Albion-Inn

Located on Aston Road North on the north corner of Whitehouse Street, the Albion Inn was spared the carnage of the bulldozers clearing land for the Aston Expressway. When this photograph was taken in June 2009 the pub was trading as The Albion at Aston. During much of its life the property was known as the Albion Inn. However, as can be seen on the tavern check to the left, the pub was also known as the Albion Hotel. The word Albion is a poetic name for Great Britain and is thought to derive from the Latin 'Albus' or 'White.' This Roman term arose from the whiteness of the cliffs on Britain's southern coast and was almost certainly applied during the invasion and conquest of AD43. This is the scene usually depicted by inn sign artists, generally with a roman vessel heading towards the coast of Britain. The term Albion is famously remembered in the phrase 'perfidious Albion', which came into common use during the Napoleonic Wars though was first recorded in a poem of 1793 by Augustin, Marquis of Ximenez. In this work, it recommends attacking perfidious Albion at sea. But back to tavern checks... licensee Valentine Watkins issued tokens to the value of 2½d and 3d. A later tavern check for the value of 3d has also been recorded with the name of Albion Inn and Ansell's Brewery on each side. Val Watkins was a man with pubs in his blood. His mother once kept the Reservoir Tavern on the Lichfield Road and also the Britannia in Pigott Street. Val Watkins and his wife Millicent once managed the prestigious St Martin's Hotel in Jamaica Row. West Bromwich-born William Hodgkins was an early publican of the Albion Inn. He and his wife Elizabeth were running the Queen's Head in Dartmouth Street during the late 1850's. George Hands was the licensee in the early 1890's. He kept the Albion Hotel with his wife Lucy. The son of a provision merchant, George Hands had grown up in Primrose Place at Nechells before the family moved to Dale End next to the Golden Cross. As a young man he worked in the family business along with his brother William. Surrounded by some of Birmingham's notorious taverns, George possibly developed a taste for the trade. He married Lucy Cotterill in 1889 and the couple took over the Albion Hotel shortly afterwards. Robert Anderson, the Irish-born professional footballer, was a boarder at the pub in the early 1890's. This was not long after the formation of the football league and a time when players were commanding a fee. The tavern check confirms that the Albion Inn was once operated by Ansell's. In the 1970's the Albion Inn formed part of the Courage estate before falling into the portfolio of Grand Metropolitan. Other more recent pubco's to operate the Albion have been Inntepreneur and Unique.
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Old-New-Inn

When I last visited this pub in April 2007 it was boarded up and faced an uncertain future. In the Spring of 2009 the situation was exactly the same so I guess we may never see pints pulled in the Old New Inn again. In 2007 the freehold property was being sold off from the estate of Admiral Taverns. However, even then, the Old New Inn had been advertised more than a year so it would seem as if it was the end of the road for this once very popular watering hole. The photograph to the left shows the pub in happier times. The image was captured when Gilbert Evans was the licensee during the mid-1930's. As everyone is donning their best togs, the photograph was presumably taken on a Sunday or Bank Holiday and shows the pub's regulars before possibly embarking on a trip. I assume that it is Mrs Evans looking through the window! Personally, I have happy memories of the Old New Inn when it was run for Avebury Taverns by Frank Murphy. Apart from serving good beer, he and his wife kept a tidy pub which had retained some of its original features such as the three leaded-glass bay windows seen here around 1935. Sadly, these windows were replaced by plastic just after the couple left the pub. Think of all the cold nights those old windows had kept out plus all the lively conversation that had bounced off the glass. All gone. The two bays were made from locally-produced red terracotta with steps between leading up to the front door. Although modified, the front room had two old fireplaces. The intrinsic character of the place was enhanced by quarry-tiled flooring, wood-panelling and comfy bench seating which wrapped around almost every wall in the pub. The pub was decorated with framed jigsaw puzzles that were put together by Paul Lloyd, a regular of the pub. This is how the Old New Inn looked in the late 1990's, but what about the past? Two obvious things can be seen in the historic advertisement to the left. Firstly, the "Old" prefix had not yet been added to the licensed premises and, secondly, it was a pub where homebrewed ales were produced. The advertisement dates from the second half of the 19th century when Joseph Weston kept the New Inn from around 1860 to 1886. The pub dates back to the early 19th century - a time when many inns and public houses sprang up on this busy turnpike road connecting Dudley with Stourbridge and Amblecote. The number of pubs along this route reached its peak during the 19th century and not only served passers-by but also the expanding population that centred around the new