Elephant and Castle, 103 Kay Street

Kay Street pictured in September 2014 (copyright Google Street View). The Britannia Service Station in the distance was built in the late sixties on the site of what was once the Elephant and Castle.

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Not to be confused with the pub of the same name in town - about the fourth pub to hold the name - the Elephant and Castle on Kay Street was another example of retail premises that became a beerhouse. Philip Howarth appears on the 1836 directory as a shopkeeper on Kay Street. By the time of the 1841 census he was a joiner, but by 1843 he was a beer retailer at the Elephant and Castle. He left in 1861 having built the Nelson Hotel on Chorley Old Road. He died in 1862.

The Elephant and Castle was situated on the west side of Falcon Street with the Royal Oak just a few doors away, the Falcon on the other side of Kay Street and the Golden Cup around the corner on Haigh Street. It was a competitive environment.

The pub continued under numerous licensees after Philip Howarth left. William Sidlow succeeded him but in the late-1860s, but he lasted only a few years before leaving and there were no long-serving landlords at the pub after Philip Howarth.

The Elephant and Castle was eventually bought by local brewer Sharman’s and they threw in the towel in 1921. The pub closed down and the building was converted into a residential property. It was demolished in the sixties, along with a large number of other buildings in the area. The Britannia Service station was subsequently built on the site.