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Sporting Derbyshire Pub Names
From: InnSpire - Issue 61 – June 2006

Baseball Tavern: Situated by a corner of the Baseball Ground - both since demolished.

(Old) Bowling Green: Situated in the attractive village of Winster in the White Peak -formerly a centre for lead mining - this pub is named after the bowling facility on offer, now a floodlit boules pitch.

Checker Inn/Chequers: ‘Checker’ is most likely a misspelling of the common pub name of ‘Chequers’ and a reference to board games that were commonly played in alehouses and taverns at one time. The name was probably brought to Britain by the Romans and would also have been used by innkeepers who acted as moneychangers or bankers in some way. They used a chequered board to do their business and the word ‘exchequer’ is derived from this. A Checker Inn was recorded at Breaston in 1828 and a pub called the Chequers can still be found at Coal Aston.

Corner Flag: Situated at New Whittington and known as the Crown Inn until 2001. The change of name reflected the pubco’s desire to brand it as a sporting theme pub. It is also a reference to its position on the end of a row of buildings. The pub is currently closed.

Cricketers/Cricket Inn: Pubs of this name are normally found near cricket pitches and offer a handy venue for a post match pint or two. The Cricketers at Newbold was originally situated in different premises 150 yards away and the current premises on Stand Road were not built until 1929. The Cricket Inn at Totley moved from Derbyshire into the City of Sheffield in 1930. It was an old farmhouse licensed from 1889 to serve navvies working on the nearby Totley Tunnel.

Double Six: This pub can be found at Stonebroom. The sign shows a pack of dominoes.

Double Top: The name of a social club found at Inkersall, near Staveley. Double Top is another name for double twenty and is a reference to the game of darts, commonly played in many pubs and clubs.

Fox & Goose: An historic name used to indicate that a game of the same name was played there. This is a form of ‘Nine Men’s Morris’: a board game for 2 players consisting of 18 pieces, played by monks in England over 500 years ago. The object of this strategy game is to capture your opponent’s playing pieces by manoeuvre and blocking. A pub of this name can be found at Pudding Pie Hill, Wigley near Chesterfield.

It is impossible for me to mention Pudding Pie Hill without speculating on the origin of its name, and indeed there are a number of theories. The name appears in other parts of the UK and traditionally was used to mark the site of a Neolithic burial mound, as the shape of these resembled a pie or pudding. However, locally there is another explanation - ‘pudding pie’ being a term for a lime kiln - and there is at least one other example at King Sterndale, near Buxton. Possibly one or more kilns were sited at Wigley? A further theory originates from the practice of spreading burnt limestone on the surrounding farmland to add calcium to aid plant growth. The resulting smoke and vapour that rose from the ground is said to have given the impression of a steaming pudding (or pie), when seen from a distance especially if you’re feeling hungry - maybe?

King of Hearts: A name inspired by the playing card. This Bolsover pub opened in1956 but lasted less than 40 years, and closed in 1994 (when known as Cromwells).

Local Heroes: This was a temporary re-naming for the Yellow Lion on Saltergate, Chesterfield. The sign that existed showed Kevin Davies, then of Chesterfield FC. He scored the goal that took Chesterfield to the FA Cup semi-finals in 1996 where they were unfortunate to be beaten, after a replay (by Middlesbrough, the 4th best football team in the North East). The sign also featured a set of stumps, pair of boxing gloves and a dartboard.

Middle Pocket: A 20th century pub found at Inkersall, not far from the Double Top (see above). The pub has a snooker table (an unusual facility nowadays) and the name was no doubt chosen to advertise this fact.

Sportsman Inn: Examples of this popular and generic name can be found in Chesterfield, Dronfield, Grassmoor & Bolsover.

19^th Hole: A traditional name for pubs or bars near to a  golf course. No doubt the place to drown your sorrows if you didn’t play the first 18 holes that well. A Derbyshire example may be found at Buxton.

Jackie Stamps: Our final pub name is a reference to a famous sportsman, rather than a sport. Jackie Stamps (1918-1991) was a centre forward for Derby County and scored two goals in their FA Cup Final win against Charlton Athletic in 1946. This Derby pub was only in existence from 1998 to 2001. Following refurbishment, it re-opened in 2002 as Walkabout, an Australian theme pub. Some people have no taste.

References: The Illustrated History of Derby’s Pubs - Maxwell Craven (2002); “At the Sign Of” - the journal of the Inn Sign Society - various issues; English Inn Signs - A Revised & Modernised Version of the History of Signboards - Jacob Larwood & John Camden Hotton (1985); The Definitive A to Z Listings of Sheffield Public Houses - Michael Liversidge (1999).

Jim McIntosh

Pub names of Chesterfield and North East Derbyshire
Lost pub names of Chesterfield (part 4)
Trees!
From: InnSpire - Issue 59 – February 2006
Parts 1-3 can be found here

It is hardly surprising that pubs are named after trees – many would originally have had a tree outside, possibly a local landmark, or perhaps the tree had to be felled to make way for the pub. Research has uncovered at least 17 trees that have been used in Derbyshire pub names, although some of these have now disappeared due to pub closures.

