Honeybourne is now in Worcestershire. The Gate Inn has a rare Cheltenham & Hereford Ales ‘Best in the West’ ceramic plaque still in situ.
From Honeybourne, ‘Then and Now’ – A Millenium Album
The Gate
At the crossroads between Cow and Church Honeybourne, stands the Gate Inn, formerly known as The Bridge Inn, dating back to the seventeenth century. It originally stood in some fifty acres of land, known as Bridge Grounds, in the parish of Weston Subedge, in the county of Gloucester.
In 1681 it is recorded as Honeybourne Bridge Estate and Lodge Grounds, a title it retained when owned by no less, Sir Thomas Phillips, a Baronet from Middle Hill, Broadway. He was also the owner of Buckland Manor in the 1800’s, which had passed to him upon the death of his father, also Thomas Phillips, a calico printer from the north.
The Bridge Estate remained in the Phillips family for some years but times were hard and in common with many other properties, it was morgaged to a variety of people, including Reverend Francis Laing of Tewkesbury and Elias Isaac of Boughton who in 1837 secured the sum of £3,000 with interest – a considerable sum at that time. It has, of course, had many owners, including John Haliwell Walcot, a farmer from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. He sold the inn with its fifty acres and five perches, stables and outbuildings, yard and garden in October 1924 to Sladder and Collier of Evesham for the princely sum of one thousand nine hundred pounds.
We still have residents today who recall being sent to the inn outdoor, with a jug and basin to purchase the family’s evening meal. This eagerly awaited delicacy was tripe and tales abound of those whose senses, assailed by the delicious aroma drifting toward their nostrils found it impossible to resist just a little slurp of the gravy on the way home which, understandably resulted in a clip round the ear if discovered.
The above image was taken in May 1953 (credit R.H. Sargeant)
Licensing Details:
Owner in 1891: William Phillips (free from brewery tie)
Rateable value in 1891: £11.17s.6d.
Type of licence in 1891: Alehouse
Owner in 1903: O.C.B.D. Walcot (leased Sladden & Collier, Brewers, Evesham)
Rateable value in 1903: £21.5s.0d.
Type of licence in 1903: Alehouse
Closing time in 1903: 10pm
Landlords at the Gate Inn include:
1885 Alfred Taplin
1891 Joseph Kinman
1902, 1906 John Eva
1919 Simon John Eva
1927,1939 Thomas John Sears