Upper Stoneham Street with the Royal Oak Inn, a building dating from the early 1600's.
Date c1905
Ref; 05/00
The Royal Oak, close-up. The sign over the door reads 'Smith Garrett & Co' the rest is illegible.
Until 1875 The Royal Oak Inn had a brewery attached and made and sold its own beer. When the owner, Joseph Pilgrem, died both the pub and the brewery were offered for sale by auction at the Chapel Hotel;
'The Royal Oak Inn and brewery, situate in Stoneham-street, Great Coggeshall, with stables, chaisehouse, very productive garden, large orchard, &c.
A 'chaise' is a light two-or four-wheeled carriage for one or two people with a folding hood. It and the stables probably date from the time when the Royal Oak was an inn and guests could hire horses and a chaise much as we might do a car today.
The Inn was bought by J K King of the Gravel End Brewery for £610 and became one of their tied public houses. Kings dismantled the brewery and disposed of the machinery and equipment.
In 1878 Kings must have had trouble with their tenant, a chap by the name of Austin. On the 6th August that year a Mr Bailey attempted to take possession of the Royal Oak under the authority of a bill of sale, but as this was not produced 'Austin ejected him' giving him a heavy blow to the head with the butt end of a whip, and flinging another man downstairs at which five or six others beat a hasty retreat. When the party returned with the constabulary Austin had 'prudently decamped'
The pub was probably not doing well and in January 1892, Kings put it on the market:
For sale by auction, '..by order of the Trustees of the late Mr. John Kemp King ; the valuable FREEHOLD FULLY-LICENSED PUBLIC-HOUSE, KNOWN as "THE ROYAL OAK,” well situate at Stoneham Street, Great Coggeshall, with Yards, Blacksmith's Shop, Stabling, Garden, and large Orchard.
The auction was brought to a dramatic halt when the tenant stood up and threatened to ‘make things very unpleasant’ for any purchaser. No bids were offered and the property was withdrawn from sale. Apparently undaunted by the threat, the pub was bought privately by a London firm of Brewers, ’Smith Garrett and Co' of Bow.
From November 1892 - December 1895, there were no fewer than eight different licencees some lasting just a week or two. Challenged about this at yet another application to transfer the licence, it was claimed this was because the brewers ‘could not get suitable tenants’. Mr Moss from the bench had his own opinion as to the cause, ‘public houses were too thick in the parish making it impossible for landlords to get a livelihood’ *. The solicitor for the brewers admitted, 'It may be so.' On advice from the bench, Smith & Garrett withdrew their application (the magistrates must have known some 'previous' on Mr Obey the candidate) and later granted a temporary licence to William Goodey of Coggeshall; ‘who had for five years managed the Black Boy in the town'.
The owners must have thought that if Goodey, an experienced Coggeshall landlord, could not make a go of the Royal Oak, no-one could. To Mr Goodey's credit, it was ten years later, in 1906, that Smith, Garrett & Co finally decided to close the pub down.
At that time there was a scheme to offer compensation to landlords and tenants to de-licence pubs in places like Coggeshall, where there were thought to be too many (and open others where the population was expanding). In March 1906 the licensing authorities allowed a transfer - Frederick Foulger, of Colchester Road, Leyton (then in Essex, now London), was to be allowed a licence for a Beer Off-licence on the surrender of the licence for the Royal Oak in Coggeshall. The Chairman of the magistrates 'hoped the grant would not be made the stepping stone to an application for a full licence.' Social engineering was at work here, public houses being regarded by many in authority as a form of moral degeneracy, encouraging excessive drinking and its consequences, using money which should go to families.
At the end of March 1906 Smith, Garrett & Co put the Royal Oak up for sale. In the meantime, as part of the process, the magistrates ordered a report on the Inn;
‘The premises had been inspected….Only about three barrels of beer and three quarts of spirit a week were sold at the house. The bar was very small and customers were obliged to pass through it to enter the smokeroom, which appeared to be the only room used for drinking purposes. The taproom was not much used. The back premises were not in a very good state. There were four other fully licensed houses in the same street. The population was about 2,578, for which there were 20 licensed houses.’
The licence was referred to the County Committee and in October 1907 they approved an offer; William Goodey the tenant received £10 in compensation, the owners £100 and the Royal Oak Inn closed its doors for the last time.
And so another old Coggeshall pub became history.
