Bricklayers Arms Public House

Bricklayer's Arms Public House: 1 New Town, Potton [formerly Star & Garter]

Bricklayers Arms entry in sale catalogue [GK175/2]

The early records regarding this public house| at Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service are slightly contradictory. It is first mentioned in a licensing register in 1872 [HF143/1] when it was a beerhouse| known as the Star & Garter. For the next five books in this series the beerhouses are not named but one is able to follow the house through a change proprietorship (though not ownership of the premises) to Simpson's brewery of Baldock to the register of 1900 [HF143/6] when, once again, beerhouses are named, by which time the Star & Garter has become the Bricklayers Arms; perhaps the name changed when the Baldock Brewery undertook running the of the business.

There are two puzzling documents, however, one, a mortgage of 1880 in which it explicitly states that the property was: "built by Thomas Bumberry, late in his own occupation and now of Joseph Poole now and for one year since occupied as a beerhouse" suggesting that it had only been a beerhouse since 1879, a fact the licensing register clearly refutes. Another puzzling thing is the apparent change of ownership from Thomas Bumberry to John Dear in 1880 [GK286/19-20] only for Dear to convey it back to the Bumberrys almost straight away [GK286/21]. Thomas James and Joseph Bumberry then sold the premises to Louis Marina Casella of Hampstead [Middlesex] in 1889. Casella then leased the beerhouse to Day & Son of St.Neots, rather than the Baldock Brewery.

Day & Sons were bought out by Wells & Winch in 1920 and an abstract of title, prepared for Louis Casella at that date suggests that he may then have sold the premises to them, but Bedfordshire & Luton Archives & Records Service does not possess a conveyance. Wells & Winch merged with Suffolk brewers Greene King in 1961, taking the Greene King name in 1963 as Greene King (Biggleswade) Limited; the Biggleswade reference in the company name was dropped in 1990. In 1927 the beerhouse was surveyed under the 1925 Rating Valuation Act. The valuer found a tap room, living room, parlour and sitting room downstairs and four bedrooms above, he did not note any cellar. Business consisted of about 1½ barrels and two dozen bottles a week "nearly all mild sells @ 5d per pint. Open 10-2 6-10. Sundays 12-2 7-10".

This beerhouse was granted a full licence on 11 Mar 1959 on removal of the licence from Dolphin, Biggleswade. The Bricklayers Arms is still open [Mar 2007].

 
Bricklayers Arms Sep 2007

References:

- GK286/1: conveyance of land in Windmill Field from Thomas and Elizabeth Miller and William and Mary Jarratt to Henry Sheffield: 1775;
- GK286/2: extract from Potton inclosure award of exchange of land between Henry Sheffield and Edmund Bumberry: 1775;
- GK286/4: copy will of Edmund Bumberry devising all real estate to his wife Mary, remainder to their son John: 1802 (proved 1807);
- GK286/5-7: mortgages on land by Mary and Edmund Bumberry to Henry Verrall: 1809-1811;
- GK286/8: conveyance of land by Edmund Bumberry to John Dennis: 1812;
- GK286/10: land conveyed by John Dennis to Thomas Hagger in trust for sale: 1821;
- GK286/11-12: land conveyed by Thomas Hagger, John Dennis and Henry Verrall to Thomas Seamer: 1821;
- GK286/13: copy will of Thomas Seamer devising land now described as in Sandy Lane to nephew Thomas Bumberry: 1843 (proved 1845);
- GK286/14: land (and twelve messuages "built by Thomas Seamer") mortgaged by Thomas Bumberry, carpenter to Charles Bailey and George Milton: 1849;
- GK286/15: land and messuages mortgaged by Thomas Bumberry to William Thomas Chapman: 1853;
- GK286/16: transfer of mortgage from Charles Bailey and George Milton and William Thomas Chapman to George Brown: 1854;
- GK286/17: transfer of mortgage from George Brown to Maud Jaques Thompson: 1872;
- 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;
- GK286/18: mortgage of land, twelve messuages and "messuage built by Thomas Bumberry late in his own occupation and now of Joseph Poole now and for one year since occupied as a beerhouse" from Thomas Bumberry to Joseph Simpson, Thomas George Simpson and John Phillips Nunn, all of Baldock, brewers: 1880;
- GK286/19-20: twelve messuages and beerhouse sold by Thomas Bumberry to John Dear: 1880;
- GK286/21: conveyance by Joseph Simpson, Thomas George Simpson, John Phillips Nunn and John Dear to Thomas James Bumberry and Joseph Bumberry: 1880;
- GK286/24: mortgage from Thomas James and Joseph Bumberry to Louis Marino Casella: 1880;
- HF143/4: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1882-1890;
- GK286/27: conveyance by Thomas James and Joseph Bumberry to Louis Marino Casella: 1889;
- HF143/5: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1891-1900;
- HF143/6: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1900-1914;
- PSBW8/1: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1903-1915;
- Z50/142/708: door shown in wedding photograph: 1904;
- GK286/28a-b: fourteen year lease by Louis Marino Casella to Frank Day, trading as Day & Son, brewers of St.Neots: 1907;
- GK175/2: sale catalogue of brewery and licensed properties of Day & Son of St.Neots: 1919;
- GK286/29: abstract of title of Louis Marino Casella: prepared 1920;
- DV1/C/1: valuation survey: 1927;
- PSBW8/2: Register of Alehouse Licences - Biggleswade Petty Sessional Division: 1956-1972

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

1872 [1879?]-1880: Thomas Bumberry;
1880-1882: Joseph Pool;
1882: William Henry Earl;
1882: Frederick Hurdle;
1882-1883: John Bearley;
1883-1911: William Henry Earle;
1911-1914: Sophia Earle
1920-1940: George S Dennis
1957-1961: Alice Dennis;
1961: George Edward Leigh