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242 Bath Road
The Brown Jug has been serving the public since at least 1847, when a coroner's inquest was held on the premises. Walter and Ann Buckle lived here in 1854 and their family appear to have owned this and other properties in the row for some years. In the early years it was described as a beer house.
By 1858 the landlord was Mr Thomas Clarke, who was also a pig dealer. In 1865 Thomas Clarke was granted a fly license, which meant that he could operate a horse-drawn taxi service. A 'fly' was a light covered vehicle that could be drawn by a single horse, often let out for hire. Thomas was here until at least 1868. ![]() One of the longest-serving landlords was Adolphus White, who was already the landlord by 1876. He was born in Cheltenham and was married to Annie Baylis. They had 12 children but lost 2 in infancy. Like many landlords Adolphus had another trade – his was carpentry. He died aged 53 in 1895, after which Annie continued to run the pub until about 1908.
Other landlords from about 1900 until the start of the First World War included Mr Henry Bristow Harbourne, Mr R.L. Smith and Mr W.Skarre. Then from about 1916 until 1926 came Philip Williams, followed by William Charles Cook. By the start of the Second World War the landlord was William (or Reginald) Woolridge but this changed in 1942, with the arrival here of Richard State. He was the landlord for about 10 years and was succeeded in 1952 by his son Albert. The States were here until 1963. After the war there was a slight change in the name of the pub when it was called Ye Olde Browne Jugge.
![]() The name changed back to the Brown Jug when the Brimfield family took over in about 1963. Their connection with the pub lasted for over thirty years, first with Bill and Glad Brimfield, and then from 1974 their son Derek and his wife Shirley, as the landlords. In 1983 Derek and Shirley celebrated their silver wedding anniversary (25 years) at the pub and reduced all drinks to 25p, not only for regulars but anyone who came in. It was so busy a lot of regulars had to help themselves; they still put their 25p’s in the till though!
![]() In the final quarter of the 20th century the Brown Jug was the venue for many parties celebrating such events as the Queens Silver Jubilee (1977) and the Royal Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer (1981). For the Queen Mother’s 80th Birthday, Derek and Shirley laid on a free full roast dinner for all the pensioners & their partners. And every New Year’s Eve was so busy, they had to remove all the internal doors because they wouldn’t be able to open them.
Running the Brown Jug at the beginning of the 21st century were Peter and Jeanne Harris, who were followed by Matthew Birch in 2006. In about 2014 the name of the pub was changed but in 2019 it was reinstated as The Brown Jug.
Researcher: Marilyn West
Updated: Stuart Manton (Aug 2019) |
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