Old working boat-folks pubs

[johnthebridge]

23 minutes ago, Ray T said:

Some of these no longer exist:

 

Admiral Nelson, Braunston.

Boat Inn Birdingbury.

 

Boat Inn Grange road, disappeared beneath the M6

The Black Horse, Longford has been renamed The Boat Inn.

 

Boat Inn Braunston - not sure if this was ever a "boaters" pub.

The Wheatsheaf, Braunston, may have had a different name in boater's days.

The Plough, Braunston.

 

Bridge Inn Ertureia, Trent & Mersey.

Cape of Good Hope, Warwick.

Elephant & Castle, Tusses Bridge.

New Inn Bedworth, closed.

Boat Inn Stoke Bruerne

 

Punch Bowl Inn, near Abbey St. Station, Nuneaton  demolished 1950.

Not to be confused with "The Punch Bowl" Tuttle Hill, now a Pizzeria.

 

Drawbridge Inn Shirley.

 

Spotted Cow Buckby bottom lock.

Long ago closed, now a private residence.

 

Two Boats, Long Itchington.

The Folly, Napton.

The Three Pidgeon's, Oxford Canal. 

Three Horseshoes, Winkwell.

 

There was a pub top of Braunston flight, forgotten its name, long since gone.

 

Plus, many, many, more.

Somewhere buried deep in my attic is a piece of paper that I've had for over 50 years. On it is a rubber stamped image, saying something like "Sephton's Boatyard, Tusses Bridge" and it was stamped and given to me by the then landlord, Robert Sephton. I seem to remember Bass, but memory. etc.......

Others that come to mind and, in the '60s and '70s still retained a varying degree of character:

The Gate, Amington.

Grand Junction Arms, Bulls Bridge.

The Boat, and The Barley Mow, both at Newbold.

The Black Horse, Greenford.

The Berkeley Arms, The Ship and The Berkeley Hunt, on the G and S.

As I say, then of character, but many are probably now gone or changed out of all recognition. 

[Ray T]

17 minutes ago, johnthebridge said:

Somewhere buried deep in my attic is a piece of paper that I've had for over 50 years. On it is a rubber stamped image, saying something like "Sephton's Boatyard, Tusses Bridge" and it was stamped and given to me by the then landlord, Robert Sephton. I seem to remember Bass, but memory. etc.......

Others that come to mind and, in the '60s and '70s still retained a varying degree of character:

The Gate, Amington.

Grand Junction Arms, Bulls Bridge.

The Boat, and The Barley Mow, both at Newbold.

The Black Horse, Greenford.

The Berkeley Arms, The Ship and The Berkeley Hunt, on the G and S.

As I say, then of character, but many are probably now gone or changed out of all recognition. 

 

The pub was the Elephant & Castle.

 

Coventry's Pub History (historiccoventry.co.uk)

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, Ray T said:

 

Drawbridge Inn Shirley.

Back in the 70s the original Drawbridge pub was still standing, but an off licence only. Some time later (90s?) it was replaced by the current building which has all the charm of the bog standard pubco offering.

Edited April 18, 2022 by David Mack

[Ray T]

5 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Back in the 70s the original Drawbridge pub was still standing, but an off licence only. Some time later (90s?) it was replaced by the current building which has all the charm of the bog standard pubco offering.

Back in the 70s the original Drawbridge pub was still standing, but an off licence only. Some time later (90s?) it was replaced by the current building which has all the charm of the bog standard pubco offering.

 

 

 

From The Coventry Evening Telegraph.

 

Edited April 18, 2022 by Ray T

[johnthebridge]

1 hour ago, Ray T said:

 

The pub was the Elephant & Castle.

 

Coventry's Pub History (historiccoventry.co.uk)

Yes, apologies, I forgot to make that clear. The landlord also retained a good selection of boat yard stuff in his sheds, tools and things. Wonder what happened to it all?

And, on reading your newspaper clipping, I see I was right about the Bass. Any idea when that clipping was printed? Looks to be about the same time as I was there.

Edited April 18, 2022 by johnthebridge

[Ray T]

23 minutes ago, johnthebridge said:

Yes, apologies, I forgot to make that clear. The landlord also retained a good selection of boat yard stuff in his sheds, tools and things. Wonder what happened to it all?

And, on reading your newspaper clipping, I see I was right about the Bass. Any idea when that clipping was printed? Looks to be about the same time as I was there.

The closest I can get is the 1960's.

 

Article from here:
Historic Coventry Forum

Post 1104.

Edited April 18, 2022 by Ray T

[johnthebridge]

54 minutes ago, Ray T said:

The closest I can get is the 1960's.

 

Article from here:
Historic Coventry Forum

Post 1104.

