RETRO: PICTURE GALLERY: Doncaster's demolished pubs - part one

Over the last 100 years or more, Doncaster’s pubs have been demolished for a number of reasons.

A batch were demolished for the construction of North Bridge. Another group were cleared from 1890 to 1930 and rebuilt during street widenings, mostly incorporating better facilities, on set-back street lines.

Others, largely beer-houses, were just demolished as being unfit to trade or through redundancy. Clearance of old property for new housing and extensive road developments in the 1950s and 1960s led to significant numbers being swept away, albeit with some licences being transferred to premises erected out of town.

How many of these pubs in the midst of demolition can you remember?

Bridge Hotel

The Bridge Hotel, Marsh Gate replaced the Labour in Vain which was demolished for the construction of North Bridge. Plans for the Bridge Hotel, submitted by Grimsby owners, Hewitt Bros, and drawn by the company’s own architect, were passed in November 1908. The new pub was demolished circa 1972.

Crown and Anchor

Before taking the Crown & Anchor title, this pub, in Friendly Street, may have been known as the New Crown and Old Wagon. The name Crown & Anchor may be traced to 1807. Messrs SH Ward rebuilt the premises in 1908; the owners prior to Wards included Joseph Bradley’s Soho Brewery Co Ltd. The Crown & Anchor was conveyed to Doncaster Corporation on May 15, 1972 and later demolished for the erection of a multi-storey car park and road improvements.

Golden Ball

A Golden Ball existed in Factory Lane (Golden Street) until 1810. The pub was first located in Spring Gardens during 1820. In 1889 Frank Weaver license holder of the Golden Ball was convicted of ‘1. Permitting his premises to be the habitual resort of prostitutes. 2 Attempting to bribe Police.’

DMBC acquired this site in 1963 for part of the Golden Acres development, and affected entry to the inn on June 5 of that year. Demolition followed soon after.

Hexthorpe House

The Hexthorpe House dated from at least 1871. The premises were rebuilt in 1934 and granted a full licence in 1949.

Past landlords included ex-Doncaster Rovers player Cec Stirland from 1969 to 1983. The establishment closed in January 2001, reopened Christmas Eve 2002, closed in April 2007 and was set on fire twice in the ensuing four weeks. Demolition occurred in 2009.

Prince of Wales

The Prince of Wales at the Carr House Road/Nelson Street corner could be traced to at least 1863. It was rebuilt in 1898, closed on October 18, 1973 and demolished.

Reindeer

Until 1781 the Reindeer building in Hall Gate was a private dwelling, dating from around 1735.

For a period, thereafter it became a coaching inn and underwent extensive alterations around 1837. After the Second World War there was an upheaval in standards and values to nearly every aspect of daily life.

This put numerous old buildings like the Reindeer under threat. Doncaster town centre was designated a commercial area, so this put a high premium on central sites.

The Reindeer shut in 1959 and was demolished in 1962.

Scarborough Arms

The Scarborough Arms had traded at the corner of Cleveland Street/Spring Gardens as an untitled beerhouse from at least 1862. The pub was acquired in the Central Area 4 Compulsory Purchase Order, 1959 and conveyed from Whitworth, Son & Nephew ltd to Doncaster Corporation June 6, 1962. The licence was transferred to the Paddock, Cantley.

Thatched House

On August 2, 1965 the Thatched House hotel, St Sepulchre Gate, dating from at least 1836, closed for the last time before its demolition to make way for road improvements.

Customers thronged the three rooms to bid farewell to the licensee Dennis Hayhurst and his wife Joan.

Mr Hayhurst, tenant for 4½ years said he was sorry to leave because he had made many friends.