Pubs and Bars / Features
This small Bristol road once had almost 40 pubs
“The Corporation of Bristol does not seem to have been unduly concerned about the large number of licensed and unlicensed premises in the first half of the eighteenth century.”
With wonderful understatement, that is the conclusion of Patrick McGrath and Mary Williams in their pamphlet, Bristol Inns and Alehouses in the Mid-Eighteenth Century, which was printed by the City of Bristol Printing and Stationery Department in 1979.
A comprehensive list of Bristol’s past pubs was compiled at Bristol Record Office (now Bristol Archives) by those taking part in the University of Bristol’s department of extra-mural studies, under the direction of city archivist Williams and professor McGrath of the university’s history department.
is needed now More than ever
“Although we cannot be sure of how many inns and alehouses existed at any one time in this period, nevertheless the fact that at least 850 are known to have existed between 1752 and 1764 (quite apart from at least fifty others whose names are not recorded) is an impressive testimony to the role of the inn and the alehouse in mid-eighteenth century Bristol.
“Since the population of the city and suburbs in 1751 was estimated to be between 43,000 and 44,000, there may have been an inn or alehouse for roughly every fifty inhabitants.”
Rocque’s survey of the City of Bristol of 1750 held at Bristol City Museum
There were large concentrations of pubs in certain streets, mostly close to the River Frome and River Avon (construction of the Floating Harbour would not start until 1804).
The Quay – stretching along today’s Broad Quay and Narrow Quay – had 50, and this was equalled by Temple Street.
Marsh Street – then as today connecting the north west corner of Queen Square with Baldwin Street – came next with 37, an astonishing number for such a small road.
How many inns and alehouses does Marsh Street have today? Precisely zero. Whisky bar Black Rock did briefly open in 2019 but did not reopen after Covid.
In the mid-18th century, Marsh Street had 37 pubs – photo: Martin Booth
These are all 37 pubs that were on Marsh Street between 1752 and 1764:
- Angel
- Apple Tree
- Barrel
- Black Horse
- Blue Bell
- Boatswain & Call
- Buckingham House
- Butchers Arms
- Crown
- Dreadnought Prize
- Dublin Castle
- Duke of Argyle
- Edinburgh Castle
- Fortune of War
- Full Moon
- King’s Head
- King of Prussia
- Lamb & Anchor
- Lamb & Flag
- Leg of Mutton
- Manx Arms
- Painters Arms
- Pynns Court
- Rose
- Rose & Crown
- Row Barge
- Royal Oak
- Ship
- Ship & Castle
- Ship & Launch
- Ship In Distress
- Star & Ball
- Swan Lane
- Three Sugar Loaves
- Three Tuns
- White Hart
- White Lyon
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more:
- Historic pub to be reopened by new owners
- Shock as Pret prepares to open in former pub
- 27 photos of historic Bristol pubs
- Some of the pubs granted ‘special status’ in Bristol
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
