Individual Inns & Pubs in Beeston - D-J

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Jolly Angler - this pub, now a relatively modern building on Meadow Road in Beeston Rylands, was originally situated on the northern bank of Beeston Canal. As the picture shows, it was somewhat incongruously situated next to a Mission Hall and, at the time of a photograph, an outing from that Mission is shown departing in the foreground. Judging by its architectural features, even this building is clearly not the original which was opened by John Wilkinson, probably making use of existing farm buildings, to provide lodging and ale for passing boatmen and their families, with the benefit of the informality of the 1830 Beerhouse Act. Evidence from the Nottingham Review of June 21 1839 - just after the railway had opened and day trippers were bringing new business to the inn - confirms its origins as being of that date and also shows how that competition from the new neighbour - The Boat - was something not to be ignored :

But, in November 1839 - just a few months later - there is evidence that the pub does appear to have held its own and retained sufficient business to attract a new owner, An entry which appears in the Harwood diary in November 1839, Elizabeth of the Boat Inn mentions calling on her new neighbour "Mrs Bradshaw at the other Public House". This would be Elizabeth, the wife of the new publican, Samuel Bradshaw. Elizabeth was the daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth Marshall who appear to have been considerable farmers in the area of Trent Lock on the outskirts of Long Eaton, just over the nearby Derbyshire border. Taking over at Beeston Rylands clearly represented the establishment of their home and first business venture together following their marriage less than a year earlier, in December 1838,

Although the Bradshaws stayed in Beeston Rylands and appear to have prospered, they soon left the running of the pub to others to concentrate on farming their adjacent 40 or so acres. In the 1850s, Elizabeth Turner and then her daughter Elizabeth Dickinson ran the inn but, by 1861, a local boatman and farm labourer, Thomas Palethorpe, had taken over and was to operate there for over ten years, during which time the inn would have come under the control of the Licencing Act of 1864. William Cooper then operated the pub for another decade or more followed by stints by Harry Tyler and a Mrs Armstrong (possibly the widow of Richard who had previously operated the Cricketers Arms for upwards of two decades). In 1907, Frederick Reavill took over and was to stay there for almost 40 years until his death in 1946. From its earliest days, the Inn had became a convenient venue for the all-to-frequent need to hold an inquest for those who drowned in the River Trent or the canal - one was mentioned by Elizabeth Harwood in her diary in July 1842. During Reavill's time however, being a strong swimmer, he was able redress the balance by saving many people as well as animals from the nearby waters and received awards from both the Royal Life Saving Society and the Royal Humane Society. Click for details of one such incident.

In 1937, after about 100 years of service to passing trade on the canal bank, the Jolly Anglers was rebuilt on Meadow Road where it continues to this day.

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