The Post Office Inn, St Michael's st, Shrewsbury

[cad]

On his wife's death cert, Robert Watkins gives his profession as "Stone Sawyer and Licenced Victualler of 91 Saint Michael's Street". I have looked this address up in Kelly's Directory for 1913 and this is The Post Office Inn (not to be confused with The Old Post Office Inn on Milk Street) at that time the landlord is Ernest Albert Saunders. There is a Robert Watkins listed who is a fried fish seller, could this be the same man?

Does anyone have any information about this pub, which I believe was next to the Maltings, a picture would be great but any story will do. Is there any record of Robert's association with this or any other Shrewsbury pub (he and his children were there in the 1911 census)?

(I have already seen the site "historic hostelries" great site but no use here)
Thanks for reading

[AileenP]

Hi, The building next door 92 is now a hairdressing salon so I was able to find a photo for you of the building it is a side view.

I was looking at a great book in Shrewsbury's WH Smith today called Origins of Pubs and Inns in Shrewsbury written by a local Author as it has my Grandfathers name in it from when he was a Shrewsbury pub landlord. I wish I'd come on here and seen your message first!  I could have had a look in it then to find out some more info. I will PM the photo to you.

[s.g.d.]

hello

The Post Office inn was first recorded in 1868 and was still trading in 1942.

s.g.d.

[Herringshaw]

My great grandmother, Florence Pike, ran this pub for a number of years after her husband, Arthur Charles Pike died.  They probably took it over from Saunders.  Then my two great aunts ran it for a while. I have a photograph of Florence standing outside the pub, I think in about 1930 maybe. She died in 1938 during the experimental blackout before the war. Hope this is of some interest!

Regards

[s.g.d.]

In 1900 it was owned by the Lichfield Brewery.It had 5 private rooms and 3 public rooms.

Robert Watkins was landlord from 1906 - 1911.

Earnest Albert Saunders 1911 - 1916.

Mrs Florence Pike 1916 - 1938.

Miss Ivy May Pike 1938 - 1956.

It closed 4/12/1956 when the licence was transferred to the Coracle inn at Sundorne.

s.g.d.

[cad]

Thankyou so much, Aileen, Sgd and Herringshaw (what a great picture),
I'm knocked out by all your responses. So many thoughts running through my head now, not least that "Aunty Daisy" must have spent much of her girlhood there (maybe she was living there when she lost her leg- but that's another story).
Thanks again,
Cad

[s.g.d.]

Nothing to do with your family but possibly of some interest...

The landlord until 1902 was Richard Edwards who was summoned for selling beer which contained arsenic.

s.g.d.

[cad]

That's fantastic, well not fantastic, you know what I mean! Thanks for that SGD, any more like that? I wonder what clientele the pub served- surely not postmen!
Frustrating, I've not long read a book on the history of the British pub and beer drinking, I'm sure it had plenty to say about landlords tampering with the stock but a friend borrowed it off me. Rats!

[AileenP]

It probably served a lot of railway men and the Maltings workers.  It's great when you can find out the personal history of places those pictures posted here are brilliant!