Widcombe, to the south of the River Avon, was incorporated into the city of Bath in 1836. This short multi explores a few of Widcombe's former pubs. In some cases the buildings remain, in others there is nothing left, whereas in a few instances there remain tantalising echoes of the past.
The listed coordinates take you to the starting point. This was the site of the Canal Tavern, which was here from 1837 to 1908, when it was bought by the Baptist Church and demolished to make way for the Sunday School building. An inscription above the window makes an oblique reference to the pub, comparing it to a sort of vegetation. Let A be the number of letters in the vegetation.
Move to N51 22.7(A–4)3 W002 21.0(A+1)3 and the site of an former pub whose name should be clearly visible. This pub opened in 1837 and closed around 2003. Let BC be the total number of letters in the pub's name (ignoring the definitive article).
Continue in the direction you are going and take the next left. This takes you into a part of Widcombe that was once known as the Dolemeads. Originally a flood meadow, this area was built upon in the early nineteenth century and became one of the poorest parts of Widcombe as it was very prone to flooding. None of the original buildings, including the pubs, survive. Move to N51 22.(A+B)(2A–B)(A+2B) W002 21.C(A+C)(A+2B). The railway viaduct was built in 1840, and the next pub, the Smith's Arms, used to lie next to it, behind the high wall that now runs along the footpath. Here you are looking for the metal arch number, high up on the viaduct. Let this be DE.
Continue on the footpath, then cross over the main road. You'll need to take care here, especially with children, as the road can be busy. Move to N51 22.A(A+D)(A+B+E) W002 21.C(A+C)(D–E). You are now on Claverton Street. The buildings on the north side of the street used to extend over twice as far as they currently do, but those at the western end, including a number of pubs, were demolished in the 1960s to make way for Rossiter Road. You should now be in front of a building that used to be the Stag's Head, which lies opposite another animal. Let the number on the door between the former pub and the pharmacy be F.
Next walk to N51 22.A(D–E)(A+F–B) W002 20.(2D+E)(A+C)C. From here you should be able to see evidence of a building that used to stand on the opposite side of the road. This was the site of the New Inn, which was open from approximately 1747 to 1912. The pub was demolished in 1923, and a few roof marks on the adjacent building are all that remains of it. A few buildings further up the hill you can see the old malt house and brew house, both of which are now private houses. Let the house number of the old brew house be G.
The cache can be found a short distance away at N51 22.(G+D)(F–A)(E+B) W002 20.(3E)B(D+E+G).
Most of the surrounding area is a Resident's Parking zone, so off-street parking is restricted between 8 am and 6 pm on Mondays-Saturdays. Parking can be found in the small car park close to the starting point at N51 22.601 W002 21.225.
Congratulations to Smartie Top for braving the rain and getting FTF.
Note added on 19/10/14 - the metal arch number is currently not visible, so please note that DE = 33