There have been two Swans Inns in Chipping Sodbury. The earlier one is first mentioned in the records in 1688 but may have existed from the 1500’s. It closed in 1830. It was on the north side of Broad Street, where the Catholic Church was established at the rear in 1838.
The second Swan was the corner building at the junction of Broad Street and Hatters Lane. It was first mentioned in 1852. The Swan Inn closed around the time of the First World War. An early photograph of the pub shows an enamel sign fixed above the door which reads ‘Arnold Perrett & Co. Gold Medal Wickwar Ales.’ How I would love that sign displayed in my living room today! After the pub closed it was converted into E.H. Powell’s Swan cycle works. It later became a furniture shop, a hairdressing salon and Lesanne ladies fashions. Although at least 150 years old it lacks the grandeur of many of the other buildings in Chipping Sodbury.
Licensing Records:
Owner in 1891: Arnold Perrett & Co. Ltd., Wickwar Brewery
Rateable value in 1891: £20.0s.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: 11 p.m.
Present status: Lesanne Ladies Fashions
Landlords:
1856 J. Weight – (listed as Swan, Broad Street, Chipping)
1891 Joseph Jones
1903 Frederick William Matthews
