Area 5.1 & 5.2 The Swan, Chapel Square and Fishweir

You are standing in front of this 17th Century pub, known previously as the ‘ Old Swan’, but now called the Swan.
In the old days most of the innkeepers brewed their own beer. Those who did not do so bought their beer from those who did. The principal village brewery was here at the Old Swan where Ann Coles was lessee. Miss Coles was a sister-in-law of Thomas Hedges, who actually owned the Old Swan and another pub further to your North in the village. He was also landlord of the White Horse Hotel at the Cattle market in Islington, London.

Beer for the London house was brewed at the Old Swan, Stewkley and transported there by wagon and horses. The wagon from Stewkley went halfway and was met by an empty one and the beer was changed over. The drink was much liked by dealers and drovers attending the Islington cattle market. When they called at the White Horse Hotel they invariably asked for ‘a pint of old Stewkley’.

There were three maltings in the village. One was down Fish Weir, another, already mentioned, at The Old Swan and a third where Mr LC Jones maintained a bakery business. This latter place is still known colloquially as ‘The Mawtin Yard’.

Starting from the North end of the village and working south here are the names of the ten pubs. Most are now domestic houses but some still retain signs of having been public houses…

The White Horse, The Plough, The Cricketers Arms, , The Swan, The Rose and Crown, The Kings Head, The Bull, The Black Swan, The Carpenters Arms and finally The Red Lion.

If you would like more information then please follow the link…www.bucksas.org.uk/documents/hbg/stewkleypubsreport.pdf

You are now standing in Chapel Square. But where is the Chapel, after which the square was named I hear you ask?

Sadly now demolished, the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel with its schoolroom opposite (now a private residence) dominated Chapel Square from 1839 to 1987. This area was earlier known as Penfold End.

A short lane leads from Chapel Square to Fishweir, once the site of a large pond. It was a favourite place to skate and slide in the winter and was a stopping off place for children on their way to Stewkley School.