Northwick Place was on the west side of Bath Road, immediately to the south of Victoria Retreat. Listed as 28 Upper Bath Road in 1927 reference. The present-day numbering equates to 131-135 Bath Road.
Samuel Phipps was the owner of the Fountain Inn in 1891 when the pub, listed as an alehouse, was trading free from brewery tie. The annual rateable value was set at £25.10s.0d. Twelve years later Samuel Phipps was still the owner but he had secured a lease agreement with Godsell’s & Sons who provided their beer from the Salmon Springs brewery which was located just to the north of Stroud.
Landlady Elfrida Washington was fined in 1907 for allowing drunkenness on the premises. Her regular customers accompanied her to the hearing and claimed that the person who had been accused of being drunk at the Fountain was, actually, a lot less the worse for wear than a number of other people drinking in the pub at the time. Their well-meant intervention was no help to Elfrida as she was fined £3 plus costs.
The Gloucestershire Echo reported on 10th March 1927 that “the house was conducted in a model way and was kept scrupulously clean and beautifully kept.” However, the license of the Fountain Inn was refused in 1929.
The premises were converted into an electrical shop – trading as Modern Radio for several years. It was later a joke shop run by a local conjuror known as Professor Bovey. The shop in the 1950’s was a tailor and lingerie business. In 1963 the site had been redeveloped into a Fine Fare Supermarket. It was opened by TV personality Katie Boyle. Sainsburys Local now trades on the site.
Landlords at the Fountain Inn include:
1847 Fred Holliday
1856 H. Pearce
1859 George Mill
1870 Frederick Carr
1878 Harry Burmore
1883 H.H. Hoatson
1885,1891 Frederick Buckland
1902 Mrs Harriet Child
1903,1906 Frank Young (Frank married Harriet who had previously been married to George Child)
1907 George Washington and Elfrida Standen (Washington)
1919,1927 Harry Braint
