Individual Inns & Pubs in Beeston - D-J

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The Durham Ox Inn - As is the case for most of the beer houses that have existed in Beeston since relatively ancient times, little is known about the origins of The Durham Ox Inn as a building - although the image on the right gives a glimpse of it in the opening of the 20th century when it was still largely in its early form, with yellow tinted signage, standing to the left of The Greyhound pub, between narrow accesses on either side, leading to Providence Row - a group of poor housing. So, in that absence of other evidence, we are left with telling the story of the licensees who served the public over the years. Our story, then covers a period of some 120 years up to the Second World War, during which time, as appears typical for beer houses in this era, close to 20 different landlords came and went.

The public house itself is known to have been present on what was then the Nottingham to Sawley Turnpike (now the High Road), in Beeston by no later than 1821 as It was then and from there that a ‘Mr Surplice’ offered details of property for sale elsewhere in Beeston – although there is no evidence that he was the landlord. Two years later, it was itself to be offered for sale – although, again, no details of any actual sale have been found. It was, it seems, occupied by John Hartshorn for the next two or three years before again being offered for sale by auction in July 1826 as a ‘peremptory sale’.

Although we have no details of the result of the 1826 sale, we do know that it was about that time that the tenancy was taken over by Richard Payling, his wife Elizabeth and their two daughters, Sarah & Charlotte. Richard was born in 1876 in South Collingham, Nottinghamshire, a son of William & Anne (née Aslin) Payling. Little has been found about his early life other than his marriage to Elizabeth Watkin in 1804, in Cottesmore, Rutland, where Elizabeth had been born in about 1776. Sadly, his time as a publican was to be short-lived as he died in January 1827, aged 51. About two months later, their elder daughter Sarah married the local shoemaker, William Harwood, a widower, and they went on to live out their lives in Beeston. Charlotte, William and Sarah's younger daughter was aged only eight when her father died went on to marry Isaiah Start, a tailor, in 1845, and went on to have two daughters before her early death, aged 34, in Beeston, in 1853. Although Elizabeth was able to take over the Durham Ox licence and was to carry on bravely for a few years, despite the obvious difficulties. But, by about 1829, she had moved on and was to live out her life in Beeston, latterly with her daughter Charlotte’s family up to her death in 1852, aged 75.

Between 1830 and about 1834, the licencee was one Edward Smith of whom no other details have been found.

By 1839, the premises were in the hands of Robert Tebbutt who, as we can see from this advertisement, was making good use of the premises’ facilities as an inn and had recently extended the beer licence to offer wine to his customers. Robert was born in Nottingham in about 1791, a son of John & Sarah Tebbutt and, in 1817, in Nottingham, he married Mary Goodson from Sleaford in Lincolnshire. Their son, John, was born in 1818 but, sadly, in 1819, Mary died. In May 1823, Edward married his first wife’s cousin, Millicent Goodson, a daughter of William & Mary Goodson, at St Leodigarius Church in Basford, Nottingham. Their daughter Sally (also known as Sarah) was born in 1824. The family were to continue to live at the pub and to operate it until about 1849 when Robert returned to trading as a grocer in premises on the High Road, adjacent to the Durham Ox, convenient to the residents of Providence Row and Greyhound Yard that were nearby.

The next licensee, from about 1849, was Isaac Jackson who was born in Beeston in 1819, the son of James and Jane Jackson. Previously, Isaac had followed his father as a shoemaker and had lived in Lenton where his first wife, Ann Ball, was born and where they had married in October 1840. Now, they set about establishing themselves at the Durham Ox but, sadly, in October 1851, Ann died, aged only 32 and was buried in Beeston Churchyard where her memorial survives. However, in January 1853, Isaac married Sally Tebbutt, the 29-year-old daughter of Robert, the former landlord who had continued with his grocers shop adjacent to the pub. It seems likely that she had already helped Isaac with the pub after Ann’s death and now they were able to continue to work together there. By 1855, however, they had moved on – now with their son, Robert Henry, born in 1854 – to take up the tenancy of The Sir John Borlace Warren pub in what was then Zion (or Sion) Hill in Radford, Nottingham, now known as Canning Circus. By 1871 he had moved on and was working as a wine and spirit agent with his widowed mother-in-law living with them. They want on to live out their lives using what private means they had until Isaac’s death in 1892.

