Royal Oak Cottage, No 18 Woodgate
The building that is now numbers 18 & 20 Woodgate, has a datestone 1654 or 1659, carved on a stone on the front wall of number 20. Assuming this building date to be correct, its history before the later 1700s is largely unknown.
Early records
In the 17th century there would have been no street names or house numbers, and it can be imagined that the reason for the house’s position set some 12 metres back, west of the pavement of the present Woodgate, may simply be that there was, at that time, no exact roadway where Woodgate is now. It is not known when number 20 became a separate residence. As for number 18, this might have been 2 cottages.
All available illustrations of number 18 since 1909 show a thatched roof.
‘The Royal Oak’
The ‘Beer Act’ of 1830 provided for private houses to be given limited licences as ‘beer-houses’ – the idea being to reduce the consumption of gin etc. that had developed; beer being considered less damaging to the health than spirits. Certainly by 1836, the property had become a ‘beer-house’.1
In June 1840 the property was part of a sale of a Wisbech brewery company (including several other beer-houses) following the bankruptcy of James & Thomas Hill. In the advert for the sale, Lot 23, the Royal Oak was described as:
“All that Freehold Beer House, Garden and Premises in Helpstone, in the occupation of John C[l]uff, and also a Dwelling House and garden, adjoining thereto, occupied by – Snow.”2
John Cluff was also a carpenter & wheelwright.3
The property was bought in the sale by Hunts Brewers of Stamford,4 who owned it until 1927 when it was transferred to Mowbray Brewery.
A licence discovered during building work, dated 1855, which shows the then licencing regulations, and the name of the licensee, John Clare, He was landlord from about 1855 until 1883, and was also a carpenter and wheelwright. He was a descendant of the great uncle of the famous poet, John Clare. He and his wife are said to have brought up at least 11 children in the little cottage!5
There was a ‘pub’ sign, and a board above the front door showing the current licensee. To suit the purpose of being a beer house, number 18 was substantially altered internally, with the addition of wooden walls to separate the customers from the owner’s living space, and to provide access for carrying beer from the new cellar to the customers.
The Royal Oak ceased to be a public house in 1929 and was sold in 1930 to the landlady’s family.
Renovation
The house has, at present, a brick built, tile roofed extension at the rear, presumably added as part of the alterations for ‘beer-house use’. Another brick-built & tile roofed annexe at the north end was added by the present owner, as a kitchen, to replace a single-brick-walled building (of unknown date), with a tall chimney, which the owner was not allowed to use except for storage.
Considerable alterations were made by the present owner in the late 1960s, including removing the wooden partition walls, moving the front door, the addition of new windows and creation of new kitchen and bathroom, to suit the new layout and be compliant with building regulations of the day. The old staircase to the side of the inglenook was removed and replaced by a new central staircase. There may have been a second staircase at one time, as ceiling beams to the left of the dining room fireplace show that additional timbers have been added to fill what was once a void.
A separate 4.5 x 9m annexe, 3 metres to the north of the kitchen, now used as a library and office, is an enlargement built in 1995 from a previous 4.5 x 3m building, which had contained a boiler and chimney, previously used for washing clothes, and storing wood. However, an 1886 Ordnance Survey map shows this latter building as extending a further 6m to the east from the present line. No traces of this have so far been found, but one imagines that such an extended building might have been used by a previous owner, some of whom are known to have been carpenters & wheelwrights. There is a metal hook, still present today, on the front wall of number 18, which may have been used for tethering horses.
To see a list of owners and tenants – download the attachment.
1 – Advert for sale – Lincoln, Rutland and Stamford Mercury Jan 15 1836 – Thanks to The British Newspaper Archive
2 – Advert for sale – Cambridge Chronicle and Journal May 16 1840 – Thanks to The British Newspaper Archive
3 – Census records – Ancestry co.uk
4 – Abstract of Title 1868 held by current owner
5 – Census records 1851-1871 – Ancestry.co.uk
Further details of the renovation were published in ‘The Heritage of Helpston’ written by Frieda Gosling with the assistance of the ‘House Detectives’.
No Comments
Add a comment about this page