Coach & Horses Inn, Longborough, nr Moreton in Marsh GL56 0QU

There were once two pubs called the Coach & Horses in the parish of Longborough and both were tied to the Donnington Brewery. The Coach & Horses at Ganborough on the A424 closed in December 2015.

https://www.coachandhorseslongborough.co.uk

Oxfordshire Weekly News, Wednesday 30th March 1870 – Sudden death of a child: On the 21st of March, an adjourned inquest was held at the Coach and Horses Inn, Longborough, before Mr Cohren, deputy coroner, to inquire into the cause of the illegitimate son of Mary Sanders, single woman. It appeared that the mother was attended to in confinement by Mr Drew, of Stow, and the child died suddenly four days after its birth. Mr Horsley, county analyst, who had been requested to analyse the stomach of deceased, deposed to have to having submitted the contents of the stomach to the usual tests for poison, but found nothing of the kind. The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the child died from natural causes.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, Saturday 20th February 1892: Alfred Tuffley, of Longborough, was charged by William Newman, landlord of the Coach and Horses, Longborough, with refusing to quit on 6th February. Defendant was fined 10 shillings.

Oxfordshire Weekly News, Wednesday 13th February 1907 – Innkeeper’s Suicide: On Saturday afternoon Mr. Arthur Edwin Williams, landlord of the Coach and Horses, Longborough, shot himself under circumstances which indicate that the action was intentional and premeditated. The deceased, who was 37 years of age, resided with his wife, Mrs Jane Elizabeth Williams, since marrying whom some eight years ago he had remained at home looking after the business. He enjoyed good health, and there every reason to believe that he lived comfortably with his wife. In November last he was attended by Dr. Miller, of Stow-on-the-Wold, who found him suffering from a chill. Later he had an attack of influenza, from which he recovered, and afterwards appeared in his usual health. On Saturday he arose as usual about seven o’clock, got breakfast, cleaned up the taproom, and took his wife a cup of tea. During the morning he continued his usual work, and about ten o’clock was seen sitting in the smokeroom looking over some accounts. About 2pm he went upstairs to wash and change his clothes, after which he was seen in the garden. Some time later Mrs. Williams, hearing the report of a gun in the garden, went to the back door and asked a youth, named Henry Rumbold, what it was. The youth informed her that Mr Williams had gone out with his gun. A few minutes later the boy ran into the house and said Mr Williams had shot himself. Mrs Williams and others at once went to where the deceased was lying, and found him upon his left side with his skull blown away. The gun was lying over his neck. The sad affair caused great consternation in the quiet villige, where the deceased was well known and respected.

Cheltenham Chronicle, Saturday 16th February 1907 – The suicide at Longborough: The enquiry was that relating to Mr. Williams, the inquest being held at the house of deceased, Mr. John Stokes being foreman of the jury.

Dr. Hugh Miller described the injuries of deceased. On the roof of the coalhouse and in a passage for a distance of seven yards was scattered brain matter. His cap was upside down on the roof of the coalhouse, but not touched by the shot, which showed that it had been specially placed there. A piece of string was projecting from the right-hand jacket pocket. The greater portion of the frontal bone and most of the skull bone on the left side and a considerable portion of the right side had completely disappeared. None of the brain substance was found in the skull. Apart from the injuries to the head, there was no sign of injury of any kind. The injuries were evidently from gunshot, and probably directed above the left eye and pretty close to the head. There were no signs of scorching. He believed the injuries were self-inflicted, and that it was intentional, because the cap being placed where it was. The gun must have been discharged right-handed. He had a very long reach, and could reach the trigger of the gun.

The Coroner here said that in his opinion the deceased had first tried the string, but found that it would not act, and then tried other means. In commenting on the evidence, the Coroner complimented Rumbold on his clear statements, and said the cap being placed on the top in the in the way which it was found was a strong point for the jury’s consideration that it was placed there for some special purpose. Then there was the fact that deceased had left a note his wife, which he had read to them, and which left no doubt that deceased contemplated suicide. The jury without any hesitation returned a that deceased committed suicide whilst of unsound mind.

Cheltenham Chronicle, Saturday 5th December 1908: Frank Habbats, labourer, of Longborough, was summoned under the Swine Fever Movement Order for removing a pig to premises other than those specified in the license he had procured on October 13th. He took the pig from Moreton Fair to the Coach and Horses, Longborough, intead of to the premises originally named. He was fined 2s.6d inclusive.