For about three years from 1855, the landlord was an otherwise unidentified William Barker who, by about 1857, had unfortunately developed financial difficulties. Although for a year or two his son John Barker took over, it seems that he was not able to rise above his father’s reputation and had soon moved on.

Next to take on the tenancy, in about 1858, was Samuel Streets, supported by his wife Hannah (née Stevenson). Samuel was born in Shipley, Derbyshire in about 1806 and came to Nottingham to join in the surge in lace making and married Hannah, who was born in Codnor, Derbyshire in about 1806, in August 1830 at St Marys Church, Nottingham. By 1841, they had moved to live on Broadgate, Beeston and later moved to Market Street (now the western end of Middle street), while Samuel continued in the lace industry until deciding to take another direction, running the Durham Ox. Sadly however, tragedy came very soon in this venture when, in January 1859, Hannah died. Somehow, Samuel was able to continue there for over three years, until his own death in October 1862. They were each buried in Beeston Churchyard where their memorial survives.

The next tenant was John Henshaw – who it has not been able to otherwise identify - had taken over by 1863 but was to have his share of problems during his time there. In January 1864, a celebration for Plough Monday – a traditional occasion which welcomed the start of the farming year on the first Monday after Epiphany - was held at the pub when two policeman arrived, looking to arrest one of those present. There was a furore, during which Henshaw sided with the man and, subsequently he appeared before the magistrates for allowing disorderly conduct, was found guilty and was fined the, then relatively large, maximum fine of £5. Even more significantly, he was referred to the Licencing Justices and it appears that his licence was revoked as an application for a new licence in the following September was refused. Sometime later, however, it appears it was granted as, in July 1866, it was finally taken away after he was fined £12 10s for being in possession of a quart of whisky in the pub which was licenced as a beer house only.

James Bretnall, who was the next to take over, was born in Horsley Woodhouse in Derbyshire in 1831, the son of John Brentnall, who worked as a nail maker, a then popular trade in the Belper area, and his wife Sarah. At first, he had worked as a shoemaker and, in 1854, he married Mary Moreton in Belper. The couple had two children before Mary’s tragic early death in 1857. It must have been a very difficult time but, somehow, he and his sons able to get through the next ten years and, by 1866, he had moved to Nottingham and was working as a boilermaker. In May 1866, he married Harriett Antcliffe and, shortly afterwards, they took on the challenge of running the Durham Ox, bringing with them James’ two sons. But, by about 1872, when their daughter was born, they had moved on to Newbold in Derbyshire where James had taken on perhaps less stressful work as a grocer.

The next tenancy, which began in about 1873 when William Smith and his second wife, Hannah (née; Haywood) took over, soon after their marriage in June 1872, was to end in disaster when the licensee, William Smith, committed suicide in 1877. The story of that sad episode can be seen here.

The next occupant, from about 1880, probably brought stability after a particularly rocky period at the pub. George Wilkinson - the brother of Francis who was then changing the face of lace making in Beeston and was, in his day, the largest manufacturer of lace curtains, probably in the world - and as such he would have been keen to match that success, bringing with him an abundance of ambition and business sense. In the event, George was soon to move on to concentrate on farming and building houses for workers in Beeston. Later he was to play a key part in helping his brother to save the remnants of his lace business after it had suffered two major fires and the effects of American competition. He died in 1919, leaving about £45,000 - then a fortune, worth over £2.5 million in today's values. He was buried in Beeston Cemetery, where his memorial survives

By 1885 the tenancy was held by one Thomas Onions about whom little has been found.

