New Inn

Overview

The New Inn (aka Bloomfield Inn) was a beerhouse on Bloomfield Lane, Paulton. The house is these days called the Old New Inn.

The property appears on the Tithe map of 1839, owned and occupied by William Gait. William and his wife Ann Tucker are living in the right place in the 1841 census, but there is no definitive indication that it is a beerhouse at this point (though it may well have been). William must have died shortly after 1841, because a widowed Ann marries George Green in 1845. George, himself a widower, was living at Winterfield in 1839, but has moved in with Ann at Bloomfield by the time of the 1851 census. It is not until the 1861 census, however, that the property is finally referred to as a beerhouse.

In 1870, the license was transferred to Giles Hilliar, of Radstock, though this was short lived since in the 1871 census, John Gait - the son of William and Ann - is a Beer Seller at Bloomfield. John then has a remarkable run of 50 years as the licensee.

In 1921, the license was transferred to George Simmons, who had been the licensee of the Dove Inn until it was closed. George was the licensee until his death in 1930, whereupon it was transferred to Fred Savage for 2 years. The license was then transferred to Joseph Thatcher, who held it for 15 years until 1947, before passing it on to Sidney Morley Raikes. Sidney, who it seems from the reports of his funeral was a well liked and respected Paultonian, died after a short illness in 1957.

References to the New Inn in the local papers seem to drop off after 1957, so I suspect this is when it closed.

A note on the name: Some references have it called the Bloomfield Inn, but I suspect this is a generic name for "the inn at Bloomfield" rather than being the actual name at any point. I could be wrong though!

Photos

Licensees

- ????-1861-????	George Green
- 1870-????		Giles Hillier
- 1871-1921		John Gait
- 1921-1930		George Simmons (formerly of The Dove Inn, after that was closed)
- 1930-1932		Fred Savage
- 1932-1947		Joseph Thatcher
- 1947-1957		Sidney Morley Raikes (formerly of the Lamb Hotel)

Owners

- ????-1932-????   George's Breweries Co., Ltd.

Timeline

Date	Detail	Source
07/04/1861	George Green (age 69) is living with his wife Ann (age 63), his wife's sister Martha Tucker (age 62) and his wife's son John Gait (age 23) at Bloomfield, Paulton. His occupation is given as Plaster & Tiler & Beer House	1861 Census
08/11/1870	License of New Inn, Paulton, transferred to Giles Hilliar of Radstock	Temple Cloud Petty Sessions
31/03/1871	The License to the New Inn beerhouse, Paulton was refused. Not entirely sure what happened here...	Temple Cloud Petty Sessions
1871	John Gait becomes licensee of Bloomfield Inn (when license transferred to George Simmons in 1921, John Gait had been licensee for 50 years)	Temple Cloud Petty Sessions
02/04/1871	John Gait (age 33) is living with his wife Sarah (age 32) at Bloomfield. He is a Farmer of 12 acres & Beer Retailer	1871 Census
03/04/1881	John Gait (age 43) is living with his wife Sarah (age 42) and daughter Julia A (age 6) at Bloomfield. He is a Beer Seller.	1881 Census
11/01/1887	John Gait, the landlord of the New Inn, Paulton, summoned for selling liquor during prohibited hours on 24th December.	Temple Cloud Petty Sessions
05/04/1891	John Gait (age 53) is living with his wife Sarah (age 52) and daughter Julia A (age 16) at the New Inn, Bloomfield, Paulton. He is a Farmer and Beer Retailer.	1891 Census
1895	John Gait is a beer retailer in Paulton	Kelly's Directory of Somerset 1895
31/03/1901	John Gait (age 63) is living with his wife Sarah (age 62) and daughter Jula (age 26) at Tavern, Bloomfield, Paulton. He is an Inn Keeper and Farmer	1901 Census
02/04/1911	John Gait (age 73) is living with his wife Sarah Ann (age 72) in Paulton. He is an Inn Keeper.	1911 Census
1914	John Gait is a beer retailer in Paulton	Kelly's Directory of Somerset 1914
08/11/1921	License of the Bloomfield Inn, Paulton, was transferred from John Gait who had held the license for 50 years, to George Simmons who has been the licensee of the Dove Inn at Paulton for 30 years.	Temple Cloud Petty Sessions Wells Journal - 18 November 1921
12/08/1930	Death of George Simmons	Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer - 15 August 1930
26/08/1930	Transfer of license from George Simmons (new deceased) to Mr. Fred Savage	Temple Cloud Petty Sessions Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer - 29 August 1930
13/12/1932	Transfer of license from Fred Savage to Mr. Thatcher	Temple Cloud Petty Sessions
22/10/1947	Transfer of license from New Inn, Paulton, from Joseph Thatcher to Sidney Morley Raikes of the Lamb Hotel	Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer - 24 October 1947
04/07/1957	Funeral of Sidney Morley Raikes	Somerset Guardian and Radstock Observer - 12 July 1957