👍

[ditchcrawler]

7 hours ago, frangar said:

Pre lockdown I’d never had a bad pint there. They use small barrels so it has a good turnover. I’ve had terrible 6X in pubs that look busy. I’m looking forward to visiting this year. 
 

It obviously helps that they only do 6X and a decent cider…..not a massive range of poorly kept ale that some pubs seem to think is a selling point these days. 

The notice on the gate giving opening hours has changed Open today 1230 until, depending on custom and also open this evening. Yestredays notice didnt indicate they would be opening at all today. Quite a few campers there and boats moored last night. I didn't even try for a pint as the sign when we moored didn't indicate they would be open, so I don't know if they were or not.

[IanD]

29 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

The notice on the gate giving opening hours has changed Open today 1230 until, depending on custom and also open this evening. Yestredays notice didnt indicate they would be opening at all today. Quite a few campers there and boats moored last night. I didn't even try for a pint as the sign when we moored didn't indicate they would be open, so I don't know if they were or not.

The beer during our much-anticipated pre-Covid visit to the Anchor was unimpressive -- tasted old and tired, not helped by the glasses being topped up from a jug of stale beer. We had a couple, then made our excuses and left,  as they used to say -- very disappointing given the hype for this undoubtably archaic pub.

 

I'm all in favour of unspoiled traditional old pubs, but less so when the beer isn't a patch on almost any decent pub nowadays, even ones much less traditional. Just got back from the Sheffield sessions festival, and the beer in every single pub there was delicious, in a different league to the Anchor...

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5654931341185179&id=100000051077867&sfnsn=scwspmo

Edited April 18, 2022 by IanD

[hughc]

The Great Northern at Langley Mill. Sitting on a threeway junction it was in the nineteenth century known as the Jawbone because of the whale jaw bones set up over the entrance.

[ditchcrawler]

43 minutes ago, IanD said:

The beer during our much-anticipated pre-Covid visit to the Anchor was unimpressive -- tasted old and tired, not helped by the glasses being topped up from a jug of stale beer. We had a couple, then made our excuses and left,  as they used to say -- very disappointing given the hype for this undoubtably archaic pub.

 

I'm all in favour of unspoiled traditional old pubs, but less so when the beer isn't a patch on almost any decent pub nowadays, even ones much less traditional. Just got back from the Sheffield sessions festival, and the beer in every single pub there was delicious, in a different league to the Anchor...

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5654931341185179&id=100000051077867&sfnsn=scwspmo

I found just the same

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I found just the same

Yes it’s a shame.

Lovely pub though with some interesting and friendly locals.

I think I went onto the cider last time I was there. 
 

Otherwise I found if I drank enough of the old and tired beer they were able to put a nice fresh barrel on 👍

Sometimes you just have to drink through it to get to the other side. 

[johnthebridge]

2 hours ago, IanD said:

The beer during our much-anticipated pre-Covid visit to the Anchor was unimpressive -- tasted old and tired, not helped by the glasses being topped up from a jug of stale beer. We had a couple, then made our excuses and left,  as they used to say -- very disappointing given the hype for this undoubtably archaic pub.

 

I'm all in favour of unspoiled traditional old pubs, but less so when the beer isn't a patch on almost any decent pub nowadays, even ones much less traditional. Just got back from the Sheffield sessions festival, and the beer in every single pub there was delicious, in a different league to the Anchor...

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=5654931341185179&id=100000051077867&sfnsn=scwspmo

The Anchor served 6x when I used to go there, from the '70s onwards. When Graham, the then landlord was alive, being a beer drinker, it was usually alright, but I have to say that when his wife, not being either a beer drinker nor the cheeriest of people, took over the running of the place, I think I never really had a beer there that you could call halfway decent. I always thought the place over-hyped and could have been a really great pub, had the widow sold it to someone more enthusiastic and sympathetic towards the customer.

[frangar]

35 minutes ago, johnthebridge said:

The Anchor served 6x when I used to go there, from the '70s onwards. When Graham, the then landlord was alive, being a beer drinker, it was usually alright, but I have to say that when his wife, not being either a beer drinker nor the cheeriest of people, took over the running of the place, I think I never really had a beer there that you could call halfway decent. I always thought the place over-hyped and could have been a really great pub, had the widow sold it to someone more enthusiastic and sympathetic towards the customer.

I always found Olive…may her soul rest in peace…be a source of most interesting conversation when you took time to get to know her…she didn’t suffer fools tho….

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 minute ago, frangar said:

I always found Olive…may her soul rest in peace…be a source of most interesting conversation when you took time to get to know her…she didn’t suffer fools tho….

I liked Olive too, I’d sit and chat with her for hours.

I have a few 3 hour exposure pinhole photos of us sitting talking together. 

When I moored up I’d stay for a fortnight and go in lunch and evening. I woke one morning to find a hand written note she’d pushed under the cratch cover “won’t be opening at lunch, have to take Gemma to the vet, Olive”. I thought that was lovely of her. 
They’ve always been welcoming and I’ve had some lovely evenings in there.

