The Mount Pleasant, on the junction of St Whites Road and Mount Pleasant Road, is situated on elevated land to the south of Cinderford with fine aspects over the Soudley Valley, into the Forest of Dean and onwards towards the Welsh mountains. The panoramic views are not necessarily enjoyed from the bar and ground floor of the pub, however, as the sightings are more likely to be of queuing traffic on the B4226.
Forest of Dean Examiner, Friday 19th January 1877 – Assault by a wife: On Monday, at Littledean police court, Eliza Haile, landlord of the Mount Pleasant Inn, Cinderford, was charged by her husband with cutting with intent to do grievous bodily harm on the 27th December last. From the evidence of prosecutor it appears that on the night in question he heard a noise upstairs, and on going to his room accused his wife of falling out of bed, which she denied. A quarrel ensued, when it was alleged that defendant used a knife prosecutor had taken upstairs to eat his supper with. Several witnesses were called, and the bench bound Mrs Haile over to keep the peace for six months, warning her that she would be sent to prison for two months upon a repitition of this conduct.
Gloucester Journal, Saturday 2nd July 1910 – Howard Beet, landlord of the Mount Pleasant Inn, Cinderford, was summoned by Inspector Packer for being found drunk on his licensed premises on the 23rd June – Defendant pleaded guilty. Inspector Packer stated that on the 23rd inst. about 10.45pm., in company with P.C. Griffiths he visited the Mount Pleasant Inn in consequnce of a complaint made to him. There he saw defendant sitting down in the tap-room in a chair. He was drunk., and witness asked him what was the matter. He replied “Nothing.” His wife was standing in the passage near, and he asked her what was the matter with defendant, and she replied: “There he is, see for yourself. He is drunk, and has been a perfect devil to me. He has been drinking ever since Monday.” Defendant then came staggering across the kitchen and leant against the door. Witness told him he should report him for being drunk, and he replied “You can do what you like. I don’t care; my wife’s the cause of it.” Defendant was fined 10 shillings and 10 shillings costs.
In 1888 the ‘fully licensed inn’ consisted of a ‘bar, bar parlour, kitchen, back kitchen, pantry, two underground cellars, club room, two bedrooms, dressing room and store room, coach-house, three stall stable, piggeries and garden’. Together with two adjoining cottages and associated land the Mount Pleasant Inn was valued at £820.
The Mount Pleasant Inn was once a Forest Brewery house. Francis Wintle owned the property in 1891 and 1903 when the annual rateable value of the alehouse was set at £20.0s.0d. (11 pm closing time).
In 1923 when the Forest Brewery put their pub estate on the property market the Mount Pleasant had a ‘serving bar, smoke room, sitting room, beer store and kitchen’ on the ground floor. There were five bedrooms and a box room upstairs. To the outside there was a ‘old range of stabling, two pig cots, urinal, closet and small strip of garden’.
Below: Conveyance and assignment of freehold and licensed premises of Wintles Brewery Limited (in liquidation) to the Cheltenham Original Brewery Company Limited (dated 7th May 1937)
Gloucester Citizen, Tuesday 18th October 1949 – Forest licensee’s will: Mr Henry Arthur Fricker, licensee of Mount Pleasant Inn, Cinderford, formerly for 21 years licensee of the Lion Hotel, Cinderford, who died on 7th July last, aged 62, left £2,866.14s.2d. gross, £2,839.10s.2d. net value. Probate has been granted to his children Miss Lilian E.A. Fricker and Henry A. Fricker of Sandiway Hotel, Ross-on-Wye
A West Country Ales ‘Best in the West’ ceramic plaque is still in situ, although chipped and damaged (see below)
Landlords at the Mount Pleasant Inn include:
1858 John Williams (fined and convicted for keeping his house open for the sale of beer after the hour of eleven o’clock on the night of 12th July 1858)
1877 Eliza Haile
1879,1891 Elijah Mountjoy
A landlord convicted: Elijah Mountjoy, of the Mount Pleasant Inn, Cinderford, was fined £3 and costs on a charge of permitting gambling on the night of 21st of May 1879.
1902,1906 Mrs Joyce Mountjoy (Joych in 1902, Joyeh in 1903)
1910 Howard Beet (temporary transfer of the licence to Daniel Prosser in November 1910)
1919 Daniel Prosser
1927 Frank Cresswell
1937,1939 Dennis Joseph Negrin
1940 Lionel Brain
1948 Nenry Arthur Fricker (previously at the Lion Hotel, Cinderford)
1967 Mr W.J. Beatty
1971 Walter and Margaret Beatty
1979-1989 Alvin and Cissie Beard (previously at the George in Littledean)
1989 Dave and Shelagh Wood and Alan Jackson
1999 Santokh Singh
2000 Lynn and Richard ?
