Garrick Inn

52.191823°N 1.70686°W / 52.191823; -1.70686

The Garrick Inn, reputed to be Stratford-upon-Avon's oldest pub

The Garrick Inn is a pub in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, located at 25 High Street, next door to Harvard House. It is reputedly the oldest pub in the town.[1][2][lower-alpha 1] The Garrick is located along Stratford's Historic Spine.

History

It has been an inn within the current Elizabethan, half-timbered building since 1718. An earlier medieval building on the same site was also used as an inn.[2]

The precise date of the construction of the current building is not known. However, it is considered to be 1596, with parts dating back to the 14th century, making it one of the oldest buildings in Stratford-upon-Avon.[2] It is listed at Grade II*, a heritage designation for properties which are "particularly important buildings of more than special interest".[3] Restoration of the property took place in around 1912, when a brick front added in about 1800 was replaced.[4] Restoration also took place in 2005.[2]

It was previously called the Greyhound, as well as the Reindeer,[lower-alpha 2] before its name was changed to the Garrick Inn after the actor David Garrick in 1795.[2][5]

It is thought that a bout of plague may have started within the original inn in 1564 after a weaver's apprentice, Oliver Gunn, died of the disease there. The phrase "hic incepit pestis", which translates as 'here begins the plague', was written in Gunn's burial entry. However, it is unclear whether these words were added to the burial register in order to indicate the local plague outbreak starting at this location.[2][6]

It is also claimed that the pub is haunted.[2][7]

See also

Notes and references

Notes
  1. Other pubs in Stratford also make the claim of being the oldest in the town. However, given that the original building on this site dates back to the 14th century and there was an inn before the current building was constructed, it is possibly true that the Garrick is the oldest. It is also possible that other pubs were officially licensed before the Garrick.
  2. Sources show that it was called the Greyhound and the Reindeer. However, it is unclear when each name was used.

References
  1. "Pub Explorer.com – The Garrick Inn". Pub-Explorer.com. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  2. Ross, David. "Britain Express – Garrick Inn". BritainExpress.com. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  3. "Listed Buildings". HistoricEngland.org.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  4. Historic England. "Garrick Inn (1187814)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  5. "The borough of Stratford-upon-Avon: Introduction and architectural description". british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 31 December 2015.
  6. Ridgway, Claire (11 July 2015). "11 July 1564 – The Plague hits Stratford-upon-Avon". TudorSociety.com. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  7. "Old English Inns – The Garrick Inn". OldEnglishInns.co.uk. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
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