For a short while, around 1901, the landlord was Sam Green (born in about 1858 in Kirkby, Notts, the son of Joseph and Sarah (née Street) Green) with his wife Mary, born in Codnor, Derbyshire in about 1853, the daughter of Joseph and Sarah (née Brightmore) Cresswell. Sam had previously worked, as did both fathers. It is not clear what happened to Sam although Mary appears to have reverted to using her maiden name and their children were then raised by her parents and others.

By 1900, however, stability was re-established when the tenancy was taken up by Benjamin Kirk (born in Ilkeston in August 1865, the son of Joseph, a miner, and Elizabeth (née Flint). Kirk who moved to Beeston from Ilkeston, where he had worked in the hosiery and lace trades, with his wife Eliza and their six children. Another child was born shortly after, in August 1900 and two more were to follow. Among his many local interests, Benjamin was a keen gardener and a member of Beeston Garden Holders Association and a bowls player as a member of Manchester Unity Bowling Club. He and his wife were to remain at the Durham Ox for 25 years during which there were two major changes to the form and status of the house:

• In 1914, the land to the west, involving what had been Providence Row, became the site of The Palladium Cinema which, as can be seen above, improved the street-scene and must surely have increased the clientele at the Durham Ox next door!
  
  
• In 1925, coinciding with the Kirks’ retirement, the building was rebuilt to replace its then ancient form with a more design – shown right in its new form but in the 1960s, after the Palladium had been demolished and replaced with shops - proudly displaying its owner’s name – Home Brewery, which had acquired it at some point. Then, or at some point, the premises had been granted a full licence, which allowed the full range of drinks to be served. replacing the beer house licence that had essentially limited it to selling beer, during its early life.

They retired to live on Cromwell Road, Beeston where they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1937. Eliza died in September 1942, aged 75, followed in August 1943, by Benjamin, aged 78. They are buried, together with several of their children in Beeston Cemetery.

The first tenant in the rebuilt Durham Ox was William Henry Stevenson who took over in June 1925 after fourteen years’ experience assisting at a Nottingham pub. William was born in April 1896 and had married Florence Boss (b. November 1898) in 1924. Unfortunately, in 1928, he was found guilty of supplying drinks after hours and in January 1929, his licence was revoked.

Taking over in January 1929, was George Cudworth who had been born in Beeston in 1893. The son of Samuel Cudworth, a lace maker, and his wife Mary Ann (née Mather) but had moved to Radford with his parents as a child. In 1922, when working as a mechanic, he had married Mary Gladys Roe in Lenton, Notts. Now, the couple had decided to take on the tenancy of the Durham Ox which, perhaps incidentally, brought George back to Beeston, his birthplace. As they appear to have stayed there for upwards of ten years, it appears to have been a successful move for both them and the pub. However, by 1939, they had taken the opportunity that arose to move to the Boat Inn in Beeston, Rylands but, sadly, George died in 1940, predeceasing his widowed mother who was then living with them.

The next tenant was Henry Britton, an ex-miner who was born in Hucknall in February 1883. He had married to Liliam (née Reynolds, born January 1889) in 1908 and together they were to take the Durham Ox through the difficult years of the Second Year War.

In the years following the War, the pub continued as usual but, in 1986, The Home Brewery at Daybrook together with its over 400 pubs - which, of course, included The Durham Ox - was taken over by Scottish & Newcastle and things began to subtely change as intergration proceeded. Then, in 2008, The company and its pubs was acquired by Heineken and change inevitably continued. Indeed, for the Durham Ox, it was the end of the line as it closed permanently in January 2009 and its faithful followers had sadly lost their 'local'.

The premises now (2025) operate as a restaurant.

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The Greyhound - The Greyhound Inn was another beer house that had existed in Beeston since relatively ancient times – some say it was built as early as 1741 - with little or no records of its history before the early years of the nineteenth century. Just as for other pubs from these early days our story is essentially that of its licensees, covering a period of almost 200 years up to the present day.

