21 historical pictures of pubs in Watford's past

While many called time years ago and the buildings were either demolished or converted for another purpose, others continue to trade to this day, serving drinks and food to customer.

From the Angel to The Victoria Arms, The Coachmakers Arms to The Three Tuns, scroll down this page and take a journey back to see many of Watford’s pubs looked in the past.

The descriptions beneath the picture of each pub are extracts from research undertaken by the museum’s volunteer archivist Christine Orchard that we've previously published.

The Angel beer house

The Angel beer house was on Lower High Street and in this 1893 photograph can be seen to the left of the lamp post. The scene, which had probably been the same for many decades, altered around 1910 when the pub was pulled down and a new house built.

The Coachmakers Arms

The Coachmakers Arms was opened around 1850 on the High Street, near to where the flyover is today and was probably named after its landlord’s trade, as George Homer Ware was a coach builder. The pub is shown here in the late 1920s.

The Compasses

The Compasses (later the Joseph Benskin) was on the corner of the High Street and Market Street. The pub closed around 1980 and is now a shop.

The Cricketers

The Cricketers Arms was originally known as the Masons Arms after the trade of the first landlord. The pub’s name changed in the 1860s. It faced onto Watford Fields and could be reached either from Watford Field Road or down Fox Alley from the High Street.

The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace was located on the High Street not far from Queens Road. This photograph was taken by a local architect, A Whitford Anderson and is dated June 26, 1907. It is probably the last views of the pub before it was closed.

The Dog

The Dog was on Hempstead Road, roughly were the pedestrian crossing at the corner of West Herts College is today. It closed around November 1969.

The Fox

The Fox was at 206 High Street which is roughly opposite the fire station. The pub closed in 1956 and eventually this building and those adjacent were demolished.

The George Inn

The George Inn stood on the High Street where Marks & Spencer is today. It is though that there was a Posting inn on this site at the time of the Civil War.

The Golden Lion

The Golden Lion in Estcourt Road first opened as a beerhouse in June 1867. Although the Golden Lion is a Benskin's pub in this 1930's photograph, it wasn't built for them as the company was not formed until November 1867 when Joseph Benskin bought the Cannon Brewery.

The Hit or Miss

The Hit or Miss was at 274 Lower High Street which was almost opposite Ausdens. The pub was first named the Carpenter's Arms when it opened around 1850, but had been renamed by the 1870s.

The Kings Arms

The Kings Arms was on the corner of King Street and High Street and had a narrow front on the High Street. It opened around 1852 in the former gate lodge of Watford Place. The pub closed in 1961 and was demolished. Later Woolworths expanded their store to include the King Street corner site and today we have a McDonald’s.

The King William

The King William pub was right at the end of the High Street, almost tucked under the viaduct at Bushey Arches. It actually predates the viaduct and originally seems to have been a beer house. It closed in 1959 but the building is still there.

The Leviathan

The Prince George pub at the corner of Bedford Street and St Albans Road was first named the Leviathan Steamer, although it was not as large as it is today. The pub is believed to have been given the original name after a class of new transatlantic steam ships, although it soon became known as just the Leviathan.

The One Crown

The One Crown is believed to be the oldest public house in Watford. In 1756 Jeremiah Friend, who owned the building, was recorded as being the landlord and this may be when the pub first opened. The building itself, which is nationally listed, is much older and parts dates back to the 16th century.

The Railway Arms

The Railway Arms was in St Albans Road and stood next to the bridge over the railway line. The pub closed in 1961 when it had to be demolished, along with a row of shops, to allow the road to be widened.

The Railway Tavern

The Railway Tavern is not the name this pub started with when it was opened in 1854 and may simply have been “somebody’s” beer house. The current High Street station was opened next to the pub in 1862 and by 1871 the pub had been renamed.

The Spread Eagle

One of the prime sites for a pub in Watford was the Market Place – at one time there were seven places selling alcoholic beverages in this area. The Spread Eagle was one of these and was in the block of buildings between the churchyard and New Street. The pub closed in 1958 and the site was redeveloped.

The Stag

There has been a pub at the corner of St Albans Road and Leavesden Road since the early 1840s. The building we see today, however, wasn’t constructed until the 1850s. This pub was first known as the Bricklayers Arms, but soon changed to the Queen's Bays. By 1884 it had become the Stag and it retained this name for many years. Although the pub has a different name today, you can still see a stag, in terracotta, on the corner of the pub.

The Swan

The Swan is said to have been one of the oldest pubs on Watford’s High Street. Records suggest that it may have been in existence in the 17th century. The pub became Shades Wine Bar in the 1980s and when it closed in the mid-1990s, had become The Wag & Bone. It was replaced by a car showroom.

The Three Tuns

The Three Tuns was at 205 High Street which is almost opposite Watford Museum. It was closed in the late 1970s and later demolished when this part of the High Street was widened. This image dates to around 1930 and it is known that substantial alterations to the pub occurred in the early 1900s.

The Victoria Tavern

This pub, on the corner of Queens Road and Queens Place, was originally called the Tantivy and was built about 1873. The pub's name has changed over the years. In this photograph from the early 1900s it had become the Victoria Tavern. Later the 'Tantivy' name was revived before finally it became the New Victoria. Today a block of flats stands in its place but the original name survives as Tantivy Court.