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The Old Feathers,
Lordsmill Street
John Hirst Farewell to the
Yellow Lion, Apperknowle
The size and layout of the pub altered significantly over the years, in particular the inside was originally much smaller. An extension to the lounge on the east (Hundall) side, together with the car park, stands on what would have been the adjoining plot of land when the pub was first built. The original entrance was on the west side, facing the Post Office, and the pub was entered via the doorway that existed between the bar and the dining area (itself a further extension). It is most likely that the entrance was moved to the front in the early 1900’s when Gilmour & Co. became owners (see later). Finally there were some small dwelling houses on the same land, which stood where the garages were behind the pub. Traces of these existed until the 1960’s.
The source of the pub’s name is intriguing and is thought to have a heraldic origin. In addition, 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 being occupied by Cole Brothers). In total eight Yellow Lions are known to have existed within 20 miles of Sheffield at one time or another but only two (at Aston and Greasbrough) are now left. The Yellow Lion in Chesterfield on Saltergate became ‘Local Heroes’ around 1997. /font> With thanks to John Hirst for additional research, and Mick and Joyce Emmens for loan of deeds for the Yellow Lion. Jim McIntosh Duke of York,
Elton - A True Heritage Pub
There are only 248 out of 60,000+ pubs in the UK that meet the criteria for National Inventory status (see the accompanying feature on page 4). Of these, only 5 are in Derbyshire - since you ask, the others are the Olde Gate Inne at Brassington, Derby’s Ye Olde Dolphin, the Barley Mow at Kirk Ireton and the Three Stags Heads, Wardlow Mires. To lose any part of this heritage, simply for change’s sake, is unthinkable - which is why CAMRA’s Pub Heritage Group is promoting, via the National Inventory, awareness of conservation issues to interested parties. Meantime, we celebrate the best of what’s left - here’s to the grand old Duke of York - a true survivor! John Hassall Pub Feature - The Barley
Mow, Bonsall
The Hudson Bay Beer
House - Bolsover The property was purchased in the spring of 2002 by the
Hudson Bay Beer Company, who immediately closed it for a complete
refurbishment, before re-opening in September. As you step through the door
and see the Italian marble and quarry tiled floor, the pale wooden tables
and the dark leather settees, you might for a moment forget that you are
standing in a public house in Bolsover. Having looked around and taken in
the surroundings it will become apparent that this is indeed an English pub
and a very comfortable and welcoming one at that. Maurice is one of the partners in the company owning the
pub, and he tells me that it is planned that the company will buy further
pubs as suitable properties become available, and that the Hudson Bay Beer
House will be the flagship for a small group of licensed premises. If a
suitable property can be acquired the company would also be interested in
opening a small brewery. Mary Keast This webpage was last updated on Sunday, 07 October 2007 |
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Copyright © 1996 - 2007 Chesterfield & District CAMRA |
The
Old Feathers has now gone, demolished at the end of October for retail
development. The pub, on the edge of the town centre, was closed and boarded
up in the spring of this year. The Feathers had escaped closure in the
past, in 1912 the Police tried to close the pub because of its dilapidated
state. It was said, at this time, to be one of the town’s oldest pubs and
had its floor level 2 feet (60cm) below ground level. After renewed attempts
for closure, the Home brewery drew up plans to rebuild the pub, behind the
original. The rebuilding was completed in 1917.
The
Yellow Lion at Apperknowle was built in the 1860s by a local man named
Godfrey Ward on a parcel of land at Apperknowle that he had bought from a
George Ward, who may have been his brother. The 1861 Census shows that
Godfrey Ward (then aged 44), who stated his occupations as Scale Presser and
Innkeeper, lived at “The Yellow Lion Inn” with his wife, Frances, and their
five sons. In White’s 1862 Directory of Sheffield, Godfrey Ward was listed
as running an unnamed beerhouse in Apperknowle. The 1864 edition of the same
directory names the Yellow Lion as an inn. 
Godfrey
Ward sold the Yellow Lion in 1876 for £1300, plus fixtures, to William
Harrison and George Howe, 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 name still appears on the step at the front entrance, suggesting
that they were responsible for the change of entrance mentioned above.
Gilmours themselves fell to Tetley's in 1954. Michael (Mick) Emmens became
licensee on 16 June 1969 when the pub was still tied to Tetleys, buying the
freehold in 1986. Mick and his wife, Joyce, ran the pub until it closed its
doors for the last time on Sunday 7 September 2003. Unfortunately it had not
proved possible to sell the pub as a going concern and it will now be
converted into two houses by a property company. 
Chesterfield
& District CAMRA will be out in force again on Thursday 14th August to
present a special certificate, celebrating the pub’s place in the Campaign’s
National Inventory of Outstanding Pub Interiors. (If you want to join us,
see the Socials page for more details) The last remaining pub in Elton is an
example of a basic, unreconstructed, village hostelry - something of a
rarity these days, hence the fuss.
Have
you ever had the feeling you were being watched? For landlord Alan Webster
and landlady Ann Webster at the Barley Mow in Bonsall this is has become an
everyday experience. The area has recently become a hot spot for UFO
sightings in the UK and many residents have reported seeing strange lights
in the sky or unusual airborne objects. In one 4 month period alone there
were over 20 sightings in the Bonsall area, with the total figure over the
past 30 years being well over a hundred. People have travelled from all over
the world to learn more about the Bonsall UFOs and Alan is pleased to tell
them the best places for sightings and give information on what to look for.
The first Barley Mow UFO walk was featured on the BBC’s Country File
programme and more recently Alan, who is now something of an expert on the
subject of UFOs, was interviewed by Ian McCaskill for the BBC Morning Show.
The International Bonsall UFO society meet at the pub every month and Alan
keeps a record of all sightings reported to him.