Certainly, the public house itself is known to have been present on what was then the Nottingham to Sawley Turnpike (now the High Road), in Beeston by no later than 1827, when the concept of Beer Houses became formalised, and had probably been there for some decades by that time. During these early years, it appears that it was connected with, and possibly owned, by members of the Surplice family, headed by Thomas Surplice (1726-1819) and his sons, Thomas (1761 – 1824) and William (1770-1830) who made their names as builders and surveyor, based in Lenton, Chilwell and Beeston. One of them – apparently the younger Thomas – is said to have been responsible for building the later part of Wollaton Park wall towards the end of the 18th century and for surveying much of the railway network which started to appear in the early part of the 19th century.

By the 1820s it was the eldest son of William’s eldest son and his first wife and nephew of Thomas, also named William (1797-1865) who appears to have owned The Greyhound and began to make it work. In May 1818 he had married Elizabeth Lowe, a daughter of William Hurst Lowe (1766-1817) and Elizabeth (née Langstaff) who lived at Highfield House, the mansion on 150 acres, now part of the Nottingham University campus and Highfield Park. For a couple of years in the mid-1820s, probably having other business areas to take up his time, he appears to have made Samuel Stayner the licensee but, by 1827, Samuel had moved on to take on a pub in Sneinton. After this, Thomas appears to have taken a more hands-on involvement alongside an architect’s practice which he had opened on Clumber Street in Nottingham while using the Greyhound as a venue for property sales. And, as a leading member of the local Philanthropic Lodge of Odd Fellows, he made it available for several grand occasions – including at Christmas 1827 when “.. the spacious staircase, leading to the great room, was literally lined with evergreens, with arches thrown over at certain distances, so as to give the whole the appearance of a most enchanting grove”.

But, by 1830, it seems that the pressures – and ambitions - of his business as an architect and of family life had made any focus on the Greyhound difficult to fit in and he put it in the day-to-day hands of William Martin who had married Maria Surplice, his cousin, in 1833. As a prominent ‘Odd Fellow’, he was an ideal candidate to keep the Lodge’s connections going and he certainly did so for some four years before moving on to keep the Joiners Arms in Loughborough in August 1834. However, this too was to be short-lived, such that, by 1841, they had returned to Beeston, left the licenced trade and he was to be found trading as a grocer on Chapel Street there. Sadly, William Martin died in Beeston in February 1842, aged only 42, and was buried in the churchyard there.

Next to take over the licence, in 1834, was William Heard who was born in 1776 in Beeston, one of many generations of the Heard family who have contributed to Beeston life for many years before and after. Again, as a member of the Philanthropic Lodge of Odd Fellows he was in a good position to continue with its meetings and events at the pub and he took on that challenge and that of the day-to-day running of the pub, assisted by his second wife, Millicent, born in Ratcliffe in about 1884 whom he had married in 1825 after the death of his first wife Elizabeth (née Kerry) with whom he had two children. The eldest, their son Thomas, born about 1804 in Beeston, a lace maker and cottager of six acres on Nether Street, was to hold the position of Secretary to the Greyhound Club for 50 years although, by the time of the 1851 census, William and Millicent had moved on and were living on Villa Street, Beeston and, sadly, he was described as a pauper. Millicent died in January 1852, followed by William in January 1858, aged 82. Both are buried in the churchyard in Beeston where their memorial survives.

Next to take over the licence at the Greyhound, was James Hedderley, born in Nottingham in about 1798, the son of Samuel and Ann Hedderley (née Pilkington). Samuel had been well established as a butcher, trading in Long Row, in the centre of Nottingham up to his death at the relatively young age of 54 and it appears that his widow managed to continue with the business such that she was able to live out her long life in relative financial comfort. Given that example, James – and, indeed, others in the family – were inspired to become established in similar businesses and, by the time of his marriage, in November 1829, to Mary Gibbs in Tissington, Derbyshire where she was born in about 1800, he had established himself as a baker, trading in Sneinton, Nottingham. But, for whatever reason, in February 1849, his personal and business furniture and fixtures were sold at auction and, at some time between then and 1851, he had taken over at The Greyhound. His widowed mother, then aged about 82, moved to live with them and, in the event, was to outlive James. He died in February 1859, aged only 61 and is buried in Beeston Churchyard where his memorial survives. His widow moved to live with her children and others until her death in Lambeth, London in January 1889, age 88.

