The Golden Fleece, Market Place, Thrisk, N Yorks, UK
Posted by: bill&ben
N 54° 13.946 W 001° 20.535
30U E 608053 N 6010651
A blue plaque giving some history of the Golden Fleece.
Waymark Code: WMW0HE
Location: Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 06/22/2017
Views: 2
The history of the Golden Fleece has been extracted from the excellent Brief History of the Golden Fleece by Will Swales.
The building of the Golden Fleece probably pre-dates its use as an inn. In 1809 George Blythe, the landlord of the Old Three Tuns, announced that he was moving his business, and that of his mother in law at the Three Tuns to premises at the Golden Fleece. By June 1810 he was able to say that the Mail and Highflyer coaches from Newcastle to London stopped at the Golden Fleece.By 1823, following the death of his wife, Blythe could claim five coaching routes using the Golden Fleece. The following year the Golden Fleece expanded into adjacent properties and expanded the stabling capacity.
In 1828 George Blythe died and left the Golden Fleece to his nephews and nieces. His niece, Mary, and her husband, John, took over and gradually bought out the other beneficiaries. John Hall died in 1831 and his struggling widow lost some of the coaching business to rivals. Mary died in 1839. The children, Mary and William took over the business.
William Hall became well connected socially and won several contracts for social functions and catering. The Golden Fleece became a leading venue in the locality. Whilst the coaching trade was in decline, new trade arrived with the coming of two railway stations in the town. Under William Hall the Golden Fleece, known at this time as The Fleece Inn, became one of Thirsk’s best inns. In the late Victorian period tourism and leisure took off. William Hall was not slow in promoting the Golden Fleece as a base for exploring the surrounding countryside.
In 1895 William Hall died and was succeeded by his son William Welbank Hall. William continued to manage the Inn successfully. In 1911 the Fleece Inn hosted lunch for competitors in the prestigious motor rally The Prince Henry of Prussia Cup. William decided to retire in 1918 and put the business up for auction. The business sold for £4000 to Mrs Lee, the wife of James Lee who ran the Red Bear Hotel in Thirsk. The Fleece reverted to being called the Golden Fleece.
The age of the motor car saw the stables at the Golden Fleece being converted to garages to serve the emerging motor touring market. In 1936 the Golden Fleece was acquired by Trust Houses Ltd, later to become Trust House Forte.
The plaque reads
“Golden Fleece
This Georgian inn was one of the principal coaching houses on the York to Edinburgh run in the early 1800s with stabling for 50 horses.”
Blue Plaque managing agency: Thirsk Town Council
Individual Recognized: The Golden Fleece
Physical Address: The Golden Fleece Market Place Thirsk, N Yorks UK
Web Address: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:To log an entry for a "Blue Plaque," please try to include a picture of you next to the plaque!
Recent Visits/Logs:
There are no logs for this waymark yet. |
|
|