8 St John Street

▪ The Green Man & Black’s Head Royal Hotel

▪ Grade II* listed building (of more than special interest)

▪ Built in the mid-18th century

▪ The town’s most important place for meetings/events from mid-18th century until at least mid-19th century

▪ Robert and Fanny Wallis were proprietors for almost 60 years

▪ The hotel closed its doors in 2011

Number 8, The Green Man & Black’s Head Hotel, is on the south side of the street towards its western end between the former Marquis of Granby (left) and Blue Bell (right) pubs. There is also an attached Inn sign bridging St John St.

The name Green Man is derived from the “Jack in the Green” tradition associated with May Day procession in which a person dresses up in foliage. Dr Samuel Johnson, who wrote the first comprehensive/standard English dictionary (1755), visited here with his friend Dr John Taylor (Life of Samuel Johnson by JamesBoswell, 1791).

The Building

The Grade II* listed building is mid-18^th century of red brick with a tiled roof. It has three storeys with seven windows on the first and second floors and five windows and a square-headed arch to a courtyard on the ground floor. All windows have plain lintels and sills, and sashes with glazing bars. Above the arch at the rear, there is a moulded wooden bay window. The "gallows" inn sign bridging the street, which is painted iron and wood, is one of the few remaining in Britain.

The History of its Occupation and Use

The first mention of the Green Man found thus far is 1750 (see below) and it was a regular venue for auctions advertised in the Derby Mercury from an early date.. It also hosted meetings of the trustees of the Derby to Ashbourne to Hurdloe House turnpike (toll) road from 1778-83 and then from about 1817 until the 1870s when this turnpike trust was discontinued. Derby to Ashbourne is the present day A52 and Ashbourne to Hurdloe House is the A515. Hurdloe House is now known by the name Bull i’ t’ Thorn.

After 1825, when the Blackmoor’s/Black’s Head Inn, at 14-20 St John St, closed, it became known as the “Green Man and Black’s Head Hotel”. John Wood, the proprietor of the Green Man at the time made 14-16 St John St his home which perhaps explains the amalgamation of the names of the two inns.

It became known as the “Green Man and Black’s Head Royal Hotel”after Princess Victoria visited in 1832.

Prior to 1858, the Green Man was the venue for the “Petty Session House” (County Magistrates Court) and in the 1870s-90s was the inland revenue or excise office. It also hosted Ashbourne Balls, some of which were more formal with a patron and steward while others were commercial:

The history of the owners and occupiers/landlords of the Green Man includes owners with tenants as occupiers/landlords and owners who are also occupiers/landlords. At least on two occasions tenants as occupiers/landlords have later become the owners e.g. Jervis Wood, John Carriss Prince (and perhaps also Robert Wallis).

Owners

The earliest Land Tax record for 1780 shows the owner as Richard Hayne of Ashbourne Green Hall who was Lord of the Manors of Brassington and Offcote Underwood, and a JP for Derbyshire. The Hayne family may have built the Green Man in the mid-18^th century. Richard died in 1787 and the property passed to his son John also of Ashbourne Green Hall and a JP. By 1795 Jervis Wood, who had been the occupier/landlord since 1784 (see below), became the owner, and then John Wood, his son became the owner in 1817. In 1832, upon John’s death, it would then pass to his son-in-law, William Hurd Wood.

Perhaps from as early as 1839, when he became the occupier/landlord, Robert Wallis became the owner and it would stay in the Wallis family until at least 1898 when Fanny, his wide, passed away. In 1898, the Green Man was put up for sale by auction but it was withdrawn when bidding only reached £9,750. Advertisements for this sale gave a description of the Green Man as follows (the earliest one thus far found):

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In July 1898, Stretton’s Brewery of Derby purchased the Green Man for £11,500 and one of the Stretton brothers, Frank, is listed as the landlord in 1899 and 1900.

21 years later, in 1919, the Green Man was on the market again (Ashbourne News and Dove Valley Record - Friday 17 October 1919_p1) with perhaps the only significant difference in description being due to the advent of motor transport:

1898:“STABLING for about 60 horses, and 2 or 3 Lock-up COACH HOUSES”

1919:“Stabling for 42 horses, …, two large Carriage Houses and Garage with Pit”

This time the Green Man was sold for just £5,500 to the tenant/landlord John Carriss Prince. J. C. Prince then sold it to George Edinmore Gather junior of Callow Hall around 1935.

The Green Man was on the market again in 1946 and it was then sold for £18,750 to the brewers Grove & Watnall of Salford. In 1961, Grove & Watnall were taken over by Greenhall Whitley who in 1986 sold it to Green Man Limited( Chairman John Clowes). In 1992, Green Man Limited went into receivership having, the previous year, put the property on the market for what was believed to have been £1.5M. The Green Man was closed for about 2 years in total when Rutland Hotels (Chairman Peter Mason) came to the rescue in 1993. In 1996, Rutland Hotels went into voluntary liquidation and the Green Man was then bought by Dale and Claire Grogan who became ownersand occupiers/landlords.

The Grogans moved on in 2002 and then the Green Man bought by a Mr. Matharoo who was also an owner and occupier/landlord. In 2011 the Green Man closed its’doors and was put up for auction and bought by Colin Wright in 2012.

Occupiers/landlords

Advertisements announcing the arrival at the Green Man of Jervis Wood in 1784 and his son John Wood in 1821 are shown below:

Photograph of the Green Man and Black’s Head Royal Hotel c.1885 with horse-drawn buggy.Proprietor at this time was Fanny Wallis (see board above arch).

Photograph of the Green Man and Black’s Head Royal Hotel, dated late 1910s – early 1920s,with Green Man Garage and Harrison’s Transport Company Ltd. charabanc. Proprietor of the hotel at this time was John Carriss Prince (see board above arch).[Photograph courtesy of Ashbourne Historical Centre].

Between 2008-11, Edward Allingham was operating the Leatherbritches brewery in the backyard.

After Colin Wright had bought the Green Man in 2012, there was a period of planning and alterations/renovations, before the premises were again to see use:

1)     By 2015 Young Ideas occupied the east side of the main building at the front and 10 St John St (where the Boswell and Johnson bars, respectively, had been).

2)    In 2018 the Green Man bar and restaurant was opened by Pete and Laura Dale in the back yard where the brewery had been.

There were also plans for retail outlets, offices, and hotel rooms in the mainbuilding at the front but these have not yet been successfully realized.

©Paul Thompson 2025

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