industries in and around Brierley Hill, particularly collieries, glass, brick and ironworks. The first recorded licensee of the New Inn is Thomas Tomkinson who kept the pub between 1816 and 1834. I presume he was followed by his son because records show that Richard Tomkinson was the licensee up until 1845. He kept the New Inn with his wife Mary. John and Ann Baynes were mine hosts during the 1850's. Born in Bilston, the couple had seven children living above the pub. In the 1851 census the couple also had a visitor - Manchester-born singer Francis Dempsey's presence suggests that the New Inn offered musical entertainment to the locals of Brierley Hill. Indigenous Joseph Weston took over the New Inn with his Kidsgrove-born wife Mary Ann and introduced a new flavour to the ales produced on the premises. The ales produced by the Weston family must have been popular because they remained at the helm for the rest of the 19th century clocking up more than fifty years as owner-publicans. Joseph Weston died in 1886 and Mary Ann took over the licence. The New Inn was largely rebuilt in the late 19th century - the prefix 'old' would have been chosen to recall the old pub, a victim of mining subsidence. There was another New Inn - later called the Dog and Lamppost at Round Oak. Not only old, but historic, the Old New Inn had two special rooms. One named The House of Commons, the other The House of Lords. In the latter most of the local civic business was said to have been discussed by the town's local dignitaries. Following the death of her husband, Mary Ann Weston remained as the licensee of the Old New Inn for another 27 years before she too passed on aged 86. She left the premises to her married daughter Elizabeth Piper who within 12 months she sold the pub to the Home Brewery of Evers Street in Quarry Bank. Brierley Hill brewers Smith & Williams bought the Old New Inn on September 9th 1921. They were taken over by Julia Hanson and Sons Ltd of Dudley in 1934. This helps to explain how the pub became part of Wolverhampton and Dudley Breweries and an outlet for Banks's beer. The company eventually sold to the Old New Inn to Avebury Taverns.
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Angel-Hotel

This photograph of the Angel Inn is thought to date from around 1870 but the writing on the right-hand bay window presents a curious puzzle. It informs the passer-by that Allsopp's Ales are on sale inside the pub. This suggests that the Burton brewery were successfully finding outlets for their products in Birmingham long before the tied house war of the late 19th century. It was during this latter struggle that the Angel Inn became an Atkinson's house. Based at the Aston Park Brewery, this company was acquired by Mitchell's and Butler's in 1959. M&B livery was still evident on the building in the early 21st century, not long before the pub's closure. It was a sad end to one of Birmingham's historic pubs. There were plans to convert the building into a restaurant, though the frontage was to be retained. The original Angel Inn probably dates from the era of the turnpike highway. Built on the corner of Stratford Road and Ladypool Road, it was right next to the old tollgate where travellers would have to pay to use the turnpike into the city. I have not researched this building in full detail so I am not exactly sure when this particular Angel Inn was erected. However, it appears to be around 1810 and would have replaced an older inn on this site. Although the plans for later work on the building have been lost, records of them have survived. A new club room was added in 1877. The plans for this addition were drawn up on December 4th 1876 by J.H.Collett. I looked up this name in the trade directories of the period but could not find an architect with this name. There is a listing for John Collett, a builder based at 59 Clevedon Road in Balsall Heath. The close proximity of this invites a speculative connection. It is thought that the attorney Thomas Mole was responsible for the construction work of c.1810. His family had owned the pub in the 18th century. Following his death in 1831, the trustees of his estate sold the Angel Inn to Thomas Phillips, a wine and spirit merchant trading in Birmingham. The Parker family were the tenants of the Angel Inn during the mid-late 19th century. Thomas Parker was born in King's Norton in 1809 and kept the historic inn with his wife Elizabeth. A measure of how busy the pub was during the mid-19th century can be gauged by the fact that they employed no less than five servants. Son Thomas followed in his father's footsteps by trading as a horse dealer. Thomas Snr. had previously run a similar business from premises close to the Coach and Horses in Upper Dean Street. Thomas junior succeeded his father as the innkeeper of the Angel Hotel and kept the place with his wife Jane. Surviving records also show that plans by Oliver Essex for 'Alterations and Additions' to the Angel Hotel were drawn up on January 22nd 1897. This work was probably commissioned by Atkinson's after they acquired the building, and included fine mosaic work inside the front porch [click on thumbnail to left for a photo enlargement]. Atkinson's Brewery Ltd. were listed as the owners in the 1906 Aston Ratebook. The estimated ground rent for the building in that year was £180.0s.0d per