The Barley Mow
NEWPORT HISTORY SOCIETY INNS AND BEER HOUSES WALKING TOUR
Currently ‘THE BARLEY’ High St, Newport TF10 7AQ
Previously, the Barley was known as ‘THE BARLEY MOW.’ It opened around 1791 and originally consisted of two 17th century buildings. The Barley has a long association with sports clubs, particularly Newport Cricket Club, which met there between 1868 and 1957, and also football. A newspaper article of 1870s reported that that Newport F.C. had been drawn in the Birmingham Cup against Aston Villa – it called them “their old opponents”! The Barley Mow was advertised as an hotel from the 1890s and, by 1910, the hotel had eight bedrooms, three attics and a bath. For day time use, there were a vaults room , a smoke room, sitting room, market room and two dining rooms. By 1938, luncheon and tea were served. Large and small parties were catered for and local farmers met here when they came to Smithfield Market on a Monday.
Because there was little room for brewing on this corner site, by 1870s there were links with Wrexham Brewery and by1900, the inn was tied to Newport Brewery, who brewed at Springfields, Station Road.
The evidence for there originally being 2 buildings is shown below by the ceiling beams on front interior ceiling.
By 1901 the inn was owned by TF Boughey of Aqualate. On his death in 1906 the property became part of Boughey Trust.and the sale funds in 1927 were invested, some of which became the funds for the building of the cottage hospital.
A new front of 3 stories was added probably in the early 19th century. Today we see one front door, but there were originally two doors, one for each property. Two long rear extensions were added in the 19th century with a gap down the centre.
An aerial view, taken in1947, shows the two extensions with a space between; all now filled in. A large 20th-century flat-roofed addition to the rear was sometimes used as a restaurant and sometimes a billiard hall. Today, it is used as a party area.
Inside, the original bar ran perpendicular to Stafford Street.
The oldest cellars are under the front buildings. Later cellars were added to the east. One of the front cellars shows the remains of an unusual 20th century vertical cellar drop from Stafford Street . There was obviously not enough room for a normal drop.
The Barley was never a coaching inn, but horse-drawn carriers ran from the Barley to Stafford and Wem from 1822 to 1859. There was stabling for eight horses in the yard and one remnant of the tying for horses is a hook in the southern yard wall, pictured below. Can you find it?
Researched by Newport & District History Society
Funded by Newport and District History Society, Newport Town Council and BTW Pride in your High St funds.