The Wheatsheaf Inn was numbered 217 in 1870 which equates to 399 today. Chikenzos Piri Piri now has the address of 399 High Street, which is the building directly opposite the Shamrock (ex-Shakespeare) pub.
Mary Ann Kear was the owner of the Wheatsheaf Inn in 1891 with Mrs Sarah Kear in residence as landlady. The Wheatsheaf was licensed as a beer house, trading as a free house, and had an annual rateable value of £25.10s.0d. The ownership of the property had been transferred by 1903 to J.B. Claridge who leased the Wheatsheaf to the Nailsworth Brewery. The rates per annum decreased by four pounds and five shillings to £21.5s.0d. in 1903.
The Wheatsheaf has long disappeared, closing in 1920.
Cheltenham Chronicle, Tuesday 11th May 1858 – Selina Twining and Mary Ann Wilks, both common street-walkers of the lowest school, and most notoriously coming under the description of bad characters, were charged with being guilty of disorderly conduct, and making use of obscene language.
PC Day deposed that on Wednesday evening he saw the prisoners at the lower end of the High Street, behaving in a most disorderly manner and creating a great disturbance. Wilks was a little worse for drink. PC Day informed the Bench that the prisoners were a complete nuisance and two of the very worse characters in the town.
Mr Thomas Kear, landlord of the Wheatsheaf Inn, High Street, stated that the conduct of the prisoners rendered them the greatest nuisances in Cheltenham. They were on Wednesday evening making use of most disgraceful language, not fit for ears polite, and insulting every respectable person in the street.
It appeared that when taken to the station house they had a “following” or “tail” of nearly one hundred boys, so well known are they. The magistrates having ascertained that the prisoners had been before them thirteen or fourteen times, and as Mr Harford observed, had commenced their appearances in 1854 – “hunting in couples,” as another remarked – committed them for a calendar month with hard labour; a decision which seemed rather to sober their former smirking and jaunty demeanour.
Cheltenham Chronicle, Saturday 6th May 1899- Obstruction: Horace Shurmer, gardener, 1 Providence Terrace, Great Norwood Street, was summoned for obstructing the Lower High Street with a cart on 28th April. P.C. Preston aid defendant’s pony and trap stood outside the Wheatsheaf Inn for an hour and a half in the middle of the day. The traffic was much impeded. Defendant, who said that someone was looking after the horse all the time, was fined 5s.
Tewkesbury Register, Saturday 8th December 1906. To be sold at auction by George Hone at the Lamb Hotel, Cheltenham, on Thursday, the 20th day of December 1906, at 3 for 4 o’clock precisely:- in the Borough of Cheltenham. Lot 1. – All that old established freehold beer house known as THE WHEATSHEAF, situate near the centre of the High Street. Also 3 front street dwelling houses with shops attached, being No’s 218,219 and 220 High Street; and two substantially erected cottages, the whole producing rentals of £96.14s.8d. per annum.
In the event of the above not being sold in its entirety, the Wheatsheaf Inn and a portion of the out-buildings will be offered as a seperate lot.
Cheltenham Chronicle, Saturday 23rd October 1920 – At the Gloucestershire Quarter Sessions the Licensing Committee reported that of the fourteen licenses refrerred to them by the Cheltenham renewal authority they decided to refuse the renewal of thirteen including the Wheatsheaf Inn in the Lower High Street.
Landlords of the Wheatsheaf include:
1844,1858 Thomas Kear
1870,1891 Mrs Sarah Kear
1895 (October) ‘Transfer of the license of the Wheatsheaf Inn, Lower High Street, from Thomas Reynolds to Minnie Jean Mead’.
1903 William James Taylor