Photo above: Looking down Albion Hill in the 1950s, The Albion was the second building on the right; The Black Boy can be seen at the bottom of the picture.
Situated on the corner of Albion Hill and Dunkirk St. it opened c1840 and James Thorpe was to run the pub for the first twenty years.
In December 1845, the Liberal burgesses gave a dinner at the Albion Inn to the newly elected Mayor E. Watson: ‘Of all good things in life there was a most abundant supply’ – many toasts followed and sentiments of a political nature were enthusiastically drank, such as ‘Good men and true of the Radical Party.’ Several glees were sung ‘until the witching hour.’
In 1860, Francis Green took over from Mr Thorp, until 1865 when he sold the Inn by auction together with three adjoining houses in Dunkirk St. These were bought by John Long, who died there in 1880 aged 73. Upon John’s death his widow, Sarah (some reports named her Christine, held the licence for a short period until his estate was sorted, whereupon the Albion Inn and adjoining houses were sold for £1500, together with the Chelsea Pensioner in Southgate St – which it seemed was also owned by the Longs – for a further £990.
Thomas Plumb took over the reigns as licensee in 1881, but the Albion at this time was now owned by William Langmore, who became a partner in Cock & Langmore, the forerunner to All Saints Brewery. Matthew Burdett became licensee in1887; Albert Davenport, 1904; William Grainger, 1910; then John Simpson from 1914 until its closure in 1922, when The Albion was delicenced and sold for £870 shortly after.
