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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Cornwall => Topic started by: cowboysmate on Tuesday 16 November 10 17:45 GMT (UK)
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Hi
does anyone have any information about the London Inn - my grandparents ran it after WW1.
I have a family photograph showing them sitting out front, in between the stone pillars.
I would very much like to know if I can get a record of their time there, or licence info etc.
Can anyone help?
many thanks.....
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have you tried the Cornish Studies Library in Redruth?
http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=3743
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Hi, and thank you for your response.
No, haven't tried this organisation as I was unaware of it. I'll browse and contact them, it looks very interesting.
Regards, and thanks again.
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I think licence applications are held at the relevant county archives, but not sure how much useful information they contain.
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Thank you for your suggestion, as I live in Warwickshire it will have to wait though for our next visit to Cornwall.
Regards..........
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I don't know if you are still monitoring this after so many years, but it just came up in a Google search. My Second great-grandparents John and Martha (Tregonning) Trestrail owned the London Inn from sometime before 1871 to sometime after 1891 (John died there in 1887). It was a coaching inn dating back to the 1700s, and John apparently got the money to buy it by silver mining in Australia. The inn was shut down around 2001 (perhaps due to drug dealing) and remains boarded up on Fore Street. It is too bad because it is in a prime location in central Redruth, a town which seems to be on the mend, but perhaps it would cost too much to renovate it to modern standards.
A history of Redruth indicates that in 1776 the London Inn was one of the "principal hosteleries" of the town, with stabling for 60 horses and carriages. It had had been purchased by Thomas and Peggy Curgenven Clark, who stayed until 1779. An entry for 1854 states that the inn (the "London Hotel") was owned by James Snow, "afterward John Trestrail." This was probably a few years afterward, since John was in Australia in 1861.
Martha was running the place up to 1891, but was not there in 1901 and it does not appear that any of the children took the place over, so my guess is that it was sold sometime between 1891 and 1901. I am afraid I do not have any information as to ownership after that.
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There were two John Trestrails at the London. The first John Trestrail was a builder & married Nanny Teague in 1843 (a publican who was living in Fore Street in 1841). John & Nanny were in the London in 1851 and he was described as "Innkeeper, Carpenter & Joiner (Master)- employing 2 men & 3 apprentices." By 1861 they were living in Agar Crescent & he is a retired builder. In 1871 John is now a brewery agent & still at Agar Crescent. When Nanny dies her probate shows that John is now the manager of the Redruth Brewery.
The second John Trestrail was in Australia for the 1861 but John & Martha was at the Beer House in Clinton Terrace by 1871. They moved to the London by 1881 & Martha ran it after John's death in 1887 until at least 1891. After which Martha moved to West End where she lived until her death on 27 April 1911.
The occupations of the London in 1901 was Charles & Julia Thomas (of Redruth) & by 1911 this had changed to John & Ellen Jane Daddow (of Illogan).
With another Public House next door & a second within a minutes walk & two further within five minutes walk I can not see it re opening as a Public House- unless a national chain takes it on.
It is a shame because it is a lovely building & should not be spoilt by re developers.
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Yes, I should have said that John & Martha were at the London sometime AFTER 1871, since the records do show them at Beerhouse in 1871. I was not aware of the previous John; I imagine he is the person who obtained the place from James Snow. Do you know if there is any family connection between the two Johns?
Thank you so much for the additional information.
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Yes- they are related- but not that close. The first John was bapt 17 Nov 1807 at St Uny, Redruth. His parents were Warren Trestrail & Joan (Bawden). Warren was bapt 19 Nov 1768 son of Warren Trestrail & Honour (Johns). Warren(senior) was possibly the son of John Trestrail & Hester (Blyth) from Kenwyn Parish.
The second John was bapt 4 Aug 1829 also St Uny. His parents were John & Mary Ann (Roberts). John was bapt 1 April 1798 son of John Trestrail & Martha (Luke). John was bapt 24 April 1773 son of Warren & Honour (Johns).
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Thank you, that clarifies much. If my relationship chart skills are working, that means that John #1 and John #2 were First Cousins, Once Removed. It also means that John #1 and I are First Cousins, 5X Removed, while John #2 remains my Second Great Grandfather.
There are sure a lot of John and Warren Trestrails in Redruth and environs! But this helps a lot with this side of my Cornish forebears. The other side is more difficult, since John #2's daughter Annie married William Williams (apparently of St. Blazey) with no thought to future genealogists!
It is sad about the London Inn. From the land agent's site, it appears that the upper floor has been or will be converted to apartments, and the ground floor has been available for rent for over five years. It would be cool if some arrangement could be made with the Red Lion for some kind of joint operation, and taking down the plywood would certainly improve Fore Street, but there may not be sufficient trade in the area to permit such an expansion.
Thanks again.
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I have a little more information on The London Inn gleaned from the 1939 census. The census refers to the Inn as the London Hotel at 34 Fore Street. At that time the Hotel was being managed by Mabel Louise Oaks and her husband James. They were assisted by James’ son, Arthur the victualler, Effie M Moon (Richards) the cook, and Elizabeth S Beard the waitress. There is also a sixth person whose name we do not know: they must have been born after 1916 because the record is locked.
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If anybody is still interested in this old thread, I have come upon a UK City Directory ("Kelly's Directory") from 1914 which shows that the proprietor of the London Inn, Redruth, was John Prideaux.
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Yep, still looking for info (first post on this topic).
Looking at the photo I mentioned, it could have been taken about 1918 as my mum is just a small girl.
They had previously run a pub in Torquay, where my mother was born.
Of course they could have been managing it for the owners, would they have had to have a licence to just manage it?
Thanks very much to all interested in this.....
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There's an article in the Cornish Telegraph, 14 March 1907, that's well worth reading.
It identifies a Mrs Trestrail as the present freeholder, who had quit the place 14 years previously, since when there had been 11 transfers of licence.
The article is about the authorities objecting to the licence renewal.
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I know this is an old thread, but just wanted to add a bit more historical information. It seems that my husband's 3x-great-uncle Samuel Lean was the innkeeper of the London Inn from at least 1841 until probably until his death in 1877. (His wife Jane died in 1870, and I haven't been able to find Samuel in the 1871 census to see if he is still in Fore St.). Cheers.
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Hello,
and thank you for posting on the above subject. Still interested to hear anything about this, as it all helps to build up the picture.
My maternal grandparents continued to manage pubs for some years at least up to the first World War. My mother was born in 1914 in the Meadfoot Inn in Torquay, for example. They then moved to small shops on the south coast, ending up in Margate having both a shop and a b & b.
Thanks again for contacting.
Regards.