 - and therefore limited to serving beer and cider and, from the photograph we have from this era - or a little later - we can now see (right) that it was owned by the Nottingham brewery, George Hooley Ltd, based at Wheatsheaf Brewery, Grant Street/Highhurst Street, Nottingham with offices at 72 Ilkeston Road, Nottingham. Although this George Hooley had the same name as the father of the previous tenant of The Cricketers and both appear to have had connections to Wollaton, any family connection remains unproven.

So it was that in about 1905, he took over at The Cricketers and he traded there, assisted by his wife, up to his early death, aged 38, in April 1921. Ethel, his widow continued to operate the pub until, in May 1924, the licence was granted to her brother-in-law, George William Stone, who had also had previous experience at this father's pub, the Greyhound on the High Road. Born in Beeston in July 1887, he had married a local girl, Annie Archer, in December 1913, at Beeston Parish Church. Although his early days at The Cricketers were not without problems, in February 1929, following the death of Sidney Stone in the previous October 1928. it is likely that George William would have been amongst the family members who benefited from the settlement of Sidney's substantial estate and, as a result, financially, things would have been more relaxed. George and his wife were to continue trading at The Cricketers until, after 26 years, in December 1950, they retired to live at 15 Park Street, Beeston. Tragically, in December 1963, he was badly injured when he fell down the stairs there, probably having suffered a stroke, and died at Nottingham General Hospital the next day. He is buried in the family grave in Beeston Cemetery where his memorial survives. He left effects valued at £1,515. His widow died in 1987, aged 100.

The Cricketers licence had been transferred to Francis Arthur Holmes, who had previously operated an off-licence in the Meadows in Nottingham. He was assisted by his wife Jane who became a popular supporter - and member - of the darts teams at the pub. By this time the premises had been acquired by James Shipstone & Sons Ltd and, in February 1951, it made application to the Licencing authorities for a full licence to replace the Beerhouse licence it had operated with so far - and had become the last such house in the central Beeston area. This was agreed at a Licencing meeting at the Shire Hall in Nottingham on 7th February 1951. The Cricketers was now in position to offer the full range of drinks and therefore to attract a broader range of customers with Mr and Mrs Holmes at the centre of a full range of supporting activities - see here for an example from this era. Tragically, this partnership was broken in September 1955, when Jane suddenly collapsed and died.

Francis continued at the Cricketers for a further 10 years, until the end of 1965, by which time Shipstones was planning to replace the original Cricketers building with a new, modern building, slightly renamed as "The Cricketers", on a nearby site. It was then that Francis moved to take on the Railway Inn, in Long Eaton, where he continued up to his death in November 1970. Both he and his wife were buried in Beeston Cemetery, where their memorial survives. In preparation for the new building, John Robert Herod was appointed as landlord who, along with his wife Patricia, had also previously run an off-licence in the Nottingham Meadows. Now they managed the original Cricketers before opening at the new location in April 1966 and helped define a new era for the pub. The original building was, of course, demolished as part of the redevelopment of the area.

In it first few decades this attractive new pub, now with car parking space, operated successfully, providing a popular range of activities and dining options to widen its appeal. In the 1990s it was, for some reason, renamed as "Tottle Brook Inn" but later reverted back to the The Cricketers in the new century but sadly, in the years since, despite a refurbishment in 2016 and several attempts to broaden its appeal, it now (early 2025) stands empty and for sale.

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The Crown Inn - a brief history - contributed by Alan Dance

When did The Crown open ? The building, on Church Street in Beeston, we now know of as The Crown probably became associated with beer some time between about 1835 and 1841, although the building itself probably dates from about 1800. Our photograph shows the main building and associated buildings to the rear as they were in the mid 1970s, prior to a major renovation in 1977.

