Shipmans, Northampton

UPDATE 2022 See short description.A narrow three-storey building of 1790 built by the Shipman family and licensed as the White Hart. Refitted in late Victorian times with some 1938 changes the 3-room layout is still discernable today. The narrow bar has a late Victorian bar counter and bar back, 1930s wood panelled walls but in the mid 1980s a food bar was incorporated into the counter at the Drum Lane end and the bar back here is modern. Note the 2 sets of spirit cocks on the bar back which dispensed spirits, some of which were allegedly distilled in the attic. R = rum; BB = brown brandy; S = scotch; G = gin; IR = Irish whisky; PB = pale brandy. The vats were finally removed in the mid 1980s. CAMRA is only aware of four other sets of spirit cocks at Queens Head 'Turners Vault', Stockport, Greater Manchester; Haunch of Venison, Salisbury, Wiltshire; Bull, Paisley, Scotland; and Crown, Belfast, Northern Ireland - all CAMRA Heritage Pubs.

At the Drapery end is a small snug now accessed by a wide opening, but the original half doors are still there. At the Drum Lane end a wide doorway leads to what until the mid 1980s was the completely separate Barrel Bar which had a large bar counter compared to the size of the room. The bar fittings and a dumb waiter were removed when the local authority insisted that the pub added a gents WC so the old gents urinal which was opposite the new food bar was removed and a new gents built in part of the Barrel Bar. The original entrance doors are still there in Drum Lane with a barrel hanging over them. This room has a 1930s brick fireplace, old seating and other 1930s features such as 2 niches and a small roof over the corner where the bar was situated. Closed Sundays.

Amazingly, this pub was owned by Felinfoel Brewery from 1948 to 1985 as a result of Major Lewis having a first refusal on the retirement of the Shipman Brothers. Then the Lewis family sold it to pub company J T Davies (now called Brakspear's have bought that pub company in 2007 and renamed). It only ever sold beer in half pints until the early 1980s – even today the prices of beers are shown as the half pint one on the price list !