Benjamin White

Benjamin White, Bull’s Head, Bull’s Head Street, Wigston Magna, Leicestershire.

The Bull dated back to 1617. In October 1811, the death of Samuel Freer led to the sale of his pub, the Bull’s Head. The sale included a 20 and a 14 strike mash tub, 150 gallon copper and a smaller one, a 250 gallon vat and two excellent coolers. This suggests that his brewing was on a somewhat larger scale than many of the other pub breweries. The pub was taken by Thomas Gillam, previously brewing at the Black Swan, Kilby Bridge.

In 1848 Thomas Cooke was the victualler, whilst in 1870 Tony Evatt was both running the pub and a butcher. In 1877 Benjamin White was shown as the brewer at the pub where he was the victualler until around 1884, when he was 56. From 1891 to 1898 his wife Mrs Sarah White ran the pub and was listed as the brewer.

In August 1897, the Bull’s Head was described as a fully licensed free public house. Together with two houses and workshops, it was sold on 29th September for £3,700 to NBC. In 1913 George Coleman was their tenant at the pub, which had presumably ceased brewing. Nevertheless, the Northampton Brewery Co. Ltd papers for 1956 stated that the brewhouse building was still intact, although the plant would have been long gone.

The pub was demolished when Paddock Street was extended to Bull’s Head Street.