Most of the <strong>in</strong>ns and pubs featured <strong>in</strong> this series disappeared from <strong>Lichfield</strong> many years ago, but this month’s selection features a former pub that closed with<strong>in</strong> the last 12 months, as well as one that closed over 50 years ago. The Greyhound Inn on Upper St John Street closed <strong>in</strong> 2020 and now lies empty, with the build<strong>in</strong>g’s future uncerta<strong>in</strong> at the current time, but for many years it was a very popular community pub. In December 1892, the Greyhound was the subject of an arson attack. Sarah Foden, a 28- year-old iron galvaniser, was stay<strong>in</strong>g at the Greyhound <strong>in</strong> a room rented to her by landlord William Lovett. On 22nd December the room <strong>in</strong> which she was stay<strong>in</strong>g caught fire and the bedd<strong>in</strong>g and mattresses were all badly burned. Two other fires also broke out <strong>in</strong> an upper floor room and at the stable outside the <strong>in</strong>n. Suspicion fell upon Sarah and when the police searched her, they found three sovereigns and a number of gold r<strong>in</strong>gs that had gone miss<strong>in</strong>g. At court the judge ruled that she had started the fires deliberately to provide a ‘smokescreen’ for steal<strong>in</strong>g the co<strong>in</strong>s and jewellery and sentenced her to 18 months of hard labour <strong>in</strong> gaol. Landlord Sydney Ball was <strong>in</strong> trouble with the courts <strong>in</strong> <strong>January</strong> 1911, charged with sell<strong>in</strong>g a horse that was not fit for purpose to Andrew Harper of Bilston, <strong>in</strong> November 1910. Harper claimed that the horse, which he had bought from Ball for 25 gu<strong>in</strong>eas, was a ‘jibber’ – a horse that pulls up and refuses to move. Ball claimed that he had sold the horse <strong>in</strong> good faith and that he had never known it to jib, but the judge ruled <strong>in</strong> favour of the pla<strong>in</strong>tiff and charged Ball 6 shill<strong>in</strong>gs <strong>in</strong> costs. Sydney was <strong>in</strong> trouble with the courts aga<strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>January</strong> 1914, when he was charged with allow<strong>in</strong>g an illegal lottery at his premises <strong>in</strong> the weeks before Christmas. Ball argued that every licensed premises <strong>in</strong> <strong>Lichfield</strong> ran a lottery competition at Christmas and that he was be<strong>in</strong>g unfairly s<strong>in</strong>gled out for punishment. The prizes on offer for the lottery w<strong>in</strong>ners <strong>in</strong>cluded turkeys, rabbits and bottles of whiskey and Ball issued the w<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g lottery numbers <strong>in</strong> the newspapers. Mr Jackson, represent<strong>in</strong>g Ball, said that he liked lotteries and if the Government ran a national lottery there would be far less illegal street bett<strong>in</strong>g. The judge failed to agree, however, and charged Ball 10 shill<strong>in</strong>gs with 16 shill<strong>in</strong>gs costs. A naughty errand boy was the crim<strong>in</strong>al masterm<strong>in</strong>d <strong>in</strong> June 1940 when a fourteen-yearold unnamed boy was brought before the <strong>Lichfield</strong> Juvenile Court, charged with several counts of theft. The boy had stolen five packets of cigarettes, with a value of 7 shill<strong>in</strong>gs and 1d, from Cather<strong>in</strong>e Fox, landlady of the Greyhound Inn, and had also stolen two postal orders, value 12s. 6d, from Mrs. Helen Wigham of Wheel Lane. When <strong>in</strong>terviewed by PC Pike the boy said ‘I am sorry I took them. I thought I could get away with it’. He was f<strong>in</strong>ed 30 shill<strong>in</strong>gs and his mother was ordered to pay the f<strong>in</strong>e. The Goat’s Head Inn was one of <strong>Lichfield</strong>’s oldest established <strong>in</strong>ns and was orig<strong>in</strong>ally accessed directly from Breadmarket Street, it was later extended around the corner <strong>in</strong> to Bore Street. There was a gated coach entrance to the rear of the <strong>in</strong>n and <strong>in</strong> October 1904 one of the <strong>in</strong>n’s horse and cabs suffered an accident when a reta<strong>in</strong><strong>in</strong>g p<strong>in</strong> fell out from the axle bar, and the horse bolted. It managed to get one of its legs trapped over the collapsed axle and then, runn<strong>in</strong>g on only three legs, started kick<strong>in</strong>g and plung<strong>in</strong>g as it raced through the city’s streets. Eventually it was caught and a large wagonette with a harness was used to bodily lift the horse away from the cab. Although badly <strong>in</strong>jured the horse survived the rescue operation. The pub closed <strong>in</strong> <strong>January</strong> 1970 and was rebuilt to become a branch of Barclay’s Bank, as it is today. On New Years Eve 1969 regulars gathered at the <strong>in</strong>n to say a farewell, and were treated to a meal by the licensees, Horace Wilson and his wife Maud, who both retired after the closure, hav<strong>in</strong>g looked after several of the city’s pubs and <strong>in</strong>ns, with over 40 years <strong>in</strong> the trade. <strong>Lichfield</strong> lost another f<strong>in</strong>e old pub, which boasted city’s largest snooker table, and one that had hosted many sports’ clubs, societies and group meet<strong>in</strong>gs over the decades. Sources: The British Newspaper Archive; <strong>Lichfield</strong> Pubs by Neil Coley, The Old Pubs of <strong>Lichfield</strong> by John Shaw 28 Lost Pubs of <strong>Lichfield</strong> The Greyhound & the Goat By Jono Oates ................................................. The Greyhound Inn, 1990s Goats Head from Breadmarket Street, 1890s Goats Head 1970s
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