Road trip Characters and stories every
Dave Stephenson and Bob Leonard dig up some stories of a road in Kingswood, and the pubs that were at either end of it
BURCHELLS Green Road is situated between Two Mile Hill and Speedwell Road in St George, and probably takes its name from a local man who owned land here and at Mangotsfield.
There were two pubs, one at each end: the Lamb & Lark and the Rose & Crown, and the road was originally known as Rose & Crown Lane.
It was once part of the Kingswood Forest and later a mixture of pasture and arable farmland.
In 1778, Bromley Chester, local lord of the manor, leased the land to one Richard Clements, along with two cottages, one occupied by a Mrs Smith and the other by Isaac Hill. When this last cottage was offered for sale it was described as freehold, with four rooms, an ‘out office’ and a pigsty, along with a good supply of spring water.
Another pair of cottages was owned by William Hemmings and known as Rose Cottages. When Bristol City Council later acquired them they became numbers 97 and 99 Burchells Green Road.
In 1901, there were just 18 dwellings on the Rose & Crown side. On the other side were nine dwellings and land that was rented out. All of it was owned by the Dix family, headed by JWS Dix, a councillor and solicitor who lived in a big house between Rodney Road and Burchells Green Road called Rose Cottage (not to be confused with the two smaller cottages of the same name).
He was related to William Chatterton Dix (1837-1898), a noted poet.
One of the other tenants in Burchells Green Road was a Mr Mordicai – what a lovely name!. Perhaps we could imagine him as a wizard (or something worse?)
Police officers often visited the local pubs, usually at closing time to make sure no laws were being broken. In November 1897, a number of men were caught in a back room of the Rose & Crown, one of them playing a mouth organ while another was ‘step dancing’(?).
As the pub didn’t have a music or dancing licence, the landlord was lucky to get just a warning.
In February 1869, an inquest was held into the death of Harriet Nurse, a 36-year-old widow. Her body had been found at the bottom of Cuckoo Lane where it joined Rose & Crown Lane. A pair of women’s drawers was found nearby, caught on a thorn bush.
Mr H Grace, a surgeon, attended the scene and said he thought she died of natural causes. Sgt Bird, of St George police station, disagreed – a very brave thing to do.
Soon a man named Milsom came forward and said Harriet had been brutally violated and murdered by a Charles Wiltshire.
He was soon arrested, tried and sentenced to death, though this was later commuted to life imprisonment. Later, when the pair met at Lawford’s Gate prison, Milsom was asked by Wiltshire, “How didst come to swear false?”
Milsom replied he had been incited to do so by two others.
Many other inquests were held, such as those for miners and others who had died in the local mines.
Dinners were often given by local organisations. The Society of Pin Makers attended a substantial dinner at the Rose & Crown as there was a big factory just up the road. The pub was also used for meetings.
Between 1900 and 1901, plans were drawn up for a new pub building, and this opened in 1905 – the date appears on the gabled part of the pub. It was constructed of solid red bricks and downstairs were beautiful ornate and leaded windows. A street lamp was positioned outside the main entrance.
At the other end of the road … In 1885 William Pickering Morris started a beer retail and grocery business at the Lamb & Lark.
A few years later, an objection was raised because Morris had a conviction for common assault, though the police said it was well run and there had been no complaints, so the licence was renewed.
“In 1936 the Lamb & Lark offlicence in Burchell’s Green Road will be discontinued as soon as new premises are ready for occupation. The licensed trade will be transferred from Emily Sparks of the Crown & Anchor in St Jude.” (Police report)
The newly built pub was opened
on October 8, 1936 at 10.30am.
During World War Two, on the night of Sunday, November 24, a mine exploded in nearby Speedwell Road. It blew a large section of the road through the roof and into the ground floor, where it made a big crater.
The pub has now been turned into flats, and at the time of writing the Rose & Crown at the other end of the road is closed and awaiting its future fate.
It was said that there was a tunnel going from this pub to the Prince Albert just opposite, but why would there be? What was it used for? No evidence has been found for this.
Finally, there was a notable soldier who lived in a small cottage (it’s still there) on Burchells Green Road. Private Albert George Potter left his job at Wills and joined up during the First World War. He returned home, badly wounded. He died and was given a military funeral, taken from his home to St Michael’s Church almost opposite.
He died on May 18, 1915 and was just 22 years old. There were eight postcards produced in his memory, probably to raise money for the funeral or grave. His younger sister Gwen Potter looked after his grave for many years until she became too frail.