annum. Licensee George Chavasse paid the rates of £22.6s.3d. in full. He later moved to manage the Mermaid Hotel further along the Stratford Road. The 1896 Ratebook is of more interest because it shows the owner of the building before Atkinson's was Thomas Phillips. Actually, he died in 1876 but the Angel Inn had remained in the hands of his trustees who acted as custodians in the interests of his daughter Frances Elizabeth Wills. It is likely that Atkinson's leased the property initially. An earlier ratebook compiled in 1891 describes the building in some detail - it was listed as a Public House, Liquor Shop, Brewhouse, Stable, Loft and Premises. The ground rent in that year was £72.0s.0d. and the rates just £2.18s.8d. The increase in the rate over the 15 years between 1891 and 1906 was phenomenal, but probably reflects the absorbing of Aston Parish into the new City of Birmingham. I had to smile at the name of the licensee in 1891 - James Repton Wort. Now there's a name for a publican!! For those not familiar with the production of beer, wort [pronounced 'wert'] is the liquid produced in the mash tun and run off into the copper for boiling. It is in the mash tun that enzymes in the malt convert the starches into sugar - a process called saccharification. The fermentable sugars contribute strength and flavour to the finished beer. The freehold of the Angel Inn was purchased by Michael O'Neill in the 1980's. He sold the pub to Enterprise Inns. One could speculate that it was because Atkinson's operated the Angel Hotel that the building, with it's ad-hoc additions and alterations, survived through to the 21st century. A bigger brewery would almost certainly have rebuilt the pub in the early part of the 20th century. I guess this is the main reason why I'm disappointed with the lack of care and respect shown to the place. It was, after all, one of the most interesting pubs in Birmingham - a genuine survivor of the early 19th century.
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Belle-Vue-Inn

I have included the Belle Vue Inn here but I'll be placing it within the Ladywood pages too. Located at the 'top end' of Icknield Port Road, the Belle Vue Hotel [as it was known after being rebuilt] was a classic example of an inter-war public house with a frontage of splendid uniformity and clean lines. A real gem of the period. The entrances to the public bar and saloon bar were at the edge of the building whilst a central door acted as the outdoor for off sales. In a photograph dating from the late 1930's, the pub can be seen here in the livery of Ansell's of Aston. Mrs Jessie Sophia Weir was the licensee at the time; she was the landlady between 1933 and 1937. The Belle Vue is a pub that "did the rounds" in terms of ownership. William Tetley of Floodgate Street sold the original Belle Vue Inn to the London and Burton brewers Mann, Crossman and Paulin. The pub was acquired by William Butler's Springfield Brewery in Wolverhampton before forming part of the Ind Coope empire. The Holt Brewery have also been recorded as owners which is presumably how the newly-built pub ended up with the livery of Ansell's. The pub closed in the early-2000's and was subsequently converted into flats. The original pub was known as the Belle Vue Tavern in the mid-19th century. Another pub of this name existed in Gerrard Street at Lozells. James Jones was the publican in the mid-1860's but the pub was kept by Thomas and Charlotte Smith by 1871. I stumbled upon an amusing article in a copy of the Birmingham Daily Mail published on March 9th 1871. The item was entitled "Row About a Bi-Valve" and read "Thomas Smith [35], Icknield Port Road, described as a licensed victualler, imperfectly educated, was placed in the dock, charged with being drunk and causing an obstruction in the Market Hall. Yesterday, Mr Smith patronised an oyster stall in the latter building, and created a tremendous disturbance with the oyster man, because [as he alleged] that "gentleman" had swindled him out of one of the precious natives. The constable on duty in the market requested him to be a little more circumspect in the use of his expletives, whereupon he became, and stoutly maintained that only five of the six oysters for which a friend paid were supplied to him. After being ejected repeatedly he continued his visits to the oyster man, still harping on the solitary bi-valve until at length the patience of the officer was exhausted, and he was transferred from the precincts of the hall to Moor Street. Mr Francis, who represented Mr Smith, said his client was provoked by the taunts of the constable about "Kicking up a row over a paltry oyster." Mr Poncia [to defendant]: "No doubt you were deceived by swallowing them too fast. [laughter.] Thomas Smith was fined five shillings and costs." Thomas and Charlotte Smith remained at the Belle Vue Inn throughout the 1870's. William Brookes held the licence for a brief spell in the early 1880's. Born in 1848 in Melbourne, Derbyshire, he kept the pub with his wife Jane. There is a smashing photograph of the Belle Vue Inn on the Digital Ladywood website which has a caption stating that monthly dog shows were staged in the garden of the pub with winners receiving small prizes. The photograph features pub regulars Fred Logan, Bob Bennett, Bill Palmer, Tug Wilson, Matt Henderson and Mick Evans.
