In the 1990s Rod Poynting wrote a piece for the Salisbury Journal about what had happened to some of the Salisbury pubs that had disappeared. Here is what Mr Poynting related about their history.

The Goat was at 24 Milford Street from the early 17th century to at least 1927. It was midway between Brown Street and what was previously the William IV.

The India Arms was at 59 Culver Street and was mentioned in directories between 1822 and 1830. It possibly became the Royal Oak which survived into the 20th century and after closure, the name was again used on the Royal Oak in Devizes Road.

The Running Horse was in Winchester Street and survived from the 18th century to around 1860 when it was demolished by Mr JS Atkins, a local wine merchant.

The Tap mentioned in the 1830 directory was situated in Endless Street and dated from 1809 when Henry Macklin opened it for the sale of his home brewed beer.

This continued to be named after the owner of the brewery and became Crumley’s Tap, Chamberlain’s, Wolferstans, Bridgers, Jukes and Fawcett’s Tap in the 1880s. Mr Poynting wrote the he believed the Tap to be present Salisbury Arms.

It seems it was commonplace for breweries and large inns to have a tap room – another of the time was the Black Horse Tap on the corner of Winchester Street and Brown Street and of which some of the buildings and courtyard survive. This was the old established coaching inn of Salisbury and not the Black Horse of Castle Street, an ale-house dating from 1850 and now gone.

If you want to know more about the history of our local pubs, author Edwin Garman will be speaking at Salisbury History Festival on August 21. Tickets now available from Rocketship Bookshop, Bridge Street, Salisbury. For more details, telephone 078 2353 0451.