Church Street with Ward's shop on the right, then being run by William East.
On the left is the former Black Boy public house the name was not uncommon but its derivation is not certain. Some claim that it refers to a nickname of Charles II which was adopted by Charles’ supporters fighting for the restoration of the Monarchy in the 1650s. Inns using the Black Boy name were possibly declaring their Royalist allegiance against Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians. Trouble with that is that Coggeshall was resoundingly parliamentarian. Another explanation is linked to smoking and the tobacco industry of Virginia in the USA and their trademark image of a black youth wearing a crown.
The Black Boy was one of the pubs owned by the Brightwen brothers of the Stoneham Street Brewery when they became bankrupt in 1828. It was then sold to to a Mr Snow for £540 making it one of the lower-value pubs in the Brightwen portfolio.
Beer was served for the last time in the summer of 1898 and October that year the Black Boy was sold for just £140 (its annual rent then estimated at £14). That is about a 75% drop in value in the 70 years since 1828 and demonstrates Coggeshall's post-industrial decline. It was bought by Mr Simmons who owned the draper's shop next door and was destined for a new lease of life.
In May 1901 the old pub was repurposed as the 'Liberal Reading Rooms' with a room for reading, one for games, and another for refreshments. The Rev Hamson was elected president. In 1908 these rooms were replaced by purpose-built premises in Queen Street.
Remarkably the old bracket for the pub's sign still remains today - albeit rather bent at some point no doubt by a passing lorry. i wonder what happened to the sign itself?
Photo courtesy Douglas Judd
Date: c1913
Ref: 100/29
On the left is the former Black Boy public house the name was not uncommon but its derivation is not certain. Some claim that it refers to a nickname of Charles II which was adopted by Charles’ supporters fighting for the restoration of the Monarchy in the 1650s. Inns using the Black Boy name were possibly declaring their Royalist allegiance against Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentarians. Trouble with that is that Coggeshall was resoundingly parliamentarian. Another explanation is linked to smoking and the tobacco industry of Virginia in the USA and their trademark image of a black youth wearing a crown.
The Black Boy was one of the pubs owned by the Brightwen brothers of the Stoneham Street Brewery when they became bankrupt in 1828. It was then sold to to a Mr Snow for £540 making it one of the lower-value pubs in the Brightwen portfolio.
Beer was served for the last time in the summer of 1898 and October that year the Black Boy was sold for just £140 (its annual rent then estimated at £14). That is about a 75% drop in value in the 70 years since 1828 and demonstrates Coggeshall's post-industrial decline. It was bought by Mr Simmons who owned the draper's shop next door and was destined for a new lease of life.
In May 1901 the old pub was repurposed as the 'Liberal Reading Rooms' with a room for reading, one for games, and another for refreshments. The Rev Hamson was elected president. In 1908 these rooms were replaced by purpose-built premises in Queen Street.
Remarkably the old bracket for the pub's sign still remains today - albeit rather bent at some point no doubt by a passing lorry. i wonder what happened to the sign itself?
Photo courtesy Douglas Judd
Date: c1913
Ref: 100/29
Also in: Church Street
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