Royal Standard, 21 Long Lane , Southwark St George Martyr, London

Southwark St George Martyr index

In 1869 and earlier the address is at 10 White Street, which is the original name for part of Long Lane. The name of the public house is given as the Antigallican in 1825, and in a Sun Fire Office insurance record of 1837, where the street address is given also, so it must have been renamed between 1837 and 1839. *

A listing of historical London public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels in Southwark St George Martyr, Surrey,  London. The Southwark St George Martyr, Surrey , London listing uses information from census, Trade Directories and History to add licensees, bar staff, Lodgers and Visitors.

Residents at this address.

In 1822, the Antigallican, a new licensed victuallers, opened on the former site of the Bull, now numbered 10 White Street. Charles Roberts held the licence, but a surety from Willmott suggests that he was behind its development. After Willmott secured a renewal of his lease in 1837, he was able to invest more in re-developing the public house. He advertised for a new tenant, the property described as a ‘Wine and Spirit Warehouse’, having ‘a bold attractive front, with plate-glass windows’.
This was now the Royal Standard, sublet by Willmott, and later by his daughter Elizabeth Garrett, to a succession of licensees. **

1822-1838/Charles Roberts/../../../ **

1822/Charles Roberts, Antigallican, White street/../../Victuallers Recognizance

1823/George Greenland, Antigallican, White street/../../Victuallers Recognizance

1825/Percivall Pott, Antigallican, White street/../../Victuallers Recognizance

9th August 1826/Charles Roberts, Antigallican, White street/../../Victuallers Recognizance

1829/Charles Roberts, Antigallican, 10 White street, Borough/../../Robsons Directory

1832/S Smith, Antigallican, 10 White street, Borough/../../Robsons Directory

1839-1841/John Aldous/../../../ **

1839/John Aldhouse/../../../Pigot's Directory *

1841/William Edmonds/../../../Post Office Directory *

1843/William Edmonds/../../../Post Office Directory

1848/William Edmonds/../../../Post Office Directory

1851/Arthur George Creak/../../../Kellys Directory

1851/Arthur G Creak/Victualler/42/Hackney/Census
1851/Maria Creak/Wife/32/Bishopsgate, Middlesex/Census
1851/Maria Creak/Daughter/8/Bermondsey, Surrey/Census
1851/George Creak/Son/4/Middlesex/Census
1851/Mary A Creak/Daughter/3/Middlesex/Census
1851/William Creak/Son/1/St Georges Southwark, Surrey/Census
1851/Maria Burdin/Visitor/54/Middlesex/Census
1851/Harriett Hanks/General Servant/31/Kingston, Surrey/Census

June 1853/Edward Harding/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era

June 1853/William Mercer/Incoming Licensee/../../Era

1856/William Mercer/../../../Post Office Directory

Robert Angel Freeman leased the Royal Standard in 1864. He was involved with other public houses, and for a while had other licensees running this place under him. Despite Willmott’s improvements in 1838, it turned out the Royal Standard was a fairly meagre establishment: the sitting room was only 7 foot square, there was no urinal or W.C., a former skittle ground was used as both scullery and stable, and there was nowhere to store casks. It stood next to Nos. 7-9 White Street, small two-storey cottages, not much improved since the sixteenth century, and behind these were ‘wretched’ small tenements. The school now conceived a plan to pull down all these, rebuilding larger and newer properties in their place, and Freeman won the tender to do it all.

The work was completed: what had been four properties along the street front were combined into three, and as White Street in the meantime had been absorbed into Long Lane and doors renumbered, it meant that 7, 8, 9, 10 White Street became 17, 19, 21 Long Lane.

However, Freeman had been ruined. He had paid the school a premium of £700 for the lease, and then the building costs over-ran by £1,200, forcing him into a mortgage from the Courage brewery. He had also been plagued by worsening headaches. At 5.30am on 26 April 1879, Freeman sat at the edge of a shallow water tank at the back of the Royal Standard where, having procured a six-barrel revolver, he shot himself, drowning in the tank. The inquest returned a verdict of suicide while in a state of temporary insanity. Press reports suggested that he had lost a good deal of money from the building, and that this had led to his suicide, but his severe headaches, with witnesses reporting a change in his character, may point to an underlying health condition.
Not long before, Freeman had married his housekeeper, Susannah, who took over the Royal Standard after his death; she later took on a manager Albert Lambert, and then married him. **

April 1868/Charles Hart/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era

April 1868/Elizabeth Ward/Incoming Licensee/../../Era

1869/Mrs Elizabeth Ward/../../../Post Office Directory

1881/Susannah Freeman/Licensed Victualler, Widow/43/Whitechapel, Middlesex/Census
1881/Alfred Lambert/Manager/35/London, Middlesex/Census
1881/Marie A Granger/Sister, Assistant/32/Whitechapel, Middlesex/Census
1881/Susannah Granger/Niece/10/Bermondsey, Middlesex/Census
1881/Mary A Granger/Niece/8/Bermondsey, Middlesex/Census
1881/Sellina Granger/Niece/5/Bermondsey, Middlesex/Census
1881/Florence Granger/Niece/15 months/Bermondsey, Middlesex/Census
1881/George Eason/Potman/21/Bermondsey, Middlesex/Census

1882/Mrs S Freeman/../../../Post Office Directory

1884/Susannah Lambert/../../../Post Office Directory

1891/William Mattock/../../../Post Office Directory

The school sold most of its freehold at auction in 1895. The new owners did not hold these for long, because soon the London County Council bought out all freehold and leasehold interests, for a new road layout. By 1903, the Fox and the Royal Standard, and neighbouring properties, had been pulled down. Long Lane was widened, the new street covering the entire site of the Fox, and part of the Royal Standard. Apart from pedestrianisation of the new part of Tabard Street, the road layout today is as created when the pubs were demolished over a hundred years ago. **

1895/William Eldridge/../../../Post Office Directory

1899/William Mattock/../../../Post Office Directory


* Provided By Ewan

** Provided By David Elis-Williams

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