Matlock and Ripley both have several pubs named after trees, for reasons that are not entirely clear. In Matlock these pubs are found in the Matlock Bank and Upper Hackney areas (around County Hall), and none appeared until the late 19th-century. My theory is that after the first ‘tree’ name appeared mischievous landlords thought they would keep the trend going and a local tradition for these names developed. Anyway, with my best Alan Titchmarsh impression, come with me and we’ll have a look at the trees…

Apple Tree : A pub of this name can be found at Stanfree, near Bolsover. Another pub at Brookside, near Brampton, closed in the 1850s.

Ash Tree : Found at Dronfield but recently changed to The Garden – a non-smoking bar & restaurant.

Beech Tree : A Derby pub that was first recorded in the 1830s and closed in 1912. In the late 19th century it was also known as the Birch Tree.

Chestnut Tree : Another Derby pub that opened in 1940. It is thought that a chestnut tree may have been felled to make space for the pub to be built.

Elm Tree : A popular tree name with examples being found at Clay Cross, Elmton, Heath, Scarcliffe and Staveley.

Holly Bush : Found at Grangemill, Makeney and Ripley, albeit maybe not a tree in the true sense.

Laburnum : Found on Hackney Road, Matlock serving Hardys & Hansons beers. Another pub going by this name at Sleetmoor (near Somercotes) closed in December 1958.

Litten Tree : Found at Long Eaton but as this is a reference to the name of a National Pub Co., it doesn’t really count.

Mulberry Tree : A name for a pub on Canal Street, Derby that appears in records until the 1840s, when the pub was renamed the New Inn. It closed around 1952. One theory about the change of name was that it commemorated the felling or death of the eponymous tree.

Orange Tree : There are two potential explanations for this name, and neither relies on the Derbyshire climate being warm enough to support orange trees! The first is that the name was derived from the colour used by the supporters of King William III, also known as William of Orange. The other is that it results from a misunderstanding of the badge of Chesterfield – a pomegranate tree. Two pubs of this name have been recorded in Derby. The first on Bridge Gate, coincidentally on the route to Chesterfield, closed circa 1898. The second pub, also now closed, was on Burton Road.

Pear Tree : Found at Derby, having opened in 1883 on part of a site once occupied by a Pear Tree farm. Now known as Apna Punjabi. Still in Derby, another pub called the Pear Tree can still be found on St. Thomas’s Road. There is also the Pear Tree at Ripley, a regular entry in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.

Poplar : This pub at Old Whittington was named after a house that stood opposite the pub, which was known as ‘The Poplars’ on account of the poplar trees in its garden. The pub closed in 2003 and is now a private house.

Rose Tree : Another dubious category of tree! This pub was situated at Bradwell and was listed in a Trade Directory in 1828.

Strawberry Tree : This Derby pub was re-named in the 1990s, having been originally been known as the Mason’s Arms. Strawberry trees are often found in shrub borders and can grow up to 25 feet in height. Some species have strawberry-like fruits (hence the name).

Sycamore : 300-year old, split level, two-roomed pub on Sycamore Road, Matlock. The pub is said to have origins as a coaching inn, with stables at the rear. These were accessed through the archway that now acts as the entrance to the car park.

Thorn Tree : A tree that is rarely found in pub names outside of Derbyshire. Over the years pubs going by this name have been found in this county (with dates, where known) at Brassington (1828) Derby (1710-1932) and Waingroves (closed, unknown date). Pubs with this name at Matlock and Ripley are both still open.

The pub in Derby is the most interesting of the lot. The original inn is known to have been in existence in the early 18th Century and was located at Gaol Bridge, an old bridge opposite the Tudor gaol (now St Peter’s Street). In 1787 it was rebuilt on nearby Thorntree Lane (when the Tudor bridge was demolished). However in 1845 the landlord moved to another pub on Tenant Street, and it was renamed the Thorn Tree! This final incarnation of the pub closed in 1932 and the building demolished to make way for re-development.

The origin of the name, in Derby at least, was that the original inn took its name from Thorn Tree Lane, which came up to the bridge, and was an ancient name derived from a huge hawthorn tree that was once found in the area.

Willows : Situated at Smedley Street, Matlock until it closed around 2003. Up to the early 1990s the pub was known at the ‘Crab Tree Inn’ until the pub was refurbished and it was felt that a name change would give it a new image, apparently. There is also a Willow Tree at Pilsley.

Yew Tree : The Yew has particular significance as its wood was used to make bows in the Middle Ages and indeed Henry V passed an Act to protect them. It remains a popular pub name and examples in Derbyshire can be found at Coal Aston, Dethick and South Wingfield. There was also a pub of this name in Ashover – closure date not known.

References: The illustrated history of Derby’s pubs, Maxwell Craven (2002) Good Plant Guide, Royal Horticultural Society (2004)

Jim McIntosh

This webpage was last updated on Sunday, 07 October 2007

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