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Historic Pubs of Stamford Tour
The following is extracted from the booklet that was provided to members who joined the tour on 15th March 2008.
As we walk from the station and up the s teps towards Saint Martin's High Street we pass what was known as the Telegraph. The Telegraph opened as a beer house following the completion of the Midland Railway Peterborough to Leicester line in 1846. The pub traded until 1961. The name Telegraph was used for stage coaches up to the 1840's but the date and location of the pub suggest that it was named after the telegraph service provided by the railway companies.
On the High St we can find the Bull & Swan. The earliest reference to the inn is in 1660 when it was referred to as the Falcon & Woolpack. Other names it has traded under include Swan & Woolpack and Swan & Woolpocket. The inn was a popular staging post with many coaches being served from here including the Royal Defiance which went to Leicester and the High Flyer which went from London to York. At the rear of the property were large stables which were needed for the trade that used the Great North Road. The stables also came in to use to during the Stamford Races which took place on Wittering Heath nearby.
Opposite can be found the Waggon & Horses which was in use until about 1863. The inn's claim to fame is that it was where Daniel Lambert died whilst on a visit to the town.
Daniel Lambert, who was he?
The National Biography describes Daniel Lambert as 'the most corpulent man of whom authentic records exist' and weighing in at over 50 stone on his death we can assume they were right. Born in Leicester in 1770 of 'normal sized' parents he showed no signs of excess until his 20th year when he began to gain weight. At the age of 23 he was already 32 stone. The reasons for his condition appear to be a mystery for he had an unremarkable appetite and drank only water. His early life is fairly well documented and his earliest days were spent as an apprentice to the engraved button trade in Birmingham, returning to his family in Leicester in 1788. At this time his father was keeper of the local gaol and Daniel was to assist him until he took over the post in 1791 following his father's retirement. The gaol closed in 1805 and Lambert was awarded a 'generous' pension.
Lambert the Showman
It was in the following year that Daniel decided to profit from his fame as the world's largest man. The Stamford Mercury in March 1806 reported that Mr Daniel Lambert was having a carriage specially built 'to convey himself to london where he means to exhibit himself as a natural curiosity'. In April 1806 he commenced receiving company from 12 noon until 5pm at number 53 Piccadilly. It is from this time that many descriptions of Lambert were published, one such account tells us:-
When sitting he appears to be a stupendous mass of flesh, for his thighs are so covered by his belly that nothing but his knees are to be seen, while the flesh of his legs, which resemble pillows, projects in such a manner as to nearly bury his feet.
During his stay in London he sat for the renowned artist Ben Marshall, during which time they became firm friends with the artist eventually naming one of his sons Lambert. After 5 months in London Daniel decided to return to Leicester where he lived privately for some time before he began touring again. This time his travels took him to Birmingham, Hinckley and Coventry amongst other places. His home town saw him revisit in October 1807 where 'during the fair, at Mr Scott's grocers, in the market Place' he began again receiving company. His standard admission price was one shilling, a considerable sum in the early 19th  century, priced, we can assume to keep the riff raff away.
Daniel was a keen sportsman in his youth and was particularly interested in field sports. Horse racing was also a passion and he visited Stamford racecourse in his final days where he 'intended to receive the visits of the curious who might attend the ensuing races'. His final trip took place in June 1809 when he stayed at the Waggon & Horses Inn situated at 47-50 High Street St Martins (now a private house). Unfortunately, on the second day of his stay he was found dead in his room. The logistics of removing the unfortunate Mr Lambert from his death bed to his final resting place must have been complex and involved for very obvious reasons. He remained in his room for two days while arrangements were made, which must have been quite long enough in the middle of June. He was finally buried on the 23rd of June, after the removal of part of the wall and the window of the inn to facilitate his exit. The coffin which was over 4 ft wide and contained 112 ft of Elm was placed on wheels and moved to the nearby St Martin's graveyard. A gentle slope had been dug into the grave and 'upwards of twenty men' lowered the coffin into the ground. Soon after Lambert's death there became a ready market for Lambert memorabilia. His custom built coach was auctioned off and his clothes were exhibited by Mr Berridge the landlord of the Waggon & Horses, another set was sold to the landlord of the Ram Jam inn next to the Bull & Swan who renamed the pub the Daniel Lambert. In 1846 the Ram Jam/Daniel Lambert was visited by the American midget General Tom Thumb (aka Charles Stratton) who had been promoted by the famous PT Barnum. Barnum never wanting to miss an opportunity, exhibited Tom Thumb with Lambert's clothes providing a unique publicity stunt. Tom Thumb donated a set of his own clothes to contrast between the largest and the smallest.
