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COMMERCIAL premises in Beam Street,
Nantwich, had quite a different use in their history. The three-storey
building to the left of centre in the picture is now the home of
Johnson's Printers, but used to be a cocoa house.
In recent times it was an
entrance for customers but is now one of the printer's offices. The
entrance is now round the corner in Oat Market, behind another of the
firm's properties and next to The Talbot public house.
Number 8 Beam Street is a
building with an interesting history as it was previously an alehouse -
an outlet for quite a different beverage. It was known as The Talbot
even though there was (and still is) a public house of the same name
within a few yards. It was also called The Dog in the 1850s and shortly
afterwards, The Peacock.
It survived as an alehouse
until 1883, then opened as a cocoa house for some 20 years. It issued
tokens to help persuade people away from the demon drink - quite
difficult with so many public houses close by. The Royal Oak was next
door but one.
The photograph shows buildings
in Beam Street around 1910, On the left is the three-storey Acton’s
stables (now the Malbank Hotel), and then a two-storey shop building. Next is
a three-storey building with black and white detail which was the shop
of John France, picture framer (now an opticians).
The next building, also
three-storey, was the cocoa house with nine rooms. There is a sign
outside which reads Thos. Wood, currier and leather merchant.
In the adjacent
two-storey building (now the Superdrug store) lived Harry Bourne, baths
manager.
Pictured outside the front door
of the Royal Oak (in the centre of the picture) is Eva Wainwright-Stubbs,
the licensee. Although a two-storey building, it is more impressive than
its neighbours as it as high as the |
