It seems probable that the Stroud Brewery took ownership of the Waggon and Horses when George Playne & Sons brewing business of the Forwood Brewery, Minchinhampton, was acquired together with their tied estate in 1897.
The Stroud Brewery invested considerable capital into the external refurbishment of the Waggon and Horses constructing a new façade and painting over the brickwork. The building still retains the early trademark of the company – intertwined letters SBC – in decorative plasterwork above the surviving ‘Tap Room’ and ‘Smoke Room’ etched windows.
Stroud News & Journal, 18th May 2005 – Wagon wheels: There are now two wheels on a Thrupp pub’s wagon after a local landlady added a modern twist to her traditional pub sign. The Waggon and Horses pub, a popular watering hole for bikers, now sports a bright yellow motorcycle roaring underneath its traditional logo.
Landlady and keen biker Karen Lane, 40, commissioned Bristol artist Graeme Robbins to paint the sign in a bid to bring the traditional local up to date. “I love it, the Ducati Monster owners club meet here every other Wednesday and a lot of motorbike people come to visit four our events, especially in the summer,” she told the Stroud News & Journal. “I like to keep everybody happy. Hopefully all the locals will like it too.”
Artist Graeme Robbins, who has painted pub signs across the UK, added: “I felt it should reflect the time it is in as well as what it was.”
Stroud News & Journal, 3rd May 2006 – Cyclists want rosier future for Rosie: A team of cyclists pedalled the 290 miles from Thrupp to Padstow at the weekend to raise money for four-year-old autism sufferer, Rosie Morris. Rosie has an acute of the condition and thousands of pounds are needed to help pay for a cutting-edge therapy only available in Florida. The crew left the Waggon and Horses at 9am on Friday. Wayne Stephens, 33, said: “We just want to do our bit to help Rosie.
Stroud News and Journal, 28th May 2009 – Plan for inn to be turned into homes: The closed Waggon and Horses pub at Thrupp could be redeveloped into three homes. Brimscombe builder Sean Sutton, whose company now owns the former inn which shut 18 months ago, has applied to Stroud District Council for permission to change the use of the building, keeping the façade.
The Citizen, Friday October 16th 2009 – Pub’s future in the air: A closed Stroud pub faces an uncertain future after planners learned it was not viable as an inn but refused permission to turn it into housing. The Waggon and Horses at Thrupp, which shut in 2007, could not be partly demolished and turned into three homes because of the dangers the extra traffic would cause on the main road outside, ruled the latest development control committee of Stroud District Council. Applicant Sean Sutton had also wanted to build six more dwellings outside the old inn.
The Citizen, Friday 8th January 2010 – Drugs crop at old pub to pay debt: An unpaid debt forced a man to allow a drugs harvest at an old pub, a court heard. The man, 39, did not want to get another beating for not paying back £4,200 so he agreed to let two men grow cannabis crops at the former Waggon and Horses Inn, in Thrupp, Stroud.
Peter Ashby, prosecuting, said police made the find on August 18th last year when they visited the then-pub for a licence check. “They found 20 cannabis plants underneath the cellar,” said Mr Ashby. “When officers attended they found a large amount of growing equipment. In the bar area they found a bong and more equipment.
The defendant, whose address was given as the Waggon and Horses Inn, admitted possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and producing cannabis. The case was adjourned for sentence at Gloucester Crown Court on 26th January.
Stroud News & Journal, 20th January 2010 – Waggon and Horses plans rejected: A bid to knock down part of the former Waggon and Horses pub and build homes in its place have been knocked back by councillors. Stroud District council’s development committee turned down Sean Sutton’s planning application to change the use of the old pub in London Road, Thrupp.
Members decided not to allow permission on three grounds, all relating to road safety. Mr Sutton had proposed knocking down part of the building to make way for three homes and building another six houses next to it. Brimscombe and Thrupp Parish Council objected to the application saying it would be an overdevelopment of the site and there would not be enough space for car parking outside the new homes.
The Citizen, 1st July 2010 – Pub plan appeal: An appeal has been launched to turn a pub into homes. Sean Sutton wanted to demolish part of the Waggon and Horses in London Road, Thrupp, Stroud, change its use to three homes and build six more. A Government inspector will make the final decision.
Looking at the latest Google Maps it would appear that the pub is still vacant and no development of the site has taken place.
Map Reference: SO 864003
Licensing Details:
Owner in 1891: E. Playne (probably connected with the Forwood Brewery, Minchinhampton)
Rateable value in 1891: £15.0s.0d
Type of licence in 1891: Alehouse
Owner in 1903: Stroud Brewery
Rateable value in 1903: £17.0s.0d.
Landlords at the Waggon & Horses include:
1885,1891 John Glastonbury
1902 Henry Hatton
1903 Frank William Blick
1906,1927 John Cousins
1930s? Jack Cousins (Jack succeeded John Cousins. He also owned an iron foundry in Brimscombe)
1939 Ernest Baynham
2003, 2005 Julian and Karen Lane
