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Alderbury & Whaddon

Local History Research Group

Inns and Alehouses

Alderbury and Whaddon each have one public house, The Green Dragon in Alderbury and The Three Crowns in Whaddon. Both have a long and interesting history so the village is fortunate in having two inns within such a short distance, when other villages are finding their local pub has closed down. Alderbury and Whaddon also had other pubs and taps in bygone days; more details of all of these and their surrounding stories can be found in the booklet Inns and Alehouses of Alderbury & Whaddon. Both surviving hostelries will give visitor and local alike a warm welcome.

The Green Dragon

The Green Dragon’s link to legend is that Charles Dickens stayed there while writing “Martin Chuzzlewit”; this much is known. Many, however, also believe that the pub features as the Blue Dragon in the book. That much is legend, as others believe Dickens used the George in Amesbury as the model for the Blue Dragon. It is also said there is a secret tunnel from the pub to the old Ivychurch Priory (now long gone). This was searched for in Victorian times and there is a wall in the cellar said to be the bricked up entrance.

The Three Crowns

Legend tells us that The Three Crowns in Whaddon played host to three kings, when King Edward III of England is said to have held King David of Scotland and King John of France as his prisoners at Clarendon. As this would date it to the latter quarter of the 14th century, this is very unlikely; the first documented mention of there being an inn on the site is in 1686. It was also once considered to have been a coaching inn, although as it was only four miles from Salisbury, this is not very likely. For a short period, in 1823, the Inn was known as the Sportsman’s Hall.

The White Horse Tap

In a cottage near the Three Crowns, there used to be an establishment known as The White Horse Tap, a beer house. Little is known about this and it may not have survived for long.

The Queen’s Head

The Queen’s Head used to stand on the corner of Southampton road and Castle Lane in Whaddon. It is known to have been in existence in 1737, and may have stood where Rose Cottage is found nowadays.

The Goose Inn

The Goose in was to be found at the end of the High Street and was first mentioned in turnpike records in 1841. Technically a beer house, it sold only beer and cider. It adjoined a shop, which eventually became the Cooperative Wholesale Store until it closed down in the 1960s.