The Waggon and Horses PH, Church Street

Today The Waggon & Horses continues as a public house. It was taken over by Chris Collier in July 2021, who made immediate improvements to a rather tired format and wowed the locals, who responded with wide-spread support of the rejuvenated Waggon! In February 2023 Chris Collier announced that he was moving to the Red Lion at Redhill, Surrey and, whilst he would remain the tenant at the Waggon, it would henceforward be managed on his behalf by Lisa Stuart. However, from 29 March 2023, the owners Admiral Taverns advertised the Waggon and Horses  as being to let and on 26 April 2023 it was announced that Chris Collier would continue as tenant, but the new manager and licensee was Rheanna Geraghty. A local lady, who at age 18 was the youngest licensee ever at The Waggon & Horses.

Going back to earlier times, the photograph above was taken about 1930 and has The Waggon & Horses on the left and Rose Cottage on the right. In the past, these were two separate dwellings, with different occupiers, although in the same ownership.

History

This site began life as a small farmstead in the centre of the village, which by the 19th Century had developed into a mini-housing estate with a total of ten dwellings.

On the road frontage, there was the cottage on the left, which became a beerhouse, eventually known as The Waggon & Horses and that is the left half of The Waggon & Horses as we know it today. This was probably the original farmhouse. The adjoining cottage on the right, known as Rose Cottage or simply The Cottage was probably built a little later. The Listed Building description appears to consider them as one building, dating to the late 17th Century. Whilst they both originated in that period, they were built at different times and were separate cottages.

The rest of the 19th Century layout consisted of a small tenement behind the Waggon & Horses and this was either demolished or absorbed into Waggon & Horses at some point. Then there were three tenements on north side of yard and a further four tenements on south side of yard, all now demolished. The latter four tenements appear to have been known as Rotten Row.

There was also a substantial barn or two, of which part was leased by the Methodists as a chapel from 1823 to about 1837, when the purpose built Chapel in Cheyney Street was completed.

The Waggon & Horses was a humble beerhouse and was not granted a full licence until March 1958, when it became a proper public house. This was at the time Thomas Rufus Brown was the landlord. The two roadside cottages remained separate until they were combined into one, as an enlarged Waggon & Horses in August 1983. Conversion work began at Christmas 1982 and was completed the following August at a cost of £30,000. The main contractors were M W S, General Builders of St Neots. The tenants were Bob & Jo Neaves, who left the pub shortly afterwards.

More History

The land consisted of 36p for the front plot and behind were two small fields totalling 1a 1r 16p and all was Copyhold of Rectory Manor.

In January 1854 the owner Abraham Pearmain mortgaged the property to Thomas Russell of Litlington and it was described “messuage with curtilage and close belonging and several messuage or cottages erected and built thereon formerly Pearce Janeway and then Henry Theobalds now Abraham Pearmain”. The property was inherited by John Pearmain, son of Abraham. John was the man who built North Brook End House, before going spectacularly bankrupt in 1878, when the Waggon & Horses was sold to Frederick Archdale of Biggleswade, a partner in the brewers Wells & Co, which became Wells & Winch in 1899. Greene King bought Wells & Winch in 1961 and owned the Waggon until selling to Hawthorn Leisure in 2014.

Owners

Owners Notes
1727-1731 John Warboys
1731-1743 Elizabeth Luck Daughter of John Warboys
1743-1750 William Luck Son of Elizabeth Luck
1750-1778 William Stamford Victualler of Royston
1778-1794 John Theobalds As guardian for William Bray Theobalds
1794-1801 William Bray Theobalds
1801-1842 Pearce Janeway
1842-1844 Henry Theobalds
1844-1849 Mrs Theobalds
1850-1864 Abraham Pearmain
1864-1878 John Pearmain
1879-1899 Wells & Co
1899-1961 Wells & Winch
1961-2014 Greene King
2014-2021 Hawthorn Leisure
2021- Admiral Taverns

 

