|
|
|
Apperknowle Pubs -
Past and Present The first reference to a settlement here was made in 1317 and it has also been known as Apelknol, Hapilknole and Appurknoll. The common local theory is that the name originates from ‘apple tree on the knoll’ (small hill) - this is disputed by Cameron in ‘Place Names of Derbyshire’, but he does not offer an alternative suggestion. The make-up and population of the area altered after Apperknowle Colliery was sunk in the 1840s. Purchased by the Unstone Company in the latter part of the 19th Century, the pit was located off Moortop Road - an iron shelter now stands on the approximate site. The following is a history of pubs and beerhouses known to have existed in the area, including Hundall and Summerley, in approximate chronological order of opening. Alehouse on Crow Lane and unnamed beerhouses: The earliest known alehouse in the area was situated down the hill towards Unstone. The property is still standing and is now known as Siscar Cottage. Michael Gill and William Gill held Victualler’s licences during the periods 1754-1774 and 1797-1819 respectively. The next evidence of a licensed premise was an unnamed beerhouse - operated by a farmer, Thomas Wright - which was listed in Trade Directories for 1846 and 1857. However, the beerhouse is not mentioned in Census records for that period and it is not known if it was a forerunner of one of the named pubs below. Two further beerhouses were recorded in an 1895 Trade Directory: run by Francis Reed (who was also a butcher) and William Sheppard. Nothing else is known about either of these businesses. Yellow Lion: The 1861 Census lists Godfrey Ward, a Scale Presser and Innkeeper aged 44, at the ‘Yellow Lion Inn’ - although legal documents suggest that the current building dates from 1864/5. Godfrey Ward sold the business in 1876 for £1,300 plus fixtures to William Harrison and George Howe, respectively a Brewery Manager and Brewery Clerk of Highfields, Sheffield. In 1901 the pub was bought by Sheffield brewers Whitmarsh, Watson & Co., whose brewery and pubs were bought by Duncan Gilmour and Co. in 1906. Gilmour’s themselves fell to Tetley’s in 1954. Michael (Mick) Emmens became licensee in 1969 when the pub was still tied to Tetley’s, buying the freehold in 1986. Mick and his wife Joyce ran the pub until it closed on 7th September 2003. It is now a private dwelling. The Yellow Lion name is peculiar to South Yorkshire and North East Derbyshire, although the reason for this is unclear. A Yellow Lion may have existed as early as 1736, situated in Coal Pit Lane, Sheffield (now Cambridge Street), the site now being occupied by Cole Brothers. In total seven Yellow Lions are known to have existed within 20 miles of Sheffield at one time or another but only three still carry the name today. These are found at Chesterfield (on Saltergate), Aston and Greasbrough.
Known owners include Chater & Co., who paid £950 in April 1883, and Brampton Brewery of Chesterfield. The current owners, John & Rachel Eggleston, bought the pub in the 1990s. Whilst a barrack(s) normally refers to a building for lodging soldiers, the pub’s name is thought to be a reference to the practice of bear baiting, said to have taken place nearby. Thus, barrack is being used in the sense of shouting or jeering- indeed the pub’s signboard in the 1990s showed two youths teasing a tethered bear. Miner’s Arms: Located at the nearby hamlet of Hundall, this was originally a farmhouse/homestead belonging to the Stephenson family. A beerhouse was opened sometime after the property was sold in 1858, a fact confirmed by the 1871 Census when the licensee was Joseph Breedon, who was also a coal miner. Previous owners include two breweries: Thomas Berry of Sheffield, taken over by Tennant Brothers in August 1924. The beerhouse licence was converted to a full licence in the early 1950s and the pub remains a traditional community local. Royal Oak: This beerhouse used to be found at Summerley, on the road to Coal Aston, and was built as a cottage in the 1840s. The first evidence that it was operating as a beerhouse comes in the 1871 Census, when occupied by Henry Hardwick, another coal miner. The beer was supplied by Scarsdale Brewery of Chesterfield and there were no beer pumps; instead beer was served by jug direct from the cellar. The last landlord, Jack Easterbrook, was known to all as ‘Mad Jack’ and there are many stories of his antics, as documented in Sheffield CAMRA’s ‘Beer Matters’ magazine. The pub closed in the 1960s when he was no longer able to pay his debts and is now a private dwelling, Oak Cottage. In a sale particulars document from the latter part of the 20th Century, it was described as having an inner reception hall with built in bar/servery with Formica top - no doubt a remnant from its days as a pub. Travellers’ Rest: Originally a beerhouse, its first mention is in the 1871 Census, when the licensee was John Hill, aged 58. Whilst it has not been possible to establish an accurate opening date, it is known that Scarsdale Brewery held the lease for the pub in the early 1900s. Known as to the Reference Point for a brief period in the late 1980s/early 1990s, the Travellers remains a popular and busy pub.
