"There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so
much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn."
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784)
This blog is dedicated to a wonderful woman, Diana, who loved Clun and put a smile on the faces of all she met.
I was inspired to research the history of pubs whilst tracing my family tree several years ago. I was born in Burton-on-Trent. Most of the paternal side of my family hail from the Black Country in the West Midlands and when I learnt that a great uncle was previously the licensee of the Coach and Horses Public House in Tipton I began to scour the web and swiftly came across the most fantastic website called Hitchmough's Black Country Pubs. This is dedicated to plotting the history of over 5500 pubs in that area and is an amazing resource for historians and genealogists alike
This blog is not meant to copy what Tony Hitchmough has created over 40 years of research but is inspired by his work and hopefully will prove useful to anyone interested in Clun's heritage, of which, the humble tavern will always remain an important part...warts an' all!
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| Pigot's Directory of Clun 1842 |
Clun was once home to a large number of pubs and alehouses, many only licensed to sell beer and not wine and spirits. Nearly all the buildings still stand to this day, albeit only the White Horse and Sun Inn remain open as public houses, the remaining pubs now converted to other uses, such as residential properties. One, the Six Bells Inn at the top of Church Street was demolished over a century ago following a serious fire. In its place was built a rather modern Scandinavian-style property, also named 'Six Bells' in deference to the pub.
I would like to express my thanks to the people of Clun for their local knowledge and assistance in creating this blog, in particular members of the Memories of Clun Facebook group and those associated with the Clun Museum, including Jean Withers, Rowena Bowles and Nigel Kerry. Most of all, I thank my wife Linda for putting up with me spending, 'a number of hours' creating this tribute.
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| Map of Clun's Inns and Alehouses |
Back in the 1800s there were 12 or 13 alehouses in the town but by 1925 this had reduced to just 5, as logged in the directory below...
Clun Aubrey Shropshire Directory 1925
Hotels
Buffalo Hotel
Vaughan’s Temperance Hotel
White Horse Hotel
Inns
Crown
Sun Inn, Clun; good stabling accommodation for visitors, J. T. Thornton, prop.
Tile Tavern, Clun, H. Griffiths, proprietor.
...these days, there are just two; the Sun Inn and White Horse Inn.
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