Gloucestershire Echo, Friday 15th October 1915 – Death of former Longborough resident: We regret to have the death of another old inhabitant of Longborough, in the person of Mrs Elizabeth Ann Williams, who died rather suddenly from stroke seizure at her residence at Grange Crescent, Gloucester, on Wednesday 6th October. The deceased lady was for upwards of 40 years the landlady of the Coach and Horses, Longborough.

Gloucestershire Echo, Friday 26th August 1910 – Stow-on-the-Wold Court: Frederick Hamblett, labourer, Longborough, was summoned for indecent behaviour Longborough on August 21st and was also summoned for having used obscene language and with having assaulted P.C. Fry whilst in the execution of his duty at the same time and place. The constable stated that at 9pm on Sunday he was on duty in the village of Longborough, and in the discharge of his duty he visited the Coach and Horses Inn, occupied by Mr. Newman. He saw defendant there and also saw him leave some time after. Outside the house he conducted himself in an indecent manner, and witness remonstrated with him. Defendant asked him what odds it was to him, and at the same time used obscene language. Witness told defendant he should report him and he then took off his coat and struck witness a blow on the side of the face. He threw defendant down, but he got up again and aimed another blow him. Defendant was then taken away by a friend.

John Gillett, labourer, and Frederick and Percy Taylor, of Longborough, gave corroborative evidence. All the witnesses stated that defendant was not drunk, but he had had some beer and had become quarrelsome. Defendant, who pleaded not guilty, said he had bad pains in his head all day on Sunday, and after having a little drop of beer at night he lost all control of himself.
The Chairman said the Bench took a lenient view of the case, having regard to thefact that nothing was known against the defendant. He was fined in all £1.

Coventry Evening Telegraph, Saturday 27th June 1936: Many Coventry cyclists to whom touring is the most pleasant side of their sport have good reason to remember the Coach and Horses, Longborough, one of the most popular catering establishments in the Cotswolds, and its former hostess, Mrs Sturmy. Mrs Sturmy died about seven weeks ago, and doubt had been expressed whether the establishment was to be carried on. It will be of interest, however, to many hundreds to know that the business is being carried on by Mr Sturmy.

Daily Express, Friday 23rd December 1983 – Express Racing column by John Garnsey (edit): Upstairs, above the bar at the Coach & Horses, Mark Pitman sleeps… or tries to. Beneath his room, locals catch the Christmas spirit, and celebrate boisteriously. Grabbing a little shuteye in the Cotswold village of Longborough can be an uphill struggle at the moment. Yet, whatever the cost in lost sleep, Mark has to resist join in the revellers. He is only 17 months into his career as a budding amateur jump rider, and already dangerously heavy at nine and a half stone. Even one quick half could tip the scales against 17-year-old Mark and his strict diet of a single square meal per day. As for late night frolics, they are banned altogether. Were Mark to abandon his spartan regime, he could say goodbye to his career right here and now.

Every morning of the 10-month jump season, often well before daybreak, he slips quietly out of the Coach and Horses and commutes the two and a half miles to the neighbouring village of Condicote, where he works for David “The Duke” Nicholson.

Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, 11th January 2001 – Connie tells of regular ghost: A Longborough pub landlady honoured for completing nearly 32 years at her hostelry says her most loyal regular is a ghost. Donnington Brewery presented Connie Emm, of the Coach and Horses, with an engraved cut-glass dish because she is the company’s longest serving tenant.Yorkshire-born Mrs Emm became a publican in the early 1960’s when she and her ex-husband started running a Courage pub at Windsor. They later did relief work for Courage before taking over a Buckinghamshire pub. Attracted by the prospect of working for a small brewery, they moved to the Coach and Horses in 1968, since when three generations have supped in the bar.

They became aware of the ghost story shortly after moving in, when glasses they had hung up started swinging on their own. The radio started turning itself on and the clock began chiming at odd times. Mrs Emm believes the ghost even spoke to her once. She said: “I was just looking out of the window and I heard this male voice say “are you alright Connie?”. This was about ten years ago. It was such a nice voice. I was not afraid.”

Mrs Emm has many fond memories of her three decades in Longborough. She said: “The pub hasn’t changed a lot, except some of my lovely old locals have passed on. But their sons started coming in and then their sons.”

