When it opened in June 1956 it was a show piece pub for Stroud Brewery. A photograph of the interior from the late 1950’s shows it to be a clean but spartan bar. In a large room just one or two paintings are hung from the wall. The walls appear to be painted and the floor is probably linoleum. There are a few tables and bar stools. A partitioned games area features two dartboards and a shove ha’penny board. The chalkboard for dart scoring has Cotswold Beers advertised on it.
An outdoor photograph shows an idyllic looking suburban estate pub. Not a car in sight, flower borders immaculately maintained around the pub and the inviting lettering ‘Stroud Brewery’s Cotswold Ales’ displayed prominently on the pub wall.
In the 1970’s the Robinswood Inn had a successful Crib team which won the Gloucester Cribbage League east division championship in 1977.
Landlords at the Robinswood Inn include:
1970-1981 Mike and Margaret Jefferies (moved to the Kings Head in Birdwood)
1987 Leslie Bond
1989 Albert & Edna Marsland
2005 Margaret Trigg
2013 Sandy Brammer
CAMRA. Real ale in Gloucestershire: Robinswood Inn, Matson Avenue: Built in 1956 as modern Whitbread estate pub. Interior recently improved to give lounge, public bar and separate games room. Live entertainment Saturday. Changing real beers.
June 30th, 1976: Big crowds for Matson Tug o’war events: The South West of England Tug-O-War championships were held at the Robinswood Inn, Matson, and attracted a large crowd. Teams from Gloucestershire, Somerset, Avon and Oxfordshire took part for a chance to represent their counties in the inter-county championship later this year. The County championship was pulled at two weights, 640 and 680 kgs. Cotswold Farmers, from Cirencester, won the Gloucestershire championship at both weights at ICI Fibres, Brockworth, runners-up in the 640 contest and Upton St Leonards runners-up at 680. Frome had a walk-over in both their championships and will represent Somerset. The South West champions at 600 and 640 kgs were Weston Farmers who defeated Cotswold Farmers. At 680 kgs Cotswold Farmers beat Felton Eccles. In a youth contest Upton St Leonards pulled very well to beat the present British youth outdoor champions Compton Dundon, in two straight pulls.
The Citizen: April 23rd, 2001 – Bygones: Victorious City crib team: (edit) Picture – There were only a handful of women players in the Gloucester Cribbage League in 1977. May Hayes is pictured holding the cup with the victorious team at the Robinswood Inn after winning he East division championship. The trophy was presented by Mrs Iona Robins.
The Citizen. February 18th, 2006. Letters to the editor- Smoking ban in pubs: Ban will put my job on the line: I am a barmaid in a pub where 94% of the customers smoke. This ban will affect trade, putting my job at risk. Will Government support me financially, up to the standard of living I’m enjoying now? Or will I become another statistic on income support. Worried Barmaid. Robinswood. Gloucester
The Citizen. Saturday, March 30th 2013: Pub draws in Easter crowds. More than fifty excited children turned up to an Easter event in the first ten minutes of it starting. The Robinswood Pub, in Matson Avenue, held an Easter fun morning for families yesterday. Activities included an egg-hunt, face painting and balloons were just some of the things the children enjoyed. Liam Kelch, chairman of the residents association of Matson, said: “All the children were bouncing from the ceilings and there was a lot of chocolate on offer.” The event was organised by pub owner Sandy Brammer.
Gloucestershire Live. June 15th, 2018: Pub blaze. Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service has released the full devasting details of the fire at the Robinswood pub in Gloucester. The Matson pub has been 75 per cent damaged by the fire, which started around 10.45am on Thursday, 14th June, with the remainder of the pub damaged by heat, smoke and water. Six fire crews were in attendance at the scene and did not leave until 5.48pm. They returned later in the evening to confirm there were no hotspots in the building. The fire service believe that the fire started accidently in a caravan that was parked in the rear yard of the pub, before spreading to a people carrier and the Robinswood Inn. Both the caravan and the people carrier were totally destroyed by the fire, with a Toyota car 5% damaged by fire.
A spokesperson for Gloucestershire Fire & Rescue Service said: “The incident is not being treated as suspicious.”
