Our January meeting provided the first ever audience for Andrew Ketley, a local man. A friend who had done several sketches of the drinking establishments in Wisbech gave them to Andrew and this encouraged Andrew to further research into archives, maps, and papers.
We were told that the meanings of words like inn, tavern, public house, hotel, beer/ale house all differed slightly in their regard to the location of the establishment and the services they offered. With the aid of computer displayed pictures we were taken on a tour of the local environs and shown the position of named pubs in Wisbech in the 1800’s with the sketches. It was common for pubs to change their name when new owners took over. Andrew’s diligent research uncovered many gruesome stories attached to some pubs, such as murders, attacks, drownings of the pubs inhabitants & suicide. Coroners inquests were often held in the pubs with the corpse taken to the pub in the coffin, so that the jury could see the body & ‘confirm the cause of death’!
Many pubs & hotels are still here today & several more have changed their use & frontage and others have disappeared altogether & it is with the maps that we see where they had been. At one time there had been about 168 drinking places in Wisbech & one could wonder how they all made a living.
After the extremely interesting & well – researched talk Andrew was kept busy answering questions and showing members & guests the books & papers he had with him.
[Barbara Holmes]
January meeting: Kevin Rodgers – Wisbech workhouse
As most members know, Kevin is a prolific writer on Wisbech local history. He owned up that after publishing a book he tries to forget
6th March 2024