From Two to Eleven and Back Again: A History of Pirton’s Pubs

From Two to Eleven and Back Again: A History of Pirton’s Pubs

Pirton today has two pubs: The Fox and The Motte & Bailey.

Two hundred years ago, the village also had two pubs: The Motte, then known as The White Horse, and the long-closed Shoulder of Mutton.

But by 1870, Pirton had eleven pubs. That worked out at roughly one pub for every 30 adult men in the village.

Many of the names of these lost pubs, including The Blacksmith’s Arms, The Old Hall and The Red Lion, are still familiar to villagers today.

Join Jonny Mein for a fascinating talk on the history of Pirton’s pubs from around 1800 to 1920, exploring the sharp rise in the number of village pubs during the nineteenth century and the later decline that arguably continues today.