Next to take over was Henry Lane who was born in about 1809 in Bradmore, near Ruddington, Notts and had married Ann Wilkinson who was born in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire in 1813. As a couple who had lived in South Nottinghamshire villages, mostly as publicans in Bunny and Cropwell Bishop, for all their married life, this move seems a little incongruous and it proved to be short-lived as, by 1862, they had left and moved back to Bunny where Henry was to run The Rancliffe Arms, as well as a little farming, for the remainder of his life.

During the year or two that followed, the tenancy was held by James Armeson about whom little has been found. This appears also to be the case for a John Birley who is listed as the licensee of the Greyhound in the Whites Directory of 1864 but with nothing else found.

By 1871 the licensee is recorded as Thomas Varley who was born in Derby in about 1816 but had later moved to Nottingham by the time of his marriage to Mary Collins, also from Derby, in 1836. For much of his life, Thomas traded as a house painter but, it seems that following Mary’s sudden death in October 1861, he sought a new direction and took on the Greyhound as well as marrying again, in 1863 - to Ann Taylor, a farmer’s daughter, born about 1831 in Barkby Thorpe, a hamlet of Barrow upon Soar in Leicestershire who was then working as a servant in a Nottingham household. Together, they probably ran The Greyhound until well into the 1870s before moving to live in Hall Croft, Beeston from where he again operated his house painting business. After Ann, his wife, died in Beeston in 1886 it seems that he moved to live with his only daughter, Emma, who had married Charles Hooton Goodhead in 1872, at their then home at 3 Chilwell Road, Beeston. Thomas died there in September 1890, leaving a reasonable sized estate, for that time, of £470, that was proved by his daughter.

At some point in the late 1880s, the Greyhound came under the management of Emma Skelton and her sister Harriett. They were both born in Sneinton, Nottingham, Harriett in 1839 and Emma in 1843, the daughters of John Skelton, a whitesmith and his wife Harriett (née Lenton). Significantly, the younger Harriett had married William Bezant in 1860 who was then a house painter but had, by 1871, taken the tenancy of The Sawyers Arms on Greyfriars Gate in Nottingham and remained in that position throughout the sisters’ involvement at The Greyhound. William had been born to Frederich Rout and his wife Mary Elizabeth in Stowmarket, Suffolk in 1836 but had adopted the name of his stepfather, Frederick Simon Bezant after his father’s early death and his mother’s re-marriage in 1841.

It appears that their time as licensees at the Greyhound, which seems to have alternated between them, was not without incident as, for example, in August 1880, Emma’s licence was suspended after being found guilty of allowing gambling on the premises. It was reinstated in the following month.

During this time, Harriett’s husband, William Bezant, continued at the Sawyers Arms but, in October 1881, he died there, suddenly, aged only 45. Soon after this, with Harriett having to focus on running the Sawyers Arms, the sisters finished their connection with The Greyhound. Harriett went on to marry Frederick Goodwin Whitby, another Nottingham publican but died in June 1899, aged 60, followed by her husband in February 1890. Emma married Thomas Wormall in 1883, and their son Herbert Charles was born in the following year. She died in 1935, aged 92.

The next tenant at The Greyhound, recorded arriving early in in 1883, was a Thomas Wright, although we have not been able identify him and it is known that he had left by September 1884.

Generations of the Stone family had lived and made their mark in Beeston since at least the early years of the 18th century. Then, family members, like many others in Beeston, worked as framework knitters but they were to respond to the years of poverty that was to devastate that home-based craft by seeking other ways of making a living. By the latter part of the 19th century, members of the family had become dedicated to the licensed trade, in Beeston in particular, and this was to continue for more than sixty years.

