Numbered 7 St. Pauls Street North in 1883 directory. This is on the western side of the terraced street not far from Swindon Road. The present day 7 St. Pauls Street North is an ordinary terraced house with no indication to show that it might have once been a beer house.
Cheltenham Original Brewery were the owners of the Brewers Arms, a licensed beer house, in 1891 and 1903. The annual rateable value decreased for reasons unknown between 1891 when it was set at £18.5s.0d. and twelve years later in 1903 when it was £13.10s.0d.
Beryl Biggs, who was born in St. Pauls Street North, sent me the following information:
“I was born in 8 St Paul’s St N and grew up believing it was a pub. No 8 had wide grating out the back for rolling down the barrels. No 9 had evidence of off licence inside the front door. Never went in no 7. When studying an old map, it seems the pub was over7,8 & 9. When I lived there 50s to 70s, No 8 had the entrance to the lane at the back (between 2 cottages). Old map shows this to be no 7. Same family occupied all 3 houses at one time. I think the pub property was divided up at some stage changing the layout at the back where no 8 got the wide rear entrance. Been researching this for a while now but never discovered when the pub opened and when it closed.“
Above image: Chris Amies
Hi Geoff,
This doesn’t necessarily tie in directly to the pub, the Brewers’ Arms, St. Paul’s Street North, but just to say that J. Paget – landlord in 1844 – is listed as resident in St. Paul’s Street North in the names on the “Register of Electors” in Cheltenham in the 1839 and 1840 Annuaires, which may mean that the beerhouse was trading then.
Alan Jones
Landlords at the Brewers Arms include:
1844 John Paget
1859 John Paggatt
1870 John Morgan
1878 James Booth
1883,1891 Josiah Forty
1898 William Watson South He died there 16 Feb 1898,
1903 Samuel Harrison
Geoff,
You already have John Paget as landlord of the Brewers Arms in St. Paul’s Street North, Cheltenham in 1844.
Additionally, I found him listed under “Beer Retailers” in the following:
1847 Hunt & Co. Directory – address “7, St. Paul’s street” and 1848, 1850, 1851 and 1852 Edwards Directories the same.
In the 1872-3 Royal Directory Mary A. Mason is listed for the “Brewers’ Arms inn” between nos. 6 and 8
1876 Royal under St. Paul’s Street North lists “7 Brewers’ Arms Inn Jas. Booth”
1880-1 Post Office Directory as above
1883-4 Post Office Directory same except J. Forty landlord
1890-1 Post Office Directory as above
1903 Built-Leonard Directory under St. Paul’s Street North lists “7 Brewers’ Arms Mrs. South”
1904 Built-Leonard as above but with S. Harrison as landlord
1911 Built-Leonard under “St. Paul’s Street N.” lists “7 Brewers’ Arms C. Boyce”
1913 Looker-On under “St. Paul’s Street, North” lists “7 Mrs. S. A. Jones” – no mention of a pub
1914 – 1916 Looker-On as above but with S. Surman resident BUT
1922 Built-Leonard under “St. Paul’s Street N.” lists “7 Brewers’ Arms – H. Surman” which makes me think that it had been a pub all along, but the Looker-On didn’t record it as such.
1924 & 1925 Built-Leonard “7 Brewers’ Arms W. H. Iddles”
1926 – 1928 Kelly’s, like the Looker-On doesn’t record it as a pub, but shows “Iddles William Herbert” at no. 7 St. Paul’s Street North
1927 Built-Leonard does list it as “7 Brewer’s Arms W.H. Iddles” (Their change from the apostrophe after the s to before it i.e. plural possessive to singular possessive)
1929 Built-Leonard lists the same as above
The 1930 and 1931 Kelly’s list “Brooks Jn” at 7 St. Paul’s Street North and the 1931 Built-Leonard lists J. Brookes, no mention of the pub. I therefore believe it must have closed in 1929 or 1930.
Still, that now gives this small terraced pub a lifespan of at least 85 years! Exactly the kind of record that Cheltenham chroniclers of the past have failed to record, notice or celebrate.
Cheers,
Alan Jones