The Britannia was at the junction of St. Pauls Street South and Swindon Road. A reference in 1883 refers to the Britannia Inn, St Pauls Cross.
William Green was the owner and occupier of the Britannia Stores in 1891. It was a licensed beer house with an annual rateable value of £15.5s.0d. and it traded as a free house. Showell & Co., brewers of Oldbury in Staffordshire (Oldbury is now in the West Midlands) had acquired the Britannia Stores in 1903. The revised rateable value per annum in 1903 was £17.15s.0d.
The licence was refused in 1927. Council houses were subsequently built on the site.
Landlords / Keepers at the Britannia Inn or Stores include:
1870 George Lloyd
1878,1883 William Green
1891 William Green (Britannia Stores)
1903 William Thomas Bowery (Britannia Stores)
1919 William Bowery (Britannia Inn)
1926,1927 Mrs Hannah Bowery
Hi Geoff,
You have George Lloyd listed as the landlord in 1870, then William Green in 1878 & 1883.
In the 1872-3 Royal Directory, found John Maynard listed for the Britannia Ale Stores under “Back Road” immediately followed by “St. Paul’s street south,” so it is definitely this premises.
In the 1876 Royal Directory it is again listed under “Back Street” but no name given for the landlord. This time the entry is preceded by “St. Paul’s-cross (the old name for the crossroads junction of St. Paul’s Street South and St. Paul’s Street North with Swindon Road).
In the 1878 Royal Directory it doesn’t give the licensed premises name, but listed under “Swindon Road” is “William Green, St. Paul’s Cross” which ties in with the location and your listing of William Green as landlord in 1878 and 1883.
In the 1880-1 Post Office Directory it also has William Green listed at “St. Paul’s Cross” under “Swindon Road” but doesn’t mention a pub name.
But in the 1883-4 & 1890-1 Post Office Directories it does list under “Swindon Road” immediately after “(St. Paul’s Street South intervenes)” the “Britannia Ale & Porter Stores William Green.”
In the 1901 & 1902 Annuaires it has “Britannia Inn, Mr. W. R. Bowery” right after “Duke of Sussex Inn, Mr. W. Mansell” and “…St. Paul’s Street S. here…” and the 1902 Built-Leonard has it listed too.
It is then listed in various Annuaires, Built-Leonard Directories and from 1913 – 1916 in the Looker-On Directory as the Britannia Inn with W.T. Mansell as landlord.
In the 1922 & 1924 Built-Leonard Directories it is listed as the Britannia Inn with Mrs. Bowery as landlady, and in the 1925 Built-Leonard as Britannia Stores with Mrs. Bowery.
In the 1926 & 1927 Kelly’s it is listed as the Britannia Inn again with Mrs. H. Bowery as landlady
Interestingly, even though you say the license was refused in 1927, it is still listed in Swindon Road as the Britannia Inn in Kelly’s Directories with Mrs. Hannah Bowery as landlady in 1928, and Mrs. H. Bowery in 1929. It is also listed as Britannia Stores Mrs. H. Bowery in the 1929 Built-Leonard Directory.
It continues to be listed as the “Britannia inn, Mrs. Hannah Bowery” in the 1930 Kelly’s too.
It only finally disappears from the Kelly’s listings in 1931 (it is still listed as Britannia Stores in the Built-Leonard in 1931 – 1933 but with no landlord name just a dash – ).
Looking back from 1870, I did come across a listing for a “Beer Retailer” in Swindon Road in 1851 and 1852 Edwards Directories that I hadn’t been able to connect to any of the other pubs or breweries. His name is R. Hanks.
My not being able to connect him to other premises, doesn’t mean that he was definitely at the Britannia Ale Stores, but we do already know for sure that C. Grant was at the Caledonian and W. Watts at the Duke of Sussex, T. Freeman at the Regent Ale & Porter Stores and Joseph Ward at the White Horse (both Regent Place, Swindon Road), T. Hodges at the Royal Standard and William Hobbs at the Old Cherry Tree, so the Britannia Ale Stores seems most likely.
If so, this adds almost 20 years to its existence.
Interestingly, although not listed as a “Beer Retailer” in the 1850 Edwards, R. Hanks does appear to be listed as such in the 1847 Hunt & Co. Directory and 1848 Edwards Directory, only under his full name “Hanks, Robert” and then in “Cleveland street” off the Tewkesbury Road – I would guess at the Cleveland Arms, which certainly existed then (and for which you have landlords listed in 1844 and 1856, so 1847 and 1848 would fit nicely).
Cheers,
Alan Jones