The first piece of documentary evidence discovered so far is in the 1841 census for Beeston, which lists SAMUEL STARR, aged 35, of Church Street, as a ‘common brewer’, although there is no indication that Samuel also sold beer on the premises. White’s Trade Directory of 1832 included no reference to a pub or beerhouse on Church Street, but Pigots directory of 1835 lists a Samuel Starr as the licensee of the Seven Stars in Barker Gate Nottingham. If this is the same man (and the name is quite unusual) then he probably moved to Beeston between 1835 and 1841. Whites 1844 Directory lists amongst the tradesmen of Beeston: Samuel Starr of Church Street, ‘auctioneer and beerhouse.’

Samuel Starr, of Church Street, appears in the 1851 census, this time listed as a ‘Brewer and Inn Keeper’, so it can be stated with certainty that the Crown was in existence as a pub by that date (although no name is shown for the pub.). Both White’s Directory of 1853 and Wright’s Directory of 1854 list a beerhouse on Church Street owned by Samuel Starr. Kelly’s Directory of 1855 shows that William Foster was then the beer retailer in Church Street, and trade directories of the 1860s indicate other persons named Foster were licensees, presumably members of the same family. Meanwhile, Samuel Starr had moved on to other business ventures, and the 1861 census shows him living in Willoughby Street, Beeston, next to the Methodist Chapel, his profession being that of ‘proprietor of houses.’

The above information therefore indicates that Samuel Starr can be recognised as the man who established The Crown as one of Beeston’s pubs. He had been brewing beer on the premises since at least 1841. As a ‘common brewer’ he would have sold his beer to anyone wishing to purchase it for consumption at home. Whether any of the other established pubs in Beeston also purchased it for sale on their own premises is not known. Then, in about the mid 1840s, he also started selling it for consumption on his own premises. This would have been made easy due to the passing of the 1830 Beerhouse Act.

The 1830 Beerhouse Act - This act was passed primarily in an attempt to 'reduce public drunkenness'. It introduced a new lower tier of premises licensed to sell alcohol, known as Beer Houses. At that time beer was regarded as harmless, nutritious and even healthy, certainly safer than the local water which was often unfit to drink. Even young children were given what was known as ‘small beer,’ brewed with a low alcohol content. Under this Act, any householder who paid rates could apply, with a one-off payment of two guineas (£2.10p), to sell beer or cider in his home, often from one room, and even brew his own beer. However, the sale of spirits and fortified wines was not permitted in a beer house, and only established Inns were allowed to sell these. The Act led to an explosion of new licensed premises throughout the country, and within eight years over 46,000 had been opened. It is likely, then, that Samuel Starr took advantage of this Act to begin brewing beer as a commercial venture, and then later to open his house as a pub.

There are earlier records which refer to pubs in Beeston. All Inns had to be licensed, and the Nottinghamshire Archives Office houses the existing licence details for Nottinghamshire for the years 1810 to 1827. These give details of the annual licence granted to each Inn, showing the name of the licensee. These records identify four established pubs, The White Lion, The Three Horseshoes, The Greyhound and The Durham Ox. Significantly, these records contain no reference to the Crown or to Samuel Starr. This gives further support to the theory that The Crown was a result of the 1830 Beerhouse Act.

To summarise, the Crown was certainly a beerhouse by 1844, and possibly a few years earlier, although definite evidence for this has not yet been found.

Was The Crown a Coaching Inn ? - It has been suggested that the Crown was an old coaching inn, but there is no evidence to support this supposition. The suggestion was probably based on the fact that there used to be a vehicular entrance off Church Street leading to the rear of the premises. The photograph on the left shows the view from the yard, looking through the arch. This was in use until May 1977 when work commenced on building the lounge, blocking this entrance, leaving just an outline of its location. However, although it was possible to drive a car through this gateway, it was never large enough for a typical stagecoach to pass through. Additionally, the era of the stage coach rapidly came to an end as the railways were built. Beeston Station opened in 1839, so that any stage coaches serving Beeston would have ceased soon after this. Indeed, there is little, if any, evidence of any pub in Beeston having been a coaching Inn.

This account of the history of the Crown, has been kindly provided by Alan Dance.
It first appeared in a 'Beeston Echoes', the magazine of Beeston & District Local History Society.

Details of Individual Beeston Pubs: B - C   D - J   M - Q   R - S   T - W

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