12 St. Georges Place in 1939 Kellys directory. The Horse and Groom is immediately behind Cheltenham town library. The pub closed sometime in the late 1960’s / early 1970’s. The words ‘Horse and Groom’ are clearly visible on an engraved stone plinth on the single storey part of the old pub.
Godsell & Sons of Salmon Springs Brewery near Stroud were the owners of the Horse & Groom in 1891 and 1903. Registered with the licensing authorities as a beer house it had an annual rateable fixed during that duration of £21.5s.0d.
Jack Dicks, the landord of the Horse & Groom from 1954 to 1963, supplemented his income as an on-course bookmaker. During Jack’s tenancy the pub was tied to Stroud Brewery and – as can be seen below – was just a few yards away from the Cheltenham Brewery.
In 1956 a full licence was granted. It was the first pub in Cheltenham to have a Juke Box but this was removed when the pub became part of the West Country Breweries estate. The company had a contract with their own Juke Box suppliers, no doubt the replacement had an inferior song selection.
The Horse & Groom was a favourite pub for the American airmen based at Brize Norton and Fairford. They also frequented the Crown in the High Street. Allegedly both pubs were later put out of bounds by the Camp Commandant.
Derek Bond kindly supplied me with the following information.
My 2nd great grandfather, James Tanner, was the Beerhouse Keeper at this pub in the 1841 census until 1866 when the business went bankrupt. I have several records from the British Newspaper archives, which I summarise below:
Cheltenham Journal and Gloucestershire Fashionable Weekly Gazette. 07 April 1860:
Article about the death of William Holtham, known in the town amongst the cattle dealing fraternity, as a good judge of horses. He was lodging in the Berkeley Arms, Albion Street. After drinking a lot he was found dead back at his lodgings by Mr Millett the landlord.
Earlier in the evening Thomas Fowles went with Mr Saunders to the Horse & Groom, and saw the deceased with Mr Carter, Mr Dee and the landlord. There is a description of how he was taken ill and then Mr Tanner would not let Fowles leave him. Fowles says he did not fall from the settle in the Horse & Groom, but he would have done if it had not been for him.
The coroner of the case had blamed the witness James Tanner for removing him from the premises in a bad state. However the foreman of the jury thought he was not to be blamed.
Cheltenham Mercury 19 April 1862 & Cheltenham Chronicle 15 April 1862 & Gloucestershire Chronicle 19 April 1862:
Article about the death of Davis, the proprietor of a roulette table, who was found dead on the rails of the GWR. James Tanner of the Horse & Groom had said that he came to his house (pub) the day before the races, with a partner. The jury found he had quarrelled with his partner and had too much to drink. The coroner found the death to be serious apoplexy and the jury that he died of natural causes.
Cheltenham Journal and Gloucestershire Fashionable Weekly Gazette. 14 January 1850:
An article about an assault by Thomas Riddiford, a police constable, against Jane Fowles with attempt of rape. One of the witnesses cross-examine mentions going to Mrs Tanners in St Georges Place. Later in the article Harriet Tanner, wife of James Tanner, stated on oath that her husband keot the Horse & Groom beer-house opposite the police station.
Cheltenham Examiner 08 January 1851:
Article about The Bath Swindling case involving George Rowland Hill, his wife Rachael Hill and Thomas Window of Dowdeswell Mill who were on trial for trying to obtain goods under false pretences from various tradesmen. Harriet Tanner said that Window and Mrs Hill came to the Horse & Groom beer house of her husband , with John Hill as porter, with a quantity of goods brought from the railway station and put them in the loft. James Tanner said that Mrs Hill was renting the loft at 1s 6d a week and said that when the goods came they were to be taken up there.
Cheltenham Journal and Gloucestershire Fashionable Weekly Gazette. 18 July 1863:
Article about a Trotting Race between 2 horses belonging to Mr Washbourne, the Reddings, and Mr Tanner, Horse & Groom, took place on Thursday evening on the Tewkesbury Road. Mr Tanner’s horse (rode by Mr Newman) won by about four lengths. The distance was from the Railway Bridge to the Cross Hands.
Cheltenham Examiner 31 August 1853:
Under Deaths – August 24 at the Horse & Groom , St Georges Place, aged 3 years , Fanny daughter of Mr Tanner.
Cheltenham Examiner 31 October 1860:
Article about a juvenile theft by George Nash, aged 11, who stole a shilling from the till of No 17 St Georges Place. He was an errand boy and confessed to the prosecutor whilst held in custody at the Horse & Groom public house. Police-constable Birks had said he visited the Horse & Groom , kept by James Tanner, 11 St Georges Place. The boy was drunk, but Birks said he did not get the drink there.
Cheltenham Chronicle 13 October 1853:
Article about robbery by an ex-policeman Jethers Staunton who stole a shirt. P.C. Chapple found his waistcoat missing and went to the Horse & Groom public house opposite the police station, where he asked to see the contents of a bundle. Harriet Tanner, landlady of the Horse and Groom, proved that the prisoner had brought the bundle containing the waistcoat to her. The prisoner claimed he had taken it by mistake.
Cheltenham Journal and Gloucestershire Fashionable Weekly Gazette. 09 December 1854:
Article about Malicious conduct by Patrick Murray, a labourer from Liverpool aged 18, who broke a pane of glass in the window of the Horse & Groom public house, St Georges Place. Harriet Tanner, wife of James Tanner, landlord of the Horse & Groom, was sitting in the kitchen of her house and heard the parlour window smash. She ran out to see the prisoner standing near the police station, who admitted it on the basis he had no money and did not know where to lodge.
Cheltenham Examiner 28 February 1866:
The bankruptcy Act 1861 – a notice that James Tanner of the Horse & Groom Inn Cheltenham…Licensed dealer in ale, porter, cider, perry and tobacco and licensed to let one horse and dog cart was adjudged bankrupt on the 26th February 1866 and must attend a creditors meeting at the Court House Cheltenham on 13th March 1866.
Cheltenham Examiner 21 March 1866:
Another notice of the Bankruptcy Act is making application for his discharge on 4 May 1866 at Cheltenham Court House
Gloucestershire Chronicle 24 September 1870:
Notice of an auction to take place at the Royal Hotel Cheltenham on 13 Oct 1870 which includes a very valuable freehold estate known as Banfurlong with a convenient cottage situated in the parish of Badgeworth, and within a short distance from the said Cheltenham and Gloucester Turnpike Road and containing 27A. 2M and 1P., in the occupation of Mr James Tanner.
Landlords at the Horse and Groom include:
1844, 1866 James Tanner
1870,1878 James Ingles
1883 J. Coates
1891 Charles Clement Craddock
1903 Alfred Curtis
1939 – 1954 Raymond O. Franklin
1954-1963 Jack and Doris Dicks