* Coggeshall had changed from an industrial town to a rural one, its economic decline made even worse in the 1890's by a slump in agriculture. As the Coggeshall solicitor Joseph Beaumont put it in 1892, 'Landlords could not find tenants, tenants could not find money and that labourers cannot find employment'
[Letter to the editor Essex Standard 29/10/1892]
Trevor Disley 2018
From Jane Jefferies; "My grand parents lived there, circa 1912? My grandmother sold sweets -or perhaps that should be, gave away sweets? when she ran an unprofitable shop from there. Allegedly, my grandfather made gallons of homemade wine, which being teetotal, I'm assured he never touched, which he gave to the first world war soldiers who were billeted there. My mother's bedroom was the one immediately above the front door."
Sources
Chelmsford Chronicle 23/04/1875
Chelmsford Chronicle 09/08/1878
Essex Standard 09/01/1892
Chelmsford Chronicle 12/02/1892
Chelmsford Chronicle 11/11/1892
Essex Herald 23/11/1892
Essex Herald 25/07/1893
Essex Herald23/01/1894
Essex Newsman 07/12/1895
Chelmsford Chronicle 02/03/1906
Chelmsford Chronicle 30/03/1906
Essex Newsman 16/03/1907
Chelmsford Chronicle 18/10/1907
East Anglian Daily Times 21/11/1907
Listed Building description of this old Inn
TL 8422-8522 COGGESHALL STONEHAM STREET
9/198 No. 38 (Royal Oak) 31.10.66 (formerly listed as no. 38 Royal Oak Cottage)
GV II*
House. Early 17th century, altered in 19th century. Timber framed, plastered and weather-boarded, roofed with handmade red plain tiles. four bays facing south west, with stack in rear part of second bay from left end, emerging at the ridge.
18th & 19th century internal stack at right end, truncated below roof.
Two-storey porch in front of lobby-entrance in front of main stack.
19th century single-storey wing to rear right, of red brick and weatherboarding, roofed with red clay pantiles, and 20th century stack to right of it.
Two storeys, cellar and attics. Ground floor, two early 19th century sashes of sixteen lights with crown glass; one to right of the porch has 'Royal Oak' inscribed twice on the inside of the glass; and one 20th century similar sash. First floor, three early 19th century sashes of 16 lights and one 19th century horizontal sash of twelve+ twelve lights, all with crown glass; one small fixed light with diamond leading. Simple moulded eaves cornice.
Above the porch a gable over the stair has one 19th century cast iron casement of six lights. 19th century door with two lights in original porch, jettied to front and both
sides, with 19th century scrolled brackets.
The front and rear elevations are plastered, both gable ends weather-boarded. Square chimney with corner pilasters. Unjowled posts, heavy studding with primary straight bracing, face-halved and bladed scarfs in both wallplates. Moulded binding beams to each side of the chimney bay, plain on the sides facing it, and moulded axial bridging beams in three bays; plain joists of vertical section. Large wood-burning hearth facing to left with moulded mantel beam, jambs and rear surface rebuilt with 20th century bricks. Large wood-burning hearth facing to right with roll-moulded jambs and depressed arch and rounded rear splays.
Original stair in the lobby-entrance from ground to attic, with small open well, moulded handrails, inserted stick balusters and ball finials, and two carved pendants on the first floor; three newels in attic cut off.
On the first floor two wide wood-burning hearths with chamfered jambs and depressed arches. Moulded bridging beams in the bays each side of the chimney bay, chamfered bridging beam with lamb's tongue stops in right bay; plain joists of vertical section. 17th century moulded and panelled internal doors. Clasped purlin roof with arched collars and straight intermediate collars. This house has retained an exceptional number of original features, and structurally is unaltered. (Described and illustrated in C.A. Hewett, Some East Anglian Prototypes for Early Timber Houses in America, Post-Medieval Archaeology 3, 1969, 104-5, 107, 111, but wrongly identified as no. 43, Stoneham Street, with wrong grid reference). RCHM 37
Date c1905
Ref; 05/00
The Royal Oak, close-up. The sign over the door reads 'Smith Garrett & Co' the rest is illegible.
Until 1875 The Royal Oak Inn had a brewery attached and made and sold its own beer. When the owner, Joseph Pilgrem, died both the pub and the brewery were offered for sale by auction at the Chapel Hotel; 'The Royal Oak Inn and brewery, situate in Stoneham-street, Great Coggeshall, with stables, chaisehouse, very productive garden, large orchard, &c.
