Two Chances

Chances House is located at no.13 Church Street on the left-hand side as you walk up the hill and was once home to a beerhouse known as 'Two Chances'. This was never a public house, but was a home, which was opened up for the sale of beer, potentially brewed on the premises.

It is a Grade II listed building described on the Historic England website as...

CLUN C.P. CHURCH STREET (East side) No. 13

House. Early C19, probably refacing of earlier house. Rendered (lined as ashlar), probably over coursed limestone rubble; slate roof. 2 storeys. Integral brick end-stacks. 3 irregularly- spaced windows; 16-pane glazing bar sashes; central 6 flush- panelled door (top 2 panels glazed). Included for group value.

Early census records show a Richard Whiston (1841) and Edward Breese (1851) living on this section of Church Street as 'publican' and 'beer house keeper' respectively, and the 1842 directory confirms Richard Whiston's occupation as a 'beer retailer', as opposed to a 'publican', which is recorded by the census record.

1841 Census - Richard Whiston

The Whiston family had lived in Clun for several generations, and Richard's brother John was the landlord at the Sun Inn on High Street around the same time.

Pigot's 1842 Directory - Richard Whiston

1851 Edward Breese

The lack of reference to the beerhouse after the 1851 census leads me to believe this was only a short-lived line of business for the occupants, but as a private residence, the name 'Chances House' retains reference to the long-forgotten pub to this day.