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Compasses : 4 Upper King Street

Research :
See Young's book, page 86, for possible
explanations of the earlier pubname.

The original owners were Norwich City Council.
S. & P. Brewery acquired the premises in September 1932,
in a swap deal with the Black Prince and Waterloo
pubs in St. Peter Mancroft parish. Three other pubs
passed to S. & P. in this manner : 4 for the price of 2.
This was done to enable the construction of the new City Hall.

Even after 1945, the pub reputedly had a sand-covered
floor, and beers were served straight from the barrel.
The bar offered rails for both hands and feet.


Popinjay : Upper King Street
Research :

From : Sir Richard Popinjay (a.k.a. Papingay)
whose house it had been.

Formerly the site of St. Cuthbert's Church.

A member of the Popinjay family sat in Parliament
for Norwich under Edward III.
When it became an inn, the sign was naturally
a green parrot.

It may have been a pub as early as the 16th Century.

 

An ancient map, of the late-1630s, actually shows
the hanging pub sign.

The pub was mentioned in the trial of Royalist
rioters in 1648, following the blowing-up of the
Committee House.

County Justices were accustomed to meeting there
by the 17th Century.

The Great Fire of 1507 is believed to have started
near this pub.


White Lion : Upper King Street

Research :


Ha! Ha! : Upper King Street

Research :
A deal earlier in the 20th Century,
this building had been a Berni Inns restaurant.


Griffin : Tombland?

Research :
No reference to Griffin Lane appears after 1830.
This may well be explained by a re-naming to Queen Street.

Sometime prior to closure, the pub was taken over
as part of the Back's wine merchant's portfolio.
Weston's Brewery had been taken over by
Youngs & Crawshay in August 1864.

It seems very likely that YCY sold the pub to Back's quite
soon after August 1864, rather than in the years 1865 -1867.


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