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Plough-and-Harrow Inn

Now that looks like a pub one would like to drink in, particularly as the sign advertises 'Home Brew'd Ales'. Sadly, the pub was closed many years ago, a sad loss for the area. The name of R.B.Hinton can also be seen on the sign - I wonder if that is him stood in the gateway to the front garden. Richard Hinton took over the Plough and Harrow from his father James. These men also shared the same trade of coachbuilder, a business that was probably conducted on the same site. A house of some antiquity, the Plough and Harrow was trading as a public house in the early 19th century. The name reflected the rural nature of the area at this time. Indeed, it was not until relatively recent times that housing replaced the agricultural nature of Bartley Green. Although surrounded by fields, many people worked in the nail-making industry that flourished in most settlements close to Halesowen. There is evidence of nailmaking in other local villages such as Romsley. In the 1850's there were more than fifty nailers' cottages in Bartley Green alone and almost as many in Woodgate. Although the Hinton family had settled in Bartley Green, James Hinton had sought work in Birmingham and, in the early 1860's, was living in a back-to-back in Fazeley Street from where he was employed as a coachbuilder. He and his wife Elizabeth moved out to greener pastures to run the Plough and Harrow; they remained here for the rest of their lives. Whilst still working as a wheelwright, son Richard took over the reins of the pub and was recorded as publican and brewer in 1901. Indeed, the aforementioned signage above the front door confirms that this was a homebrew house. He kept the Plough and Harrow with his Dudley-born wife Louisa. His brother James was the licensee of the Mill Inn. I am told that the Plough and Harrow closed in the 1930's when the building was used as a general stores by a fellow called Moss.
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California-Inn

Seen here around 1937 in the livery of Ansell's, the California Inn was located on Barnes Hill. The building stood close to the Dudley Canal and Stonehouse Brook. The former was also known as the Netherton Canal and emerged from the nearby Lapal Tunnel to meander its way to the Worcester and Birmingham Canal at Bournbrook. The principal cargo to be transported from this locality was stone, tiles and bricks. However, the negative aspects created by the geological nature of the hill caused the tunnel to be closed for repairs on many occasions, making the waterway uneconomic and its viability was reviewed. The tunnel was eventually closed in 1917. Legend has it that Isaac Flavell built the California Inn with money he had made from gold in California - hence the name. Being something of a romantic myself, I would love such a tale of adventure to be true. However, the name is not unique - another local example being in Blackheath where, ironically, the same local legend pervades. Secondly, it is thought that Isaac Flavell acquired Stonehouse Farm in 1842 whereas the Californian gold rush only really went into full swing after James Marshall discovered deposits at Sutter's Mill in 1848. Gornal-born Flavell was a prospector of sorts for, in buying Stonehouse Farm, he secured the rights to exploit the rich clay deposits beneath the top soil. Perhaps Isaac, like many of his generation, was enamoured by the stories emerging from the west coast of America. Or maybe he detected a correlation between his activity and that of the forty-niners. There certainly was competition for land around Stonehouse and Weoley Castle - I guess you could call it a clay rush. In White's directory for 1845 Isaac Flavell was recorded as a brick and tile maker based in Birmingham's Gas Street. He owned a wharf there and the bricks made at California were transported by canal to Birmingham where no doubt the entrepreneur sold them to builders constructing the rapidly expanding town. One would hope that he also manufactured the bricks used to construct the California Inn. He had married Ann Chinn in April 1833 at St Philip's, Birmingham. By 1851 Isaac and Ann were living at the California Inn from where Isaac employed fifty labourers, suggesting production was high. Although living at the California Inn, Isaac Flavell left the running of the pub to his brother-in-law Henry Chinn and his niece Rebecca Flavell. Interestingly, Derby-born Henry Chinn was documented as a beer house keeper though the California Inn was a fully licensed house for most of its history. In his 70's, the indefatigable Isaac Flavell was recorded as a brickmaker, contractor, farmer and victualler at the California Inn. He was assisted by his wife Ann and their daughter Sarah. Three servants were engaged at the busy house. Following Isaac's death, Ann continued to farm at Stonehouse. The brickmaking enterprise was acquired by William Smart who set about expanding the business by investing in machinery and kiln. The California Inn however was run by son Joseph Smart and his wife Ellen. She died at a relatively young age but Joseph remained at the pub with his four children. The eldest, Thomas, was trading as a grocer in the 1880's but it is unclear if this business was conducted at the California Inn. The profitability in the brick trade had attracted competition and by the 1870's the Birmingham Patent Brick and Tile Company were producing thousands of bricks per day in six kilns. The Smart family continued production. Their brickworks was active until after the Second World War. Joseph Smart remained as licensee of the California Inn almost until the end of the 19th century when he and his wife Alice retired to a villa in Harborne. He was succeeded by Walter Bingham but his stay was brief; Frederick Ingley was the publican throughout the Edwardian era.
