Cheltenham Original Brewery were the owners of the New Inn in 1891 and 1903. The annual rateable value of the licensed beer house was £15.5s.0d. in 1891, increasing by four pounds and five shillings to £19.10s.0d. in 1903.
The New Inn was renamed the New Penny in November 1970 in recognition of the change to decimal currency.
In February 1991 two hooded raiders entered the New Penny and stole more than £3,000. Not only did the robbers held up the frightened landlord, they also threatened to kill his dog.
Gloucestershire Echo, 12th May 2005 – Landlord bars 70 in war on drugs: Pub landlord John Andrews has gone to extraordinary lenghts to keep drug dealers and users out of his premises. He says his zero tolerance approach has resulted in 70 people being barred from the New Penny, in Gloucester Road, over the last decade. As well as carrying out regular patrols of the toilets, he has put grease on the cisterns so people can’t sniff drugs off the flat surface. But he says all his hard work is worthless because of the amount of drug dealing on nearby estates. He said: “It’s a nightmare running a pub at the moment with all the drugs around. In the last nine years it’s got worse. If I find anybody dealing or smoking they’re out of the pub like a shot. We don’t tolerate drugs at all, but what goes on outside the pub we can’t help.”
Gloucestershire Echo, 31st March 2007 – Fix pub or tragedy will strike: A firefighter believes a Cheltenham pub should be converted to homes to prevent a tragedy. A crew was called to a blaze at the derelict New Penny pub for the third time in 12 months last week. Vandals scaled the walls to set light to rubbish left in the back garden. Landlord John Andrews closed the doors of the pub last year after becoming fed up with its poor reputation.
Richard Shorting, the owner of the Pheasant Inn at Staverton, snapped it up and is awaiting Cheltenham Borough Council’s go-ahead to turn the property into private accommodation. A start date for work has been delayed because the borough council has asked for the design on conversion to be changed.
Cheltenham-based chartered surveyor and town planning consultants Evans Jones Planning submitted proposals to demolish the pub to make way for two one-bedroom apartments. A spokesman said: “The architects are drawing up plans now and we hope to submit these within the next three weeks. Any vacant building is a target for welcome guests. Mr Shorting has tried his best to secure the building but despite this it’s been broken into on several occasions.
Gloucestershire Echo, Saturday 14th April 2007 – Arson suspected in derelict pub fire: A derelict pub was set alight in a suspected arson attack. Police and fire crews were called to the New Penny pub in Gloucester Road at 1.30 pm yesterday. A neighbour reported seeing youths breaking into the building. It is the fourth time the pub has been targeted in a year.
Cheltenham Fire Station Commander Clive Webber said: “We suspect arson. We have been here a few times before and those were also suspicious. “It didn’t do a great deal of damage, as the previous fires gutted it. Despite everyone’s best efforts to secure it, this is a derelict building and during the school holiday children break in out of curiosity.”
One neighbour, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I saw three teenage lads climb over the wall, which happens quite a lot. They picked up some stones and I thought they were going to throw them at the window, but then they went inside. They ran out three minutes later having set a petrol can alight at the back.”
The New Penny was demolished in the early summer of 2008. It took a surprising long time for the demolition work to be completed.
Gloucestershire Echo, 15th July 2008 – ‘Car parking will be a nightmare.’ A block of flats may be built on the site of a pub in Cheltenham. But residents are concerned about traffic and parking problems. RS Developments wants to put three one-bedroom flats and nine two-bedroom flats on the site of the New Penny pub on the corner of Gloucester Road and Millbrook Street. With only six parking spaces suggested on the site for the 12 flats, the developers say they will provode cycle storage to encourage residents to use bikes.
The Rev Anthony Blackmore, who lives near the site, said: “It’ll just be a nightmare.”
Gloucestershire Echo, 23rd August 2008 – 12 flats given the go-ahead: Plans to build 12 new flats in Cheltenham have been given the go-ahead despite distase about their terrocotta tinge. Developers applied to construct three one bedroom flats and nine two bedroom at the New Penny in Gloucester Road. At a meeting of Cheltenham Borough Council’s planning commitee, Councillor Jackie Fletcher (Con, Benhall & The Reddings), said: “It looks like something from outer space or from the Terracota army. We need a subtle colour.” However Councillor Bernie Fisher (LD Swindon Village), said: “It’s providing us with some affordable housing in Cheltenham, one and two bedroom flats.”
Landlords at the New Inn /New Penny include:
1844 Peter Herbert (licensed as a cider house, New Inn – Upper Alstone. Researched by Martin Edwards)
1878,1891 John Minett
1903 Albert John Colston
1939 Mrs Elizabeth Coulston
1970 F.G. Halford
1992 Mrs Varian Brooks
1998 Rosemary Street
2005 John Andrews