The Mitre Inn was situated in a back street off the Bath Road.
George Stibbs of the Cheltenham Steam Brewery in Albion Street, Cheltenham, owned the Mitre Inn in 1891. The Mitre Inn was licensed as an ale house and had an annual rateable value of £34.0s.0d., the RV staying at the same value from 1891 to 1903. The business of Stibbs’ Albion Steam Brewery was acquired by the Cheltenham Original Brewery in 1898 together with the houses in the estate including the Mitre Inn.
In the early 1990’s it was acquired by Banks’s of Wolverhampton but closed in November 1997. In the summer of 1999 it was refurbished and traded very successfully from August as a wine bar / real ale pub called Mitres. It even won the Cheltenham CAMRA branch ‘Pub of the Year’ in 2002 gaining a place in the Good Beer Guide.
It closed unexpectedly in 2003 and has since been converted to residential flats. A West Country Ales ceramic plaque that was on the wall was removed during conversion.
Cleave’s Weekly Police Gazette, Saturday 1st October 1836 – NOTICE: If Daniel Malins, Sailor, native of Oakhampton, Devon., will either personally or by lettter, to Thomas Matthews, Mitre Inn, Bath Road, Cheltenham, he will hear of something to his advantage. Or, if any person knowing him to be dead, will write to the above-mentioned place, stating what town or parish he died in, will be amply satisfied for so doing.
Gloucestershire Echo, Wednesday 15th May 1901 – DEATHS: Job Packer, May 12th, at the Mitre Inn, Sandford Street, cheltenham. Aged 79 years.
Gloucestershire Echo, Thursday 25th April 1907: There will be a meeting (tomorrow, Friday 26th) at the Mitre Inn, Sandford Street, Cheltenham, at 8pm, to consider the formation of a cycle club.
Gloucestershire Echo, Thursday 18th January 1990 – Pub’s hot toddy treat: A traditional remedy to fight flu is to be one of the most popular tipples at a Cheltenham pub The medicinal hot toddies are being served by landlord Paddy Morrissey and his wife Pauline in bid to help customers at the Mitre Inn in St Luke’s Place fight off the virus. Mr Morrissey, a native of Galway in Ireland, has been trying to shake off the flu himself and there is nothing better than his trusted recipe Included in the generous dose are cloves of lemon brown sugar and the magic ingredient — plenty of Irish whiskey. Mr Morrissey said: “I have had one or two toddies myself and I certainly think they do me good You are told you have to keep warm and it certainly does that.“ Back home in Ireland a hot toddy pub is commonplace over here it is bit more unusual.
Gloucestershire Echo, Wednesday 8th December 1993 – Letters to the editor: Madam, I would like to express my most sincere congratulations and deep thanks to all involved in last Thursday evening’s Last Landlords; Variety Show at the Town Hall. The event which was dedicated to my late husband, Paddy Morrissey, raised a spectacular sum, over £4,000, which will go to Cheltenham General Hospital’s intensive care unit, which cared so well for Paddy in his last few days.
Mrs Pauline Morrissey, Mitre Inn.
Gloucestershire Echo, 29th June 1998 – Pub may be reopened: A former Cheltenham pub will reopen for business if a refurbishment plan is approved by Cheltenham Borough Council. The Mitre, in Sandford Street, which closed in November last year, is owned by Royale Properties. The firm has applied to turn the upstairs into a flat for the pub manager. The ground floor will reopen as a pub with an outside toilet block demolished to make way for off-road parking. New toilets will be created in the cellar. The proposal includes turning the former kitchen, bottle store and a bedroom into a cottage-style house. The application is likely to go before Cheltenham Borough Council’s planning committee in July or August.
Neighbours say they are concerned about possible parking problems. One, who asked not to be named, said: “There’s nowhere to park as it is. The pub reopening will bring in even more cars.” A plan to build a new house where the outside toilets are was turned down in March as being out of keeping with the area.”
Gloucestershire Echo, 14th November 1998 – Pub plan approved: Two flats and one cottage will be built at the Mitre Inn pub in Sandford Street, Cheltenham. The borough council’s planning committee approved the plans to keep the ground floor and basement as a pub and convert the second floor into homes.
Gloucestershire Echo, 31st August 1999 – Pauline’s back pulling pints: Former landlady Pauline Morrisey pulled the first pint when the Mitre Inn reopened after two years. She and her late husband Paddy ran the pub in Sandford Street, Cheltenham, for 18 years until 1996. With a £250,000 facelift, the grade-ll listed building has been turned into a traditional inn with guest rooms. Meyrick Forbes, 32, joint owner with Lawrence Bilton, said: “Pauline can come back any time to work or have a pint. She is a legend in Cheltenham and in this bar and we’re always glad to have her here.”
October 1999
Gloucestershire Echo, 13th March 2003 – Cheers! Pub’s a winner: In four years a Cheltenham pub has been transformed from an empty shell to a prize-winning inn. Mitre’s in Sandford Street was been named Pub of the Year by the Cheltenham sub-branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. The accolade marks a turnaround for the pub, formerly called The Mitre. At the start of 1999 it lay empty and had fallen into disrepair.
Current owner Meyrick Forbes saw its potential and in August 1999 it reopened. Mr Forbes said: “I think the win was down to teamwork. Everyone has tried really hard to keep the beers up to standard.”CAMRA spokesman Tony Aburrow said: “Mitre’s is in every way still a local in that it caters for the needs of both young and old customers.”
Left to right: Meyrick Forbes, Nick Byrant, Karina Gonzales-Lopex, Rosie Barden and Tony Aburrow
Cheltenham Borough Council Planning – 29th April 2003: Mitre Inn, Sandford Street. 03/00585/COU – Change of use of existing public house with letting rooms over to four flats. 03/00593/LBC – Works to faciliate conversion of existing public house with letting rooms over to four flats.
Cheltenham Borough Council Planning – 13th January 2004: Former Mitre Inn, Sandford Street, Cheltenham – Erection of internal wall to form hall and living room on ground floor.
Above image: Chris Amies
Landlords at the Mitre Inn include:
1830 Samuel Baldry (Mitre, Bath Road)
1856 G. Stibbs
1859 Josiah Nicholls
1863 Alfred Spencer (died at the Mitre Inn on September 3rd 1863, aged 52)
1870,1891 George Stibbs
1902 Arthur Williamson
1903,1906 Albert Edward Lloyd
1919,1939 Albert Henry Carpenter
1944 Licence transferred from the late A.H. Carpenter to his widow, Mrs F.M. Carpenter
1978-1996 Paddy and Pauline Morrisey
1993 Kelly Sheen, and son Mike Sheen
2002 Kevin Newbould
2003 Meyrick Forbes