The Nottingham Arms is the only pub to survive on the eastern side of the High Street. The 1891 and 1903 licensing records refer to the Nottingham House. The Nottingham Arms, first licensed in 1869, was one of the few local pubs tied to Bayliss & Merrell, who brewed by St Johns Bridge.
The frontage of the Nottingham Arms is 20th century reproduction although the fabric of the building is 16th century or older. The front had to be remodelled because of structural decay and it appears to have half a gable missing (see photograph). The repairs to the building, however, have been quite sensitively done. The ‘new’ façade is probably a hundred years old!
The Nottingham Arms is reputedly haunted. When Kieren and Theresa McCormack took over the pub in the late 1990’s there was poltergeist activity. Theresa said: “Things were moving about all over the place, and there were lots of unexplained noises. The strangest thing was that all the clocks and our watches kept stopping at exactly the same time.” After a while, however, the paranormal activity quietened.
It remains something of a mystery why the pub is called the Nottingham Arms.
Map Reference: SO 894328
Licensing Details:
Owner in 1891: William Bradford (free from brewery tie)
Rateable value in 1891: £14.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1891: Beerhouse
Owner in 1903: Bayliss & Merrell, Brewers, Tewkesbury
Rateable value in 1903: £28.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1903: Beerhouse (beer & cider licence)
Closing time in 1903: 11pm
Owner in 2007: Punch Taverns
Landlords at the Nottingham Arms include:
1869,1899 William Bradford
1899,1904 John Hale
1913 T. Jordan
1913-1914 L.J. Beach
1923-1929 Henry Walter Parker
1929-1933 Harry Baldwin
1933-1941 Cubitt Treen
1941 Mrs Isobella Treen (widow)
1956-1958 Chadwick
1958 Eric Foxwell
1998 Kieren and Theresa McCormack
2002 Grant Middleton
2003 Peter Wilks and Lisa Chapman
2005,2007 Bill and Emma Lopez-Churm
