Author Archives: tinklercambridge
Samuel Birne – turf correspondent & publican
Samuel Birne (1870 – 1949) spent over 50 years as both a publican and a racing correspondent. The last 30 years of his life were spent in Cambridge – as landlord of the Golden Rose in Emmanuel Road. But before … Continue reading
The Man in the Moon
For as long as we have gazed at it, we have imagined seeing a face, head or body (so-called pareidolic images), in/on the moon. Given that we are keen to see a ‘man in the moon’ several myths have grown … Continue reading
Arthur Henry Foulger
Arthur Henry Foulger (1858-1943) was a publican and musician. At different times, he ran two Cambridge pubs: the Brewer’s Arms (Gwydir St) and the Bakers Arms (Shelly Row). At the same time, he ran a string band. Thomas Askham – … Continue reading
The Cambridge Yard
The “Cambridge yard” (glass), also known as a “long glass”, or an “ell glass” was a yard-long (914cm) drinking glass. Yard glasses, because they were made without a flat bottom, were found mounted on the walls of many English pubs. … Continue reading
Hoop Performers 2
Frederick Lablache (1815 – 1887) and Fanny Wyndham (c.1821-1877) CONCERT at the HOOP Saturday 20 October 1838. A Combination of Talent: The celebrated Contralto of the Opera the Buffa Miss Fanny Wyndham and the celebrated Basso Cantante of the Opera … Continue reading
John Halsey (b.1945)
John Halsey (born 23 February 1945 in Highgate) has, since 1996, been the landlord of the Castle Inn public house (Castle Street). He is also a rock drummer, particularity well known for his appearance as Barrington Womble (“Barry Wom”) in … Continue reading
Reginald ‘Reg’ Cottage (1911-1992)
Reg Cottage was the landlord at the Old Spring (Ferry Path/Chesterton Road). He was also a pianist, piano-accordionist and organist. He was appointed musical director at the Dorothy Ballroom in 1949 taking over from Percy Cowell who had been there … Continue reading
Hoop Performers 1
The Hoop Inn, still standing, was built in 1729. In its glory days it was Cambridge’s principal coaching-house with many stage coaches arriving at and starting from it daily – including William Wordsworth’s in 1787. Some time prior to this … Continue reading
Bar-keeper of the Mitre (King’s Parade)
Within the central Cambridge parish of St Edward were formerly two famous taverns called the Mitre and the Tuns. The Mitre stood at the south end of the site now occupied by the screen of King’s. It “fell” through a … Continue reading
Which person to what pub?
A clue as to which people historically went to which pub is given in one of the “Roxburghe Ballads,” (vol. ii. pg 307,) the collection of 1,341 broadside ballads from the seventeenth century,mostly English,originally collected by Robert Harley,1st Earl of … Continue reading