The Citizen: Friday, September 8th, 1989 – Pub toasts its history: The Star Inn at Kingswood, near Wotton-under-Edge, has reopened after a multi-thousand pound facelift with a new name from centuries ago. Regulars John Norton and Edith Knight, who won a competition to chose the name, helped Whitbread Flowers brewery bosses unveil a brand new sign at the Dinnywicks Inn.
Dinneywicks is the Anglo-Saxon name for a hill close to the pub and the sign depicts a former Duke of Beaufort who dodged payment at a toll gate by jumping over it on his horse. The Dinneywicks has been given a major refurbishment to create one large lounge area, from the two former bars, with the addition of a family room.
The Gazette, 8th September 2000 – An old fashioned pub with a quirky name: It may be one of the most unusually named pubs in Gloucestershire, but The Dinneywicks Inn is thoroughly traditional. The landlord of the pub in Kingswood, near Wotton-under-Edge, is Keith Thomas, who has been told the inn was named after a toll field in the village. Apparently, in years gone by, villagers had to pay to travel through the field – and its name lives on.
Mr Thomas, who runs the pub with his wife, Lorraine, has been at the helm for more than three years. He considers the premises to be a mainly beer pub. The Inn serves Wadworth’s IPA, 6X and Summersault, Bass, John Smith’s Smooth, Boddingtons, Kronenburg and Fosters. It serves food Tuesday to Sunday lunchtimes and Tuesday to Saturday evenings. The menu includes traditional pub fare – everything from steak and gammon to baguettes. It is also a populat venue for Sunday lunch which is served on a bookings-only basis for £3.95 a head.
Mr Thomas said The Dinneywicks was a mainly locals pub, although it did attract some walkers and some passers-by. The pub has a petanque court at the back and people come along to partake in the French version of bowls. The inn is the only pub in Kingswood and Mr Thomas feels it is at the heart of village life.
The Dinneywicks was acquired by Wadworth, brewers of Devizes, Wiltshire, in 1991. It was said then that the name referred to the name of a field at the back of the village. The owner of the field levied a toll because it straddled a highway. Another local story is that the nearby Dinneywicks Hill was a burial ground for horses in the English Civil War.
The Gazette, Friday 17th June 2005: A Kingswood pub has been rewarded for its commitment to raising money for the Wotton and District branch of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. The Dinneywicks Inn has been named the ‘best collecting box’ in the area and in recognition, the group awarded a certificate to landlord Keith Thomas as a thank you to those who have donated. From September 1998 until March 2005 the Lifeboat collection box in the pub attracted donations of £707.08.
Boules at pub: The seventh annual Kingswood Boules festival is being held at the Dinneywicks Inn on Saturday 22nd June 2008 at noon. There will be live music, a barbeque and a bouncy castle.
Gloucestershire Gazette, Thursday 25th August 2011 – Robbers attack barman: (by Claire Marshall – edit) A landlord is appealing to the public for information after three robbers burst into his pub in broad daylight, assaulted a member of staff and left with cash. Owner of The Dinneywicks pub in Kingswood, Chris Jelly, said he was shocked and unnerved after the incident, which took place at around 2pm on Monday, 22nd August in the centre of the quiet village.
Mr Jelly had popped out for lunch and returned after a tearful phone call saying the pub had been raided. A 27-year-old staff member suffered cuts to the head, from what is believed to have been a blow to the head with a glass bottle. The three men got away with around £600 to £800 from the pub takings. Police surrounded the pub and spent the afternoon making door-to-door enquiries looking for evidence.
Mr Jelly managed to get the pub re-opened by 7pm after clearing smashed glass.
The Gazette, Thursday 23rd November 2017 – Villagers in campaign to save their local pub: Villagers in Kingswood have come together in a bid to save their only pub. Dinneywicks was closed and put on the market by its owners – pub chain Wadworth – three months ago because it did not fit in with the firm’s “long term plans”. But rumour that the building might be bought and converted into a home sparked Kingswood residents, determined that the village keeps the Dinneywicks as a pub, into action.
More than a dozen people attended the meeting of Kingswood Parish Council last week, prompting an extraordinary meeting of the council to be held on Monday. The village hall was filled by nearly 100 villagers keen to see that the facility is retained as a pub. Councillors agreed that their best course of action was to begin the process of having the Dinneywicks listed as an asset of community value with Stroud District Council.
Speaking at the meeting, council chairman Cllr. David Rockey said: “The pub has been closed for three months and there is a concern in the village that it might be converted into a dwelling. I hope that Stroud District Council would feel it fit to resist any plan but we must make sure we do all we can to save it.”
The pub is being marketed by Bath-based chartered surveyors James A. Baker for £295,000 with one of its key features as ‘alternate use opportunity subject to obtaining the necessary consents.’ A spokesman for Wadworth said: “Following a review of our pub estate we have decided to sell Dinneywicks as a pub as it doesn’t fit into our long term plans.”
Cllr. Rockey also suggested that a community but-out, similar to the scheme which now runs the Fleece Inn in Hillesley, could ensure the Dinneywicks remains as a pub. The council agreed to start the process for having the pub listed as an asset of community value. A public meeting has also been organised for 6.45pm on December 11th at the village hall. Representatives of both Wadworth and the Campaign for Real Ale have been invited to attend.
‘Stroud District Council. Planning application, May 2018 – S.18/0821/FUL: Mrs A. Summers, Dinneywicks Inn, The Chipping, High Street, Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge. ‘Alterations / extentions to form enclosed staircase to provide separate access to residential accommodation over public house.’
The pub, free from tie, is now known as the Village Inn.
From the pub website:
“A warm welcome to the Village Inn, Kingswood. A newly renovated, cosy free house based on the edge of the Cotswolds in the small village of Kingswood, Wotton-under-Edge. Formerly known as the Dinneywicks, The Village Inn weas purchased and redbranded in July 2022 by Rich, Kev & Jayne, who have reinvigorated the building into a cosy, country pub. The Village Inn is run by Tom Foxwell. As well as a selection of drinks, The Village Inn boasts a large terrace and beer garden for those swarm summer days, or a homely snug area compete with open fire for those cold winter nights. At the opposite end, we also have a sports area with TV’s showing the latest live sports! Whatever the weather, whatever the occasion, we have a perfect place for you to come and unwind.”
Licensing Details:
Map Reference: ST 747918
Owner in 1891: Arnold Perrett & Co. Ltd., Wickwar Brewery
Rateable Value in 1891: £9.10s.0d.
Type of licence in 1891: Beerhouse
Owner in 1903: Arnold Perrett & Co. Ltd., Wickwar Brewery
Rateable Value in 1903: £16.0s.0d.
Type of licence in 1903: Beerhouse
Closing time in 1903: 10pm
Landlords at the Star Inn / Dinneywicks Inn / Village Inn include:
1891,1903 Henry Terrett
1914 Thomas Jones ‘having married Mrs Terrett the present licensee’ (Gloucester Journal 14.02.1914)
1939 Thomas Humphrey Fitzherbert Jones
1997 Bob Williams
2000 ,2005 Keith and Lorraine Thomas
2011 Chris Jelly
2022 Tom Foxwell (Village Inn)
