So many fondly-remembered Northampton pubs have shut their doors over the years but are still in the memories of their customers.
These photos - researched by Dave Knibb, the Northampton author of 'Last Orders: A History and Directory of Northampton Pubs' - show some of Northampton's old stomping grounds, with one or two still in business!
Do you remember stopping for a drink in any of them?
Dave's self-published book has sold more than 2,000 copies. Call 07939990790 or email [email protected], to buy a copy.
1. Fireman's Arms in Newland
Dave said: "The Fireman’s Arms was on the corner of Newland and Inkerman Terrace. Being at the top end of Newland it was a little off the beaten track for a town centre pub but did a steady trade for well over a century. Apart from the usual array of stealing or drunkenness though, I couldn’t find anything of real note to share. The earliest [opening] date I could find was from 1854 and although I don’t have a closing date, I think it was late 60s/early 70s. I’m not sure if it was still going when the Grosvenor Centre clearance started though."
Photo: Dave Knibb
2. Horseshoe Pub in Weston Favell
Dave said: "The Horseshoe will still be familiar to many people. The earliest date I could find for it was back in 1834 though I’ve no doubt it went back further. It was a lovely thatched building and it was always a busy place and although it never called itself an ‘inn’, it rented rooms and had decent sized stabling facilities. Things changed forever, though, in 1923 when permission was granted for it to be knocked down and rebuilt. The new building opened and, to be fair, it looked pretty good and was better suited to cater for a 20th Century clientele, but compared to what was there before, it just looked like another pub. It closed down around 1972, I think, latterly known as the Three Horseshoes."
Photo: Dave Knibb
3. Princess Royal in Wellinborough Road
The pub was opened in 1851. Dave said: "Situated on the corner of West Street, the pub is still with us under the name Jekyll & Hyde. It's most celebrated landlord was Mr Charles Gyde, who ran it from 1890 until shortly before his death in 1932 at the age of 82. He presided over one of the most important meetings in Northampton sporting history on the 6th March 1897 in the pub when Northampton Town Football Club was formed. A group of schoolteachers, under the guidance of a local solicitor, AJ Darnell, drew up a constitution and the ‘Cobblers’ were born. Originally called Northampton Football Club, the ‘Saints’ complained as that was their name at the time, so after consultation with the FA, the ‘Town’ was added."
Photo: Dave Knibb
4. The Two Brewers in Abington Street
Dave said: "The Two Brewers was a well known fixture of Northampton life for a long time. Dating back to 1760, it may possibly have first appeared when Abington Street was rebuilt after the 1675 Fire. It did a steady trade over time and as it was more of a ‘workers’ pub - it had its fair quota of appearances in the ‘petty court sessions’. Landlord Leoni Clarke fell foul of the authorities on a number of occasions though as he held nightly concerts in a room in the pub which was in breach of his licence and he finally had to stop them in 1904 when they threatened to remove his licence. The Two Brewers had officially become a hotel when its name was changed to the Clarendon Hotel in June 1928. The licence was offered up to be transferred to a new hotel in 1934 which was refused, accepted in 1935 and it closed on the opening of the Spinney Hill Hotel in September 1936."
Photo: Dave Knibb