9 Nelson Street in 1919 & 1939 directories. The Golden Fleece once brewed its home made beer on the premises. T. Poole is listed as a brewer in 1856.
The pub was then acquired by Godsell & Sons. In a report in 1905 Charles Barnes, cashier to Godsell’s Brewery, said that the “house was a very comfortable one but the ceilings were a little low.”
The Stroud Brewery Courier, September 1949: We learn with regret that Mr Charlie Watkins had to give his employment in the Transport Department owing to his leg injury. This old County Rugger Man, however, will still keep up the prestige of the Stroud Brewery Company as mine host of the Golden Fleece Inn, Stroud. Good luck ‘Crippy’.
The Citizen, 8th October 1987 – Woman (74) died after pub game: A retired Stroud landlady who collapsed during a game of crib died soon after she reached Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Mrs Nancy Vines (74), of Horns Road was playing for the Golden Fleece at the Royal British Legion Club in Cainscross.
For 30 years she ran the Old Yew Tree Inn at Wallsquarry, Brimscombe, with her husband Jack until the pub was closed in 1978.
The Citizen, 3rd May 2002 – New beer garden is feature of town pub: A new spot to enjoy your pint in the sun has been officially opened in Stroud. The ribbon was cut to declare the new beer garden at The Golden Fleece on Nelson Street, in time for warmer evenings and sunny afternoons.
With a lack of beer gardens in central Stroud the newly landscaped spot at the Fleece is a welcome addition to the town, says landlord Rodda Thomas.
Popular landlord and music promoter Andy Thomas (no relation to Rodda) bought the Golden Fleece several years ago and transformed it into a cosy and atmospheric jazz pub where live music is a regular feature. Andy died in January aged 43 but the atmosphere he created at the Golden Fleece lives on. And Ann Thomas, Andy’s widow becomes the official licensee of the Golden Fleece.
A night of French swing at pub – The Golden Fleece, Stroud’s Jazz and Blues pub on Nelson Street, presents a night of French swing this Thursday, 3rd October 2002. The band are the Cosimini Duo and the show starts at 9pm. Entry is free.
The Citizen, 3rd February 2003 – Man hurt at pub: A man suffered serious cuts to his forehead after being pushed into a pub though a window, The incident at the Golden Fleece in Nelson Street, Stroud, happened just before 5pm on Thursday. The 46-year-pld man was taken to Stroud General Hospital. A 25-year-old man has been charged with assault causing actual bodily harm and criminal damage.
Western Daily Press, 14th October 2003 – Pub teams’ midnight cricket clash: They say only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun, but yesterday it appeared that Stroud cricket fans prefer their sun at midnight. It may not be traditional cricket, but two teams from the town are preparing to play a midnight match in Sweden where the summer sun shines virtually around the clock.
The idea was the brainchild of Rodda Thomas, landlord of the Golden Fleece pub, who was bowled over to learn about a tournament at Guttsta in northern Sweden. About 40 others agreed and have signed up for a trip to the four-day tournament which takes place next June.
The Citizen, Friday 30th July 2004 – Golden Fleece worth a quest (‘Pub of the Week’): The popular Stroud pub, the Golden Fleece, Nelson Street, has been spruced up a little of late with the addition of a new bar. But its fans who appreciate the Fleece’s unique brand of “shabby chic”, needn’t be too concerned. It’s still got a well-worn carpet and an appealing assortment of tables and chairs.
The new bar, says landlord Rodda Thomas, is merely to give the staff a little extra space rather than change the well-worn character of the popular pub.
Established as a jazz pub by the late Andy Thomas, the Golden Fleece continues to provide a cosy venue for live music. It hosts regular acoustic music evenings on Thursdays as well as Jazz on Sunday afternoons and has a cool selection of CD’s behind the bar.
The Golden Fleece has spawned its own cricket team, as well as its infamous biker runs to Cornwall – often on a mission to bring back Spingo, the famous and ‘acquired taste’ real ale brewed in the Blue Anchor at Helston.
The Citizen, December 2008 – Chimney blaze: Firefighters tackled a chimney fire at the Golden Fleece pub in Nelson Street, Stroud, at 9am on Christmas morning. Two crews from Stroud fire station attended. Two people were affected by smoke inhalation and were treated by ambulance crews at the scene. The fire was put out quickly and the pub was not damaged.
Vintage Tunes – Tunes will ring out from a Stroud pub next month. A vintage V-Rocket sound system will be wheeled into the Golden Fleece in Nelson Street on November 12th 2010. Music will include old R ‘n’ B and ska records and the music will be from 8pm to 11.30pm. Entry is free.
The Citizen, 13th June 2012: – Fleece closes: Stroud pub the Golden Fleece has shut. The Nelson Street freehouse – a popular venue for live music – has been on the market to let with owners Enterprise Inns since the start of the month.
Stroud News & Journal, 19th August 2015 – Pub brought back from the ashes by landlords: One of Stroud’s most popular pubs – The Golden Fleece in Nelson Street – is open again after a year of being boarded up. Rorie and Ania Scott have renovated the pub alongside Rorie’s parents, David Scott and Elizabeth Gibling, over the last five months. David said: “We opened on Friday, 7th August and had a fabulous reception, half of Stroud was here.
“So many people are delighted to see the pub open again. We wanted to keep it recognisable as the old pub so we kept the same name,” said Rorie. And while the pub is attracting a lot of attention, so is its sign dating back to 1906 for the original Stroud (Godsell’s) Brewery.
Licensing Details:
Owner in 1891: Godsell & Sons, Salmon Springs Brewery, Stroud
Rateable value in 1891: £16.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1891: Alehouse
Owner in 1903: Godsell & Sons, Salmon Springs Brewery, Stroud
Rateable value in 1903: £20.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1903: Alehouse
Closing time in 1903: 11pm
Owner in 1999: Enterprise Inns
Landlords at the Golden Fleece include:
1830 Henry White (Fleece, Nelson Street)
1852 William Hunt
1856 T. Poole (listed as a brewer in 1856)
1885,1902 William Niblett (probably moved to the New Inn, Silver Street)
1903 William Alfred Camm
1906 James Miles
1919 Julius Morle
1927 William Powis
1939 Arthur James Brain
1949 Charlie Watkins
? Alma Watkins
? George and Iris Jameson (from Corn Hall)
1994,1998 Andy Thomas (also licensee of the Pelican Inn)
1998 (Aug), 1999 Kaz Kirton (pub manager)
2002, 2004 Rodda Thomas (pub manager)
2008 Wendy Lewis and Anne O’Neill-Thomas
2012 Tabitha Nice and Joshua Button
2015 Rorie and Ania Scott
