New Inn Walkthrough 2014

New Inn Needwood Pub Walk Tour. Take a quick nostalgic look around the New Inn as it was just before Gail and myself left. Sorry about the poor quality pictures, but I had to pull them off my old html website.

Walking in from the car park. The low building straight ahead with the big chimney was the bake house. This was a separate building and once stood alone before being joined to the main building to form part of the restaurant. Called the “Bake House” because that’s what it was. There was a big brick bread oven in the corner and a huge open fireplace for cooking

A reverse view looking back down over the patio area onto the car park

This was the main entrance to the pub and restaurant. The bakehouse to the right. (For references later on. The window top left is what we called room 102 for the accommodation) And the cellar drop is to the left of the steps. The cellar drop on this side of the building is a later addition. The original cellar drop was on the rear yard at the base of the wall you can see behind the entrance.

This is the view that greeted you as you stepped through the front door entrance. The bake house and restaurant to the right. Ahead was a corridor, first door on the right led to the rear yard., directly opposite was the door to the cellar, again this was not the original entrance to the cellar as it was once accessed from behind the bar. 2nd door was the “gents and 3rd was for the “fillies”. At the end of the corridor to the left was a door with stairs leading to the upper floors Again not the original access point as that too was at the end of the old bar with an open staircase. At the end it led straight into the “Games Room”

Now we have turned to look right. The entrance is on the right and straight ahead is into the “Bakehouse Restaurant” with the door to the kitchen in full view.

So we have now just stepped into the “Bakehouse”. Directly ahead in the corner the bread oven door can be seen. Next to it on the right where my wine racks are is one of the two fireplaces, the second fireplace being more visible, but not original, the brickwork was added

So we are now standing in the “Bakehouse” just in front of the fireplace. Just out of sight on the left is the window you see as you approach the entrance door. The kitchen door is on the right but hidden from view at this angle, it’s next to the chalkboard over on the right

Just another view to get your prospective

So we are now in the “Bakehouse” standing by the kitchen door. Up ahead is the entrance and corridor previously seen. Then on to the bar area and “Old Front Entrance”

So we are now back at the entrance, but looking left into the bar area. The fireplace is where it should be but it’s not original. It is one of two fireplaces that where in this room. The other being over to the right on the far wall. (Now blocked off). and were open fireplaces with large baskets.
This was not always one big room. And I will show in the next pictures where there was a door, and the old main entrance from the front of the building.. If you could see out of the window, the petrol station would be ahead to the left. The new island in front looking at the busy “Five Lanes End” road junction

Now we look over to the right. This is where the doorway used to be. and a second door was also just ahead separating the two rooms. The main front entrance to the left just ahead of the games machine. The bar is to the right, Straight ahead is the rear wall and 2nd fireplace that was. Now blocked off to allow for the seating, and the wall to the right didn’t exist. The open plan staircase was in the far right corner.

We are now standing in front of the old 2nd fireplace. Ahead to the right is the old main front entrance. And the wall to the left is the later edition.

So now we have moved on to the Games Room. The entrance from the corridor is over to the left and top left is into the back of the bar. Below this room was the old cellar, and again there was originally and old fireplace just behind where the tv is. An old cigarette machine is mounted on the chimney breast just above the telly.(For anyone old enough, back in the seventies this was TJ’s Wine Bar). And also, way back in 1991 it was the wall at the top that the lorry came through on that foggy morning. After the rebuild of the wall, a new toilet was added. The door just out of view to the right of the tv. (See Picture later on in the Pub Walk)

Now the toilet door can be seen and the old chimney breast with cigarette machine. Directly to the right is a window looking onto what was the old car park, just a gravel patch before the big new car park was built on the other side. Another entrance is behind in the right hand corner.

Clearly in view now is the window on to the old car park and the entrance door. Again a fireplace which has been heavily modified. To the right of the fireplace was another door and a a small room. This was a late add on and have no idea what it was used for.

I’ll throw this picture in so you can see where the old bar counter used to be when it was TJ’s. It ran from the far wall down the side of the billiards table. The overhead lighting was directly above the counter.

