PMP2000 > Places > Charnwood History

INDUSTRIES

MALTING AND BREWING:
Malting and brewing was one of Loughborough's most important industries in the 17th century, and made it one of the foremost malting towns in the Midlands. It even gave rise to the "LOUGHBOROUGH MEASURE" as the industry standard. Barley from the east of the county was combined with the hard water of Charnwood itself to create excellent bitter ales. The town was largely eclipsed in the 18th century by the rise of Burton on Trent but this didn't stop the building of Harley's Brewery in the THE RUSHES, LOUGHBOROUGH in 1790. This moved to Derby Road in 1801 and continued in operation until the end of the First World War. The premises were then taken over first by GENATOSAN and later by FISONS PHARMACEUTICALS. In 1999-2000 the site was completely redeveloped and is now a commercial and retail park.

One of the oldest Inns in CHARNWOOD bears witness to the Borough's malting past. "THE MALT SHOVEL" in BARKBY dates back 700 years it was bought by someone called MERTON from DE PERCY in 1271, when it was probably already very old. (This may well have been one of the MERRTENS family who took over ROTHLEY COURT in the nineteenth century).

DRINKING:
It seems that there has always been a large number of "hostelries" in CHARNWOOD. In 1775, LOUGHBOROUGH alone had 43 establishments, varying from Inns to public houses to beer houses of various degrees of dubiousness. Contemporary writer THOMAS POCHIN calls the town "a mean place, full of Inns and public houses", which seems a little unfair and to some may be a direct contradiction! Before the First World War, most pubs would have brewed their own beer or employed someone to brew for them on the premises.

As recently as 1952 there were over 60 pubs in LOUGHBOROUGH alone, seven of which were either in the Market Place, Market Street or the Cattle Market. Today almost all of these have gone, including the OLD BOOT HOTEL (now the bakery next to Town Hall Passage); the RAM INN; the TALBOT INN; the VOLUNTEER in Devonshire Square (now a bank); the SHIP (now the site of BOOTS) and the COOPER'S ARMS. Of the seven pubs in the MARKET PLACE area, only two survive: THE BARLEY MOW and RICKENBACKERS and LOUGHBOROUGH.

Before the introduction of all day opening, many of the pubs around the Market Place would have had extended opening hours on market days. The old GOLDEN FLEECE (the site of which is now RICKENBACKERS) had a market day extension until the early 1970s when the Cattle Market closed down. When the LORD NELSON - the last Market Place pub - was about to close in the 1980s, several Borough Councillors proposed that it be bought and run by the Council itself. Unfortunately, the plan was voted down and the pub converted into a shop, making LOUGHBOROUGH almost certainly the only Market Town in the country not to have a pub on the Market Place.

VILLAGE PUBS:
Village pubs always functioned as much more than just a place to drink. They were (and remain) frequently the heart of a village, along with the Church and in almost every case the village pub and the church were right next door to each other. In SWITHLAND in the nineteenth century, a fair was held outside the GRIFFIN INN each November on the Feast of St Leonard. There were stalls, swings, coconut shies and an organ grinder complete with monkey: at night, a dance was held in the Inn.

LENTHILL FARM in NEWTOWN LINFORD was once the village inn THE HORNS TAVERN and played an important part in a local custom. Until 1872, when they were abolished, NEWTOWN LINFORD was part of the PECULIER OF GROBY. At the end of each session of this, the court officers would process to dinner at the HORNS TAVERN.

The 400 year old BRADGATE ARMS in CROPSTON had a landlord from the same family for over 100 years. Many years ago, as well as beer, THE BRADGATE would serve milk from the herd of cows kept behind the pub.

PUBS AND INDUSTRY:
As well as the ubiquitous "DUKE OF YORK", "RED LION" and "BULLS HEAD", the names of Inns often had a direct relevance to the predominant industries of the time. The WOOL TRADE in LOUGHBOROUGH is commemorated in "THE OLD PACK HORSE" and "THE GOLDEN FLEECE" and "BISHOP BLAIZE". "THE OLD BOOT" brings associations with the shoe trade and "THE MILL HOUSE" in QUORN was right next to WRIGHT'S FACTORY - otherwise known as QUORN MILLS. The old coaching Inn "THE HARE AND HOUNDS" in ANSTEY obviously had connections with hunting - as well as reputedly being haunted. However, the reasoning behind the name of the now demolished "CORNER CUPBOARD" in LOUGHBOROUGH is anybody's guess!

Another mysterious name was attached to an Inn on the road between LOUGHBOROUGH and QUORN. This is now a house and known to all as the BULL IN THE HOLLOW but it's original name was "THE NEEDLESS INN", later changed to the "BUFFALO AND GARLAND". NEEDLESS could have been a corruption of NEEDLES but that just substitutes one mysterious name for another!

PUBS LINKED TO TRANSPORT:
The high number of INNS in CHARNWOOD has as much to do with transport as the inherent booziness of the residents! Villages on key coaching routes such as QUORN and MOUNTSORREL had many such COACHING INNS catering to travellers on the 30 or more coaches which passed through every day in the mid 18th century. Many of these still survive, although not always in their original condition. Two of the best examples are found in QUORN. "THE OLD BULLS HEAD", built on the High Street in 1744, has now been converted into flats but still has it's original Coach yard and a magnificent effigy of the head of a bull on the highest point of the roof. The second was also called "THE BULL'S HEAD" but has recently been renamed "THE QUORNDON FOX". This took over the coach trade when the original "BULLS HEAD" closed as an Inn and still has a tower at the back of the building, from which lookouts could give advance warning of the imminent arrival of a coach. 'THE OLD PACK HORSE" in LOUGHBOROUGH also has a very well preserved lookout tower.

The advent of CANALS led to the establishment of many waterside inns, which quickly became very popular with both travellers and locals - and lucrative for the landlords! Names such as "THE BOAT" in LOUGHBOROUGH and "THE NAVIGATION" in BARROW became very common and the setting ensures that canal side pubs are still rarely short of customers. The "WHITE HORSE INN" in BIRSTALL marks the site of the BIRSTALL WHARF, where the landlords usually doubled up as coal merchants.

The building of RAILWAYS from the 1840s onwards led to many more new INNS being built close to stations. The majority of their names again leaves little doubt as to their intended clientele, variations on "THE RAILWAY" being by far the most common. Many country stations were built some distance out of the villages they served. Until new buildings "filled in" the areas between village and station, the railway trade must have been quite considerable to make such a pub a viable proposition. "THE MANOR HOUSE" in QUORN would have been very isolated when first built next to the GREAT CENTRAL station but later building has now made it part of the village, albeit at the edge. The potential profits to be made from the railway trade is borne out by the former "PLOUGH INN" on THE RUSHES in LOUGHBOROUGH. In an attempt to attract trade from the CHARNWOOD FOREST RAILWAY terminus a little distance away on DERBY ROAD, it's name was changed to THE CHARNWOOD FOREST RAILWAY INN. However, the hoped for boom did not materialise (mainly due to "THE RAILWAY" pub right next to the station taking all the trade!) and it changed again to THE CHARNWOOD INN even before the railway closed down. Today it is called "THE SWAN IN THE RUSHES".

TODAY:
As well as old inns being turned into other businesses, the process has sometimes gone the other way. The old COTES MILL, which ceased operations as recently as 1973, is now one of the most popular pub restaurants in the area.

Brewing in CHARNWOOD has had a revival in recent years with the founding of WICKED HATHERN BREWERY and their lasting legacy to the village and drinkers everywhere - WICKED HATHERN BITTER!