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History
of Rickergate
> History of Rickergate Pubs | Changing
the Face of Carlisle: The Life and Times of Percy Dalton City Engineer
and Surveyor, 1926-1949, Marie K. Dickens
Many thanks to Steven Davidson for kindly giving us permission
to use extracts from his book, 'Carlisle Breweries and Public Houses
1894-1916'. You can buy the book by clicking
here
[ Click images to see bigger versions ]
 Rickergate
Area
I remember once getting into discussion with a couple of Carlisle
'old timers' on the subject of long gone city pubs, inevitably the
'Gaol Tap' was recollected, but also the number of pubs that were
once located in Rcikergate, 'You could swing out of one into another
next door.' Reminisced one of them. The above Ordnance Survey map
for 1899 shows that comment was not far from the truth. This map
shows all the full license pubs, the property marked by the arrow
is the Horse and Farrier beerhouse. Also shown is a unnamed public
house in Bells Court marked as a Spirit Vaults. The wine and spirit
firm of Steel and Tully occupied it in 1894, but by 1901 the Brampton
Old Brewery were supplying the beer.
 Rising
Sun
A view of the pub pre-September 1901, up to this date, an R Nish
Thom was licensee having taken over from his brother J N Thom in
1891 and the property was owned by the Carlisle Old Brewery Co from
1882, the Rising Sun then being listed at 7 & 9 Scotch Street,
but in earlier years it was referred to as Rickergate Brow. The
property licensed as the Rising Sun must have gone back to at least
1808 as the Carlisle Journal 29.01.1858 said the premises had been
well known for more than 50 years. The same paper for 1817 briefly
refers to the pub, the licensee then being a James Gilkerson and
he was still manager of the Rising Sun in 1829. Then comes a vague
period for references to the pub as its name disappears from the
street directories of 1837-1847. This suggests the pub has had a
name change, but if so it has not been traceable. However, the Rising
Sun returns to the listings for 1855 and from then on is regularly
indicated in the street directories until its closure in 1906, the
cause of this demise being contributed to by accusations that it
was a 'den of thieves'. It is of note that when this block of property
was demolished for the intended Labour Exchange building the Carlisle
Journal reported 10.01.1930 that a human skull was unearthed from
the backyard of the former pub. The site of the Rising Sun is now
under the Debenhams development.
 Durham
Ox
The Durham Ox was situated between the Fox and Hounds to its left
and a small hotel called the Bay House on its right (see map p105).
The above view is an architect's elevation, which dates to 1908.
There are photographs showing this block of property pre-demolition
in 1961, but the building had been structually altered by then when
compared to the above view. This means we can rely on the above
as to showing the original facade of the pub.
The explanation of the pub's name is interesting. The Durham Ox
was a shorthorn, the offspring of a common cow and a famous bull
called 'Favourite.' At five years old the Durham Ox weighed 216
stones. In February 1801 a Mr Bulmer of Harmby near Bedale built
a wagon for the ox and showed him for five weeks. The beast was
then sold to a Mr Day of Rotherham. By this time the animal's fame
had spread and Mr Day continued to show him in towns all over the
country, including Carlisle in 1804. The tour of the ox continued
until February 1807 when the animal dislocated a hipbone and had
to be slaughtered. Several pubs in Durham and North Yorks were named
after him and the above Carlisle pub. The earliest reference found
for the Rickergate, Durham Ox, is 1822. However, between 1847 to
1857 the pub had a name change to the Coachmakers Arms, but in 1858
it reverted to its original name and as such it remained open until
1908/09. The Carlisle Journal 17 December 1909 indicates it was
definitely closed by the year's end, 'Late Durham Ox, Rickerrgate
Carlisle Old Brewery Co to sell'.
 Fox
and Hounds
Above, an artist's (Lewis Oswald) illustration of the Fox and Hounds,
as seen just prior to its closure in 1960. Even in 1899 the pub
was regarded as having some antiquity, being described in a Carlisle
Journal sales advert as, 'one of the oldest licensed houses in Carlisle.'
This was confirmed years later at the time the pub closed, being
the last survivor of Rickergate's original pubs its closed was covered
by the local press. In this article the State Management revealed
that they held deeds for the property that dated back to 1722. During
the 1890s the pub was owned by the Carlisle New Brewery, however,
probably too much competition from other pubs in the vicinity was
the reason why they put the property up for sale during 1899. In
the advert the pubs address is given as 25 Rickergate, the tenant
and pub manager then being a James Clarke. However despite having
a 'large bar, comfortable snug and good cellars' it failed to sell.
The single-storied building with the green door, being used as an
extension to the Fox and Hounds, was in fact the remains of the
Durham Ox. This can be compared to the elevation on the previous
page and, as can be seen, considerable structural alteration has
taken place. This must have occurred at some time after 1908. All
the property in the view above was pulled down in 1961 to make way
for the Civic Centre.
