GALLERY

To what does the pub owe its name and its origins? In the early maps of little bolton as Bolton was once known, there was once quite an extensive orchard which ran from crook street to green lane in great lever and this orchard was known as the sweet green orchard, on the present pub sign this is shown by a line of trees,behind the figure,running off into the distance. At the bottom of the slope, to the front and right of the pub, by Fletcher Street and presumably what was once on the edge of the orchard, was a clearing which was for a long time known to be gypsy encampment, were the gypsies traditionally stayed for many years. In 1977 a request was made to Bolton museum for a more detailed history of the Sweet Green Tavern and at that time the research raised by chris driver was as follows: The name Sweet Green Tavern does not occur in any documents connected with Bolton until about 1885, when the tavern was run by martha talbot who had been there since the mid 1860s. The only thing available in profile directories of the nineteenth century which gives any clue to the existence of a tavern before mrs Talbot's tenancy is in 1861 when it was described as "125 crook street, beer house, P.Urmston". Prior to 1861 the building was probably part of the back to back dwellings which ran from the corner, now Thynne Street to Cross street,now known as soho street. It is possible that it was licensed as a beer house by the 1830 beer house act which allowed a householder assess to the poor rate to retail beer from his own house on a payment of 2 guineas.

No firm date on the buildings construction can be arrived at except to say that on the Bolton Township map of 1831 the building is not present, But on the 1844 50 inch preliminary survey map the site is occupied by the present structure. It is reasonable to suppose a date of construction between 1831 and 1843. A glance at bigots map of 1824 will show an empty plot of land just opposite the word "Crook" in Crook Street. Sweet Green house , the residence of the well known and slightly exentric Rev James Folds (Parson Folds, he is the figure on the present pub sign to the forefront of the orchard stood on the opposite side of soho street and was certainly occupying the site before may 1759 since a lease and release agreement exists from two persons, Lever and Greenhalgh. Parson Folds was alive from 1755 to 1820 and occupied Sweet Green House from july 1766 to his death when it was passed to John Taylor, a local doctor who became known as the "Sweet Green doctor". This title is frequently, and wrongly,attributed to doctor Samuel Taylor Chadwick who a student of Taylor's as well as his nephew. Sweet Green House remained standing throughout the 1800s and for the early part of the 1900s it was used as a warehouse for hick hargreaves, it is only rumor that there were tunnels connecting the Sweet Green to the various Parish Churches, Parson Folds drank openly at the bowling green inn,Bradshawegate and his household accounts for 1784 lists his consumption of brandy and spirits amounting to £5-4s-0. There is an entry in the black horse prosecution clubs list members for 1859, 60 and 61: James Lee, Publican Sweet Green.

There is an undated reference to a booklet called the "Holy Trinity", again source unknown, with reference to the Trinity Church and its site which was Sweet Green "there is a public house bearing that name even now in Crook Street". In the days before the church was built, Sweet Green was a pleasant little corner of Bolton, a place of fragrant gardens and picturesque house. There was a well stocked orchard and gardens stretched right up as far as Fletcher street. Gypsy encampments occupied the land which is now used as a playground by the infants of trinity street school, and newport street and surrounding area was a deep hollow pasture land. At what is now the site of the railway goods yard was bradford square, down one side of which was a buitifull row of trees. The square, incidentally was frequently used as a place of assembly.

I have had the honor of running the sweet green tavern since October 2003 and prior to that it was run by Lillian Llongmore who took over the licence when her husband Tony died they had taken on the pub in 1985. Albert Pearson ran the pub from 1954 to 1966 and he had inherited it from his brother Harry who retired in 1954, Harry had run the pub with his wife Florrie. The pub was run by ray siddall between 1972 and 1977, Ray is currently in cornwall. At the tern of the century pub was run by Owen Wolstencroft until the first world war, this little snippet of information was passed on tot me by 80 year old Elizabeth Douglas nee Baehren who was born in the pub and was help full of building a picture in my mind of what the pub used to be like, but as you can see there are a lot of gaps that need filling in and dates to find to make the history complete.If you are able to help i would be extremely happy, also if you have old photo's of dads uncles or brothers or teams that were attached to the pub i would be grateful for the loan of them so i can make a wall of history for other people to refer to. Need to contact u us history@sweetgreentavern.com