So it was that, by 1885, the management of The Greyhound came into the hands of George Thomas Stone. The son of George (born in 1818 in Beeston) and Eliza (née Knott) Stone, George Thomas was born in 1859, unusually in Keats Hill, Worcestershire, where his parents were living having sought work beyond Beeston. In fact, Eliza had been born in about 1824 in Devon and they had married there in 1846. Remarkably, in 1851 they were living with two young daughters in a railway hut near Lydney in Gloucestershire with George working as an excavator on the railways. But, by 1871, they had managed to establish themselves in a pub in Nottingham on the fringes of the Lace Market.

George Thomas Stone was, of course, in his teens when his parents took over this pub in Nottingham, but he would certainly have seen how things worked, and his interest definately intensified after his parents move to Beeston and his father’s death there in 1874 and burial in the churchyard. By 1881, he was working as a barman, probably at the Greyhound, while living on the High Road nearby with his widowed mother, his brother Sidney who had established himself as a butcher there, as well as his married sister Mary. An ambition to take over The Greyhound must already have developed in George Thomas’s head.

So it was that, early in 1884, George Thomas Stone followed Thomas Wright as the licensee of The Greyhound. It was to mark a period of 65 or more years during which members of the Stone family were in charge there – and indeed, as we have seen, also at other Beeston pubs.

George Thomas had married his wife, Grace Lane, the daughter of Robert, a then Nottingham-based butcher, in April 1883, and their son and two daughters were to be born during the first few years of their time in Beeston, a time that, sadly, turned out to be comparatively short as, in March 1891, George Thomas died, aged only 32. For a little while after this, Grace tried to keep going at the pub but, with three young children, it was not surprising that she had to move on and was able to set up as a grocer in a corner shop in the Nottingham Meadows, at 1 Wilford Crescent. She was to remain there for over 20 years before moving to West Bridgeford where she died in November 1941, age 83 after 50 years as a widow.

She had been followed as the licensee of The Greyhound by her brother-in-law. George Thomas’s younger brother, Sidney Stone, who had been born in Nottingham in 1861 and, as we have already described, had already established himself as a butcher on Beeston High Road. So it was, by the turn of the century, his time had come, and, under his control, The Greyhound entered a period of over 20 years during which Sidney was able to combine both commercial and personal financial success and was to involve his family in both his publican and wider interests in Beeston. Notably, at some point, he was able to secure the centre of what became his local business ‘empire’ by acquiring the freehold of The Greyhound Inn itself as well as diversifying into other local opportunities including property either side of the entrance to Greyhound Yard. This included a lean-to shop against the eastern side of the pub and a motor repair garage and taxi business, as well as a number of the then surviving houses in the Yard itself. He also looked to using his experience in licensing trade by assisting or encouraging his family to take on other local pubs. And, at a time when Beeston’s housing development was responding to its rapidly growing population, he acquired land and rental properties throughout Beeston.

In 1882, he married Annie Rebecca Buxton, a daughter of Thomas, a framework knitter and Jane (né Lane), his wife, from Bradmore, Nottinghamshire. They were to have six children almost all of whom were to go on to be part of Sidney’s business network. Sadly, in July 1904, Annie died, aged only 40. In November 1905, Sidney married Edith Alice (or Annie) Long who was born in 1877 to Frederick, an engineer’s traveller, and Lavinia (née Brand), his wife.

Sidney died on 26 October 1928 at the Greyhound, apparently unexpectedly, aged 67, and was buried in Beeston Cemetery where the family memorial, remembering many of his family survives. His widow died in 1966 at the age of 89. His substantial estate, valued at £17,429, was proved in February 1929 although this did not include the value of his extensive property holding which had been settled
in his lifetime amongst the family. These property holdings, which included the Greyhound itself, were offered for sale at auction at the Welbeck Hotel in Nottingham, in March 1929 and fetched a total of over £13,000. This included the sale of The Greyhound (with a brewhouse and four cottages in the yard and the lean-to shop at the side to Tom Stone for £8,250 and the adjoining shop and garage to Percy Hickling (the husband of Annie Eliza Stone) for £1,750 - seen above in that era. The remainder covered houses, cottages and land throughout Beeston. These included ten properties bought by Cecil Stone and eight properties purchased by George Stone.

