The Racehorse Inn, Widemarsh St, Hereford

[muddy48]

There are a number of references to "others born Holiner"   it is definitly a misprint it, should read "Holmer" as suggest in previous post.

[Annetteve]

The Race Horse Inn was at the junction of Widemarsh Street and Newtown Rd.  My grandfather, John Cook, was the publican there in the very early 1900's, at the time of the picture in Derek Foxton's book. The book has the publican's name as John Cooke with an e which is a misspelling. The picture shows the name of the pub as The Race Horse Inn (two separate words for Race Horse).  My grandfather was registered here in the 1901 and 1911 censuses. the address given was The Race Horse Inn, Widemarsh Street, 6 Newtown Rd, so I'm guessing the pub entrance was on Widemarsh Street and there was another entrance on Newtown Rd.  On a map, I notice that Holmer Rd changes to Newton Rd, both now being part of the A49, so I can see why there would be some confusion there.

[RedMike]

It is now a furniture shop 

[alastairgm]

Glynis - If you visit Hereford again to look for the site of The Racehorse ignore Holmer Street as it's in a different part of the City and has no connection to the Pub. If you walk down Widemarsh Street again to look for it and start in High Town you have to walk all the way to the other end of Widemarsh St., crossing the Inner Ring Road as it continues beyond that, and where it turns left and becomes Newtown Road that is where The Racehorse was. Being on the corner it had entrances on both Widemarsh St. and Newtown Road. Newtown Road soon becomes Holmer Road (not Holmer Street) at a mini-roundabout, which is probably how the confusion arose.
The old pub and two adjacent houses were bought by Flowers Brewery in the 1930's who demolished them all and cleared the site for the erection of a palatial new "The Racehorse" which opened in 1938/39. As Red Mike says, this has very recently become a Furniture shop.
Hope this is helpful.

[philheeks]

Hi There

Im no expert on the street of Hereford but I do remember when my parents used to take me to Hereford races (we lived in Kidderminster at the time & it was my late Dad was the one very keen on the horses) & I do remember that in town there was a pub called the Race Horse & there was also a pub called the Starting Gate which was a little way out of town by the road that led to the Tattersalls ring on the racecourse

All the very best

Phil

ps this would be about 50 years ago if that's any help at all
Weston-super-Mare

[Mark Farmer]

Phil Heeks

You are correct.  Funnily enough, the Starting Gate (Now a Beefeater) is at the very top end of the Holmer Road that has been mentioned previously in this thread. 

The Race Horse pub is on the corner of Widemarsh Street and Newtown Road (On the mini-Roundabout.  Newtown Road then leads into Holmer Road.

I've known the Race Horse as The Hereford Bull, The Entertainer, Karlo's, The Hereford Bull again and The Racehorse, though not in that order probably! It's last use as a pub was a pool club as much as a pub, Karlo's.



 

[Redkite23]

Yes Glynis there was a RaceHorse Inn in 1851 according to Shoesmith and Eisels Book "The Pubs of Hereford City". It is on an OS map published in 1888 at the junction of Wiemarsh Street, Newtown Road and Burcot Road. Interesting map showing the Hereford Gloucester Canal near the pub. Map is online under Old Maps.

[jenny.tidman]

Frank Powell used to keep the Race Horse in Widemarsh St in the 1950s. He was a friend of my father. Anyone any memories of Frank and his family?