QUEEN VICTORIA – SOUND HOUSE, SOUTHAMPTON STREET

Photo above: 1953 coronation street party, outside the Queen Vic, shows how populated the area was.  The houses on right street, George Street, have completely gone in the later photo seen below.

Queen Victoria, late 1960s – the clearing of surrounding area have taken place.

Inquests were held here during the 1850s and the pub was used by various societies.

1855 William Neale was victular. Frederick Geary 1868. Cock & Langmore the owners (later to become All Saints Brewery)

Wm Wheelhouse 1876.Wheelhouse had been at the Wheatsheaf Wheat St for the past year. William had not been at the Queen Vic long before the previous landlord Frederick Geary had to be ejected from the pub for using bad language and refusing to quit the Queen Vic, Mrs Wheelhouse was forced to seize Geary by the collar to remove him. Geary was fined 20/- or 14 days in prison.

Alpheus E Smith landlord in 1979. George Murgatroyd 1884. George had a piano licence, in Feb 1885 he requested the justices that his piano be removed to a more convenient room, to comply with the music licence, the Justices Refused. Eliza Jayne Murgatroyd 1893 took over after George died.

In June 1872, a dinner was held for the Printers Typographical Society.  The Mayor attended, songs duets and renderings were given and a toast was made to the Mayor – who granted an extra hours drinking.  The evening terminated with the singing of ‘Auld Lang Syne. ‘

In 1884, a smoking licence was given to the Queen Vic.  A smoking concert was held in February 1894 for The Loyal Caledonian Corks Lodge. Thomas Edward Dawson the licensee, when Thomas died Eliza Jane Dawson took the licence 1901. Joseph Lewin 1903. James Henry Devlin 1906.

Arthur Frederick Popple was landlord c1923, with Ethel Hannah Popple 1927 when Arthur died.

1930s Rt Martin was landlord, by 1950 Doris Grace was landlady.

For a time during the 1970s, the Queen Vic doubled up as a transport café with bed & breakfast.
Circa 1990s.
John Griffin, landlord at the turn of the millennium.  As with many pubs, he suffered with the many changes around the area. coupled with drinking habits, lack of industry – you name it, he was up against it, so to revive its fortune a change of direction was needed. 
The Queen Victoria just before it became the Sound House. (Photo credit: Mark Shirley).

The Queen Victoria became a music venue in 2010.


Still under the Queen Vic name but now known as Sound House, June 2010
Sound House 2014.

Getting into the spirit – 2017.  A street art exhibition was held in the area and the Sound House enthusiastically joined in.

The Sound House is still very much open for business as of writing.

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1 Comment

  1. It was my three times great Uncle William Wheelhouse and his wife Elizabeth that hosted the Typographical Society dinner at the Queen Victoria Inn.

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