Duke of Clarence

As you might expect in a street where the pubs relied heavily on Serviceman for survival, many of the boozers at the western end of Union Street, Stonehouse, where the sailors would begin their trip down the strip, had patriotic or princely names, to wit: the Duke of Cambridge, Prince Arthur, Royal Sovereign and Duke of Clarence. Perhaps the best known locally of all the royals, the Duke of Clarence – the Sailor King – had at least half a dozen hostelries named after him in the Three Towns and curiously enough there is a direct link with the neighbouring Royal Sovereign too, as the Duke was in command of the squadron that escorted the captured Napoleon, on board the Royal Sovereign, on its way to Elba.

Today the pub, erstwhile No.30 Union Street, is long since gone (it closed in the late-1880s), as is this section of Union Street – between the St Mary Street and Battery Street – although the Royal Sovereign, at No. 39, since renamed, still stands on the corner. Towards the end of its days No.30 was occupied by Scott’s of Stonehouse.

Licensees

1873 - E Rowe
1877 - E Kenny
1880 - H Rogers
1885 - W Matthews