 Horse
and Farrier
These very old properties were numbers 9, Sproats the cloggers and
11 the Horse and Farrier beerhouse. The earliest record for it named
the Horse and Farrier is 1829. These views date between 1894 and
September 1898, as R. Ridley gave up the license on the 5 September
and Sproats the clog makers moved into number 9 sometime between
1894-97. The pub closed in 1906. Note that the pub's name is not
displayed on the property. As referred to elsewhere in this book
these circumstances are often connected to a pub being occupied
by a wine and spirit merchant, but this was not the case with this
particular property. For some reason over the years there seems
to have been a tendency to play down the original Horse and Farrier
name it is more frequently encountered in the street directories
and licensing registers as just 11 Rickergate.
 Drove
Inn
The Minns' collection of Carlisle public house photos run to some
30 views and, as referred to previously in this book, most can be
dated to around 1901/02. However, there are five that likely date
earlier than this, and the above is one of them. The name of the
licensee shown on the board is William Hall. The Carlisle licensing
register shows that he was the manager from November 1893 to September
1894; a Mary Graham then took over the for the next three months
followed by John Baxter from December 1894 to 1908. The laws regulating
public house licensing and management in the city were strictly
maintained by the magistrates and police, also publicans had to
re-apply for their licenses annually. Keeping this in mind, it seems
highly unlikely that the licensing board on the front of this pub
would have been allowed to get out of date by 7 years. This view
then dates more likely to 1894. It possibly shows the change over
period with the new licensee Mary Graham standing in the doorway.
Above the board is a nicely detailed painted sign showing a gent
on a white horse driving cattle. A second and what appears to be
a different view is fitted to the gable wall. There is some detail
known about one of these signs, firstly the Carlisle Journal reported
24 October 1893, 'Drove Inn sign a good one now disappeared,' then
on the 9 January 1894 a correspondent to the Carlisle Journal from
Glasgow, writing on the subject of Carlisle Inn signs, which he
remembered fitted to pubs in earlier years, mentioned the sign of
the Drove, formerly kept by the late Mrs Darling, and for whom he
thought it was painted; the artists being the late Tom Baxter, painter
of Scotch Street. Presumably by the date of the above photo this
original sign had been recovered. Its final fate though, like a
handful of other painted pictorial boards that still hung on the
Carlisle pubs during the 1894-1916 period, remains unknown. It has
to be said that the effects of weathering would have made it difficult
to have preserved these sign boards.
The date of the property is no earlier than 1842 as it is not shown
on Studholme's map of Carlisle for that year. However it was built
by 1844, being listed as the 'Drove' in the street dictionary for
that year. The name Eleanor Darling was given the licensee, though
the address is given as Eden-Bridge End not Rickergate. By 1872
Iredale's Brewery owned the pub and it remained their property until
the State takeover in 1916. The pub was closed by April 1919 and
the tower of the Civic Centre now covers this site.
 Golden
Fleece
The exact date of this view is not known, all that can be said is
that it must have been taken between 1907 (this was the date David
Maher took over the licence) and the State takeover in 1916. It
was during this period that Maher was regularly part of Carlisle
United football team.
The property dates to the building of Corporation Road between 1843
to 1849, and it became a public house about 1847, when a John Bulman
is listed as licensee of a beerhouse. This is identified in the
following street directory for 1852, when the pub is named as the
Buck. Then at some time between 1855 and 1858 the pub was closed
as the 1858 directory lists a Charles Wright who was a grocer at
1 Corporation Road. Then, surprisingly, just three years later the
property returns as a pub when a Stephen Sharp is listed in the
Carlisle street directory for 1861, the sign being now given as
the Golden Fleece, 1 Corporation Road. By 1890 the pub was the property
of Trimble's Dalston brewery. However, from 1894 to at least 1911,
it was leased to the Maryport Brewery Co and their trademark (badge)
appears in the view above. Between January and June 1911 the said
brewery delivered 76 barrels of Mild Ale and 16 barrels of India
Pale Beer. The State takeover did not immediately have an affect
on the pub and it remained open until the new Redfern-designed Malt
Shovel opened opposite in 1928. The property still stands and is
occupied by a hairdresser.
 Dukes
Head
The view above of the Dukes Head, is rather blurred. The reason
for this is that they have been copied from 1952 reproductions in
editions of the Cumberland Evening News. The whereabouts of the
original photographs used by the newspaper back in 1952 are not
known and it seems likely they no longer exist (If any reader can
shed any light on what happened to these original photographs then
the author would be grateful to hear). The above view was taken
between 1894 and 1901, when Ann Johnson was the owner and licensee.
The earliest definite reference to the Dukes Head is 1858 when an
Isaac Graham is listed as an innkeeper at 4 Corporation Road and
also trading as a cab proprietor. The pub was a pre-State closure,
losing its license sometime between 1902 and 1905.
