Wymondham's Old Inn's, by Philip Yaxley
Published by the Wymondham Heritage Society, 28 pages. A5 size booklet (N5311)
This the introduction: For centuries inns and taverns have played their part in Wymondham's commercial, social and public affairs. Until the 20th century, the life of the town revolved around its pubs and at times Wymondham seems to have had a surfeit of them.
A letter of 1622 concerning certain disorders in the town reads, 'wee are informed that there are 33 Alehouses within the said town which suckers the thrifte from a nomber of those poore people, whereas the thirde parte is more than enoughe for preventing of all such inconveniences as may ensue'.
Over a century later in 1747, Robert Cremer, the Vicar, recorded that there were 39 alehouse keepers serving the population of 3213.
In the 19th century there were about 30 public houses and inns together with several beerhouses. Cases of drunkenness were regularly reported in the local newspapers of the time - despite an active branch of the Temperance Society. In 1864, for example, Ann Colman was charged with being drunk at Wymondham on a Sunday night at 10 o'clock. It was reported that she had caused a mob to assemble, had lost her bonnet and had only one shoe!
Charles G. Harper commented in 1904 that Wymondham had once been 'a town of much good cheer and inordinate drinking', but already by then, however, the number of taverns was on the decline and today only a few survive.
What follows is a brief account of the pubs that remain and of many that have long since closed their doors.
The condition of the booklet is generally excellent. The covers are clean and bright, the staple spine is tight and intact and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound. There is a small price sticker on the rear side cover
| Condition | New |