The Standard, 17th May 2001 – Pub ‘deprived ‘of rates relief: The landlady of Longborough village centre Coach and Horses pub has slammed ‘red tape’ that deprived her of the 50 per cent rates relief she urgently needs as her business struggles to survive during the foot and mouth crisis. Cotswold District Council said Government rules dicatated it could not to give Connie Emm the business rates discount because Longborough, which boasts about 400 residents, has another pub within its parish boundaries.

Mrs Emm, who annually pays more than £2,000 in rates, said the other pub, also called the Coach and Horses, was not in Longborough village itself, but was a mile away on the main A424 Broadway road in neighbouring Ganborough village. She warned that other pubs could similarly suffer because of Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s Rural White Paper, which rules that a pub qualifies for rates relief if it is the only one in a parish of less than 3,000 people.

Mrs Emm, Coach and Horses landlady for 31 years, said Longborough was a pretty village but had no tourist attractions which meant her pub, overlooking the village green, depended on local people and ramblers following local footpaths. She said her trade has declined since all local footpaths were closed because of the crisis.

Vowing to “soldier on”, Mrs Emm has asked Longborough’s district councillor, Christopher Cox, for help. She said: “It was a bit of a blow because the rates relief would be a help. I haven’t had one walker in here since the foot and mouth outbreak started.”

Claire McGine, council press officer, said Ganborough was designated part of Longborough Parish on a Government list defining parish boundaries. She said: “We have a list of rural settlement, on which Ganborough is part of Longborough. In that case the rural settlement of Longborough has more than one pub.” She added: “It’s difficult to divide the whole district into settlements that have only one pub because we’d have loads and loads of small settlements.”

The Standard, 7th March 2002 – Landlady’s gift shock: Longborough’s residents had a whip-round after discovering it was their local pub landlady’s 70 birthday. They collected enough money to buy Connie Emm, who runs the Coach and Horses, a portrait of her beloved dog, Soona, who died in November, aged 13.

They presented Mrs Emm with the painting after unexpectedly arriving the pub, laden with food and fireworks to throw a surprise birthday party. Longborough artist Caroline Green painted the picture of Soona from five photographs of the springer spaniel supplied by Mrs Emm’s daughter.

Connie Emm said: “I didn’t know until they opened the door and came in. I was absolutely gobsmacked.”

Gloucestershire Echo, 16th January 2009 – Connie calls it a day after 40 years: Long-serving landlady Connie Emm has toasted her regulars as she says farewell. The 77-year-old is leaving the Coach and Horses in Longborough, after 40 years, and more than 50 in the trade. She said punters at the traditional Donnington Brewery had kept her going. “The years I’ve spent here have been the happiest of my life,” she said. “It was a fairytale come true when my husband Sandy and I took this over after working in a city. We loved the brewery, it was a family affair and Mr Arkell was wonderful. People come into this trade now to make money, but I came in because I loved it so much.”

Mrs Emm has built the Coach and Horses a name as a drinking pub. “I did food in the early days, just sandwiches and Ploughman’s, but I never wanted a gastro pub. It’s just an old, original village pub. People say there aren’t many like it.”

Mrs Emm’s final night is on 1st February.

Above – Christmas advertisement 2011

Gloucestershire Echo, Friday 12th July 2015 – Historic pub gets new name for TV’s Father (by Robin Jenkins): Regulars at an historic Cotswolds pub will be tuning in to BBC1 early next year when it will be featured on Father Brown. But viewers not familiar with the Coach & Horses in Longborough, which is between Moreton-in-Marsh and Stow-on-the-Wold, need to know that the pub will look rather different on the box. The drama, starring Mark Williams as the crime-serving clergyman, is set in the 1950’s and so producers changed various things in the pub when they spent a day filming there.

The pub’s name was changed to The Brewers’ Daughter and anything inside that hinted it was from the 21st century was removed and replaced with 1950’s style items. Joe and Wendy McDonagh, who have run the pub for the last three years and have lived there since January said the film crew kept disruption to a minimum and they were impressed with the friendly nature of the show’s star, Mark Williams. Joe said: “He came into the bar, had a chat and a cup of tea. He was quite happy to pose for photos and came and sat with the locals.”

The landlord said he could not reveal details of the episode, likely to be broadcast in January, other than to say it will feature a village pub and a fictional brewery called Kanes Brewery. The producers let the couple keep the sign for The Brewers Daughter and they plan to put it up somewhere in the pub, alongside photographs of the filming.