The Unicorn, The Blue Bell, The Castle, The Union… just some of Stone’s boozers that are no longer with us. Some are long gone while others, like The Vine and The Robin Hood, are more recent casualties. In this month’s History Monthly, Stone Historical Society chairman Philip Leason looks at the huge number of boozers that used to be in the town. Please share any memories and stories that are triggered! Leave a comment here or email history@alittlebitofstone.com
We must remember that in the past Stone was on one of the main highways throughout the country which resulted in large numbers of people passing through the town on a daily basis. To cater for these visitors there was a large number of pubs and beer houses.
One of the busiest time of the year was in the autumn when, before the introduction of machinery, a large number of Irishmen came to Stone to help with the harvest. Apparently they quite liked a drink on a Saturday night (!) and this often resulted in fights.
But the busiest time of all was when there was a public hanging at Stafford. People from the Potteries travelled through the town on route to watch the execution and visit the pubs. Records in the journals for Joule’s brewery record the fact that they brewed extra beer to cater for the increased demand when there was a hanging.
1801 was a particularly good year for trade as there were seven hangings that year. The greatest crowd-puller was the hanging of William Palmer on 14th June, 1856. Records show that the pubs in Stone kept open all night to cater for the crowds passing through the town. It was estimated that 30,000 people (men, women and children) witnessed the hanging outside Stafford Gaol. Sadly for the publicans, an Act of Parliament in 1868 prohibited public hangings.
The following list records all the pubs that existed in Stone in the past. The ones that are still with us today are marked with a star:
The Antelope – Market Place
Black Horse – High Street
Blue Bell – Market Street (Market Street ran from the bottom of the present High Street to just where the Conservative Office is today and High Street ran from there up to where Wetherspoons stands today)
Brewers Arms – Market Street
Bridge Inn – Longton Road (now Langtrys) *
Brown Jug – Lichfield Street
The Boat – Newcastle Road
Colemans Vaults – Market Street
Crown – Market Street
Crown & Anchor – High Street *
Falcon – Market Street
Four Crosses – Lichfield Street
Fountain – Market Street
Gardener’s Rest – High Street
Hand & Trumpet – Stone Bridge (Newcastle Street)
Jolly Crafts – Church Street
Kings Arms – Market Street
Lamb – Walton *
New Inn – Oulton Road
Pheasant – Mount Road *
Radford – Longton Road
Red Lion – Market Street *
Royal Exchange – Radford Street *
Rising Sun – Limekiln
Robin Hood – Church Street
Roebuck – Stafford Street
Royal Oak – Stafford Street
Star Inn – Stone Lock *
Swan – Stafford Street *
Talbot & Railway – Station Road *
The Castle – Lichfield Street
Three Crowns – Little Stoke *
Unicorn – Market Steet
Union – Newcastle Street
Vine – Oulton Road
Wheatsheaf – Market Street
White Hart – Newcastle Street
White Lion – Market Street
In addition there were 10 beer retailers (what we today would call off-licences).
Of course in the 1960s a new pub was built in Walton – The Bonnie Gem, built by Bents and as there was a Scottish theme to the estate (the Higlands, Fraser Close, Stuart Close etc) they named the pub after the brewer’s own brand of whisky, Bonnie Gem.
I hope that you find the above of interest and apologise if I have missed off any of the pubs.
Philip Leason
Chair, Stone Historical Society
25 comments
Keith Jackson
What hotel was at 17 High Street in the 1870’s. Have the the street numbers ever been changed?
Judith Gavin
My great grand father and his wife James Tully and Flora Tully nee Turner ran The Castle Inn in Stone for from around 1903 ish. However a photo of them with my gran as a new born baby taken around the middle of 1903 has writing on the back to say it was at The Bee Inn Stone before they took over The Castle. Does anyone know if there was such a place either in Stone or near by at that time ?
Terry Cooper
One pub which seems to be missing is the Druid’s Arms (72 & 74 Church Street) of which my ancestor John Cooper (born 1845) was innkeeper at the time of the 1901 census. With a name like Cooper it is not surprising that my father, uncles and Grandfather have all had a connection to Joule’s Brewery in Stone, and I did a summer holiday stint in 1968 to keep the tradition going.
Keith Lewis
What was the star at stone called before the star.
Kenneth Morgan
I remember well the Unicorn as my girlfriend/fiance/first wife’s best friend’s dad ran it in the 60s. Mr Ruscoe I think and his daughter Jackie.