Now we have come along the corridor towards the games room, but turned left at the far door and proceeded to climb the stairs to the first floor. Stairway to the left. There is a door directly behind, which we go through in a moment. Ahead are two doors. The door to the left leads into bedroom what we called 104. On the front of the building, above the main bar and to the right of the old front entrance. The door to the right was one of two to our private quarters. These overlooked the rear yard and farm buildings. (Just to note, Those farm buildings used to belong to the pub, The days when it was a “Coaching Inn”. Hence the name change as it became one of the many “NEW INNS” for the Mail Coaches. The New Inn was formerly called the Mosely Arms. The next little snippet you might find interesting, before continuing with our walk through

The age of the stagecoach heralded yet another new era for the pubs of the time, as coaching inns were established on strategic routes up and down and across the country. Such inns provided food, drink and accommodation for passengers and crew alike, as well as changes of fresh horses for their continued journey. The passengers themselves generally consisted of two distinct groups, the more affluent who could afford the relative luxury of travelling inside the coach, and the others who would be left clinging on to the outside for dear life. The ‘insiders’ would of course receive the warmest greetings and be welcomed into the innkeepers private parlour or salon (saloon), the outsiders meanwhile would get no further than the inn’s bar room.

This is inside room 104. The window to the left overlooks the new island. The wall to the right is a stud partition, as is with most of the walls on this floor. The old disused chimney breast from the bar runs up the back wall, the other side of it is in our private quarters. I mentioned the stud walls, as in earlier days this floor was a large open plan area used for dances, weddings, presentations and so on. I do have a picture somewhere, if I can find it. Of Nigel Clough being here on a presentation night. And again, if you have read some of my other guff and history of this building, It was the likely place where they held the monthly assizes to sentence the “Poachers” in the kings forest.

So now we have progressed through the door that was behind us. To my rear is a toilet and a shower room with two cubicles. Ahead are three doors. A proper little warren. The first door on the left is bedroom 102. As mentioned earlier above the entrance picture. Next along on the left is 103. Window facing front overlooking the island. The old main entrance is below the window directly ahead. And room 104 is on the right behind the staircase leading to the top floor.

Two pictures of room 102. This was a double room. Standing by the window looking at the entrance door

Now by the door looking into the room. The fireplace chimney from the bar runs up through this room behind the wardrobe and chest of draws. The window looks over onto the fields towards St Georges Park. You may have noticed that we have a page “Needwood Ghostbusters”. This room was a favourite for their Ghostly antics, many a guest having received a slap or similar during the night.

Just one picture of room 103. We used this as a triple. We are on the front of the building to the right of the old front entrance. The window is just to the right, again overlooking the island. Now to confuse you. I said it was like a warren. That wall by the wardrobe behind the bed on my left is the other side of room 104

Now we have climbed the final set of stairs from the entrance by bedroom 103 to the top floor. This top floor contained four rooms. All derelict and in a similar or worse condition than the one above. These were old and unadulterated, with lathe and plaster walls and ceilings, The Floors were concrete on hay, horse hair and fleece. In the summer the amount of Bluebottles that emerged was truly unbelievable. From this angle you cannot see the hooks in the ceiling. These were Game Hooks for hanging the birds and Venison.. This room is top floor above the main car park entrance, and looks over the fields towards ST Georges Park

This is a really bad picture but the only other I can find of a top floor room. This room was on the left of the property, Above our private accommodation, and over looked the kitchen / yard onto New Inn Farm

Right, now to a few extra bits. Some external shots that I have marked to show what was where. And in an Aerial Photo, The famously Deadly 5 Lanes End Junction before the Island was installed. I spent 24 years at the New Inn, and saw seven people lose their lives at this junction. We had a least one accident a week, though thankfully most were just dented cars.

No Island here, Walking out that front door was deadly. Lorries, tractors and trailer would come right up to those steps. The upstairs room layout is also shown. Room 101 is around the corner opposite those bushes. The window that can be seen to the left of 104 is one of the windows to our accommodation. The window that can be seen up above 104 on the end gable is the room with the bad picture that over looks the farm.

This pictures shows the rear entrance gates to the yard and kitchen. It was also the old car park. The New Toilet block off the games room is highlighted and our accommodation. The little room added to the end of the games room is just inside the gates

New Inn. Five Lanes End. Needwood. Lorry Crash from 1991.

A nice aerial shot highlighting the New Inn and the junction before the island was installed

Just one of the many vehicles that came a cropper here. That was a good rear end shunt.

A nice picture with fire glowing. But that was spooks corner. Upset them and those ornaments on the wall would get thrown at you. (See Ghostbusters)

A picture of the games room when we still had the bar in situ. Another young me and Sue one of my kitchen assistants

These little fella’s lived in the cellar. Male and female great crested newts

We also had a very famous Bear called Eric. This is Keith “Cheggers” Chegwin who called in to see him.

The New Inn is now lost to history. The building being converted to apartments. But for Gail and I it has been a large part of our life. We feel honoured to have been custodians of this fine building and it’s mischievous residents. Who we hope still remain, and give as much pleasure to the new occupant’s.