Gloucester Journal: Saturday March 22nd, 1879 – Elizabeth Moore of the Whitesmiths Arms. Littleworth, was summoned for allowing loose women to remain on her premises longer than was necessary for obtaining refreshments. Mr T.C.R. Taynton appeared for defendant and pleaded for leniency. The bench fined the defendant 5 shillings, and costs.
Originally tied to Arnold Perrett & Co. Ltd of Wickwar the Whitesmiths Arms eventually became a Whitbread pub.
The Citizen: Saturday, December 5th, 1987 – Police dog loses trail: Two skinheads were tracked by a police dog to the city park yesterday after they smashed a pub window and ran off with armfuls of cans of beer. Police brought in a tracker dog to take up the scent after the break-in of the Whitesmiths Arms in Southgate Street just after midnight, but it lost the trail at the park. The youths, described as about 17 or 18 and casually dressed, took 14 cans of beer and caused £220 damage to the window.
The Citizen: 24th June 1991 – Eight more pubs go in giant sell-off: Brewery giants Whitbread are to sell off another eight of their city pubs. The brewers are having to shed hundreds of county pubs as a result of the controversial Monopolies and Mergers Commission Report which limits the number of tied houses they can own. The latest pubs to get the chop from the company have been bought by the Swindon-based brewery Arkells. Regional operations manager Tom Kinnear said: “We are delighted to have concluded this deal with Arkells. Like Whitbread, the brewery is family-run, and has a similar care policy for its pubs and licensees.”
The Whitesmiths Arms was one of the eight pubs in the deal.
When the Whitesmiths Arms was being renovated in 1996 workmen discovered the remains of an underground cellar and possible tunnel. It is rumoured that a smugglers tunnel connected the pub to the nearby Gloucester docks. The tunnel was not excavated. The workmen also discovered an original 15th century roof in the adjoining property, which was incorporated into the pub. Another exciting find during renovation was a Victorian range that had been covered up for years and centuries old wattle and daub plasterwork.
This page will be updated with additional information.
Landlords at the Whitesmiths Arms include:
1869 C. Frederick Sheppard
1870 Benjamin Schollard (previously at the Sailors House)
1879 William and Elizabeth Moore
1893 H.J. Eagles
1906 W. Dancey
1936,1939 Reuben John Nelmes
1957 Geo. W. Rea
1973 Raymond and Marilyn
1996 Bert and Betty Matthews
1998 Martin Bishop and Melanie Johnston
1999 Tony Rees
2000,2002 David and Christine Duffy