Pub – Plough Inn, Dinting

Location: 107 Dinting Vale, Dinting

Opened: 1844

Closed: c.2000

Text from ‘History in a Pint Pot’ by David Field. Published by Glossop & District Historical Society in May 1999.

In 1832 Samuel Bennett was granted a 99 year lease for 627 sq yds of land at the Nursery Toll Bar. The toll bar was on the Marple to Glossop Turnpike Road at its junction with the branch down to the Spread Eagle. It got its name from the tree nursery belonging to Lord Howard, this was situated on the land behind the pub and still contains some specimen trees from this era.

Bennett was already a beer retailer in 1837 when he unsuccessfully applied for the better alehouse licence, he reapplied annually until 1844 when he was successful. In the 1841 Census he was described as a publican aged 34. He remained licensee until 1858 when George Miller took over. In 1860 a tailor called Robert Dewsnap held a Clothes Club there, which sold all kinds of mens and boys apparel, shares were £3-10s-0d (£3.50), half shares £l-15s-0d (£1.75), these clubs were often the only means the working man had available to buy new clothes or whatever.

In 1864 Miller opened up a shoeing forge there, possibly there had been one there previously as a blacksmith often used a ploughshare as his sign and the pub was called the Plough in Whelan’s Directory for Manchester & Salford in 1852.

Although Bennett had ceased to be licensee in 1858 ownership remained in the Bennett family until 1894 when it was bought by Fred Pickford who had moved down from the Grapes which he had sold to Boddington’s Brewery to whom he also sold the Plough in 1900. In 1923 James Pooler became licensee, the pub remaining associated with the Pooler family until 1969.

In December 1994 Boddington’s sold the Plough to Paramount Plc, of Chester trading as Real Inns Ltd. It is now owned by Enterprise Inns and is for sale.