The True Heart was opposite the Royal Oak on the other side of Hawthorns Road.
The owner of the True Heart in 1891 was Alfred Wintle of Bill Mills near Weston under Penyard, Ross on Wye. Alfred conducted a malting business at Bill Mills supplying malt to a few pubs making their own beer. His brother Thomas Wintle had started brewing in Mitcheldean in 1869, so although ownership of the True Heart is credited to Alfred Wintle of Bill Mills, the beer was supplied from the Forest Brewery. Thomas passed away in 1888, leaving the brewery in Mitcheldean to his four children of which Francis had sole control by 1890. The True Heart was owned by Francis Wintle in 1891 and 1903. Throughout those twelve years the annual rateable value of the beer house was set at £18.0s.0d and it closed each night at 10 pm.
When the Forest Brewery put all their pubs up for sale in 1923 the True Heart was described as a ‘freehold beer house.. situate about two miles from the brewery and occupying an important position at cross-roads’. The building was stone and rough cast and comprised on a serving bar, tap room, sitting room, kitchen, larder, beer store and pot house, etc. On the first floor were four bedrooms and a club room. To the outside of the property was a ‘yard with pair of folding gates, private WC, public WC, Urinal, Pig Cot, Wood Store’. At that time the property was of freehold tenure and was let to Mr W.J Morgan, ‘a tenant of aver 15 years standing, on Quarterly Tenancy at the reduced rent of £20.0s.0d. per annum.
The True Heart closed on February 4th 1971. The building was refurbished in 2003 by owners John James (builders) Ltd. Four other homes in the centre of Drybrook were redeveloped as part of the same housing project.
Landlords at the True Heart include:
1891 A. Rawlings
1903 John. E. Hughes
1923 W.J. Morgan
1937,1939 William Charles Roberts
1971 Mr and Mrs Sam Hadley (they took over the New Inn in Drybrook in February 1971 following the closure of the True Heart)
