Who'd-story

The “Who'd Have Thought It” today bears little resemblance to the building we see in the 1851 census, which says that Shiffield Cottages have an innkeeper residing there. “Locals” sometimes still refer to “going up Shiffield”. It has frequently been said that this refers to either Sheffield silver plate that used to be displayed in the window, or a place where the knife sharpener used to park outside for St Dominic residents to bring their cutting tools to be sharpened. However, no one has ever produced such a piece of silverware, (yet) so probably it did refer to the area.

The pub was purchased from the Earl of Mt Edgecumbe in 1939, resold several times and had numerous tenants, until it was bought by Eddie Potter in 1962 as somewhere to semi-retire!

On his first day's trading, Thursday 14 th June 1962 he took the grand sum of £10-4-0d and his first full week of trading amounted to £110-12-3d, plus food sales of 17-6d., with a wage bill of £3-5-0d. Initially the only food served was Bowyer's pie or a sandwich made from what ever Lily had cooked for their own Sunday roast.

The Butcher's Arms, as it was then known, had two front entrances, one, minus the porch, where it is now, and the other is now a window at the front. This second door led into a passage, which divided the private sitting room and kitchen from the public areas. The whole public area consisted of two lounges where the “Straw bar” now is, with a dividing wall and a bar area which went from the door to the passage wall. In those days bars had to be numbered for licensing purposes and the numbers are still above the doors. The first customer was a young Roy Clarke who skidded to a halt bringing in a cloud of dust, driving his Morris 8, and Eddie resolved to put a porch on the door.

In the years that followed numerous alterations were made. The removal of the dividing wall between the lounges created the “Straw bar”. Then the passageway was removed to bring the private sitting room into the hay bar. At the back of the pub was a small courtyard with a ruined cottage, and this courtyard was enclosed to make the silage bar for the youngsters. Over the years this was extended four times to make it the size it is today, incorporating part of the cottage.

Back in the “Hay bar” more room was needed, so the wood store on the side of the pub made a dining room. Entered through the door to the right of the fireplace, you can still see the shape of the bay window that was put in on the floor. Now there was a dining room the kitchen had to be better as well, so the scullery at the side of the silage bar was made into a kitchen, and the stairs moved, so that the private kitchen could be made into the hay bar as well. The fireplace there is where there once was a rayburn.

Now the beer cellar had to be extended, so that was put into the, then, garage where it is today, and a small car park was made at the back. With more cars the dining room had to be extended again, and this time it was built as far as the present kitchen doors.

When the time came to extend once again, the room was built as far as the top of the conservatory steps, and the kitchen extended for the fourth time, this time covering the well in the floor. This took the view from the window in the silage bar, so this is now a false window. In 1972 the three garages were built at the back and some of the private garden taken to enlarge the car park.

In the mid 80's the house next door was for sale, so Eddie bought the house, and sold part of the ground to the pub. The car park was made the size it is today, lights installed, and about 1990 a beer garden was made, together with a back entrance.

About 1994/95 the conservatory was built on some of the beer garden, as the location was too windy to sit outside most days; also children were legally allowed to come into the conservatory where there was no bar, and the kitchens were extended to their present size.

None of the beams in the pub are original but reclaimed. In the Hay bar the wood came from farm buildings in Devon, but in what is now the restaurant the timber came from the Baber Farm buildings. The two fireplaces in the hay bar are original, as is the one in the silage bar, being part of the ruined cottage. The front door has not been changed, just the knocker added. The wood on the top of the long front bar counter is also original.

The names “Silage, Hay and Straw” were given by customers, you will also hear them call the conservatory “The Shed”.

This article was attained from the St Dominick Parish News