Rutland Street is now part of Brunswick Street (South). It was once a maze of high-density housing which became a notoriously crowded slum area. It was partly demolished in the 1934 slum clearance programme. Rutland Street seems to have been named after a property called Rutland Lodge (1806 reference), which was situated near the north end of St Georges Street.

The sign of the Bell at 61 Rutland Street is believed to have been a licensed property in 1856 when J.Davis was in occupancy. Just one year later in 1857 the name of the inn had changed to the Pilgrim, but the pub closed permanently forty years or so later when the licence was transferred to the Malvern Inn in Leckhampton Road.

There were two other pubs in Rutland Street, the Plasterers Arms which closed on 8^th February 1917, and the Crispin Inn at 41 Rutland Street.

With thanks to Vic Cole for the research.

Cheltenham Examiner, 27th November 1867 – notice of sale by auction by Engalls, Sanders & Co on Thursday 28th November at two for three o’clock precisely at Cheltenham Auction Mart –

Freehold property, for many years known as the Victoria Brewery, situate at the junction of the Tewkesbury Road and Sun Street, with necessary yards, stabling, malt and hop rooms. Offices and extensive cellarage.

With.

The Pilgrim Inn [note – also in the sale were the Leckhampton Inn, Malvern Inn and Endeavour Inn, Charlton Kings]

“A full-licensed house, situate in Rutland Street, with cellarage.”

Landlords:

1844 John Palmer (Bell)

Hi Geoff,

Not a lot to add, except to say a beerhouse is marked “B.H.” on the 1855 – 7 Old Town Survey map which can be viewed on the Know Your Place website (maps.bristol.gov.uk/kyp/?edition=glos). It is on the east side of the street (where the car park is now). Using a later OS map as a slidable transparent overlay, you can see that a lamp post (marked L.P.) is located in front of the northern end of the pub. Using a ruler to measure across from the front of the front edge of the St. Paul’s Training College (Francis Close Hall) building, I believe that puts it just about opposite the current no. 12 (and there is still a lamp post).

A local clergyman and his wife opened a Christian Mission in Rutland Street to try and help deal with some of the suffering, hardship, sin and crime. Rutland Street was a terrible slum street with a large number of Irish people who had come to the town from other parts of the UK, especially the Miudlands, seeking work (and perhaps in some cases to escape the Potato famine), but Cheltenham’s development bubble had burst, with several developers (including Joseph Pitt and the Hon. Katherine Monson) having gone bankrupt. Rutland Street was known as “The City” and prostitution, overcrowding, poverty and crime was rife. Perhaps the Christian Mission was part of the inspiration for the Pilgrim Inn‘s name.

Cheers,

Alan Jones

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Bell Inn / Pilgrim Inn, Rutland Street / Brunswick Street, Cheltenham