In his lifetime and by means of his legacy, Sidney’s family, all born in Beeston by his first wife (Annie Eliza), went on to play leading parts in Beeston and area as publicans and in other business:

• Sidney Frank Stone (1883-1921) started work as a waiter and, following his marriage to Ethel Beales in 1904, he had taken the licence of the Beeston pub, The Cricketers which continued up to his death, aged only 38, in April 1921. Ethel, his widow continued as the licensee until May 1924 and was later to take on The Commercial for a short while.
• George Thomas Stone (1886-1886) died as an infant
• George William Stone (1887-1963) Leaned the trade when assisting his father and, in December 1913, he married a local girl, Annie Archer (b. 1889, the daughter of George Francis & Maud (née Gilbert), before taking over as licensee of The Cricketers from his sister-in-law, Ethel Stone in 1924. Sadly, his time this was not without incident when in December 1926, members of the family had to scramble to help make up a shortfall in the pub’s Christmas fund although they were able to put this behind them and continued at The Cricketers until their retirement in 1950 after 26 years there. George William died in December 1963 after an accident at their home on Park Street, Beeston, aged 76. His widow died in 1987, aged 98.
• Cecil Stone (1890-1950) also helped his father but soon branched out by opening a nearby fried fish shop. In 1910 he married Edith Bunn, also born in 1890 and, in 1912, their only child, Sidney James Stone, was born. In 1915, Cecil took a job as a machinist at Beeston Foundry and continued to work there until 1924. By 1930, perhaps well before, he had begun to find his feet again in the licensed trade having taken the tenancy of The Balaclava Inn on Denman Street, Nottingham. In 1931, he moved back to Beeston and held the tenancy of The Malt Shovel until 1937 when he moved to the then newly renovated Charlton Arms in Chilwell where he remained into the war years. He died in 1950 leaving a total of £14,790 which, in the event, was proved in two parts. His widow died in 1961.
• Annie Eliza (‘Nancy’) Stone (1892-1968) was Sidney’s only daughter. In September 1915, she married Percy Hickling, a motor engineer who was born in Farndon, Notts in 1886 and who had come to Beeston by 1911 for work and had boarded at The Cricketers, then kept by Annie’s brother, Sidney Frank Stone and appears to have got to know the family well. After the wedding, the couple lived at The Greyhound and Percy managed an adjacent motor repairs garage and taxi firm that Sidney opened on the other side of the entrance to Greyhound Yard. As we have seen, Percy was able to acquire this property when his father-in-law’s property was sold after his death and Percy continued to trade there as ‘Central Garage’. In about 1931, however, Percy became the licensee of the well-known inn in Wollaton, The Admiral Rodney and moved there with his wife and their only child, Nancy Edith who had been born in 1920. They were to stay there for over twenty years before retiring to live at 10 Dovecote Drive, Wollaton, up to Percy’s death in 1962. By the years just prior to the Second World War, the young Nancy had begun to take an interest in sports car racing which appears to have brought her into contact with Peter John Ellison Binns, the privately educated son of Edward Richard Binns, the Agent to the Earl of Ancaster’s Estate in Grimsthorpe, Lincolnshire and in 1941 they were married. Following this, Peter served throughout the war, eventually as a Lieutenant, in the Royal Armoured Corps. After the war, he continued with his qualifications as an auctioneer and estate agent and completed his finals in 1947. Meanwhile, Nancy had become a prominent member and successful competitor in the events of the Nottingham Sports Car Club. This apparently brought her in contact with Noel John Crowe, the son of a Long Eaton lace manufacturer who had become a very successful local businessman. They married in 1950 after, presumably, a divorce from Nancy’s first husband. However, sadly, this didn’t last either and, by 1956, she had met and married her third – and happily her final – husband, George Ian Cuthbert Imrie. He had served with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during the war and had reached the rank of Sub-Lieutenant. His career, apparently as a sales executive afterwards, took him – and sometimes his wife - to South American countries and to the USA and it appears that they settled in Austin, Texas for a while as Nancy’s widowed mother joined them there and died and was buried in the local cemetery where a memorial survives.
• Tom Stone (1897-1939) – the youngest of Sidney & Annie’s family was born on 23 March 1897 in Beeston and spent his early working life helping his father and learning the licensing trade but at the time of his marriage in 1925, he was working as a mechanic, presumably with his brother who traded next door to The Greyhound. His marriage to Agnes Mary Popplewell in Flintham, Notts took place in January 1925. The Popplewells were a well-established, Flintham-based, farming family. In the following year, Agnes’s brother, John Edward Popplewell, married Marjorie Ward, the daughter of the Beeston butcher, who had died the year before. The business, standing on the corner of Union Street at 62 High Road was taken over by John Edward, and prospered for many years under his name and, in more recent years, was run by George Hogg. That was the overall position when things changed at The Greyhound.likely that he was encouraged and supported by those in the Popplewell family he had got to know since his marriage.

