45 Westgate Street in 1906 Kellys Directory. The address had changed to 87 Westgate Street in the 1939 Kellys Directory.
At the top of the brick building there is a stone plinth with the words: ‘White Lamp Inn. Built 1900’, which suggests that the pub must have been substantially rebuilt sometime after 1893. Beneath this plinth is another impressive stone carving of a classical character resembling Britannia holding a white lamp.
It is believed that the White Lamp closed in September 1972, although articles in the ‘Citizen’ stated that it closed ten years later. Since closure it was left to slowly deteriorate and was held up by scaffolding for many years. Trees grew within the fabric of the building and the roof had collapsed. The façade of the old White Lamp survived the years of neglect.
In July 2002 work finally started to renovate the building. An extensive archaeological investigation was carried out before the development on the former Roman Quay, which once was on the site. The neighbouring Co-op creamery site (demolished 1982) was incorporated into a £4 million development consisting of some 133 rooms for student accommodation. 100 students moved into the new development on 23rd September 2003. The restored façade of the White Lamp is now an attractive feature of Westgate Street.
Owner in 1998: Co-operative Wholesale Society
Owner in 2000: Rectory Homes
Owner in 2002: Signpost Homes
Landlords at the White Lamp include:
1893 W.H. Page
1906 Patrick Cuthbert Minahan
1919 William Henry Page
1927 John Brooks
1936,1939 William Matthews
1957 A.O.J. Couldrey
1957 Harry and Bertha Collins
