Greyhound Inn, Hampton Street, Tetbury - Glo'shire Pubs & Breweries

The Greyhound was directly opposite Cook’s Tetbury Brewery and served as their tap house. The Greyhound is still trading although the days of Cook’s Tetbury Ales are long forgotten. The exterior of the pub would be still recognisable to Messrs Cook except that the old stable entrance has been partitioned into a glazed doorway. The old Tetbury Brewery can still be seen across the road which has now converted into luxury apartments.

From “Take a closer look at Tetbury’s Inns & Public Houses” by S.G. Mosdell.

The Greyhound Inn, which seems to date from the mid 1750’s, most likely took its name from the coursing activities on nearby Larkhill and Tetbury common, but could have been from the heraldic device of Henry VIII. Of interest is the fact that one of the stone plaques on the side of the Parish Church is carved to show a muzzled dog.

Fire seemed to be the licensed trade’s biggest enemies for The Greyhound Inn suffered a disaster in 1886 when all the stabling at the rear was destroyed; the inn-keeper risking life and limb to turn loose all the terrified horses kept there by Joey White whose Omnibus service to Kemble Station was terminated when the branch railway opened in 1889. The stables of no further practical use were converted to a skittle alley.

Considerable alterations have been made internally. Of interest is the Sun Insurance Plate which is still visible high up on the gable.

‘Tetbury Talk’ by Syd Mosdell (from the Wilts & Glos Standard, 3rd April 2003): The much maligned licensing bill, which was stalled in the House of Lords over the clause which would allow unaccompanied under 14’s into pubs, is likely to become law before the end of this year.

Under the bill, the game of darts, a century old tradition in our pubs, is deemed too dangerous and too entertaining to be allowed to continue. The licensing bill has been introduced to remove the matters of alcohol and entertainment from the control by magistrates and passed to local authorities. Landlords who hang a dartboard without a wall of strengthened glass could face a fine of £20,000 or six months in jail.

Earlier in this century every public house in Tetbury had a dartboard and invariably a team in the local darts league. Teams travelled to other pubs and many events were sponsored by national newspapers. Those who watch the darts championships screened on TV will know of the popularity of the sport and most of the competitors acquired their skills in pubs.

The number of pubs in Tetbury has declined and, consequently, so have the dart boards. The Greyhound Inn advertises the fact that it has the only dartboard in Tetbury.

Image Courtesy Paul Best. Note the proximity of the Plough Inn.

In October 1979 a youth attacked the Greyhound by hurling two home-made Molotov cocktails made from paint brush cleaner through a window. The unprovoked incendiary attack set fire to a utility room, damaging part of the windows, floor and ceiling. A passer-by raised the alarm and the fire was tackled with buckets of water before the fire crews arrived at the scene. The landlord thought that the attacker could have been influenced by a film on television shown a few hours before the incident which apparently gave instructions how incendiaries were made.

Wilts & Glos Standard, Thursday 14th February 2008 – Pub calls time: A popular Tetbury watering hole has closed. The Greyhound Inn in Hampton Street was a traditional haunt of local drinkers and one of the few remaining homes for the town skittles league. It shut two weeks ago overnight and a skip has now appeared outside the door.

Licensee Tracey Smith did not want to comment about the reasons behind the closure but stressed the support of regulars and friends had meant an enormous amount to her. She said: “I made a lot of friends and it is at times like this you realise who your fiends are. I built the business up over six years from nothing. It is a sad loss. I can appreciate that more than anyone. I did have a lot of regular customers and I tried to make it a venue for everybody, not just young people. It was just like a big family.”

Customer Gary O’Connell said: “It is a proper Tetbury person’s pub. It is a huge loss. I was completely flabbergasted when I heard it had gone.”

As well as skittle players, the hostelry was also a popular venue for local football teams and their supporters. The future of the pub is not yet clear. Tracey emphasised: “Whatever happens it is definitely not going to be closed for good.”