The Dowdeswell Arms was located outside the town of Tewkesbury on the banks of the River Severn at Upper Lode. Queen Elizabeth I is thought to have granted the right to sell beer and wine to travellers at the ale house on the Severn Ham in 1565, when William Wyatt was the tenant. The pub has also been known as the Ferry Inn and the Upper Lode Inn during its history.
The inn lost a substantial amount of passing trade when the Mythe Bridge opened in 1826, and the opening of the Upper Lode Lock and the ‘new cut’ of the River Severn left the inn isolated without any custom. The Dowdeswell Arms / Ferry Inn ceased trading c.1858.
Map Reference: SO 880331
Landlords at the Dowdeswell Arms include:
1565 William Wyatt
1794-1816 William Mann
1816 Mary Mann (widow)
1842,1851 Sarah Chador Mann
1851-1858 Henry Treeton
