The Lord Nelson © Colin van Geffen

The building now occupied by the Lord Nelson Public House appears to have started life during the middle years of the seventeenth century as two cottages divided by a central passageway.

Initially one room deep they were extended to the rear to form the more usual two up, two down type of cottage. Why the extensions did not line up as can be seen in the walls of the passage is unknown but no doubt the reason will become apparent with time.

The first reference to the building being a public house occurs in 1801 when a Mrs Potter was liable for a Poor Rate of 4/- ( 4 shillings or 20 pence) for the Lord Nelson Inn. By this time the two cottages had become one establishment.

Mrs Mary Potter had, until after April 1800, been the publican of the Wheatsheaf Inn next door (now replaced by the later building now occupied by Bath Travel). By the middle of 1803 she had returned to the Wheatsheaf. The reason behind this is not known but as she was only a tenant at the Wheatsheaf there may have been some difficulty over a tenancy renewal.

In any case when she returned, the Lord Nelson continued as a public house. This must have caused some annoyance to Mrs Potter as there was now an additional licensed premise adjacent only too willing to take her trade.

The name of the new public house could not be more suitable for an inn in a sea side position, chosen as it was to commemorate the victor of the battles of the Nile (1798) and Copenhagen (1801). Note that Trafalgar was still 4 years in the future.

Three landlords held the inn between 1803 and 1815; Richard Langford, Henry Rawlins and James Mursell, of whom we know very little but in that year a family link with the inn was forged which was to last for over 70 years. The new landlord was Henry Groves Blanchard who with his wife; Louisa, ran the inn until 1835.

In that year Henry moved to Fawley but his daughter and son-in-law; John and Emma Stephens took over. They in turn were followed by their youngest son; Henry Groves Stephens, when John died in 1869.

All of these landlords as with later ones did not own the property but merely held it on a tenancy. During the early part of the eighteenth century the owner was a Miss Margaret Guy Robson who lived in Durham, though her family had very strong family ties with Hythe in the previous century.

It is doubtful, however, if she had ever even seen the property and in 1826 she sold the property with five other cottages in the High Street. It is from this sale and subsequent deed that we have the first description and survey of the inn. The advertisement reads:

The plan attached to the deed shows an internal layout very similar to that at present with a tap room and bar behind on the left while the right hand side was occupied by the family as a parlour and kitchen. To the rear of the property, against the water, was a building occupied as a stable, woodhouses and a privy with a room for the groom.

It should be noted that to bring horses to this rear building they passed along the passage at the side of the adjacent cottages, along their rear and into the side of the Nelson yard. They did not have to pass through the inn by the central passageway.

An interesting sideline to the property is demonstrated in 1847 where the post office directory for the Lord Nelson Inn includes the description Packet and ferry house. Until 1842 the Wheatsheaf Inn had been the packet and ferry house.

In fact, the landlord George Mason had also been the Captain of the steam ferry; the Forester. It would appear that on the sale of the Wheatsheaf and its closing as an inn in that year that the business was transferred next door.

On the death of Henry Stephens the inn was taken over by David Hosey who until this time had been landlord of the Ivy Green beer house at the top of South Street. He continued as landlord until 1916 when he was followed by his son-in-law Albert Hastings Small and his wife Mabel.

Since then there have been a variety of different landlords though the family commitment has appeared from time to time as was demonstrated fairly recently when Chic and Pat Malcolm retired in 1990 and their daughter Rona and her husband Adam took over.

The history of the Inn mirrors that of many small establishments of this kind occurring all over the country run as family businesses to serve the general needs of their customers.

Graham Parkes