Lord Napier

This building has been demolished

The Lord Napier was a 19th century beerhouse sited at 75 High Street and backed onto the river.

George Pocock was landlord of the Lord Napier in 1884. However, George died and his wife Charlotte, who was originally from Devonshire, took over as licensee. Charlotte then married Thomas Field in 1888, but she remained the landlady. Charlotte was 13 years older than Thomas and later, in the 1901 Census Thomas Field is described as the beer retailer living with his wife Charlotte.

The 1911 Census describes Gwendoline Young, a widow, as beerhouse keeper of the Lord Napier. She had been born in South Africa but was a British subject and was living with her two young children May and Elsie as well as two servants including Joseph Tancock. However, Charlotte Field continued as landlady intermittently until 1919, when the now Gwendoline Tancock took over as landlady until 1927.

The 1914 Valuation describes the Lord Napier as a brick-built beerhouse with a tiled roof. It was then owned by Watney's and served between three and four barrels a week. On the top floor of the building were two rooms. The first floor also had two rooms (one of which was good), a kitchen and small bedroom; the walls in these rooms were all matchboarded. There were two small bars on the ground floor with a parlour, kitchen and scullery. The passage went through to the back of the building. The building appears to have been in good condition with modern drainage and good external pointing.

In August 1988 the Lord Napier closed for one week for refurbishment and then reopened under new management. However, it closed for good in 1992, and in 1998 it was redeveloped and converted into apartments, now called Sutapac House. The original façade was retained.