Following Mr Dixon's retirement the clothes were sold at auction to the owner of the London Inn (present building rebuilt in 1930's) where they were yet again exhibited. The early years of this century saw the exhibition move to various other places about the town until they finally came to rest in the Stamford Museum in the 1980's. There is now a permanent display to commemorate the great man on the first floor.
The George
At the bottom of hill we come across the George, described by Daniel Defoe as 'one of the greatest inns in En gland'. The George became one of the most important coaching inns on the Great North Road and has a history dating back many hundreds of years. The inn passed from Peterborough Abbey to the Cecil family following the dissolution and in 1560 Elizabeth I formally granted the manor of St Martins to William Cecil. By the 18th century the inn had established itself as a major staging post and to reflect this the inn was remodelled by the Cecils in 1724. At this time a bowling green was added and a cockpit was built which was said to have held 500 people.
Famous visitors
There have been many visitors of note over the years including a number of royals. The first mentioned is Charles I who stayed on a number of occasions on his way to Grantham and Newark. Another royal visitor was William III who stopped here in 1696. In 1688 Antonio Verrio the painter stayed occasionally at the inn while employed by the Earl of Exeter to paint the ceiling of the 'Heaven Room' and the 'Grand Staircase' at Burghley House. Verrio was in Stamford for twelve years and was allowed the use of the Earl's coach and servants. On his visits to the George he lived life to the full and run up huge bills whilst indulging in the game of 'last to pay'. His drinking exploits were also noticed and on one occasion 22 bottles of port and 2 bottles of sherry were drunk amongst himself and friends.
As we pass the George the street that runs parallel to the river and to the east is Water Street and was the location of many breweries and maltings, many of which still remain today, although not as working buildings.
Crossing the river Welland we walk up St Mary's Hill and pass the Boat & Railway pub which closed in 1962. The origins of this pub date back to 1779, then called just the Boat. It was rebuilt in 1848 at the same time as the bridge. Opposite the Boat and Railway is the Queens Head which closed as a pub in 1968. One incident that occurred here in 1827 involved a William Venters who having been publicly scolded by his wife for drinking took the drastic action of throwing himself from the town bridge resulting in him drowning.
At the top of the hill is St Mary's church behind which we can see the tall columns of the Stamford Hotel. The hotel was the idea of Sir Gerard Noel of Exton Hall who bought the ancient Bull Inn, part of which remains behind the frontage. The Bull dated back to the 15th century and was a substantial inn containing many rooms and in an inventory from the 17th century there are mention of a Starre Chamber, Great Chamber, Inner Parlour, Knight's Chamber amongst many others. In 1594 there was a serious riot at the inn after a footboy in the employ of Mr Rookwood from Suffolk offended some gentlemen by drying himself by the kitchen fire. After a severe beating, the boy complained to his fellow servants who arrived with drawn swords intent on revenge. A scuffle broke out and even the Mayor could not resolve the conflict. The crowd were eventually pacified following the intervention of Lord Willoughby. Sir Gerard Noel bought the inn in 1810 and set about demolishing the front of the building. He had taken on the services of a London architect called Bond to design a huge classical style hotel for the site, the result of which we see today. The hotel was to cater for the well to do travellers but also to serve as a political headquarters for the opposition to the Tory Cecil family. Noel's plan was to pay for the removal of St Marys church to give a commanding view down the hill (and presumably look down on the Tories at the George Hotel). Unfortunately, things didn't go his way as he lost the election and his country seat of Exton Hall suffered a disastrous fire not to mention the spiralling costs of building this huge hotel. The hotel finally opened in 1818 and traded until 1951.
Kings Head
Our first refreshment stop is the newly refurbished Kings Head. The pub opened in the early 19th century in a small building adjoining St Michael's churchyard. The building was originally timber framed but encased in stone at a later period. In the early 1900's the pub was owned by a wine & spirit merchant called John Seaton Loweth II who ran it until 1907 at which time the pub was the headquarters of the Stamford Town Quoit & Skittle Club. Until its recent refurbishment the pub retained a two bar layout. The bar has now been moved to one side of the pub where it may have been in the 1950's.