 All
three of Corporation Road's 1890s pubs are seen in this modern view
taken in 1992. The property marked by the arrow was the Dukes Head,
its facade has been rendered since the old view was taken. The property
to the left of the arrow was the Crown, which got its license about
1855 and was closed by the State on the 17 September 1916 and the
end property at the far right was the Golden Fleece.
 Malt
Shovel
The view above dates sometime between 1894 and 1899. This dating
is not from the Malt Shovel itself but from the property to the
right of the group of men. This is the Golden Fleece and just visible
in the photograph is the licensing board carrying the letters J
M, the rest of the licensees name is out of view. However, by consulting
street directories the licensee is revealed as John Mark Bell. He
was in the Golden Fleece in 1897, but not before 1894 as the licensee
then of the Golden Fleece was a D Gledinning. The Malt Shovel is
interesting in that pre May 1894 it was the property of Carlisle
City Council. They sold the pub off in the spring of 1894 to the
Workington Brewery for £2,000. The sale was to raise additional
funds towards the cost of the Tullie House library and museum development.
The photo right shows a different aspect of the property and was
probably taken in 1926/27 just before all of the old Malt Shovel
was demolished and replaced by the Redfern designed pub that stands
on the same site. Note the drinking fountain built into the wall,
this dated from 1855 and was fitted with a chained cup (this is
now in Court Square). The earliest reference to the pub is connected
to the poet and writer Robbie Burns as it is generally accepted
that he stayed at the Malt Shovel in 1787. Before 1893 the Malt
Shovel had displayed a pictorial sign showing the figure of a wrestler,
G Armstrong. It is not known whether he appeared in portrait or
as the model for the maltster holding the shovel. The sign was painted
by the Carlisle artist Matthew Nutter and was described by eh Carlisle
Journal 2 October 89 as a 'good one but now disappeared'.
 Blue
Bell Hotel
A few doors up Rickergate from the Malt Shovel was the Blue Bell.
Today it would be opposite the Civic Centre on a site occupied by
the Magistrates Court. Through the arch on the right was Blue Bell
lane which led to a skittle alley and a quoiting patch, which, along
with stabling, were all the property of the pub. Joseph Black was
the licensee from the 4 March 1901 and this photograph was probably
taken in 1902. The earliest reference for the property named as
the Blue Bell is 1822. The pub was taken over by the State in August
1916 and closed in April 1917, because there were just too many
licensed properties in Rickergate.
 Scotch
Arms
The McCauley's were the owners of the Scotch Arms and it is known
that they leased out the property to the Wigton Brewery Co for ten
years from May 1895. The Wigton brewery had once owned the Scotch
Arms in 1783 and this gives us an early date for this Rickergate
pub. The following advert appeared in the Cumberland Pacquet newspaper
for the 15 July 1783; 'To be sold by the Wigton Brewery Co, all
that commodious Inn sited in Rickergate known by the name Scotch
Arms, being mostly newly built and in very good repair.' This advert
implies that the pub was built around 1780. However, this assumption
could be misleading, as it is known that other Carlisle pubs referred
to as newly built turned out to be as much as twenty years older
than the time of the reference. The Scotch Arms could in face date
to around 1763. It is probably Dennis McCauley in the above view
and his association with the pub began in the early 1870s. It was
during this decade that he pioneered and established Carlisle's
first music hall, known as the *Star which was located at the rear
of the Scotch Arms. It was said to be a great attraction when first
opened, even attracting top stage performers from the London music
halls, but by the late 1890s competition from the larger modern
music halls and even the introduction of the cinematograph at the
public hall from 1896 reduced the Star's popularity and it closed
in 1899. The Scotch Arms remained open until the 23 October 1916.
 Light
Horseman Inn
As the license for the Light Horseman was discontinued (i.e. causing
the pubs closure) on the 3 September 1900, then the above view must
be before that date. It is likely that this photo was specifically
taken to record this old Rickergate property before closure, as
it was realised even by the summer of 1899 that the pub's days were
numbered. The cause of this was the intended construction of the
new Linton Holme hotel to be sited at Lindisfarne Street. The owners
of the building plot also owned the Light Horseman and as the Carlisle
magistrates were reluctant to grant new licenses it was planned
to sacrifice the 'Horseman' and transfer the license to the new
'Lint' when it was built. The Light Horseman can be traced back
to 1829, but there is some evidence to suggest that pre this date
it carried different names. There were 1822-26 as the 'Letters'
(the meaning of this name is likely an alternative for a 'Board'
pub) and 1827-29 as the 'Keg'. The belief that the Letters and Keg
are the same property as the Light Horseman has been reached after
close study of licensing registers and street directories. As to
the date of the building, then remarkably the property appears to
date to 1683, as this year is carried on the lintel stone above
the far right entrance.
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