Albrightons Pubs

The Crown The Public Houses, as in most areas, catered for the coaching requirements as well as being local ale houses. The A41 road (of which the High Street was part prior to the building of the By-Pass), ran from Worcester to Chester as a coaching route and from Wolverhampton, they came along past “The Mermaid” until Thomas Telford created the road at Tettenhall Rock.

The Harp, which at the time was on the opposite side of the road, was the main coaching inn. Charles Dickens is said to have stayed here on his way to Tong, but all of the public houses catered for this trade with such things as stabling etc.

With the arrival of the railways, not only did the coaches begin to disappear but also the local brewing. There were at one time Malt Houses in the High Street at the corner of Meadow Road, one at Chestnut House (diagonally opposite the Harp), one in Station Road (now Barclays Bank), one at the shops next to Gwilts on the left hand side, one at the Orchard, one behind the Bush and one next to Meeson House in Shaw Lane. The last working Malt House was opposite the school in Station Road, however, this burned down in 1959.

There are four public houses in the village today, but in previous times there were several more: The Cat, The Last, The Star, also the kennels on the Shifnal Road was an Inn. Of the four existing ones, The Harp is not on its original site, having moved from the opposite side of the road in about 1850. A rating valuation made in 1901 put The Crown at £68, The Harp at £51, The Bush at £35 and the Shrewsbury Arms at £25. Although all have had some alterations over the time, the Shrewsbury Arms, originally called The Talbot and having the sign of a Talbot Dog, hence being called The Dog up to the Second World War has had the greatest renovations.

The building stood in the corner of a field and was cladded all over because of weather penetrating the timber frame. The windows, except one facing the High Street, were much small and a hedge ran along the Church Road side. Two cottages were in the field facing Church Road between the pub and the Georgian houses. In 1933, the cladding was removed, the bay windows in Church Road were added, the cottages were pulled down and a yard was driven through at the back of the pub. This raised its rear part to the standard of The Crown. A large tree at the rear of the building was felled in 1937/38 and before the trees obscured the church, the view of the pub and the church from Church Road was considered the most picturesque in the village. This was the view which was reproduced in the official souvenir programme for the Coronation of 1937. The pub apparently a converted Manor House built in about 1676 and possibly the home of Sir John Talbot.

The Bush was formerly called The Holly Bush and then later, The Old Bush. It was extended and a car park added in 1997/98. It is an 18th century building and had a malt house at the rear.

The Crown still remains the largest building and with its central position at the Cross Roads of the village, is probably the most “up market” of the pubs. It was, at one time, the home of the Carless family who lived in the 17th century.

When the High Street was compacted earth, to help with the dust and mud, a causeway ran from the Church to Albrighton Hall. By definition, a causeway is normally raised, but there is no evidence on any building of such an elevation.

An early watercolour picture of the Shrewsbury Arms suggests the causeway, which was of stone, was on the Church side and was what today would be classed as a footpath. Blakeway says that it had an oak handrail which was painted white. Well into this century, stone was simply thrown onto certain village roads then raked level.

Words: Ernest Howells