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Pub on Duke Street?


eldomsmith

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Apologies if I've overlooked the answer to this on this site. Eyes are spinning looking at records!

On this forum is information about a publican

William Maxted 56 Duke Street, Park

I Know that this person was a publican around 1884 - from indexers baptisms.

MAXTED, Rebecca (of 56 Duke St, born 1884-03-01).
     Baptised September 6, 1884, by F.Williams at St Luke, Dyers Hill.
     Parents name(s) are Rebecca & William (Publican)

but I cannot find any pub at this location. I thought it could be that the publican didn't live on the commercial premises. But Sheffield Indexers directories seem to hint other beer sellers were at this premises.  Examples

Kent, Herbert (, Beerhouse).
     Address: 56 Duke Street, Park, in 1911.
Lockwood, Arabella (, grocer & beer retailer).
     Address: 56 Duke street, in 1841.
Naylor, Lawrence (, beer retailer).
     Address: 56 Duke Street Park, Sheffield in 1905.

Picture Sheffield has a 1958 pic described as

Nos 52-58, Duke Street, 
No 56, Samuel Susman, Grocer

So maybe never a pub, just a licensed grocers?
 

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In February and March 1857, the Sheffield Daily Telegraph (britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk) carried a "to let" advertisement.  Text here from the 17 February edition:

"To be let:, the Alma Cottage beerhouse, Duke Street, Park. Valuation about £30 - Apply on the premises.

It was up for let again in September 1865 (ie. Sheffield Daily Telegraph 20 September 1865) and August 1867 (i.e. Sheffield Daily Telegraph 31 August 1867).  Both times he advert says, "apply Bradley's Brewery".

Kellys' Directory (in Ancestry.com), 1893, lists a William Swift, beer retailer, at that address.

A Thomas Redfern ran the pub in 1879, according to a news report about a drunkard called George Bottom in the Sheffield Daily Telegraph of 13 October that year.  And he was running it back in 1874, because the Sheffield Independent reported on 5 December that year that he had been fined 20s plus costs for permitting gambling.

It seems to have been renamed the "Alma Inn" by the early 1900s, it's referred to by that name in newspapers through 1901-1912.

On the front page of the Sheffield Telegraph of 28 March 1922, is an advertisement for the auction of the freehold of the block of properties 54-56 Duke Street, plus 1-8, Court 4, Duke Street, which is says is "comprising the commodious premises formerly the "Alma Inn", a convenient saleshop with dwelling-house and eight dwelling-houses with two separate yards and modern w.c.'s, producing an annual rent of £124 9s 5d. tenants paying the Consolidated Rates."

Refers to "vacant possession" of no 56.

Also for sale elsewhere on the same page, "public house fixtures" of the Alma Inn.

Also advertised in the Sheffield Independent.

That's all I had time for....

 

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Guest leksand
On 24/11/2020 at 20:51, eldomsmith said:

So maybe never a pub, just a licensed grocers?

 

Never a pub, only a beerhouse - and quite possibly a licensed grocer in origin (as with a very large proportion of Sheffield township beerhouses). It was delicensed, under the Compensation Act, in 1920, after which it must have become an unlicensed grocer's at some point.

On 27/11/2020 at 22:15, dannyno said:

It seems to have been renamed the "Alma Inn" by the early 1900s, it's referred to by that name in newspapers through 1901-1912.

 

It's likely it was just referred to as the Alma - press and "professionals" have a rather unfortunate habit of suffixing randomly, at least to places they wouldn't frequent. It appears as the Alma Cottage in the magistrates', police and brewery records that I've seen, though it is true that these are sometimes slow to be updated.

Looking at the A-Z entry, I'd be interested to know (if anybody else does) the origin of the 1871 listing. It does not agree with directory listings I've seen nor the licensee at and subsequent to census.

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Guest leksand
On 24/11/2020 at 20:51, eldomsmith said:

I thought it could be that the publican didn't live on the commercial premises.

That would have been a breach of the conditions of license. There were few circumstances in which magistrates would overlook this requirement and permit non-occupant licensees, and you can be confident that the Alma Cottage was not one of them.

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Can you guys recall asking for directions and being presented with a plethora of pub names to pass in order to achieve your aim? The funny thing is that it worked a treat if you remembered to pass them.  🤨

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