Can get very busy when the campsite is full and musicians turn up. 

 

Did make me laff when she was serving Prosecco off the shelf, until someone politely suggested the bottles should be in the fridge. 

[MtB]

14 hours ago, Goliath said:

Did make me laff when she was serving Prosecco off the shelf, until someone politely suggested the bottles should be in the fridge.

 

There was a fridge?!

 

That must have been quite late on, I've seen a posh bloke in there ask for two glasses of dry white wine and get told bluntly "We don't sell wine, its beer or cider" and the bloke looking perplexed and wondering off....

 

 

[Captain Pegg]

On 18/04/2022 at 10:41, Ray T said:

Boat Inn Grange Road, Longford, Coventry, disappeared beneath the M6

The Black Horse, Longford has been renamed The Boat Inn.

 

 

Where is the the Black Horse/Boat Inn in Longford?

 

The Black Horse was in Exhall on the corner of Coventry Road and Blackhorse Road and there was another pub called The Boat Inn on Blackhorse Road close to the sharp bend where it joins Grange Road (so probably on the bit that's now by-passed by the new road through the houses). Both of those pubs closed about 5 years ago I believe.

[johnthebridge]

The only really memorable night I remember in the Anchor occurred sometime in the late '70s. I went in one cold Winter night and the only patrons were two chaps and a woman seated by the fire, drinking beer with whisky chasers. Striking up a conversation with them, they said they were off the solitary hire-boat, tied down by the front gate. They were complaining about how they'd found the boat, a fairly long Dartline, awkward to handle and I tried to give them some tips on what they might do to make life easier.

As the evening progressed and, as these things do, we became ever more familiar, I asked them what they all did for a living.

One turned out to be the captain of the carrier Hermes, one the navigating officer and one the ship's doctor.

The "Dartmouth filter" accents should have told me that, much sooner.

[IanD]

Just a reminder of where we might have all ended up if not for CAMRA and the breweries and pubs which fought against the keg and plastic beams plagues... 😉

 

 

[Ray T]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

 

Where is the  Black Horse/Boat Inn in Longford?

 

The Black Horse was in Exhall on the corner of Coventry Road and Blackhorse Road and there was another pub called The Boat Inn on Blackhorse Road close to the sharp bend where it joins Grange Road (so probably on the bit that's now by-passed by the new road through the houses). Both of those pubs closed about 5 years ago I believe.

 

@Captain Pegg  I thought The Boat was The Black Horse Inn, 1st photo, now, The Boat, 2nd Photo.

On further research It appears I may be mistaken?

The original Boat Inn was where the M6 bridge now is, Grange Rd., 3rd photo.

It would appear The Boat Inn is still open:
The Boat Inn in Coventry : Pubs Galore

Open to correction.

 

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by Ray T

[Captain Pegg]

5 minutes ago, Ray T said:

 I believe The Black Horse Inn was this pub, 1st photo, now The Boat Inn, 2nd Photo.

The original Boat Inn was where the M6 bridge now is, Grange Rd., 3rd photo.

Open to correction.

I never knew that pub to have any other name but The Boat, it was where my granddad went after the ‘other’ Boat was demolished to make way for the M6. Then again I never knew the area before the M6 so whether it did change names I don’t know but it would have been c.1970 if it happened. I’ll check some old census records later to see if there’s any clue. I’m sure its now closed anyway.

 

I’d have thought it was the Black Horse now demolished at the junction with Coventry Road that gave the name to the remaining length of what was once Hawkesbury Lane.

[Ray T]

@Captain Pegg Searching old maps I found this:

Blackhorse Rd and Upper Green Lane the same road?
Also, Grange Rd was Grange Lane.
The nearest reference to the Boat Inn Grange Lane / Road looks like the "P" in map 2.

Maps dated 1888-1913.

 

 

Edited April 19, 2022 by Ray T

[ditchcrawler]

20 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

I found just the same

I have just been informed that 6X at the Anchor yesterday was excellent 

[IanD]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have just been informed that 6X at the Anchor yesterday was excellent 

So if some days it's excellent and others it's dodgy (unless you drink a whole barrel...) that's not exactly showing good cellarkeeping, is it?

 

This is exactly the reason that keg beer almost took over in the 70s, the fact that cask beer needs looking after and was often in poor condition because landlords didn't know how to keep it -- or care... 😞

Edited April 19, 2022 by IanD

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I have just been informed that 6X at the Anchor yesterday was excellent 

Worth turning back around for I reckon 😃

 

A big reason they loose a lot of custom is because they’re so strick on their opening hours. 
They shut between 3 and 6.

Missing a lot the early teatime drinkers. 
And they don’t do cooked food which everyone seems to want now, above beer.