Elephant & Castle Tavern, 1 Newington Butts, Newington, Surrey
Newington pub history index
The famous tavern so named is situated about a mile south of London Bridge, at a place where several important roads meet. In the coaching days it was passed by every traveller going south-east from London, and it is now a well-known halting station for omnibuses and tramcars.
A writer in a famous publication has asserted that this was the house referred to by Shakespeare, as follows:—
"In the South Suburbs, at the Elephant,
Is best to lodge."—Twelfth Night; Act iii., Sc. 3.
In fact, the Elephant and Castle at Newington Butts did not come into existence until long after Shakespeare's time. The ground on which it stands was not yet built upon in 1658, being then granted as a charitable donation to the poor of Newington parish. The grant was renewed and confirmed in 1673, when the structure here represented may already have come into existence, for we are told that building operations had then lately taken place. The sign may be derived from the crest of the Cutlers' Company. Close to the Elephant and Castle, during the construction of a new sewer in 1823, some piles, posts, and rings for barges were found imbedded in the soil. Hard by, in the early part of this century, that strange fanatic, Joanna Southcott, set up a meeting-house for her followers. Newington Butts was so named from the exercise of archery at the butts, which was practised here by the parishioners in Tudor times. The inn was rebuilt in 1824. Of late there has been another rebuilding on the same site. The view is founded on an old drawing in the Gardner collection.
A house called the "Oliphant," previously the "Red Hart," is mentioned in the vestry proceedings of St. Saviour's parish, Southwark, in 1598, and an "Elephant Alley" near the Globe theatre comes to light in the St. Saviour's sacramental token book for 1600.
Shakespeare may have had in his mind the building thus indicated, when he made the allusion quoted above.
According to the wiki, the Elephant & Castle is rebuilt in 1816 and 1898 and latterly in the 1960s.
Elephant & Castle, Brighton Road
Kindly provided by Colleen
Elephant & Castle, 1 Newington Butts/Causeway, SE1 - in 1885
Kindly provided by Stephen Harris
Elephant & Castle, Newington Butts - a close up view
Kindly provided by Colleen
Elephant & Castle, Newington Butts
Kindly provided by Paul Prior
Elephant & Castle, 1-5 Newington Causeway, SE1 - in April 2008
Kindly provided by Stephen Harris
Residents at this address.
1794/Robert Hardy/victualler/../../Sun Fire Office records held at the London Metropolitan Archives
1822/Jane Fisher/Elephant & Castle, Newington Causeway/../../Victuallers Recognizance
1825/Jane Fisher/Widow, Elephant & Castle, Newington Causeway/../../Victuallers Recognizance
1825/Mrs Fisher/../../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1826/Jane Fisher/Widow, Elephant & Castle, Newington Causeway/../../Victuallers Recognizance
1827/Mrs Fisher/../../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1830/Jane Fisher/victualler/../../Sun Fire Office records held at the London Metropolitan Archives
1834/Mrs Jane Fisher/../../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1836/Jane Fisher, Elephant & Castle, Newington butts/../../Pigots Directory
1839/John Fisher/../../../Pigot's Directory *
1841/Mrs J. Fisher/[Elephant and Castle Inn]/../../Post Office Directory *
1848/William Fisher/../../../Post Office Directory
1851/Thomas Taylor/../../../Kellys Directory
November 1856/Thomas Taylor/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era Newspaper
November 1856/Sarah Taylor/Incoming Licensee/../../Era Newspaper
1869/Theophilus Haythorne Reed/../../../Post Office Directory
April 1871/Theophilus Haythorn Reed/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era Newspaper
April 1871/Charles Marshall/Incoming Licensee/../../Era Newspaper
1881/Jas B Horton/Hotel Manager/30/Brunsford, Worcester/Census
1881/Mary king/Housekeeper, Widow/45/Burly, Rutland/Census
1881/Edward G Chapman/Bar Manager/23/Islington, Middlesex/Census
1881/Alfred Wilson/Barman/19/Kensington, Middlesex/Census
1881/Charles Darling/Barman/20/Limehouse, Middlesex/Census
1881/Henry Fallagan/Barman/16/Aldersgate, Middlesex/Census
1881/William Smith/Barman/16/Highworth, Wiltshire/Census
1881/Annie Newome/Barmaid/23/Tower Hill, Middlesex/Census
1881/Eleanor Jackson/Barmaid/23/City, Middlesex/Census
1881/Elizabeth Davidson/Domestic Servant/23/Strand, Middlesex/Census
1881/Elizabeth Wentworth/Domestic Servant/19/Greenwich, Kent/Census
1882/Hammond & Bolton/../../../Post Office Directory *
1884/Hammond & Bolton/../../../Post Office Directory
1891/Hammond & Bolton/../../../Post Office Directory
1891/Arthur Culver/Licensed Victualler/53/Margate, Kent/Census
1891/Emilie Culver/Wife/28/Islington, London/Census
1891/Clara H Darnell/Barmaid/22/City, London/Census
1891/Anne Hopking/Barmaid/24/Portsmouth, Hampshire/Census
1891/Alice M Acomb/Barmaid/21/Camberwell, London/Census
1891/Charles J Balderson/Barman/27/Camberwell, London/Census
1891/Richard L Lyle/Barman/20/Croydon, Surrey/Census
1891/John J Dover/Barman/23/Headington, Oxfordshire/Census
1891/George Hollands/Barman/24/Witherham, Kent/Census
1891/Albert Withyman/Barman/18/Sydenham, Kent/Census
1891/Alfred Hewitt/Barman/22/Pilsmoor, Sheffield, Yorkshire/Census
1891/Florence Minnard/Housemaid/19/Islington, London/Census
1891/Mary Hartley/Cook/29/Liverpool/Census
1891/Sarah Berman/Kitchenmaid/19/Islington, London/Census
1895/Hammond & Bolton/../../../Post Office Directory
1899/Algernon Meekins/../../../Post Office Directory
1900/Algernon Meekins/../../../Post Office Directory **
1915/Thomas Ellis/../../../Post Office Directory *
1921/Thomas Ellis/../../../Post Office Directory **
1944/Adley & Clark/../../../Post Office Directory *
* Provided By Ewan