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Waggon-and-Horses

The present Waggon and Horses is located on the corner of Worcester Street and Chapel Street, the latter named after the Baptist Chapel erected at the foot of Hanbury Hill and opened on June 8th 1836. The land for the chapel was purchased from the executors of Stourbridge banker Francis Rufford who owned the hill formerly known as Yarnborough. This name was itself derived from the 17th century appellation of Yearnebarrowe Hill Field, possibly indicating that Iron Age remains were found here. The mound was quarried for some years and perhaps this was the reason for the name of The Rock appearing on the corner of Chapel Street on the 1837 map - or maybe, as with the Broadstone at Cradley, there was a large ancient stone on the site. Forming part of a terrace, the original beerhouse called the Waggon and Horses was not on the corner called The Rock but a little further north towards the town. As can be seen on John Wood's map of 1837 [click on map to left for an enlargement], the properties in what was then called Heath Road were owned by the builder George Scott. He had purchased the land from John White and developed the properties fronting the Stourbridge to Kidderminster turnpike road. George Scott lived in the end of the terrace in the section around the corner because his address was given as Hanbury Terrace. This was the narrow footpath, today called Hanbury Passage, that followed a route from behind the old Waggon and Horses towards the Park Street Tavern on the corner of Park Street. Born in 1769, George Scott was a successful businessman and he developed quite a property portfolio in Stourbridge. When he died of apoplexy in 1842 at the age of 73 his will included the properties in Heath Road, more in Windmill Street, Catherwell Field and Back Lane. It would appear that a little nepotism played a role when George Scott found a publican to run the newly-built Waggon and Horses beer house. The first recorded licensee Thomas Scott, a painter and decorator, was a relative. His brother William Scott kept another beer house in Heath Road. The second licensee of the Waggon and Horses was Charles Scott. The census of 1851 shows that the 32 year-old was also a painter. The Post Office Directory of 1845 listed him as a plumber, painter and glazier. However, the pub's name suggests that a carter operated a haulage business from the beer house. Charles Scott kept the Waggon and Horses with his wife Margaret. Born in 1822 she hailed from Bolton in Lancashire. The couple had a son - Walter Scott was born in Stourbridge in 1841. The Scott family had moved on to live in Hill Street by 1860 and the new publican of the Waggon and Horses was Henry Rowcliffe. The following year's census documented him as a 28 year-old born in Pershore. 12 years his senior, wife Florence operated a small huxter's shop from the premises. Henry Rowcliffe moved on to the Chequers Inn and Joseph Bird became the publican and shopkeeper at the Waggon and Horses. 43 year-old John Gardener acquired the property in 1870. A widower hailing from Halesowen, he lived on the premises with his 75 year-old father Thomas and a housekeeper. He may have been related to William Gardener who kept the Royal Oak in The Lye. John Gardener secured a full licence for the beer house in 1873 and married before moving on to the Car and Horses in Market Street. It has been suggested that the present Waggon and Horses was built on the present site not long after the neighbouring Rock Tavern closed in 1910. However, the census of 1881 shows that the two pubs were operating with a grocer's shop and butcher's between them - the very layout that can be traced in the map dated 1885 [click on map to left for an enlargement] where the pub can clearly be seen on the corner of Chapel Street. At this time the address of the Waggon and Horses was No.14 Worcester Street. One can count the properties shown on the east side of the road on the 1885 map and the pub is the fourteenth building. A glance at the exposed dentil brickwork below the eaves, the style of slates used on the roof at the rear of the building and the dormer windows suggest that the pub is much older than an Edwardian structure. I suspect that the present Waggon and Horses dates from the period when John Gardener managed to obtain a full licence for the pub. In the 1881 census George Gould was recorded as both a joiner and publican. He was born in Himley in 1839. Helping out behind the counter was his wife Frances. Maltster and Brewer John Page lived just around the corner in Chapel Street and possibly produced the beers sold at the pub. An integral part of the rebuilt