Devonshire Arms
The Devonshire Arms is a moderately common name for an English pub. The name is for the Dukes of Devonshire, members of the peerage from a wealthy aristocratic family.
Etymology
The name attributes the Duke (and often his wife the Duchess) of Devonshire, a peerage which is today the main peerage held by a Cavendish (the ducal titles of Portland and Newcastle being extinct). Wherever they held much land or contributed to a local vestry or other charity, as at Chatsworth, Derbyshire and in Chiswick, London (formerly Middlesex) are often Cavendish Arms – and later titular Devonshire Arms – pubs and street names[2]
At Chatsworth the pub name "The Snake" refers to the family's coat of arms;[3] as does the Snake Inn, a coaching inn on the old turnpike road on the Snake Pass in the Peak District of Derbyshire[4]
Pubs
London
The Devonshire Arms in Kensington (37 Marloes Road) is a Victorian era pub built in 1865 with a traditional beer garden. It housed local ARP wardens during The Blitz.
The "Duke of Devonshire" in Balham High Road is a Victorian era corner pub with traditional pub glasswork from the late 1890s, included "an impressive, mirrored bar-back" with original counter and wooden panelling.[5]
The mock Tudor Devonshire Arms in Camden, also known as "The Dev" or by its previous name The Hobgoblin, is said to be "London's most famous alternative venue".[6] It was the first Goth subculture pub in Camden. It is the longest-surviving Goth pub in London and is a focus for the city's alternative scene. During the 1980s, Spider Stacy and Shane MacGowan of the Pogues frequented the pub.[7] The interior featured in "Goths", an episode from a 2003 BBC anthology series, Spine Chillers.[8]
The Devonshire Arms in Chiswick's Devonshire Road (also named for William Cavendish, 4th Duke of Devonshire[2]) is a gastropub, formerly known as the Manor Tavern. The current building dates from 1924, but a pub already existed on the site in 1888.[9]
References
- "Cavendo Tutus". Calibre. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- "Street Names of Chiswick". Chiswick W4. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- Hey, David (2010). The Oxford Companion to Family and Local History. Oxford University Press. p. 974. ISBN 978-0-19-104493-9.
- "About The Snake Pass Inn". Snake Pass Inn. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- "The CAMRA Regional Inventory for London: Pub Interiors of Special Historic Interest" (PDF). Campaign for Real Ale. 2004. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- Polly Vernon (24 May 2008). "London's most famous alternative venue does a roaring trade in Snakebite and Black, and mysterious - and very potent - shots". Cocktail girl. The Observer. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- Carol Clerk (4 November 2009). Kiss My Arse: The Story of the Pogues. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-85712-019-9. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- "Goths (#1.5)". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- Clegg, Gillian. "Pubs". Brentford and Chiswick Local History Society. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- "The Devonshire". Wetherspoon. Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- "The Devonshire Arms at Beeley". Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- "The Devonshire Arms Baslow". Retrieved 22 February 2016.
- "The Devonshire Arms Pilsley". Retrieved 22 February 2016.