Memories of the Sneyd Arms

Local pubs by Mervyn Edwards

EARLY 20th century plans of the Sneyd Arms in Tunstall reflect the hotel’s origins as a coaching inn and also its association with the local horse-drawn omnibus services. On the plans, we see coach houses, stables and a manure pit.

In its original form the Sneyd Arms dated from around 1818, but it soon became one of the principal inns of the town. Market Place (now Tower Square) was developed from 1816 but its growth was gradual. Land on its north side was sold for redevelopment in 1829 - at the Sneyd Arms! The inn also played host to coroners’ inquests in connection with the deaths of workers who had perished at such places of employment as Ravensdale Ironworks.

In 1902, Mr Dancer, the hotel’s proprietor, served Christmas breakfasts on December 25th to over 1,000 hungry children. Tables and trays in the back yard groaned with bags of meat pies, currant cakes, mince pies, oranges and sweets.

A famous photograph survives of the hotel during the Second World War. Sandbags protected it against war-time bomb-blast. During the war, the hotel, in common with many other Tunstall hostelries, was used as a temporary air raid shelter. It was rebuilt in its present form shortly afterwards.

The present licensee is Maureen Flowers who was Ladies Darts World number 1 for three consecutive years. In 1975 she became the England Ladies Darts captain. She left professional darts in 1988, but re-runs of Jim Bowen’s Bullseye remind us of the days when Maureen was queen of the oche. She ran the Foaming Quart at Norton Green prior to taking over the Sneyd with her friend Paul Tranter in 1991. She describes the present Sneyd Arms Hotel:
“Each generation has its own memories of the Sneyd, including the people who patronised the Golden Torch Northern Soul venue in Hose Street. Music also used to be staged in what is now the restaurant, whilst some people may recall the piano, drums and dancing that used to take place here on Sunday nights. The pub had a regular disco in the Sixties. People have different memories from different times.”

The hotel is adorned with framed monochrome photos of old Tunstall as well as auctioneers’ notices and other ephemera. However, the old manure pit is long gone!