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Dell's Wine and Spirit Vaults, 11 Lower Ford Street

These premises have been known by different names during their history:FROMTONAME
18591886Dell's Wine and Spirit Vaults
18861899Board
18991974Canterbury Arms
Foresters and Canterbury Arms
Foresters Arms on the left, Canterbury Arms (previously the Board) on the right, partly hidden by the infamous stinky, circular urinal!
This super photo shows the interesting layout of Raglan Street, Alma Street and Lower Ford Street.
In August 1859 John Dell was granted a new license for his Wine and Spirit Vaults (occasionally shortened to Liquor Vaults) at the wedge-shaped junction of Alma Street and Lower Ford Street. The premises apparently became known by locals as "Dell's". In the 1861 census Sarah Dunn was barmaid for Dell's, and the 1871 census shows that Louisa Turner was there as the "Manageress of Spirit Vaults". John Dell must have left them in charge while attending his prime business at 35 Smithford Street, previously the Bath Hotel. In March 1878 John Dell transferred his license for both this pub and his main Wine and Spirit Vaults at 1 Smithford Street to wine and spirit merchants William James Lewis and William Willis Ridley. The address for this pub changed in the late 1890s when the street was re-numbered. For years it had been at number 11, but when the numbering was altered from sequential to odds & evens it became number 20. Before the re-numbering, this place, being on the narrow corner between Alma Street and Lower Ford Street was sometimes described as being at 73 Alma Street, or even in one directory, 1 Lower Ford Street, as at that junction they began again with number 1 - which was the true address at the time for the Elastic Inn on the northern corner of Lower Ford Street and Cox Street. By the time Frederick Harrison took the license in 1886 it was being called the BOARD, until early 1899 when it became the CANTERBURY ARMS.

LICENSEES:

1859 - 1878 John Dell (whose main business was the Wine and Spirit Vaults at 35 Smithford Street, then the Wine and Spirit Vaults at 1 Smithford Street) 1878 William James Lewis and William Willis Ridley, wine and spirit merchants for the Leamington Brewery
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