Sharon
I believe my great great grandparents, Mary (Stanfield) Daniel and William Daniel ran the Blue Bell when it was on Oulton Rd. A daughter, Martha married Henry Brown a shoemaker from Cross Rd. and they came to Canada in 1903 and settled in Toronto, Ontario. Mary also came to Canada about the same time. She died in Toronto in 1910. I was wondering if there are any living relatives of the Daniels or the Browns still living in Stone? My mother, Margaret Brown will turn 91 this July. I do hope I will be able to organize a trip to England in the near future to spend some time in Staffordshire.
Sharon
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Jo brown
Hi Sharon,
If your still looking for information my dad can help, he is a relation.
Thanks
Jo
Brian Passmore
Our family have some connection with the Blue Bell around that time. One of the Daniels was married to a Passmore. My paternal grandfather, William Passmore came to Canada around that time 1903. He went back with his father and two brothers to fight in WW1. They all lied about their age. Seemingly, they all marched into Mons together at wars end.
Brian Passmore
Wasaga Beach, ON
Canada
Jo brown
Hi Brian,
If you are still looking for information my dad can help, he is a relation.
Cheers
Jo
Kenneth Halfpenny
Hi we now live in the old bluebell it is now 34 oulton road would love to know more about it when was it built etc
Sharon Costescu
Hi Kenneth,
I have returned to learning more about my Stone ancestors after a bit of a break and remembered to check on this newsletter. It’s neat to know that you are living at 34 Oulton Road, the old Bluebell Inn. My great-great grandparents Mary and William ran the beer house and also kept lodgers. A daughter, Martha married Henry Brown from Stone, they came to Canada in 1906. I was born in Toronto, Ontario and live here nowl with my husband. We are planning a trip to London this coming spring and would love to visit Stone. If possible, maybe you could give us some information about where we could stay for a few days to enjoy the town and surrounding area.
Sharon
Carole Ghyzel
The reason I landed on this site was because I was dusting and could read some words on a salt or pepper shaker that I’ve had forever!( It could also be some other kind of shaker.) It read – Unicorn Hotel Stone – so I thought I’d look it up. I live in New York and have to have bought it at a garage sale. I wonder !!!
Amanda Holmes
Hi. My ggg grandmother’s brother was the innkeeper at the Unicorn in Stone in 1861. I would love to see a photo of your salt / pepper shaker if possible? Fascinating!
Angela Sleigh
There was a pub in Cross Street at the junction with Longton Road don’t remember what it was called but I think the publican was a Gerrard. Either related to the publican at the Rising Sun or maybe the same man. I was a kid when it closed in the 60’s
ALAN B STEELE
Ivan gerrard was the landlord at the Radford 1960’s
Nicola Hampson
Hi. My Dad is Ivan Gerrard aged 86. He ran the Radford Inn then The Rising Sun until 1977. His late Brother Vernon ran The Star Inn.
John Sutton
Not many decent pubs left these days Angela. Best was Crown and Anchor in early 1980s
greg simister
The Radford inn ?
Keith Love
I remember when I was very young there was a pub in the High Street called Smokey Joes and It was next to Bradburys cloths shop it has been knocked down now but,s where the job centre use to be.
Bob Mcleod
That was the White Lion
Elizabeth
My great great grandfather George Watson kept The Swan in Stafford Street and later the Fountain which is listed as 45 High Street, Stone on the 1901 and 1891 Census.
The Unicorn is also listed as 39 High Street on the Census. Could the divide for Market Street and High Street be on the junction with Mill Street.
Karen
My great great great grandfather James Chilton ran the Four Crosses in Lichfield Street in 1871.
Terry Robinson
One you seem to have missed is the Bonnie Gem in Pirehill lane one of the last pubs built by Bents Brewey
Opened in think in 1967 and sadly closed in 2012 and now demolished the land awaiting redevelopment
Martin Hitchin
I really enjoy reading these historic stories , some of the pubs I remember & some I’ve never heard of , it’s a shame so many have gone
My Godfather Tom O’Malley of oulten road used to work at Joules & used to bring us pop when we were kids , they lived close by the old petrol station towards the bottom of oulten road
Fond memories , thanks
Danny Pardue
I used to work for St Dominic’s Convent and for a year I lived there……When I say I lived at the convent, I actually lived in a flat that was part of the ‘Hand Trumpet’ one of a few building incorporated into the grounds…. The whole building was pretty big, I think it must have been a coaching inn at some point.. The main pub area at the front of the building had been turned into a chemistry lab for the school… It’s frontage can’t be seen from the road due to the 12ft wall, but from the drive to the car park of St Mary’s care home you can catch a glimpse of the pub looking over the fence, grave yard and wall of the chapel… a noted PUGIN Chapel believe it or not.. Very basic though.. Think it was at the start of his caree ….or it might even have been his not so talented brother .?!…