Judy Middleton (2003 revised 2023)
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| copyright ©
Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove Early 1900s view of Station Road with the Railway Inn on the right |
Local
brewers Vallance & Catt were responsible for building Railway Inn in
1861 when the road was still known as Aldrington Lane, later renamed Station Road. It is an attractive
looking building with its mock Tudor gables so popular with the Victorians.
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| copyright © G. Osborne Early 1900s view of Station Road with the Railway Inn on the right With thanks to Mr G. Osborne for granting permission for the reproduction of the above photograph from his private collection. |
John Horne was the first landlord and Henry Funnell followed in around 1867 and he remained until 1870. The 1871 census recorded 27-year old Walter Blaker as the publican and he lived at the pub with his wife Emily and they remained for the rest of the 1870s.
By 1887 Thomas Gates Hawkins was
in charge but in 1891 James H, Peters aged 24 was the landlord. The Peters were
a well-known and prolific Portslade family who had provided landlords for
different local pubs during the years. James Peters was born at Portslade and
he was described as a licensed victualler. He lived with his 27-year old wife
Phoebe and their daughter Elsie aged eight months.
George Stannard was the landlord of the Railway Hotel, Portslade from 1889 until 1891 when he moved across Portslade’s railway level crossing to the Victoria Hotel to become the Landlord there
By 1895 Henry William Webster was running the pub. At least Webster remained longer than previous landlords and he was still there in 1915. Another long-serving landlord was Richard Mose who ran the pub from 1930 to 1954. |
| copyright © G. Osborne 1920s view of The Railway Inn and Level Crossing With thanks to Mr G. Osborne for granting permission for the reproduction of the above photograph from his private collection. |
In 1911 the Railway Inn was wonderfully decorated to celebrate the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary on 22 June 1911. Up in the central gable there was a Union flag with a crown on either side. In the centre of the façade there were large portraits of the King and Queen and there was a quantity of bunting. An ornate gas lamp can be seen to the right while on one of the ground floor windows there appears ‘Billiards’ in large letters. This photo was published in the Argus 9/6/1998.
There were two sets of alterations at the pub. The first was in 1900 from plans drawn up by Samuel Denman who was responsible for alterations at other pubs in Hove; the second was in 1927.
In 1929 the pub ended its long
association with the West Street Brewery (Vallance & Catt) when Tamplin’s
took over.
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| copyright © J.Middleton The elaborate style of Railway Inn ensured it was noticed, and indeed it is visible from far along Portland Road. When this photograph was taken in the late 1990s it was called Whistlestop Inn. |
Marjory Butcher worked at Railway Inn during the 1950s. There were two bars and it was always busy with people dropping in after doing their shopping, or getting off buses and trains, and there was a good crowd of regulars too. One Saturday morning there was a police raid when an inspector followed by eight large policemen marched into the public bar. They were looking for a bookie’s runner. The doors were locked and the male customers searched. Unfortunately for the police, they did not have a policewoman to accompany them and so a woman who had been collecting bets could not be searched. Two men were taken away for questioning. Of course in those days there were no betting shops and placing bets on sporting events was illegal. But it went on anyway and bookmakers would employ a bookie’s runner to visit various pubs and collect bets. The landlord retired three months after the raid.
The pub was then renovated and
part of it was turned into a function room. Local clubs such as fishing,
football and cricket clubs used it while once a fortnight it became a Masonic
lodge. Wedding receptions were also held there.
In 1996 the new landlords were Des and Rose Childs and the pub was renamed Whistlestop Inn.
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| copyright © J.Middleton Colour is of course a matter of taste but it does seem a shame to cover up decorative half-timbering that was part of the building’s character. |
In 1996 the new landlords were Des and Rose Childs and the pub was renamed Whistlestop Inn.
In May 2002 the pub was up for
sale with Fleurets. The leasehold was £110,000 a year while the rent was
£35,000 a year. But the lease would expire in May 2006 and naturally the amount
of rent to be paid would be reviewed. There were two bars; the public bar
contained a pool table and a large television while the lounge bar was laid out
at split-level. There was a snooker room lined with wood panelling and a dining
room with wooden floor and pine tables and space for around 40 customers.
In 2006 the pub was having a hard
time of it. On 20 July 2009 there was a mass brawl and when bouncers removed
one man, he went outside and put his head through a window. Police closed down
the pub. A young barmaid declared she had nine months of hell working there.
New hope for the troubled pub was
reported in December 2014. Apparently, landlady Zoe Rogers had taken over the
premises and hoped to repeat her astonishing success at the George Payne in
Payne Avenue, Hove. At this pub her hard work had led to it being named Best
Turnaround in the 2013 Great British Pub Awards. The Whistlestop Inn
would see in the New Year and then be closed for at least two months for a
complete refurbishment. When it opened again, it would revert to its original
name Railway Inn.
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| copyright © J.Middleton August 2020 the new 'blue' Railway Inn. |
Sources
Argus
Census Returns
Brewery Deeds
Council Minute Books
Directories
Encyclopaedia of Hove and Portslade
Mr G. Osborne
See also Boundary Road, Hove, the east side of Station Road, Portslade.
Mr G. Osborne
See also Boundary Road, Hove, the east side of Station Road, Portslade.
Copyright © J.Middleton 2015