This section of the website is an ongoing project. We have tried to keep it as accurate as possible sourcing material from villagers, history books, and from the records office. If you feel that there are inaccuracies, please let us know.
The White Horse as it stands now is around years old, having been built in 1902. This was however a replacement for the original White Horse which was demolished in 1900. There is some controversy as to the reason for the demise of the original White Horse; there seem to be two schools of thought, some villagers saying that it was destroyed by fire, but others suggesting it was demolished for other reasons, we still have not been able to confirm this. It was very common for thatched roofs to catch fire in those days, as the Greyhound Pub in Farndon (a neighbouring village) discovered on the 12th January 1905, when the pub was completely destroyed due to a roof fire. The roof of the Red Lion (a pub in Churton that has now ceased trading) also perished due to fire. As you can see in the photographs below, the difference in the two versions of the White Horse is vast. Even the location of the building has been changed, being moved back from the road, presumably to allow for the richer families' horse and traps, as the first cars do not seem to have got to Churton until around 1910.
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The original White Horse Inn. Standing in front are the tennants, Mr & Mrs Parker, and at the door is Mr. Edgar Clubbe. |
The revised version of the pub, set back from the main road, all that appears to remain from the old pub is the original sign above the door. |
We are unsure when the original White Horse was built, records of it's exsitence seem to be few and far between. The 1891 Inns register suggests that the White Horse was licensed before 1869, however in 1822 there was no record of any Inns or Taverns in Churton-by-Aldford, and just one in Churton-by-Farndon, and that was the Red Lion (which is exceedingly old, we traced it back beyond 1650). There is a brief reference to a Mr. Moses Baker, in a book written in 1850. In it they suggest he supplied ale, perhaps meaning the White Horse existed then. So, pending further investigation we feel that the original White Horse was built at some time between 1822 and 1850.
The newer White Horse has changed little in shape since it was built, maintaining it's Edwardian appearance. Interestingly the roadside sign has changed many times, usually for an iron-reinforced wooden sign, yet it's current appearance is very similar in style to the sign that was originally put up in 1902.
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This photograph, taken in 1903 from the front of the White Horse shows Dr. Stolterforth (man with white beard) outside the village shop (now a private residence) during a trip to Churton with a photography group he was a member of. Not only had he been the Sheriff and Mayor of Chester, he was also a world famous scientist. |
This photograph shows the beginning of the demolition of the building that has now been replaced by a private residence called Kingsmead. It also catches the front of the White Horse and shows the condition of the main road. We are unsure of the date that this photograph was taken. |
The new White Horse was what was known as a Tied House (as opposed to a Free House or a Licensed House). It was tied to Bent's Brewery in Liverpool when it was rebuilt, however the old White Horse was tied to Farndon Brewery (now closed down), which was just over a mile away.
If you look out of the conservatory at the rear car park you will see a series of buildings, now used as cellars and storage. In the early days of the new White Horse, there was another building built onto the side of the eastern most building. Shire Horses were kept in this building, and were presumably used to carry beer barrels and other stores.
We wish to thank Ron Parker, Brian Littler, Muriel Littler and Ruth Funk, for their time, loan of photographs and general information about the history of the village and the pub.
This section is under construction and will be added to over the coming months.
