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.
Do you remember stopping for a drink in any of them?
5. Melbourne Arms in Duston
Dave said: "The Melbourne Arms could date back hundreds of years, the further back you go, the thicker the mists of time are though and information gets thinner. It was trading as the Chequer as far back as the 1780’s, hosting auctions and welcoming travellers and locals just like many village Inns did. Most villages were owned by nobility back then and large parts of Duston were no different and came into the hands of the 1st Viscount Melbourne, six monthly audits were taken and rents and other payments were then duly made. At some point in the 1810’s the pub changed its name to the Melbourne Arms. The Inn burnt down in 1822 and as it was not insured, the Melbourne Estate paid entirely for its rebuilding. The Northampton Brewery Co bought it for £2,400 in 1919 and since then it's been, well, an ordinary pub, but one with a fairly rich pedigree."
Photo: Dave Knibb
6. Bold Dragoon in Weston Favell
Dave said: "The Bold Dragoon has been in the heart of Weston Favell village for over 150 years. A Henry Clark kept a beer house in the 1860’s, he was fined in 1863 for ‘unjust measures’ which meant he was short serving his customers, the landlords of the other two Weston Favell pubs (Horseshoe and Trumpet) were both found guilty as well. The earliest mention of the pub by ‘name’ was in 1870 when it was run by Henry Knight, a long serving landlord who used to grow and sell his Victoria Plums for many years. The well in the pub’s yard was responsible for an outbreak of typhoid in 1892 which led to the pub temporarily closing, and the contamination was still a problem as late as 1908, watering down the beer by any chance? The pub originally stood sideways to the High Street and only became ‘front on’ when it was rebuilt in the 1930s."
Photo: Dave Knibb