Acknowledgements & References: Jim McIntosh
Kelstedge Pubs - Past
and Present For anyone not familiar with the place, Kelstedge is a small hamlet on the Chesterfield to Matlock road, about a mile from Ashover. It once boasted as many as three pubs: the Lord Nelson, the White Horse and the Red Lion, but only one survives today.
The Red Lion was one of three pubs with the same name in the Parish of Ashover. It stands in the triangle formed by roads converging from Ashover, the whole of which was once in the pubs ownership. The ‘Inns & Outs’ book states the pub dates back to 1739. It was sold in 1939 at the same auction as the White Horse for £700, again to Duncan Gilmour’s. Here the accommodation included parlour, tap room, bar, club room, beer and spirit store, pantry and two bedrooms whilst the outside buildings consisted of a wash house, stable, barn, cow house, pig box and garage. Unusually it also included a blacksmith’s smithy in the upper part of the plot. Tetley’s eventually sold the pub in the 1970s, when the new owners changed the name to the Kelstedge Inn, so relieving some of the confusion of name duplication in the area.
John Hirst
Whitwell Pubs - Past and Present The
historic parish of Whitwell lies close to where the
counties of Derbyshire, Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire
meet at the ‘Shire Oak’, which sadly no longer exists.
Sherwood Forest once covered the area and the first
reference to a settlement at Whitwell was made in 1002.
By the 19th century the Duke of Portland was lord of the
manor and principal landowner.
Turning now to the pubs in the parish that are no longer open…
By
Jim McIntosh This webpage was last updated on Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
|
Copyright © 1996 - 2007 Chesterfield & District CAMRA |
Barrack
Hotel: Built in 1852, this pub may be found at Town
End, the oldest part of Apperknowle. The original
beerhouse only occupied part of the current premises and
a butcher’s shop occupied the Summerley end. The Barrack
Hotel was first recorded in the 1871 Census and was
restricted to selling beer only until a full licence was
obtained in 1949. Major alterations to the pub were
undertaken in 1987 although part of the original bar
façade was retained.
The
Lord Nelson was situated half way up Slack hill on
the junction with the road to Overton Hall. Before the
‘straightening’ of the hill in the early 1970s, Slack
hill was very winding and steep; the position of the
Nelson must have been ideal for resting travellers’
horses before continuing the long drag to the summit.
Originally a Brampton Brewery tied house, it was
demolished in 1963, probably in preparation for the
forthcoming road improvements. 
The
White Horse stood almost opposite the present
Kelstedge Inn, on the main Matlock road. The book ‘Inns
and Outs of Ashover’ (1923) states it dated from 1680.
It was sold by auction at the Portland Hotel,
Chesterfield in February 1939 to Duncan Gilmour’s
Brewery of Sheffield, for £940. Sale details record that
it consisted of a tap room, parlour, snug, bar, pantry,
cellar, three bedrooms and a stone outbuilding for six
cows. Gilmour’s were eventually taken over by Tetley’s
of Leeds, who closed the pub around 1963. Gladys Peck
was the last licensee. Part of the pub projected into
the road restricting the width to almost one lane. This
was probably the reason for its closure, to allow road
widening. 
The
pub has been kept for the last 18 months by Shirley
Finney, who is keen to re-establish a good selection of
real ales on the bar. At least two beers from the highly
regarded Thornbridge Hall Brewery are regulars, together
with Charles Wells’ Bombardier and other guests. This
pub caters for all types with games room (pool and
darts) and a separate room for meals. The pub is well
worth a visit. 
Boot
& Shoe (pictured): This pub can be traced back to
1753 when John Brownhill was licensee. This was a
Worksop & Retford Brewery house and the sign is said
to represent the fact that there is a welcome for
all comers, whether they wear the horseman’s
jackboot or the labourer’s shoe.
George Inn (pictured): Situated near the church, the
George was an old coaching inn and once had stabling
and harnessing facilities adjoining it or close by
(one source states that the stables were on the
other side of the road). Mounting steps, to help
people mount their horses, are still retained in
front of the building.
The earliest known landlord was a Thomas West
(1812). A Worksop & Retford Brewery house, it closed
in the 1960s and was converted into flats.