Bell Beerhouse

Bell Beerhouse: Market Square, Potton

This former beerhouse was one of the oldest in Potton. It is first mentioned in any document held by Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service when it was part of a sale by Bromsall Throckmorton to the Duchess of Marlborough in 1736. There are not many more records of the beerhouse in the possession of BLARS because was a house of J. & J.E.Phillips of Royston, the deeds and other documents of which are at Hertfordshire Archives Service.

The Bell was valued in 1927 under the 1925 Rating Valuation Act - the valuer found the "plaster awful"; it consisted of three bedrooms, a living room, parlour and kitchen, on the second storey were two disused attics - Albert Norman was still the occupier and Phillips brewery still the owners, despite the beerhouse's closure eleven years before. They also occupied and owned respectively farm premises adjoining consisting of a two stall stable, a barn used as a store, a barn and a cart hovel.

References:
- Z980/1/2/1-2: sold, with a considerable amount of land, by Bromsall Throckmorton to Duchess of Marlborough: 1736;
- HF143/1: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1872-1873;
- HF143/2: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1874-1877;
- HF143/3: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1878-1881;
- HF143/4: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1882-1890;
- HF143/5: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1891-1900;
- HF143/6: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessionsl Division: 1900-1914;
- PSBW8/1: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1903-1915;
- DV1/C12: rating valuation: 1927

List of Licensees: note that this is not a complete list. Italics indicate licensees whose beginning and/or end dates are not known:

1736: Norman;
1872-1874: David Seamer;
1874: Mary Seamer;
1874-1875: James Papworth;
1875-1882: William Seamer;
1882-1890: Joseph Hardy;
1890-1891: Annie Hardy;
1891-1894: William Huckle;
1894-1895: Joseph Hales;
1895-1897: George Collins;
1897-1898: Walter Firkins;
1898-1914: Albert Norman
Beerhouse closed 1916