A lack of rain and wind tempted me out for a pedal. The first old hostelry I passed was the Newhaven Hotel. On the A515, close to the junction with the Via Gelia, this establishment last pulled a pint quite a while ago. Since then it's been the subject of a lengthy restoration which has suffered the odd set-back, such as the theft of various internal architectural fittings.
Built by the Duke of Devonshire in 1785, although probably not by his own fair hands, it was originally called the Devonshire Arms and had stabling for 100 horses. King George IV is reputed to have stayed here and been so impressed that he granted it a free and perpetual licence. Not totally perpetual as it stopped serving in the early 1980's. A pic of it in happier times is to be found here.
Continuing south along the A515 I passed the former Old Bear, as featured in the previous post, and opposite it a B&B establishment which was originally a smithy built of the site of an old drovers inn - the Bull's Head.
Coasting down through Biggin it was the turn of the High Peak Harriers Inn.
Named after the local hunt, I believe it closed in 1950s. It's currently being renovated but in 2009 it still showed signs of selling Offilers' Nut Brown Ales - as seen here, courtesy of Mr. Google.
If business was bad in the 1950s it wasn't much better in 1895 as the then innkeeper, one William Pett, was going through bankruptcy procedures.
After a climb up to Parsley Hay and Arbor Low it was time to descend through Youlgrave and Alport. In the former, just past the church, was the Thornhill Arms.
Pigot’s Directory has it as being called the Marquis of Granby in 1828, but in the 1831 and 1835 editions shows it as having been renamed the William IV. It was in the hands of a George Woodward in all of those listings. Thomas Kenworthy was landlord from at least 1851 until his death in 1894 when his son and daughter-in-law, Frederick and Martha, took it on. By 1881 the pub had changed its name once again, to the Thornhill Arms. (The Thornhills were the family who lived at the nearby Stanton Hall.) Frederick died in 1920 whereupon Martha closed the pub permanently. The pub is now two residences - William IV House and Thornhill House.
Further down the hill, Alport used to have two watering holes. The Boarding House Hotel closed in 1924 and was demolished in 1937 to allow road widening to occur. There are a couple of pictures of it in the Peak District National Park's appraisal of Alport which came be found here.
Flattened even earlier was the Cock Inn. In 1871 Sarah Mellor kept this establishment which was found by the bridge. Map evidence suggests that it was demolished by 1898 and that Bridge House was built on the site after 1922.
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