Martin Edwards has compiled a list of pubs in Cheltenham that were trading in 1844, during the early reign of Queen Victoria… which is quite a long time ago! He has identified a beer house located in Albion Street called the Oddfellows Arms.
There are also references to an Oddfellows Arms in North Street in the 1870 and 1878 town directories.
This suggests that the Oddfellows Arms was located at the junction of North Street and Albion Street, quite possibly where the rear of Boots chemist stands opposite Albion House. Or maybe in the car parking area of DF Legal Solicitors on the other side of the Albion Street / North Street.
It is not listed in the 1891 petty sessional divisional records.
Geoff,
In your listing for the Oddfellows Arms Albion Street / North Street, you say that the pub was identified as existing in 1844 by Martin Edwards in Albion Street with W. Streather as its landlord. Well, here’s the surprise – there were in fact TWO Oddfellows Arms – one in Albion Street in 1844 and one in North Street. I do not know if the one pub moved, or if they were two separate pubs (possibly affiliated to two different Oddfellows lodges, as the Oddfellows were a friendly society whose origins were rooted in mutual aid and social welfare – a bit like the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes or similar).
I discovered the location of the 1844 Oddfellows Arms when I got to see a copy of the 1844 Harper’s Directory in Cheltenham Public Library (long after I had rooted out the location of the other). But as this is the only listing I have seen for that one, let’s deal with it first. It was located on the south side of Albion Street, between Grosvenor Place South and Grosvenor Terrace, nearer to Grosvenor Place South. (The Grosvenor Brewery / Grosvenor Brewery Inn was on the junction with Grosvenor Terrace). The listing in the 1844 Harper’s Directory ran:
” Grosvenor Place South
Streather W., Oddfellows Arms
Grosvenor Terrace”
Pretty conclusive.
As for the other Oddfellows Arms in North Street. I think this must have existed from the early 1850s through until the early 1880s. I first became aware of it when I was following up the second site of the Greyhound Inn. In the 1876 Royal Directory when I was looking what was at 9 North Street, I found it listed as “Odd Fellows Arms Inn, H. Markey” in North Street with no number, but listed after “13 A. R. Poulstone, hairdresser”
Looking at the sizes of the buildings on the old maps and following on down from the Greyhound Inn at no. 9, I think this would have put it almost opposite where the Cambridge Inn was later located, close to the side entrance of Boots (but projected out into the current road, because it existed before the widening of North Street. Indeed, it may be that this again was what resulted in its closing, as I assume all the businesses down the east side of the street were compulsory purchased to facilitate this.
If you look at the 1855-7 Old Town Survey map online at the Know Your Place website, you will see just how narrow a lane Greyhound Lane/North Street was originally – a bit like Manchester Walk was. Even imagining the location of the original Greyhound Inn, you have to envision it right out at least midway in the current road, I would say.
Alan Jones
Landlords:
1844 W. Streather (Oddfellows Arms, Albion Street)
1870,1878 Henry Markey (North Street)