In the delightful Worcestershire village of Chaddesley Corbett
is that well known institution, ‘The Swan’.
The Lounge Bar, always a warm and welcoming environment, is a regular venue for live music - in particular the Thursday night Jazz spot - and music-lovers will be pleased to note
that the ‘stage-area’ is being retained in the re-building, as will the feature
fireplace.
‘The Swan’ will always retain its character, developed over the hundreds of years that it
has been serving the needs of the locality (the list of known Licencees dates back into
the eighteenth century).
Documents dating to 1606 tell of Chaddesley’s ‘twenty dwellings and eight alehouses’ and of the goings-on ..
“Ill-repute, drunkenness, cutting of purses ... even murder” ..
"The Swan Inn at Chaddesley Corbett was another
inn which was known for a reputation to be frequented by highwaymen in the
18th century."
Haunts of Highwaymen - © H W Gwilliam 1999
so, nothing new there !
It is characteristic of the loyalty which ‘The Swan’ engenders that several past Licencees are still
‘regulars’, having retired locally.
More recently, in 1800, the property was rented from the ‘Corporation of Warwick’ by John Bate, a miller and maltster, who brewed on the premises
(before micro-breweries were ‘invented’).
The brew was a sweet, straw-coloured mild which - at 1060 s.g. - was the second strongest in England !
Being an Inn ‘The Swan’ stayed open as long as one of its beds was empty - although it was
permitted to close during the hours of Divine Service so that the proprietor could
attend Church !
In 1927 the title deeds changed hands and were acquired by the (King Henry VIII) Warwick Trust, who accepted Arthur Batham as tenant in 1956; a
well-remembered and recent event in many peoples’ minds, yet already half a century ago.
So come and share the history of Chaddesley and enjoy a REAL country
pub.
Enjoy the comforts of the Lounge, the conviviality of the Restaurant, the delights
of the large garden and the idiosyncrasy of the Bar (with characters who could have walked into the pub right out of a script of ‘The Archers’ !)
To contact_
The Swan,
The Village,
Chaddesley Corbett.
Telephone: 01562 777 302
See also the excellent write-up from midlandpubs @
http://www.midlandspubs.co.uk/chaddesleycorb/swan.htm
then pop inside The Swan - and see if you can recognise the faces from the photos.
