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The Griffin Inn

  • Thread starter Thread starter O.C.
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Thanks Wendy....Mike and I go back a bit and have lost a few dear friends along the way, we had a good old chat today and he said he will sort a few things out for me of interest .....like me he is a canal freak, as well as a great guy who runs a great pub...here is a pic I took of him about 15-20 years ago (he aint changed a bit ) in the mass of pipes in the cellar of the pub
With a bit of luck I might get him on the forum.....
Two Night you should never miss in the Griffin Christmas Eve and New Years Eve....
 
My dear Chris. What a World we live in when the church over the road from the Griffin has all what can be taken ...stolen
The local carpenter made a wooden cross for the service on Sunday as the original one was stolen .....their seems to be a new breed of folk now just stealing and destroying all our history....that is why recording it is so vital............
 
:angel: Oh how sad that must have been for the church goers.

I don't go to church as such as you know, but I do love the history, and craftsmanship in them and to visit them for those reasons to me is a real thrill.

Pom :angel:
 
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You are so right Graham, stealing lead from school roofs I am just speechless!
I discovered when I was in Wales my gt aunt and uncle donated two candlesticks to the church in Llandudno in rememberance of their son killed at the Somme. I do hope they are still there. I must take a trip and a camera! Sorry a bit off topic............
 
Griffin Inn

Hi Cromwell

After reading your very sad but interesting topic on Baxterley (and also in connection with my family research) my husband and I drove out to Bentley on Sunday afternoon.

We probably took the long way round but went via "The Griffin Inn" as I wanted to see the pub that my father used to take us to over 40 years ago.

We drove on to Bentley and then into Baxterley - didn't have a lot of time to walk, so it was a slow drive - taking in the scenery and history.

We stopped at the "Rose" and had a wonderful carvery meal, then just enough time to walk around the duck pond and take some photographs.

Thank you once again for sharing this story with us.

Best wishes

Fay
 
Its amazing Fay how a little bit of knowledge can send you on a journey of discovery...I heard the Rose is for sale or wants a new landlord ..lets hope he or she can keep the food just as good.
Just down the hill from the Griffin...past the Bull at Furnace End and turn right, long ago their was a church at Over Whitacre which was knocked down and a new church was built ...the old font was carted away by someone and placed outside the pub at Shustoke and for years was used as a horse block to help folk on and off their horses until someone saw the significance of it and put it in a place it should be..... but not in a church ...To be used as a Flower vase by a churchwarden of Sutton and when he died it was given to the Church by his son and so it ended up in Sutton Church and the 12th century font now is well looked after and in its rightful place.
 
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Our allotment society have had two 'cracking' skittle nights at the Rose in the last year, the meal provided has been great, pity if it were to change hands.

Also found out that my wife's G G Uncle was living in Baxterly at the time of the mining disaster, but wasn't connected too the mine.

Dwelling:
Census Place: Baxterley, Warwick, England
Source: FHL Film 1341729 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 3056 Folio 50 Page 13
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
Eli BOX M 28 M Tod Tadmarton, Oxford, England
Rel: Head
Occ: Ag Lab
Mary BOX M 27 F Burbage, Leicester, England
Rel: Wife
Thomas BOX 3 M Baxterley, Warwick, England
Rel: Son
Hannah BOX 1 F Baxterley, Warwick, England
Rel: Daur
William BOX 3 w M Baxterley, Warwick, England
Rel: Son
 
Nick.. The Church is about a mile from the Rose where one of the victims from the mining disaster is buried, the tombstone is just through the main gate on the right.
Not being a fisherman Alf I never took intrest in where folk fished but you were right their is a big fishing pool just at the back of the Griffin (see map ) and if anyone takes the kids to see the boats on the ressa show them The bat house which is about 8 feet from the ground put their for the bats, the walk blows the cobwebs out ya head and its criss crossed by footpaths for a nice country walk
 
At the start of this thread I posted a Pic of the Griffin with the signpost outside pointing to the Industrial School down Shawbury Lane
It was established in 1868 and could accommodate 100 boys
All could be educated their and training provided for farm, gardening, woodwork, metalwork as well as various trade's
Set in over 105 acres of land with football and cricket pitches it was hoped that when the boys left they could make something of their lives and stay on the right path without getting into trouble. in the 1930's an experiment was started at Shawbury as a short term school for boys over the age of 14 who broke the law....they were detained for 6 months followed by another 6 months in a hostel (one of the hostels was Coperley Hill Erdington) later on Shrawbury became known as an Approved School
 
Hi Cromwell, I've found this on the 1881 census, look like Edward Moss's wife took over running the pub.

