There have been numerous pubs, inns and beerhouses recorded through the years in Winster. The location and structure of many have been lost through the passage of time. This entry deals with four whose details are still out there for folk to find if they look. Winster Hall, which had a brief spell operating as a pub, features in its own post.
Dealing with them alphabetically we start with The Angel.
The Angel.
A former 17th century coaching inn standing opposite the Market House, Pigot's Directory has it being operated by Richard Roberts from at least 1828. He's still there in the 1842 edition but probably saw his last guest arrive in 1845 as he died in December of that year. In 1851, the census of 30th March records it being in the hands of George Taylor. They only just got him as he died shortly after. Well I hope he died, for he was buried in Winster churchyard on the 27th April. His widow, Civil, remarried the following year and her new husband, William Burton, is named as the innkeeper in both Pigot's (1855) and Harrod's (1870) Directories. These entries are backed up by the two following censuses William died in 1873 and it appears that the inn then passed to George and Civil's son, John, before coming under the control of William Wragg by the time of the 1891 census. Wragg still had it in 1899 according to Kelly's Directory, but two years later Herbert Marshall, an ale & porter merchant of the village, was in charge. A decade later it had once more changed hands with one Benjamin Sadler at the helm. His is the last tenure that I have come across with his listing in Kelly's 1912 edition. The Angel's current role is as a luxury holiday let but I'd be wary of hiring it over Christmas if this site is to be believed. The Bull's Head.
Situated at the bottom of East Bank, the Bull's Head isn't mentioned in Pigot's 1828 edition but it does make an appearance by 1835. John Turner is the innkeeper through the 1840s and '50s and from at least 1881 it's in the hands of one William Heath who must've been quite a handyman for he's also given as a glazier, plumber and/or painter in various census returns. According to Kelly's Directory he's occupying the pub in 1899 but he is living elsewhere two years later. I can find no record of it as an inn in that census or in later directories, so it probably closed around the turn of the century. Now a private residence, it's known as Peace Haven.
The Crown.
This former 18th century inn, listed in Pigot's 1828 edition, was the last of these four to close, serving pints in living drinking memory. Possibly into the 1980s. For a brief period it operated as tea rooms but is now The Lodge, a private residence.
Shoulder of Mutton.
On West Bank, and recorded at least as early as 1753, the Shoulder of Mutton operated as an inn until 1916 when it closed as a result of the Defence of the Realm Act. For the latter half of the 19th century it was run by the Boam brothers. Firstly by John and then, upon his death, by Benjamin. It appears that a William Heath took it on in 1913. Was he the same William Heath who used to run the Bull's Head, in between his glazing, plumbing and painting activities? It is currently operating as a Bed & Breakfast establishment. Their website has a more detailed history, as well as a copy of this photograph.
One of Winster's numerous sources of ale that has quite literally disappeared from the face of the earth is the Derbyshire Sally. I'd love to establish the former location of this beerhouse that was destroyed by explosion in 1785, presumably the result of an 'issue' with stored mining explosives.
A few years ago Winster's History Group produced a short book about the village. This chapter includes some memories of village life, including reference to some of the above establishments.
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