Tobie Norris
The Tobie Norris is a recent addition to the pub scene having been converted from the RAFA Club by Mick Thurlby in 2007. The building is a showpiece on how pubs can be sensitively refurbished with many additional rooms being brought into service. It is thought that parts of the pub date back to 1200 but the frontage is late 17th century. As Mick Thurlby also owns the Ufford Brewery not too far from town you can expect some excellent beer.
The Bluebell, Iron Monger Street.
The building in the middle of the street is the last remains of the Blue Bell inn probably dating in part back to 1488 and rebuilt in the late 1500's. In its heyday the inn covered the whole of that side of the street and had frontages on High St and Broad St. Over the years parts were sold off until by the early 1700's the inn had closed down.
The Otter's Pocket, All Saint's Street
Originally called the Globe and later the Albion. The premises were established following the 1830 Beer Act which allowed ratepayers to open for the sale of ale on payment of a small fee. The first mention of the pub is in 1836 when the landlord, William Cunnington was fined for drunkeness and serving after hours. In the late 1870's the Loyal Albion Lodge of Oddfellows bought the Globe which stood next to their function room. They renamed the Albion after their lodge.
Millstone, All Saint's Street
First recorded in 1686 as the property of Robert Miller, a baker. The old carriage entrance to the yard at the rear has been blocked off but is a reminder that the Millstone was an important station for carriers in the area. In 1879 there were carrier services to Barrowden, Bourne and Deeping amongst several other destinations. Notice the 19th century lettering advertising stabling and loose boxes. One mention in the local press is of an incident when Private Sligo of the militia accidentally shot his toes off!
Jolly Brew er
Name changes are nothing new but when you consider that this place has been called The New Chequers, Brewer's Inn, Brewery Inn and finally in 1970, the Jolly Brewer it seems to have had more than most. Probably dating from 1830 when it was opened by John Hubbard who had previously been at a place called the Chequers in St Peter's St. The pub remained in use throughout the years with short interludes as a brewery in the 1870/80's and during the First World War. Local brewer Melbourne's took over in 1924 and eventually renamed the pub to the current name in 1970 to celebrate their centenary. Current landlords Jill & Dean are well known for their beer quality and were presented with a CAMRA Gold Award in May this year.
Hit or Miss
The pub was first mentioned in 1860 and is the last of the surviving beerhouses that served this area of Stamford. Possibly established by Hugo Hickling, a travelling salesman or showman who had brought his shooting gallery to the town during the mid-Lent fair. He encouraged the crowds at the fair to 'Try their luck, hit or miss'. In July 1900 the pub was struck by lightning resulting in the thunderbolt shooting down the chimney and melting a lead gas pipe. The 'flash' then hit the pub clock hurling it across the room onto a customer who was busy eating a meal! The pub is owned by Batemans.
Green Man
The Green Man is first mentioned in 1796 on the list of pubs compiled for the 10th Earl of Exeter. The pub was refurbished in 1995 by landlord Tony Shilling specialising in a wide range of real ales. The pub has won awards for the quality of the beer. At the rear of the pub is a curious stone step or 'upping block'. On close inspection you will see the letters 'EB1708'. The purpose of the structure according to Paterson's road book of the early 1800's was to provide a certain Edmund Boulter with an easy 'leg up' onto his horse. The reason given for the required assistance was, in Paterson's own words, 'he being such a corpulent man'. It would appear that our large Mr Boulter travelled the Great North Road for a number of years and had similar blocks constructed between Stilton and Grantham. The other remaining block is at the Sibson Hotel on the A1.
Punch Bowl
The pub was rebuilt in the 19th century but parts of the building may date back to the 1700's. The pub changed its name in the 1830's to the White Swan and remained as such until 2002. Owned for a few years by Batemans it is now a freehouse and serves a wide range of ales.
These notes are taken from the recently published book by Martin Smith called Stamford Pubs & Breweries, and is the standard reference book on local pubs and runs to over 300 pages. Available in some local bookshops.
Compiled by Steve Williams
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