Towcester Town in Drawings

[home] [first page of topic] [previous] [next] [0] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Towcester Town in Drawings


The Saracen's Head	Sponne Arch

In the coaching era over twenty inns thrived along Towcester's main street. The Saracens Head, built in the early eighteenth century has survived to the present day virtually unchanged in its outward appearance. In the 19th century it was known as the Pomfret Arms and as such it was graphically described in the Pickwick Papers. The figures of Venus and Apollo above the carriage entrance are reputed to come from Easton Neston House.

Sponne House of today would not be recognised by Archdeacon Sponne who, in 1446,purchased what was then the hostelry known as the Tabard Inn. He gave its income to the town to alleviate the parish taxes on the poor and to maintain the town's pavements. In 1643 it was renamed the Talbot and under that name it remained as an hotel until the 1970's. Known to Dean Swift as a welcome posting house on his journeys to and from Ireland, it now serves as a bank, a photographic film processing business [in 1986 a shoe shop] and the entrance to a shopping precinct.

Click on the images to enlarge.
Text ©1986,2003 Towcester History Society
Drawings ©1986 Robert Sunderland

This page is from the Towcester and District Local History Society website.
Section last updated on 29th March 2004

[home] [previous] [top] [next] [Site Map] [Contact us] [Copyright]