As we have seen, Sidney Stone died in October 1928 after a period which had seen The Greyhound operating successfully and Sidney prospering personally and astutely. His considerable estate was to bring a financial legacy to each of his surviving children, all of whom had some continuing connection or interest in the licensing trade, so it is perhaps surprising that it was Tom, his youngest, who took the initiative, likely encouraged and supported by those in the Popplewell family he had got to know since his marriage when, as we have seen, he took over ownership and management of The Greyhound - shown here, in his name, in this era, still featuring its status as a free house with home-brewed ale.


Tom and Agnes had three children – Elizabeth Mary (b. 1926), Tom (b. 1927) and John Edward (b. 1934) and, despite the war that enveloped everything in 1939, family life appeared to be going well. Then tragedy struck when, in the evening of 23 November 1939, Tom was travelling on the front seat of a car with John Popplewell, his brother-in-law, at the wheel, together with Tom & Agnes’s youngest child, John Edward, aged 5, on Tom’s knee and two Popplewell children on the back seat. They were near Holme Pierrepont, Notts when they collided with a broken-down lorry and the car became wedged under it. Passers-by did everything they could to help release the badly wounded occupants, first letting the car’s front tyres down which didn’t help but finally they were able to move the lorry by cranking the engine while it was in gear. The three Popplewells were badly injured but later recovered in hospital. Sadly, Tom and his son died before they could be released.

The funeral, held five days later at Beeston Cemetery, brought Beeston to a standstill. There was a huge turnout, many tears were shed, and shopkeepers lowered their blinds. There were 100 wreaths.

For Agnes in particular it must have been almost unbearable but, somehow, she had to carry on and she did and, in December 1939, the Greyhound's licence was transferred to her.

In July 1941, there was a particularly poignant case that was heard at the Nottinghamshire Assizes when Agnes claimed damages arising out of the crash, from her brother, John Edward Popplewell, and was awarded £2000 for the death of her husband and £250 for the loss of her son. She was required to put aside £100 each for the benefit of her surviving children. One of the injured children, John Ward Popplewell also claimed against his father and was awarded £650 and £16 6s 6d damages.

Agnes was to continue at the Greyhound throughout the war years and beyond - until at least 1947 when her daughter Elizabeth Mary married Paul Broughton Cash at Beeston Parish Church.

By the early 1960s the couple had taken over the licence of The Dog & Duck at Plucks Gutter in Kent and Agnes later retired there. She died there in 1993, aged 92, leaving an estate of up to £125,000.

At some point, probably in the time of Tom's or Agnes's time as licencee, The Greyhound received a comprehensive rebuild, complete with a flat roof and in the Art Deco style. Then, possibly when Agnes left, before 1959, the date of this photograph, the building had became part of the Mitchells & Butlers chain of pubs. The lean-to shop on the side was then occupied by the well-known photographer, Harry Allen.

In more recent time The Greyhound became a Bass Brewery tied house before a period in which it gained a reputation for its live rock music. Faced with rising overheads, it closed in 2017 but, after a revamp it soon reopened with a new name "The Jesse Boot".

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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-too-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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