A 'chaise' is a light two-or four-wheeled carriage for one or two people with a folding hood. It and the stables probably date from the time when the Royal Oak was an inn and guests could hire horses and a chaise much as we might do a car today.
The Inn was bought by J K King of the Gravel End Brewery for £610 and became one of their tied public houses. Kings dismantled the brewery and disposed of the machinery and equipment.
In 1878 Kings must have had trouble with their tenant, a chap by the name of Austin. On the 6th August that year a Mr Bailey attempted to take possession of the Royal Oak under the authority of a bill of sale, but as this was not produced 'Austin ejected him' giving him a heavy blow to the head with the butt end of a whip, and flinging another man downstairs at which five or six others beat a hasty retreat. When the party returned with the constabulary Austin had 'prudently decamped'
The pub was probably not doing well and in January 1892, Kings put it on the market:
For sale by auction, '..by order of the Trustees of the late Mr. John Kemp King ; the valuable FREEHOLD FULLY-LICENSED PUBLIC-HOUSE, KNOWN as "THE ROYAL OAK,” well situate at Stoneham Street, Great Coggeshall, with Yards, Blacksmith's Shop, Stabling, Garden, and large Orchard.
The auction was brought to a dramatic halt when the tenant stood up and threatened to ‘make things very unpleasant’ for any purchaser. No bids were offered and the property was withdrawn from sale. Apparently undaunted by the threat, the pub was bought privately by a London firm of Brewers, ’Smith Garrett and Co' of Bow.
From November 1892 - December 1895, there were no fewer than eight different licencees some lasting just a week or two. Challenged about this at yet another application to transfer the licence, it was claimed this was because the brewers ‘could not get suitable tenants’. Mr Moss from the bench had his own opinion as to the cause, ‘public houses were too thick in the parish making it impossible for landlords to get a livelihood’ *. The solicitor for the brewers admitted, 'It may be so.' On advice from the bench, Smith & Garrett withdrew their application (the magistrates must have known some 'previous' on Mr Obey the candidate) and later granted a temporary licence to William Goodey of Coggeshall; ‘who had for five years managed the Black Boy in the town'.
The owners must have thought that if Goodey, an experienced Coggeshall landlord, could not make a go of the Royal Oak, no-one could. To Mr Goodey's credit, it was ten years later, in 1906, that Smith, Garrett & Co finally decided to close the pub down.
At that time there was a scheme to offer compensation to landlords and tenants to de-licence pubs in places like Coggeshall, where there were thought to be too many (and open others where the population was expanding). In March 1906 the licensing authorities allowed a transfer - Frederick Foulger, of Colchester Road, Leyton (then in Essex, now London), was to be allowed a licence for a Beer Off-licence on the surrender of the licence for the Royal Oak in Coggeshall. The Chairman of the magistrates 'hoped the grant would not be made the stepping stone to an application for a full licence.' Social engineering was at work here, public houses being regarded by many in authority as a form of moral degeneracy, encouraging excessive drinking and its consequences, using money which should go to families.
At the end of March 1906 Smith, Garrett & Co put the Royal Oak up for sale. In the meantime, as part of the process, the magistrates ordered a report on the Inn;
‘The premises had been inspected….Only about three barrels of beer and three quarts of spirit a week were sold at the house. The bar was very small and customers were obliged to pass through it to enter the smokeroom, which appeared to be the only room used for drinking purposes. The taproom was not much used. The back premises were not in a very good state. There were four other fully licensed houses in the same street. The population was about 2,578, for which there were 20 licensed houses.’
The licence was referred to the County Committee and in October 1907 they approved an offer; William Goodey the tenant received £10 in compensation, the owners £100 and the Royal Oak Inn closed its doors for the last time.
And so another old Coggeshall pub became history.
* Coggeshall had changed from an industrial town to a rural one, its economic decline made even worse in the 1890's by a slump in agriculture. As the Coggeshall solicitor Joseph Beaumont put it in 1892, 'Landlords could not find tenants, tenants could not find money and that labourers cannot find employment'
[Letter to the editor Essex Standard 29/10/1892]
Trevor Disley 2018
From Jane Jefferies; "My grand parents lived there, circa 1912? My grandmother sold sweets -or perhaps that should be, gave away sweets? when she ran an unprofitable shop from there. Allegedly, my grandfather made gallons of homemade wine, which being teetotal, I'm assured he never touched, which he gave to the first world war soldiers who were billeted there. My mother's bedroom was the one immediately above the front door."
