The Bat and Barrel Public House Luton

The Bat and Barrel Public House July 2008

The Bat and Barrel Public House: 104-106 Park Street, Luton [previously the White Lion]

The history of the Bat and Barrel is difficult to determine in full. It was called the White Lion until 1993 and first appears in a directory under this name in 1862, with Charles Cain as licensee. The current [2009] owners, Charles Wells of Bedford have a series if nine deeds beginning in 1793 which belong to 104 Park Street, the public house having been solely at 106 Park Street before the mid 20th century. The first deed, of 1793, is a mortgage of a cottage in South Street which had previously been an inn called the Fountain. The owner was Joseph Hallifax [WL1000/1/LUT1/1]. Two years later Hallifax sold the cottage to a miller from Higham Gobion named Samuel Ainsworth [WL1000/1/LUT1/2].

In 1803 the children of Samuel Chase sold the next door cottage (now divided into two cottages) to Samuel Ainsworth, who is now noted as being of Luton and a shopkeeper [WL1000/1/LUT1/5]. Ainsworth died in 1839 and in his will he left his property in Park Street to his wife Elizabeth, with the intention that after her death it should pass to their son William [WL1000/1/LUT1/6]. The property is now referred to as a messuage, farm buildings and warehouse, clearly 104 Park Street formed a part of this complex. By 1853 William Ainsworth was the owner and he sold the property for £750 to Henry Gates of Luton, grocer [WL1000/1/LUT1/7]. In 1891 Gates sold 104 Park Street to Luton butcher Edwin Lee for £275 [WL1000/1/LUT1/9] and at this date it is noted as being on the north-west side of the White Lion, which, the deed noted, was in the ownership of Charles Wells.

Elevation of 104 and 106 Park Street before alterations [Z839/16]

It is interesting to find that Bedford brewers Charles Wells had a public house in Luton as early as 1891. Wells had bough Joseph Allen Piggot's brewery and business in 1875. It is known that in 1873 the White Lion was owned by Luton brewer Thomas Sworder as it formed part of an agreement between Sworder and his uncle, also Thomas Sworder, who had lent his nephew a considerable sum of money to cover his debts [Z210/81]. Clearly the public house was sold shortly afterwards.

 
Intended elevation after alteration [Z839/16]

Charles Wells made significant alterations to the public house at the beginning of the Second World War as shown by plans [Z839/16]. Clearly 104 Park Street was a three storey building which was lowered and merged into the two storey 106 Park Street. This suggests that 104 Park Street was sold to Charles Wells in 1939. In its booklet Luton Town centre Historic Pubs and Breweries Trail of 1999 Luton Borough Council planning department notes that the name of the White Lion changed to the Bat and Barrel in 1993. In his Pubs and Pints of 1995 Stuart Smith noted that the name change occurred because new (1985) Shefford brewers Banks & Taylor bought the house from Charles Wells. This firm ran into financial difficulties in 1994 and presumably sold the premises back to Charles Wells.

References

• WL1000/1/LUT/1/1: mortgage by Joseph Hallifax to Anthony Sherlock of a cottage formerly called The Fountain: 1793;
• WL1000/1/LUT/1/2: conveyance of cottage formerly called The Fountain by Anthony Sherlock and Joseph Hallifax to Samuel Ainsworth for £189: 1795;
• WL1000/1/LUT/1/5: conveyance of two cottages from executors of Samuel Chase to Samuel Ainsworth for £119/14/-: 1803;
• WL1000/1/LUT/1/6: will of Samuel Ainsworth devising a messuage, farm buildings and warehouse in Park Street to his wife Elizabeth, remainder to their son William: 1838, proved 1839;
• WL1000/1/LUT/1/7: conveyance of messuage and warehouse by William Ainsworth to Henry Gates: 1853;
• Z210/81: in draft agreement between Thomas Sworder of Luton and Thomas Sworder of Hertford: 1873;
• WL1000/1/LUT/1/9: conveyance of 104 Park Street from Henry Gates to Edwin Lee of Luton, butcher: 1891;
• Z839/16: plans of alterations for Charles Wells Limited: 1939-1940;
• WB/Green7/7/1: LutonTown centre Historic Pubs and Breweries Trail pamphlet: 1990s;
• Z923/8/7: Irish Evening: 1996;
• WL722/96: issue of Charles Wells in-house magazine Pint Pot including mention of the Bat & Barrel: 1998  

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:

1862-1876: Charles Cain;
1890: William Titmus;
1894: Mary Ann Osborne;
1898: Charles Barber;
1903-1910: Henry Crew;
1914-1934: Horace Henry Crew;
1934-1954: Thomas Page;
1954: Kenneth Hole;
1964: Hubert Crowsley and Ronald James Wybrow;
1966: Hubert Crowsley and James Alfred Howe;
1968: Hubert Crowsley and Keith Val Brown;
1969: Hubert Crowsley and Norman Kenneth Budge;
1969: Hubert Crowsley and James Heron;
1976: Richard Rawson Wolstenholme Hancock and James Heron;
1977: Richard Rawson Wolstenholme Hancock and Ernest Hedley Watson;
1977: Richard Rawson Wolstenholme Hancock and Alexander Jack Edwin Clifton;
1979: Richard Rawson Wolstenholme Hancock and Jarlath McCerton Duggan;
1980: Richard Rawson Wolstenholme Hancock and John Calderwood;
1981: Richard Rawson Wolstenholme Hancock and Mark Stuart Day;
1982: Richard Rawson Wolstenholme Hancock and John McInnes Malyn;
1983: Derek Charles Gibbs and Sean Matthew Timothy Maynard;
1986: Derek Charles Gibbs and Michael Spain;
1987: Derek Charles Gibbs and Stanley Richard Cocks;
1988: Stanley Richard Cocks and Kenneth Frank Martin;
1989: Stanley Richard Cocks and Barry James Warner;
1989: Stanley Richard Cocks and Raymond Reginald Sydney Wheldal;
1990: Alan Robert Targett and Raymond Reginald Sydney Wheldal;
1991: Raymond Reginald Sydney Wheldal and Tracey June Axford;
1991: Karen Jane Akeroyd and Richard Andrew Harrison;
1992: Christina Manning and Richard William Turner;
1992: Mary Bridgett Dempsey and Richard William Turner;
1992: William Henry Donnellan and Ursula Alice Donnellan