Dwelling: Griffin Inn
Census Place: Shustoke, Warwick, England
Source: FHL Film 1341729 PRO Ref RG11 Piece 3053 Folio 22 Page 1
Marr Age Sex Birthplace
Emma MOSS W 63 F Hartshill, Warwick, England
Rel: Head
Occ: Publican
Sarah MOSS U 30 F Great Barr, Stafford, England
Rel: Daur
Betsey MOSS U 21 F Great Barr, Stafford, England
Rel: Daur


I've also found the six Alms houses you mentioned, still looking for the School.
 
Nice one Nick, I bet Mike will be pleased to know that.
Map shows the Approved school at the bottom of Shawbury Lane in the late 40's
Now here is a bit of strange info.
round about 1839-41 the founder of the Mormon Church Brigham Young came to Shustoke to preach in the surrounding area and stayed at Skye Cottage Maxstoke till he was told to sling his hook by Dilke (Lord of the manor)
 
:angel: I knew someone who spent time at the Reform school in the 1960's. They took me and my son to visit it during my visit to Brum in 1986 and it was a very derelict building then, although we were still able to walk around inside and have a good look. As I'm sure it has gone completely now I never thought of visiting the area where the school actually was this time around. Although Cromwell did take me to the Shostoke area and in parted a great deal of history to me, what great days we had, touring around 'Our Childhood Area of the World'. Thanx Mate :)
 
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Hi Cromwell, Ive found the Griffin on the 1851 census.



Head: GIBSON, John Neighbors 291169
Name Relationship Mar Age Sex Occupation Birthplace
John GIBSON Head M 48 M Inn Keeper Norton Lindsey-War
Martha GIBSON Wife M 45 F Landlady Lea Marston-War
Elizabeth GIBSON Niec U 17 F House Serv Fullbrook-War
William GIBSON Fath W 73 M Ag Lab Laverton-Gls
Jacob GIBSON Lodg U 39 M Ag Lab Shustoke-War
Thomas CURRAL Neph U 21 M Hostler Lea Marston-War
Address: Griffin Inn, Meriden
Census Place: Shustoke Meriden, Warwickshire
PRO Reference: HO/107/2063 Folio: 56 Page: 6 FHL Film: 0087322the
 
Cracking bit of info Nick, I must see if any of them are in the Graveyard opposite ....just down the hill in the 1800's was a pub called The Owl but all traces have gone and no one knows much about it only from an old letter ...I have a few photo's of the schoolkids in Shustoke from 1900's
but sadly no Gibsons
 
I know this is flippant but have Colin and Cromwell thought of setting up a detective agency! What a great piece of work!
 
Wendy a few years ago I did a bit of work for a chap who became a very good friend who I call "Bunny" he owned businesses in the Jewelery Quarter and bought the the Old Rectory in Shawbury Lane and when he was showing me about the place with its secret passages etc I did not realize at the time William Dugdale was born their in 1605 I have some old pic and if I can get hold of him (Bunny) I will compare the old with the new
Photo is the Old Rectory before my mate bought it
 

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Cromwell

(Hope i'm not off topic)

Your friend Bunny who bought "The Old Rectory" was his surname "Barroclough" or something similar?

Fay
 
Now I have a feeling somethings going on here as Charlie asked me that
so I will say the answers yes
 
Cromwell

Didn't see that message so maybe Charlie pm'd you.

Nothing sinister going on here. The reason I asked is that a little while ago I posted a message on the "Griffin Inn" topic (which I (stupidly) posted in the wrong section) about my husband doing renovation work on a house opposite the Griffin Inn.

My husband believed the house was haunted as lots of strange things happened whilst he was working there and he took me to see the house at a later date and something strange happened that night.

I have just asked my husband who he did the work for re the renovation and he thought the guys name was Barroclough - or something similar and he said he worked in the jewellery quarter.

Small world.

Fay
 
Bunny has a secret trap door in his kitchen but nothing to rave about as he or I do not believe in Ghosts...I can post a lot more but would be going way off thread ...PM me if you want any more details but not on the Spirit World ..Please ..
 
