Railway Hotel / St James' Hotel, etc. Cheltenham

It now trades as the Bottle of Sauce and had a previous incarnation as Quaich. It is owned by Arkell’s Kingsdown Brewery in Swindon.

The Railway Hotel was named because of its proximity to the Great Western Railway Cheltenham Spa Station (St. James) in nearby St. James Square. In 1870 and 1878 references the premises is called the Railway Tavern. The name was changed to the St. James Hotel. It was acquired by Arkell’s Kingsdown Brewery, Swindon, in 1991.

Above: The famous Cheltenham Flyer express to London Paddington departed from St James Station usually hauled by a ‘5101 Class’ 2-6-2T ‘large Priarie’ loco (often 4141) and at Gloucester Central a ‘Castle’ class loco would normally be attached to the rear of train and the Cheltenham Flyer would continue after reversal to London. The pub sign is a fair represenation of the morning departure from Cheltenham. (courtesy Inn Sign Society, archivist Matthew Sproston)

Stroud Brewery were the owners of the Railway Hotel in 1891 and 1903. Classified as an ale house the annual rateable value doubled in value during those twelve years. From £51.0s.0d. in 1891 to £102.0s.0d. in 1903. Perhaps the building was extended or significantly altered.

Alan Jones has been in contact and commented – “Certainly the 1-storey pavillion-esque structure on the corner of Clarence Street looks like a late-Victorian addition; but I think the main building in Ambrose Street looks too big and posh to have been the original lowly building. I would have a bet with 1876 landlord/proprietor William Hill that this is when the building as a whole got a major overhaul.”

There is a West Country Ales ‘Best in the West’ ceramic plaque still in situ.

Above: A new sign for the St James Hotel was painted by the Brewery Artists in 1986 depicting characters about to board, presumably, the London Paddington train. There must be some relevance to the initials T.M.T. on the leather briefcase, maybe the artists intitials. Certainly a simplier design – did the artist purposely avoid painting a locomotive? (Courtesy Inn Sign Society, archivist Matthew Sproston)

Above images- as the Bottle of Sauce (courtesy Chris Amies)

Hi Geoff,

What is now Dodo Pub Company’s The Bottle of Sauce has a long history and has gone through sevetal identities. It certainly appears on the 1855-7 Old Town Survey map – but as a smaller venue then, just comprised of the building a little way along Ambrose Street on the junction with Ambrose Place – so probably about a third of its current footprint which goes all the way to Clarence Street.

It probably existed for a while before this; there is a “Beer Retailer” called J. Hallewell listed in the 1847 Hunt & Co Directory and 1848, 1850, 1851 & 1852 Edwards Directories with an Ambrose Street address (no number). From 1857 – 1863 a Mrs. Hallewell is listed in Annuaires under “Innkeepers” at the Red Lion round the corner in the lower High Street – I don’t know if they are related.

Regards

Alan Jones

Landlords at the Railway Hotel / St. James’ Hotel include: (additional notes courtesy Alan Jones)

1859 Hannah Turner

1863 listed in the Annuaire as the Railway Tavern, Ambrose Street, Mrs. Sutcliffe

1867 Stephen Cooke

1870 Samuel Barnett (Railway Tavern)

1878 Samuel B. Hill (Railway Tavern)

1878 Royal directory Railway Tavern Samuel B. Hill (not sure of relationship to William Hill from 1876)

1883 H.A. Wright

1883-4 Post Office directory listed as Railway Hotel (rather than Tavern) H.A. Wright

1885, 1891 Charles Humpnell (Charles Hupnell in 1885)

1902 (Built-Leonard) T. Evans

1903 Samuel William Barsby

1905 (Built-Leonard) S.W. Barsby

1906 Mr. C. Huphnill (again I assume. You have him listed 1885 and 1891 with two different spellings of his surname, well he appears to be back with yet another spelling – too close not to be him though, surely).

1907 & 1908 Annuaires Mr. H. Clark

1909 & 1912 Annuaires Mr. H. Preece – also 1913 & 1916 Looker-On

1919 Arthur Preese

1922, 1924 & 1925 (Built-Leonard) A. Preece (assume this is the same as the Arthur Preese you have listed for 1919, but divergent spelling again).

1926 Kelly Miss M. Hall Railway Commercial Hotel – also 1929 Built-Leonard

1927 Mrs Mabel Hall

1931 Built-Leonard Mrs. Cattell just Railway Hotel again

1932 & 1934 Built-Leonard Mrs. A Chumbley

1935 Kelly Mr. V. Dymond and 1938 Kelly Victor Dymond

1939 Frederick Hunt

1945 (Kelly) Frederick Hunt

1950 & 1952 Kelly E. J. Evans

Not sure exactly when it became the St. James Hotel but it is listed as such in the 1974 Kelly (no name though)

1992 Bob and Jackie Kitchen

1998,1999 Trevor Johnson

2002 (August-December) Rene Blamey, Dan Chambers and Robert Knight

2003,2008 Graham and Denise Townley

2010 ex-Commonwealth bronze medallist boxer Pat Lewis and his partner took over (and just like the Cat & Fiddle in Whaddon and the Prince of Wales in Portland Street which they also took on) it had soon closed.

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Railway Hotel / St James’ Hotel, etc. Cheltenham