Sources
Chelmsford Chronicle 23/04/1875
Chelmsford Chronicle 09/08/1878
Essex Standard 09/01/1892
Chelmsford Chronicle 12/02/1892
Chelmsford Chronicle 11/11/1892
Essex Herald 23/11/1892
Essex Herald 25/07/1893
Essex Herald23/01/1894
Essex Newsman 07/12/1895
Chelmsford Chronicle 02/03/1906
Chelmsford Chronicle 30/03/1906
Essex Newsman 16/03/1907
Chelmsford Chronicle 18/10/1907
East Anglian Daily Times 21/11/1907
Listed Building description of this old Inn
TL 8422-8522 COGGESHALL STONEHAM STREET
9/198 No. 38 (Royal Oak) 31.10.66 (formerly listed as no. 38 Royal Oak Cottage)
GV II*
House. Early 17th century, altered in 19th century. Timber framed, plastered and weather-boarded, roofed with handmade red plain tiles. four bays facing south west, with stack in rear part of second bay from left end, emerging at the ridge.
18th & 19th century internal stack at right end, truncated below roof.
Two-storey porch in front of lobby-entrance in front of main stack.
19th century single-storey wing to rear right, of red brick and weatherboarding, roofed with red clay pantiles, and 20th century stack to right of it.
Two storeys, cellar and attics. Ground floor, two early 19th century sashes of sixteen lights with crown glass; one to right of the porch has 'Royal Oak' inscribed twice on the inside of the glass; and one 20th century similar sash. First floor, three early 19th century sashes of 16 lights and one 19th century horizontal sash of twelve+ twelve lights, all with crown glass; one small fixed light with diamond leading. Simple moulded eaves cornice.
Above the porch a gable over the stair has one 19th century cast iron casement of six lights. 19th century door with two lights in original porch, jettied to front and both
sides, with 19th century scrolled brackets.
The front and rear elevations are plastered, both gable ends weather-boarded. Square chimney with corner pilasters. Unjowled posts, heavy studding with primary straight bracing, face-halved and bladed scarfs in both wallplates. Moulded binding beams to each side of the chimney bay, plain on the sides facing it, and moulded axial bridging beams in three bays; plain joists of vertical section. Large wood-burning hearth facing to left with moulded mantel beam, jambs and rear surface rebuilt with 20th century bricks. Large wood-burning hearth facing to right with roll-moulded jambs and depressed arch and rounded rear splays.
Original stair in the lobby-entrance from ground to attic, with small open well, moulded handrails, inserted stick balusters and ball finials, and two carved pendants on the first floor; three newels in attic cut off.
On the first floor two wide wood-burning hearths with chamfered jambs and depressed arches. Moulded bridging beams in the bays each side of the chimney bay, chamfered bridging beam with lamb's tongue stops in right bay; plain joists of vertical section. 17th century moulded and panelled internal doors. Clasped purlin roof with arched collars and straight intermediate collars. This house has retained an exceptional number of original features, and structurally is unaltered. (Described and illustrated in C.A. Hewett, Some East Anglian Prototypes for Early Timber Houses in America, Post-Medieval Archaeology 3, 1969, 104-5, 107, 111, but wrongly identified as no. 43, Stoneham Street, with wrong grid reference). RCHM 37
Also in: Market Hill
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Comments
By Jane Jefferies: My grand parents lived there, circa 1912? My grandmother sold sweets -or perhaps that should be, gave away sweets?- when she ran an unprofitable shop from there. Allegedly, my grandfather made gallons of homemade wine, which being teetotal, I'm assured he never touched, which he gave to the first world war soldiers who were billeted there. My mother's bedroom was the one immediately above the front door. By Lynn Seager Putterford: My parents purchased the house in the 1980s from a doctor and his wife.I was married from there in St. Peters Church in 1992. My Dad turned the old coach house into two cottages and sold part of the large garden at the back with planning permission to build 2 houses.They moved to Chelmsford in the late 1990s. We have just found some of the original sales details with seals some on vellum, dating from late 1700s to early 1900s which I will be returning to the current owners of the property! So interesting to ready part of the history! By Margaret Fox: My family rented this house from 1966-1969 from Mrs Barraud, the artist's widow. We very much loved living in such a historic property and as children we loved playing in the extensive gardens with their beautiful fruit trees and vegetable beds. My sister attended the primary school across the street. We made use of the large fireplaces and dug up many Roman artifacts in the back garden.