Occupiers and Licensees

Dates Occupiers or Licensee Notes
1727-1731 John Warboys ?
1731-1743 Elizabeth Luck ?
1743-1750 William Luck ?
1750-1778 William Stamford ?
1778-1794 John Theobalds ?
1794-1801 William Bray Theobalds ?
1810-1842 Pearce Janeway Victualler & farmer
1843-1844 Henry Theobalds
1845-1849 Mrs Theobalds
1850 Abraham Pearmain
1851-1875 James Izzard Farmer and beer retailer
1875-1878 Elizabeth Izzard Widow of James Izzard
1878-1929 James Evans Ag lab and beer retailer
1929-1956 Alice & Harriet Evans Beer retailer
1956-1959 Tom R & Nellie Brown
1959-1964 John & Irene G Conboy
1964-1977 John & Elsie Baker
1977-1984 Bob & Jo Neaves
1984-1990 Stephen D Roberts
1990-1993 William G Murphy
1994-1995 Adrian F Conacher
1996-2004 David L Mumford
2004-2007 Sharon Stanley
2007-2012 Sandra Lloyd
2012-2014 Mark & Paula Brown
2014-2015 Josie Wollaston
2015-2017 Mick & Tina Gough
2017-2020 Mandy & Jose Cabrita
2020-2021 Temporary Manager
2021-2023 Chris Collier
2023-2023 Chris Collier non-resident Lisa Stuart, manager
2023-Today Chris Collier non-resident Rheanna Geraghty, licensee

Occupiers of adjoining Rose Cottage

Dates Names Notes
1841
1842 James Christmas
1851
1861
1871
1878 William Balk
1881
1891
1929-1966 Alice & Harriet Evans

 

Occupiers of Three Tenements on the North

1841 1842 1851 1861 1871 1878 1881 1891
Names Jarman William East William East
Betts David Izzard David Izzard
Wedd R Webb Empty

 

Occupiers of Four Tenements on the South

1841 1842 1851 1861 1871 1878 1881 1891
Names Scott Charles Clark Richard Webb
Jarman William Oyston William Oyston
Cubis B Dellar Benjamin Dellar
Janeway W Scott William Scott

 

Listed Building

Listing details: Grade II since 4 September 1986

Public House. Late C17 with C19 addition. Timber-framed and roughcast rendered. C20 plain tiled roof. Painted brick plinth. End stack to left hand and rectangular planned ridge stack to right hand. Two storeys with additional bay to left hand, and rear outshut. Closed gabled weather-boarded porched entrance with glazed door. Three ground floor casement windows to right hand, and two sixteen-paned hung sash windows at each storey to left hand. Three first floor casement windows.

Click on any image below to view. Click again to enlarge. Drag to view entire image.

Sale by Pearce Janeway in 1842

[This is a copy of the original printed sale particulars, which do not lend themselves to photographic reproduction. It is not a precise transcription as the layout, use of typefaces and capital letters displays a certain extravagance.]

Ten Tenements and an Orchard at Steeple Morden, Cambridgeshire

Will be sold by auction, by Cockett and Nash at The Bell Public House, Steeple Morden

On Friday, the Eleventh day of February 1842 at five o’clock in the evening

In two lots: Particulars

Lot 1
The Residence of Mr Jeneway, having its frontage nearly opposite the Church at Steeple Morden, and containing Living-Room, Wash-House, Dairy, and 2 Bed-Rooms. THE TENEMENT adjoining held by William East, at £3 per annum. FOUR TENEMENTS on the South, severally let at £3 per annum, to Scott, Jarman, Cubis, and Jeneway. The Stable, Barn, and Piggery adjoining. [A well timbered three bay, corn barn – crossed out]. Yard as staked out, and valuable orchard, computed at 1a 2r 0p, well planted with profitable trees.
Copyhold of the Rectory Manor. Apportioned Quit-rent [blank] Land tax 7s The purchaser is to make and maintain the fence next Lot 2.

Lot 2
THE TENEMENT adjoining Lot 1, occupied by James Christmas, at £5 10s per annum, fronting the street, and having a fore garden and well of water. Also THREE TENEMENTS severally let at £3 per annum, to Jarman, Betts, and Webb, and the yard as staked out [Then added in script] including the Hay Barn +6ft at the end & 40ft of ground at the east of same.
Copyhold of the Rectory Manor. Apportioned Quit-rent [blank] Land tax 3s.

Manuscript annotation Lot 1 sold for 310 guineas £325 10s and Lot 2 for 140 guineas £147. Lot 2 apparently bought in as the reserve was £150.

[Note: The conditions of sale have not been copied as they include no reference as to title or other descriptive information]

[Included with the particulars is a rough hand drawn plan showing the location of Lots 1 and 2 and the tenements associated with each, plus the three bay barn that was switched from Lot 1 to 2, apparently at the last minute.]

Hand Drawn Plan, included with the Particulars for the Jeneway Sale 1842

Annotations have been added to aid understanding, as the original document has just the outlines

Last Updated on July 16, 2023