|
The Rifleman was
situated on Low Street. In 1681 the building was the farmhouse of John
Newton.
Michael Heathcote was recorded in the 1851 census as a Carrier and was first
described as a Publican ten years later, although his house must have been
first opened as a beerhouse around 1855.
On the 1861 census, it was recorded as the Bull Inn, and it was listed as a
Beerhouse in 1864. The Unicorn was to the rear of the property, accessed via
an alley on the right side of the Rifleman.
The Post Office Directory for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, published in
1881, listed Annie Heathcote at the Midland Hotel, Low Street. This could
have been a temporary name change or just a typo. Annie Heathcote was
William Wilson’s stepdaughter and had worked at the Rifleman prior to taking
over the licence.
In September 1881, Annie Heathcote applied for a full licence. At that time
she stated that the Rifleman had been a beerhouse for 26 years, and no
complaints had ever been made against it. Annie Heathcote was also a parcel
agent for the Midland Railway and ran a ‘bus to and from the station. She
also kept the only posting house in the town. The licence was granted, with
assistance from the Midland Railway, who wrote a letter supporting her
application. In this year the property was owned by John Aked, a local
Provisions Dealer.
In 1886, the inquest was held “at the house of Miss Heathcote, the Rifleman
Inn” into the deaths of two men killed in an accident at New Hucknall
Colliery.
An advertisement from April 1887 shows the Rifleman being put up for sale by
auction. By this time, the owner and occupier of the property was Annie
Heathcote, so she must have done well enough to purchase the building from
John Aked sometime in the intervening years. It was described as having a:
“...spacious Bar with modern fittings, Tap room, Smoke bar, Bar parlour,
excellent Kitchen, Scullery, Larder, 2 Pantrys, Wine and Spirit Cellar,
large Club room, 44ft 6in. By 14ft with serving bar adjoining. 6 Bed rooms,
Bath room and Store closet. There is an excellent Yard with extensive
Stabling, Carriage Shed, Hayloft, Harness room and other Out offices.”
The Mansfield Reporter published the events of the Auction on 29th April
1887:
“There was a large attendance, and competition was fairly keen, the Brampton
Brewery Company, near Chesterfield, being ultimately declared the purchasers
at £3,000.”
Sadly Mrs Annie Armstrong, “late of the Rifleman Inn, Sutton” died on 7th
October that same year, aged 33.
John Gregory, who took over the running of the Rifleman’s licence in 1887,
struggled with money and was declared bankrupt in May 1891, having left the
Rifleman in February of that year.
In April 1917, the annual show of the North Notts Canine Society was held at
the Rifleman, which was described as their headquarters. In September of
that year, John Farrands was summoned for supplying ale after 9pm. He
described how he had held the licence for fifteen years, with “practically
no blemish” and had assisted his uncle in the same house. He was fined seven
guineas.
After the Rifleman closed in 1969, the building stood empty from 1970-78,
until the council issued a compulsory purchase order to demolish the
building. The Halifax Building Society now stands on the site. |
