Photo above shows the Lord Rancliffe, circa 1960 with landlord Walter Lenton in doorway.
A map of Redcross Street (see below), with the Lord Rancliffe building east of a pub called the Fox & Crown in 1796. As seen on the map it backs on to the White Bear in Thornton Lane, causing some confusion as the Rancliffe was called the White Bear up to circa 1846 in both the LC & LJ. By 1848 it was recorded as the Lord Rancliffe.
In 1832, Samuel Turner auctioned off furniture brewing utensils and f & f of the pub. Many auctions were held here. Victualler, Mr Withers, conducted sales from here late 1830s. In 1845, in January, George Toone transferred the licence to John Day. In December that year John Day held a large auction of brewing equipment, vessels and effects. It included a bagatelle booth & 12’x3’ board with the booth 42’x27ft long, covered in canvas with a 10ft bar, private parlour and a stand 24ft long, fitted with seating and tables.
1835 John Senior was charged with robbing the hen roost at the White Bear, he was drinking in the pub, left to go to the ‘closet’ he was caught in the act of of retreating from the hen house with two recently killed hens by his side, his defense was that he went into the yard with the intention of visiting a certain office, situated next door to the hen roost but somehow had found himself in the wrong place (which caused much laughter in the courtroom) Senior was remanded.
Whites’ directory of 1846 lists the White Bear as ‘empty’ and the following year M. Payne held an auction held here.
In 1854, the pub was auctioned as the Lord Rancliffe and again in 1880, the licence being held by Thomas Nuttall of the Beeby Brewery. John Collins fishmonger and game merchant would keep the Lord Rancliffe during the 1870’s before moving to the Salmon then the White Swan in the Market Place where his family were well known in the fish market for over 100 years.
The pub was rebuilt in 1902 – further back from the road to enable street widening. Hannah Derbyshire purchased the freehold, with a mortgage from Brunt & Bucknall Brewery. The Derbyshires ran the pub from circa 1890.
Hannah Derbyshire was there until her death in 1951, aged ninety-three, when it was passed on to Harry Derbyshire and eventually to Walter Lenton, circa 1954.
The pub was sold to Mann Crossman & Paulin Ltd in 1952 and in June 1956 the pub was sold to the council, under a compulsory purchase order, for £9,000 and subsequently demolished.
An 1842 advert for the White Bear read:
A Private apartment for extracting teeth and blooding, as usual home brewed ale and spirits.
Today’s dentist could learn a thing or two from that – it would cut the apprehension out of going (‘two fillings and a pint of bass please!’).
Some of the reports are from the local papers which often had the details wrong, so there could be a mix up with the two White Bears, one in Redcross and one in Thornton Lane. They are listed side by side in 1822 directory.
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Is there any Information on Red Cross Street Barbican area bof London around 1840