Waggon and Horses, a grocer's shop was operating next to the pub and was run by Cradley-born Thomas Bird. The neighbouring Rock Tavern run by Harriet Duggan also had a grocery outlet. Indeed, both pubs had an adjacent butcher's shop - there was still such a shop next to the pub in 2004. Locally-born Harry Canadine kept the Waggon and Horses during the Edwardian period, along with his Herefordshire-born wife Ellen. In 1901 their 18 year-old son Harry worked as a shoeing smith. His younger sister Maud brought another income into the household by working as a dressmaker. Installing Herbert Lewis and, later, Charles Croxton as licensees, Harry Canadine retained ownership until 1921 when he sold the Waggon and Horses Inn, bowling green, pavilion, gardens and outhouses to Smith and Williams of Round Oak, Brierley Hill. Julia Hanson and Sons Ltd. acquired Smith and Williams in April 1934. Almost immediately the Dudley-based brewery appointed the architectural firm of Scott and Clark to make some improvements to the property. The ''existing' plan drawn up by J. Percy Clark in June 1935 provides a insight to what the pub was like when it was built. The most noticeable difference is that only the Chapel Street side of the building was used for drinking - the floor space adjoining the butcher's shop was, from day one, a shop. This remained the case up until the Second World War. The main bar of the Waggon and Horses was accessed from a corner entrance where people would also queue up to buy beer for consumption off the premises. The corner entrance has since been bricked up and faced with ashlar masonry to match the rest of the building. The servery was behind a small counter to the left of the room and beyond this was an entrance to a small smoke room. A club room for the use of social gatherings and meetings was located on the first floor above both the bar and smoke room. Further alterations were made to the premises after the war. On this occasion Hanson's commissioned Stanley A. Griffiths of Stourbridge to draw the plans in August 1949. The interior was changed substantially during this refurbishment, probably to bring the pub in line with changing standards. The old shop, previously let-off by the brewery, was converted into a new lounge. This was served by a new central 'island' counter which facilitated the creation of extra floor space in the bar. A new entrance was built with a lobby for the outdoor. In some respects the new-look Waggon and Horses was ahead of its time, particularly with the installation of indoor toilets - most neighbouring boozers continued with the trudge up the back yard well into the 1970's. The 1950's photograph [left] was taken on one of the many trips organised by the licensee of the Waggon and Horses. The outings arranged for the pub's regulars were both breakfast and day trips. This photograph was taken sometime between 1952 and 1954 just before the pub's revellers departed for New Brighton. The photographer was Bill Davies, a fireman on the railways and friend of former Hill Street resident Gerald Horton. Better known as Rex, his father Reginald Horton was one of the pub's most regular customers. Another well-known face during this period was Jack Whiteman. He was a bookie's runner during the fifties. Using Hill's Coaches of Stourbridge loaded with ample crates of beer and maybe a barrel on the back seat, the trips were organised by both Stan Taylor and Henry Johnson. The latter, a dapperly dressed man, was more commonly known as Harry. The cost of the trip to New Brighton was thirty shillings. This is around £24 in today's money but the fare included free beer and food for the day. I'm not sure who's who but included in the photograph are Bill Wesson, Jeff Highball, Carl Brampton and Harry Ryder. In 2004 the pub still had Hanson's livery despite being owned by Avebury Taverns. Worcester-born Trevor Bozward [pictured to the left] arrived in September 1999 and soon after was nominated 'New Licensee of the Year' in a competition sponsored by Guinness and Avebury Taverns. He hung up his bar towel around 2005, I only know because I bumped into him in the supermarket just after he'd packed it in. He was much more relaxed out of the licensed trade which, although he enjoyed his time at the Waggon and Horses, was a hard slog at times. I liked the way Trevor kept the Waggon and Horses; he was always keen to promote real beer and the pub had a convivial atmosphere. Sadly, this was not the case after he departed and the pub lost much of its custom. However, in 2009 there had been an attempt to address this and the pub had become a tap house for Enville Ales.  
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