Tere is a description of the Millwright Arms from an article on it I found a few year back , see
https://www.wightwash.org.uk/pdf/Autumn2002.pdf - pages 10 and 11).
"The rare picture above is a small section of a larger photograph of Newport taken from
the air in 1932 and shows the area around the junction between South Street, Church Litten
and Town Lane. The Prince of Wales pub can be seen clearly with its new exterior of
mock Tudor cladding, but now look across the road opposite to what today is a public car
park. There stands the Millwrights Arms facing into a ramshackle courtyard with little
terrace houses all around. See how Orchard Street sits in the shade and grave stones
stand in Church Litten graveyard on the lower right of the picture.
By the time this photograph was taken, the Millwright Arms had been closed for
a quarter of a century but its memory lived on as a notorious public house of ill repute.
Newport in the late 18th century had had many inns that had a certain unsavoury character
and this old inn plied its trade amongst the slums that have since been cleared away.
It had several names before settling on the Millwrights Arms including the Flower Pot,
Rum Puncheon and Rose & Crown. It was also apparently the home of bogus cripples, blind men and other unfortunate beggars, who quickly relinquished their various “ailments” once inside its hospitable doors.
It lasted until 1905 when it was closed after approximately two hundred years of existence.
Some little snippets of history remain to give a flavour of its life.
Hampshire Telegraph 23rd October 1820
Lot 1. “ The Rum Puncheon”. A large and roomy dwelling house, situate in
South Street, formerly known by the name of Rum Puncheon, now used as a private
house, in the occupation of Mr. Benjamin Davies and his under-tenants.
The house comprises two rooms in front, the back ditto, four good chambers,
and two rooms in attic, with a large store near adjoining with useful out-buildings.
A messuage, heretofore a public house called the Flower Pot, since the Millwright
Arms, lately called the Rum Puncheon, and since called the Rose &
Crown (1/2 place of ground) in Newport, on north side of South Street, late in occupation
of Thomas Davies and since of William Rose, bounded on east by
lands of Read Taylor, bricklayer, on west by lands of William Clarke and on
south by South Street.
The above undated deed gets the location completely wrong by having both the north
side and the south side of the building facing South Street but presumably Thomas Davies
is Benjamin Davies son and this places the deed 20 or 30 years after the 1820 Hampshire
Telegraph advertisement.
Going further back in time to 1805, Phineas Board, a young band-master on board Nelson’s
flagship, the Victory, writes to his mother at the Sign of the Millwrights Arms, on
the 25th August whilst the British fleet were waiting for the French fleet to come out to
battle.
Dear Mother, This comes with my fond love to you, hoping these few lines to you
will find you all well, as it leaves me at present, thank God. This is the third letter hi
wrought to you, and hi am very oneasy because hi dont know whether you get my half
pay because hi sent my Will and power to you and hi shant be happy untill hi know.
So send me an answer as quick as possable. We expect the French fleet out every day.
Dear mother, hi think hi made my fortune with the rich prisoner we have taken, so hi
shall be able to do something for you all very shortly. God bless you all.
Phineas.
The actual Battle of Trafalgar took place on 21st October 1805, young Phineas’s fate is
unknown. A hundred years later the inn closed and the door on another chapter of Newport’s
history swung shut.
