Fascinating insight into pubs and hostelries that have come and gone in Shipston over the past 500 years

A VERY long time ago – the precise details are a bit fuzzy – the people of Shipston had an enormous thirst for ale.

In fact, this thirst was so colossal that nearly ten times as much beer was brewed in Shipston than most other places of a similar size in the country – 30,000 gallons a year as compared to 3,000 to 4,000 gallons.

Does this mean that many of the good citizens of Shipston spent much of their time in a state of alcohol-driven fuzziness, like the knowledge about where these figures came from?

It’s quite possible that this was the case, but not even Martin Russell, the man who revealed the data to the Herald, can tell us any more about it, because he just simply doesn’t know.

Initially Martin – who’s conducted an in-depth study of pubs and breweries in Shipston over the centuries – suggested that the information could have been based on a survey of drinking habits conducted in the Middle Ages. And then he thought it might have been later than that, perhaps as late as the 19th century.

Since Martin must have got these figures from somewhere, the Herald asked him to jog his memory about what period they applied to.

After looking into it further, Martin said: “It was part of some earlier research that my colleague David Burch carried out some years ago. I don’t know where he got it from and can’t ask him as he unfortunately passed away last month.”

In any event Martin has put together some fascinating information about the various pubs and hostelries that have come and gone in Shipston over the past 500 years. And he will be giving a talk on the subject at 2.30pm on Saturday 25th January at the Townsend Hall in Shipston. Tickets will be £5, obtainable from shipstonmuseum@outlook.com

Martin, who is a trustee of Shipston Museum and a retired graphic designer, has produced a list of 29 pubs that have existed in the town over the centuries, one of which, the Black Horse, is the oldest surviving. Its first licence was granted in 1540, during the reign of Henry VIII.

It’s thought that the largest number of pubs in Shipston at any one time was around 15 to 20, in the late 18th century and early 19th century. Now there are only seven.

The brewing and selling of beer goes back a long way. Many ordinary cottages were used for the production and sale of beer. Members of the public would enter someone’s front room and buy and drink beer on the premises – hence the term “public house”.

Before the days of piped water and sewage plants, the only safe way to drink water was from a well or having it boiled. And since water used in the making of beer was always boiled, people often drank beer as a means of getting their water ration. In other words, beer was a substitute for water – which must have been a godsend for inveterate boozers…

There were also different levels of strength produced from each brew, with the weakest given to children. “This was called the ‘small brew’, as it was given to children because it was safer than giving them water,” said Martin.

Martin’s research highlights a number of pubs that have come and gone in Shipston over the years. And he regrets seeing pubs shut up shop. “I think it’s sad when they close because they’re centres of conversation,” he said. “Now people are drinking while watching television, filling their heads with nonsense and getting very inactive.”

Among the pubs on Martin’s list are:

The Black Swan – Named in a directory in 1793 as the Black Swan Inn, it was last mentioned in Kelly’s directory in 1884 and was later demolished for housing

The old “Plough” – It had moved the name from Sheep Street to New Street by 1828 and was still open in 1906, but closed soon after

The Horseshoe – Possibly dating from the late 16th century, it has probably been an inn for most of its life. The great fire of 1726 in Shipston did not affect the buildings in Mill Street

The White Bear – One of Shipston’s early inns, it probably had to be rebuilt after the 1726 fire. In the mid-19th century it also housed a small theatre

The George – It is very likely that there was an inn on this site from at least the Elizabethan era. The present building would have been built not long after the 1726 fire, which devastated most of the High Street

The Ram Inn – Listed in the survey of 1793 it was demolished in the 1870s to extend the grounds of “Manor House”

The King’s Head – A “tavern” or “Beerhouse” in Horn Lane, now known as Telegraph Street, it is listed in directories from 1853 to 1884 but has long since disappeared

While there might well have been many pubs in Shipston and the surrounding areas in yesteryear, what was the beer like? According to one story thieves broke into an establishment in 1894 owned by William Turner, who at one stage ran 26 pubs, including the Red Lion at Ilmington and the Bell at Moreton-in-Marsh, both of which are still with us.

The thieves failed to open the safe but left a note revealing they had sampled the ale: “We have come from the smoke, and the next time we come over we shall be better prepared to open the safe. We strongly recommend Caudlewell ales.” The note was signed: “GINGER AND ANOTHER.”

Despite the signature, the miscreants were never found.