Shawbury Approved School

Dear All
what a great find this forum is!

I'm doing a masters degree in heritage conservation and for my diss I'm researching country houses in (or previously in) school or other educational use.

I've seen maps showing the school (thanks to other posters on the forum) but can anyone describe or have a picture they can post of it for me? I've read somewhere it was a large house with many additions, but it would be good to know what it looked like.

A search in Google maps this morning shows that the site has been redeveloped for about a dozen large houses, and there is no discernible trace of the original building.

If you know of any other schools or colleges in the area that meet my brief, please post here and let me know?

Thanks very much (in advance!):)
 
I remember the Griffin Inn i drank there in 1979, i worked for Birmingham social services at shawbury community home school, i am in the UK in september visiting family and will be flying out of Birmingham airport, i will have to visit the griffin, anyone know of any local accomodation near to the griffin Inn. does anyone remember or know Peter Griffin or John Graves i worked with them at Shawbury school.
 
Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I have only just come across it while looking for something else.

My father used to patronise The Griffin in the 1970's and 80's. In those days, the landlord was Billy King.

After my father died about 10 years ago, amongst my his oddments I found an old exercise book which was labelled inside "Harry Vincent Book" in handwriting.
The book seems to originally have belonged to a lady who wrote verse and the dates of some of these are around 1904 but most have been obliterated by someone (Harry?) sticking magazine and press cuttings over them regarding the history of Shustoke and the surrounding countryside. In particular, there is a large section on Sir William Dugdale, who was born there in 1605.

There are several press photographs and drawings from the early 1900's through to late 1930's in it also.

I assume that Harry Vincent, who was also a patron of The Griffin, must have given the book to my father or, maybe, lent it to him and never got it back - I seem to remember that Harry died and my father was quite upset about it, so they obviously knew each other very well. I also remember that the evenings there revolved round dominoes, so I expect they had many matches together.

If anyone is interested, I would be happy to scan some of the pages and either post them on here of forward them to individuals.
 
Dave never be sorry for bringing older threads back up again... Especially if you have new input, which you have... Please post the pages from your book on here. I for one would love to see them.

Chris/Pom :angel:
 
dav19390 said:
Sorry to resurrect this old thread, but I have only just come across it while looking for something else.

My father used to patronise The Griffin in the 1970's and 80's. In those days, the landlord was Billy King.

After my father died about 10 years ago, amongst my his oddments I found an old exercise book which was labelled inside "Harry Vincent Book" in handwriting.
The book seems to originally have belonged to a lady who wrote verse and the dates of some of these are around 1904 but most have been obliterated by someone (Harry?) sticking magazine and press cuttings over them regarding the history of Shustoke and the surrounding countryside. In particular, there is a large section on Sir William Dugdale, who was born there in 1605.

There are several press photographs and drawings from the early 1900's through to late 1930's in it also.

I assume that Harry Vincent, who was also a patron of The Griffin, must have given the book to my father or, maybe, lent it to him and never got it back - I seem to remember that Harry died and my father was quite upset about it, so they obviously knew each other very well. I also remember that the evenings there revolved round dominoes, so I expect they had many matches together.

If anyone is interested, I would be happy to scan some of the pages and either post them on here of forward them to individuals.
Click to expand...
We would love to see the pages please put them on here for us!:)
 
dav19390 said:
My father used to patronise The Griffin in the 1970's and 80's. In those days, the landlord was Billy King.

Hi Dave

I worked for a company that supplied the Griffin in the late 60's
and early 70's, and I remember that the landlord then was a
Mr J.N. Davis. Perhaps he was Mr King's predecessor.

Kind regards

Dave
Click to expand...
 
After the interest shown, I will scan some of the pages and post them on here - I'm away for a few days but will get them posted by the weekend.

- Dave89 - I may be slightly amiss with my dates so either landlord might be the earlier one. I think Billy King was there for quite a long time, because my father used to visit the pub regularly for many years.

Thanks for the encouraging responses.
 
I have scanned some pages now and have uploaded them in the Birmingham History Forum on this site, as I thought that it was probably a more suitable forum to place it.

The thread is Shustoke, Maxtoke and Surrounding Area.

Thanks for your interest.
 
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