SK3871 : The Royal Oak Inn, Chesterfield – 2
taken 5 years ago, near to Chesterfield, Derbyshire, England

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Grade II* Listed public house from 16th century with 18th century additions restored in the late 19th century. The earliest surviving reference to the building is in a conveyance of 1684, when a piece of land was purchased to extend the building for the use as a butchers shop. The first mention of use as an inn is contained in a conveyance of 1772 when the building was sold to Francis Inman an “innholder”. A conveyance of 1773 states 'was lately used as a dwelling house and butchers shop'. Recent research confirms it was a pub from about 1775. It was sold to William Stones brewery of Sheffield in 1897 who immediately set about renovating the pub, making extensive alterations. The sign states that it was a 12th century ‘rest house’ for the Knights Templar's. Although it is known that the Templar's were connected with Chesterfield, there is no proof of any unlikely association with this site. In 1967 it was due to be demolished as part of a massive redevelopment and there was a plan to hoist the building onto rollers and move it to a new site but it came to nothing. The pub closed in October 2015 after the building was found to be unsafe but reopened possibly about a year later. Directory entries include, 1828 William Johnson, 1829 Joseph Johnson, 1835-1855 Joseph Redfern (also flour dealer), 1870 William Mee (also butcher), 1891-1895 Mrs Harriett Reece and 1912 Joseph Arnold Carrington.
The town has a significant concentration of buildings, almost exclusively dating from the first 30 years of the 20th century, in mock medieval black and white style.
The driving force behind this was the improvements to the town centre following the 1914 Chesterfield Corporation Act which involved widening of streets and removal of slum property. Many of the improved sites involved the rebuilding of public houses, and the owning breweries happened to employ architects who favoured this style.
Of these the firm of Wilcockson and Cutts was employed by the local Chesterfield and Brampton Breweries, Home Brewery of Nottingham and Scarsdale Brewery, as well as being responsible for a few other buildings.
James R Wigfull, architect to Stones Brewery of Sheffield, was responsible for around a dozen of their public houses in the town.
Two other major contributors to the townscape were William Fryer (Victoria complex) and Sheppard of Sheffield (Picture House – now the Winding Wheel – and attached ballroom)
More detailed information can be found in this website Link
- Grid Square
- SK3871, 862 images (more nearby 🔍)
- Photographer
- Alan Murray-Rust (more nearby)
- Date Taken
- Tuesday, 15 June, 2021 (more nearby)
- Submitted
- Thursday, 1 July, 2021
- Subject Location
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OSGB36:
SK 3830 7108
[10m precision]
WGS84: 53:14.1227N 1:25.6587W - Camera Location
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OSGB36:
SK 3829 7109
- View Direction
- South-southwest (about 202 degrees)
