Hobnails Inn, Stow Road, Little Washbourne, nr Alderton GL20 8NQ

The Hobnails dates back to the 15th century. It was built in 1473. The rateable values of just £8.0s.0d. in 1891 and £8.2s.6d. in 1903 are surprisingly low given its status as an ale house.

When Stephen and Venessa Fairbrother retired from the pub in August 1999 it brought to an end more than 250 years of the Hobnails being in the same family. In 1743 Timothy Shurey ran the pub. His descendants, the Fletcher family, ran the pub until Stephen and Venessa retired. The Hobnails Inn was one of the first pubs to specialise in food. In the early 1950’s the landlady June Fletcher made steak baps to a secret family recipe and people came from far and wide to enjoy them. Baps were still being served at the Hobnails Inn during the late 1990’s. Landlord Stephen Fairbrother even got a nickname – ‘Bapman!’

The ‘Famous Bap Builder’ was a bit like a pizza. You could choose a basic filling such as gammon, steak or chicken and then add extra toppings.

Courtesy Michael Wilkes

September 2006

The Hobnails Inn suffered from flash flooding in the Great Gloucestershire Flood of 20^th July 2007. The water was three feet high in the bar and restaurant but, despite this upheaval, the pub accommodated 150 stranded motorists overnight. Landlord David McLean told the ‘Gloucestershire Echo’: “It was a tight squeeze. A lot of the bar and restaurant area had been flooded, but we managed. There were 150 people in a space we’d normally have had about thirty in. They only had chairs and there were no blankets but there was a great camaraderie.” The repairs to the pub cost £150,000 and it was closed until 26^th October 2007.