The Ship Public House Linslade

The Ship public house in June 2008

The Ship Public House: 90 Wing Road/Ship Road, Linslade

Bedfordshire Archives is not rich with information on Linslade licensed premises; owing to the fact that Linslade was in Buckinghamshire until 1965, no licensing records before this date are held by the service. The service has very little information on the Ship, which was clearly a fully licensed public house at least as early as 1851, having been a beerhouse hitherto. The property was presumably built some time between the mid 1830s and mid 1840s as the small settlement of Chelsea expanded with the arrival of the London and North Western railway in 1838. By the late 1950s the public house was owned by Watney Mann which merged with Grand Metropolitan Hotels in 1972.

List of Licensees: note that this is not a complete list; entries in italics refer to licensees where either beginning or end, or both, dates are not known:

1847: William Faulkner, beerseller until 1851 then publican;
1869: Mrs.H.Faulkner;
1871: James Faulkner, publican;
1881: Henry Holmes, innkeeper;
1883: William McDowal;
1891: Samuel Stevens, licensed victualler;
1903: Mrs.Mary Stevens;
1907: Reuben Springthorpe;
1911: Francis Henry Abbott;
1915: James Walker;
1939: Raymond B.E.Walker;
1967: Charles William Turner;
1969: John Henry Burgin;
1974: Alan Johnson Louth;
1982: John Thomas Corbin;
1986: Robin Martin Brodbwin.

Ship Public House door, October 2008

List of sources at Bedfordshire Archives:

• Z898/1: Discussion about alterations: 1939
• Z1432/3/10/6: Ship Public House outing. Group photograph taken in front of coach., c.1950
• Z1105/1: Liquor Licence Traders Survey form, 1963
• Z1309/1/16: Drawing of the Ship: 1995  
• Z1432/2/13/7/2: Ship Road, Linslade, viewed from Wing Road, c.2000