Pub – Drovers Arms, Whitfield

Location: Charlestown Road & Turnlee Road

Built: 1824

Opened: 1837

Closed: 2010

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

Although Charlestown is normally considered to be part of Whitfield it is actually part of the Township of Simmondley being south of the Longclough Brook or Bray Clough.

Built by Robert Buckley in 1824 it was probably run as a beerhouse for many years before an alehouse licence was obtained in 1837. Four years later in the 1841 Census his son John was described as an innkeeper aged 36 with a wife Margaret aged 37 and his father Robert aged 77. At this time it also had a stable, brewhouse and gig house.

The Buckleys moved to Lees Hall in 1843 and let the pub. In the 1851 Census James Prince was the licensee and also a farmer of 13 acres, he remained until 1853 after which there were many changes of licensee especially in the 1860s.

It was advertised as to let in 1863 and again in 1866 when “it may be entered immediately” applications to John Buckley the owner.

Shortly after this John Buckley let the alehouse licence lapse. According to Margaret Buckley his widow when she reapplied for an alehouse licence after his death in 1878 this had happened in 1868. Her late husband had committed an offence for which he was fined 10/-(50p) shortly before the licensing sessions occurred. As he was worried that his renewal might be refused because of this he asked for an adjournment so he could be represented by a solicitor. This was agreed to by the justices.

Unfortunately the date fixed for the adjournment was a Wakes Monday and the train bringing the solicitor from Manchester was late. The court had been over half an hour when the solicitor arrived and the justices had taken it for granted that the applicant didn’t want to renew and so the renewal was not granted. Neither was Margaret’s reapplication.

In 1891 the executors of Robert Buckley sold the pub to Boddington’s Brewery but the family remained as licensees until 1934.

In 1907 it was one of the pubs referred for compensation, the licensee Albert Buckley Taylor successfully appealed against closure, stating that the house had been built by his great grandfather and had been held by members of his family for 80 years. It consisted of a bar parlour, tap room, smoke room, a large clubroom, kitchen, scullery, two bedrooms, bathroom and stabling for three horses. It sold three and a half barrels of beer and six dozen bottles per week.

The Drovers was one of the few pubs to possess a Billiards Licence, this allowed billiards to be played with the exception of Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day.

A Full Licence was obtained in February 1961 when Robert Wilson was the licensee, in 1974 £14000 was spent on improvements. In 1989 it became a Boddington Pub Company house when they sold their brewery to Whitbread.

In November 1995 it became a Greenall’s house when they took over Boddington’s Pub Company.

Post 1999 – The Drovers Arms closed and was converted into a private residence in 2010.