Palace Tavern, 103 Charing Cross road, Soho WC2

This pub was established as the Bull�s Head by 1759, at 8 Crown Street, which is later renumbered as 64 & 66 Crown Street. The pub was enlarged in 1894 when 64 Crown Street was realigned to became 103 Charing Cross Road. The pub was then renamed the Tam O�Shanter and took the address 103 Charing Cross Road. The frontage, at least, was substantially rebuilt in 1896. In 1900 the pub was renamed the Palace Tavern. The pub closed in 1960 and the premises now serve as a restaurant.  **

There had previously been a Tam O'Shanter at 14 Grafton street, Soho in 1841 and 1843, for example

Soho index

A listing of historical public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in Soho - in London.

Tam O'Shanter, 103 Charing Cross Road, Soho W1 - in November 2008

Tam O'Shanter, 103 Charing Cross Road, Soho W1 - in November 2008

Kindly provided by Stephen Harris

Residents at this address

1818/John Bullman / Victualler /../../Sun Fire Office records held at Guildhall Library **

1827/James Allen, Bulls Head, 8 Crown street, Soho/../../Pigot�s Directory

1839/Thomas Watkinson/../../../Pigots Directory

1841/Charlotte Morgan/Publican/40/../Census
1841/Elizabeth Morgan/../8/Middlesex/Census
1841/William Plant/Male Servant/20/Middlesex/Census
+ Others

October1853/Francis Pain/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era

October 1853/Reuben Glover/Incoming Licensee/../../Era

1869/George Cook/../../../Post Office Directory

January 1870/George Cook/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era Newspaper

January 1870/Frederick Wincles/Incoming Licensee/../../Era Newspaper

September 1870/late tenant quit/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era Newspaper

September 1870/Henry William Vale/Incoming Licensee/../../Era Newspaper

1881/Charles Hoffman/Licensed Victualler/35/Wurtenberg (F), Germany/Census
1881/Eva Hoffman/Wife/29/Wurtenberg (F), Germany/Census
1881/Frederica Schuman/Servant/16/Wurtenberg (F), Germany/Census
1881/Wilhelm Schultz/Potman/40/S Weimar, Germany/Census
1881/Heinrich Ludwig/Boarder, Teacher Of Languages/42/S Weimar, Germany/Census
1881/Georg Surig/Boarder, Baker/36/Hanover, Germany/Census
1881/Charles Rudolph/Boarder, Baker/37/Prussia/Census
1881/Leopold Calin/Boarder, Baker/21/Saxony, Prussia/Census
1881/Georg Huttel/Boarder, Baker/18/Frankfurt O M, Prussia/Census
1881/Andreas Brandner/Boarder, Baker/30/Bavaria, Prussia/Census
1881/Peter Weber/Boarder, Baker/52/Prussia/Census
1881/Andreas Ebertz/Boarder, Baker/27/Prussia/Census
1881/Frederic Fett/Boarder, Baker/29/Prussia/Census
1881/Charles Seigmund/Boarder, Baker/50/Prussia/Census

1882/John George Geisel/../../../Post Office Directory

Tam O�Shanter :

1895/John Adamson/../../../Post Office Directory **

1899/Mrs Catherine Norton/../../../Post Office Directory **

Palace Tavern, 103 Charing Cross Road :

My great great grandfather, Arthur Robert Cripps was the publican and proprietor in 1900. He is listed in the 1900 Kelly's Directory as A.R. Cripps. He was there for 2-3 years but had to leave when he got into financial difficulty and his children had suffered from the pollution in the area.  ***

A fantastic account provided by a great great aunt of mine details life living in the area:

�Arthur decided upon a public house. A boyhood friend, Harry Weeks, had been in the publican line and would go in with him as barman and knew the ropes, his father said. So Dad took over the PALACE TAVERN on Charing Cross Road, engaged a pretty barmaid with copper-coloured hair and started business. Mamma had to help him, of course. There were sandwiches to be cut and light refreshments to be prepared and assistance in the bar when necessary. It was larger then than the same Pub is now, a cinema having been built on part of the site. Dad thought that being in the centre of London was a good thing and put every penny into it. (The Brewers knew it was no good, or it would not have been a �free�house). So the family left our nice house in Brockley where Lily, Arthur and I were born, and started life afresh in the heart of London.
The first spell of bad luck: a bad smell pervaded the place and all the drains had to be taken up and fresh drainage installed. All the family suffered and I, a toddler, was the worst affected. The poison went to my eyes and a Specialist said on one visit that there would be a crisis that night and if there was not a turn for the better I would be blind the rest of my life. Dear Mamma spent the night on her knees by my cot and my sight was saved. There were rats around the place and the �ladies� of the town frequented the bar with their clients. At the end of the year poor Dad was declared bankrupt.. �
�With the help of his father, Dad bought a Tobacconist and Newsagents in Old Kent Road with the posh name �The Old Kent Cigar Stores�. ***

1901/Albert W Guillan/Licensed Victualler/37/Essex/Census
1901/Emily L Guillan/Wife/40/London/Census
1901/Emily L Guillan/Daughter/14/London/Census
1901/Mabel S Guillan/Daughter/11/London/Census
1901/Albert W Guillan/Son/9/London/Census
1901/John C Guillan/Son/8/London/Census
1901/Florence A Guillan/Daughter/6/London/Census
1901/Dorothy L Guillan/Daughter/5/London/Census
1901/Reginald A Guillan/Son/1/London/Census
1901/Ralph G Guillan/Son/4 months/London/Census
1901/Sophia M Hunter/Sister in Law/42/London/Census
1901/Ivy Lyster/Barmaid/21/London/Census
1901/Nellie Bissell/Barmaid/24/London/Census
1901/Frederick C Chinard/Barman/23/London/Census
1901/Mary Hazell/Cook/37/London/Census
1901/Esther Fletcher/Nurse/18/Kent/Census

1910/Albert William Guillan/../../../Post Office Directory

1915/Albert William Guillan/../../../Post Office Directory

1938/Palace Catering Co Ltd/../../../Post Office Directory

1944/Patrick McGrath, Palace Tavern, 103 Charing Cross road WC2/../../Post Office Directory


** Provided By Stephen Harris

*** Provided By Miles Brown

 

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