Rock Tavern

History The first reference to Wilden was in 1182, when it was known as Wineldauna. A lay subsidy roll of 1275 referred to the hamlet as Wybeldonne; by 1840 this had become Wildon. The place names are of Anglo Saxon derivation. Iron works were recorded operating along the river Stour in 1647, serviced by a straggling rutted 'Common Roadwaye', later called Wilden Lane. Industry expanded with the opening of the Worcestershire & Staffordshire canal in 1770, and the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway in May, 1852. Prior to the Duke of Wellington's Beer House Act, 1830, only one other licence has been detailed in Wilden, the King of Prussia. During the 1830s, a small beerhouse opened in one of the seven terraced cottages fronting Wilden Lane. The site cut from the sandstone rock overlooking the river Stour. The Beerhouse Act permitted a householder or ratepayer, on payment of two guineas, to the Excise, to turn his private house into a public house. The object of the act was to encourage the consumption of ale, and discourage the high consumption of spirits. Wilden born Ann Harrison was the first recorded licencee. She was documented in the 1841 census aged 65, a widow, with her son William Harrison, 25, a joiner, and one servant. Known by the sign of the 'Rock', tavern was added later, an obvious name considering the position. Cellars were later cut from the sandstone face to create extra space. Victualler Charles John Cawson, from Kent, was appointed tenant of the Rock Tavern in 1845; his wife, Mary Ann, was born in Kidderminster. They were both included in the 1851 census, aged 35 and 32, with daughter Mary Ann, 4, and son Arthur, 1. Two servants were employed, indicating a busy house. Stourport Magistrates accorded the Rock Tavern inn status in 1860, when the landlord was wool sorter John Smith from Yorkshire. As landlord of an inn, he was permitted to stay open as long as a bed was empty; offering basic accommodation, simple victuals, locally brewed ale, and stabling to the lawful traveller. Normal Victorian licensing hours were long; 18 hours a day, 4 am to 10 pm, seven days a week, closed only during Divine Service, Christmas Day and Good Friday. Thomas Bucknall, Blackwell Street, Kidderminster, was the largest local common brewer (wholesaler). He brewed a wide and consistent range of ales and porters. In contrast, the quality of retail beer brewed by publicans varied considerably from brew to brew. Owner Ellen Spreadlay, Wolverhampton, sold the Rock Tavern Inn to Spreckley Brothers Ltd., Worcester, in 1897. They were taken over by West Country Breweries, Cheltenham, whose name was changes to Cheltenham & Hereford Breweries, in 1975. West Country Breweries merged with Whitbread & Company Ltd. in 1963. Extended into the adjoining cottages, the alterations resulted in a full alehouse licence in 1963. Once again a freehouse, the old Rock Tavern Inn has witnessed many changes over the years, but remains as originally intended - a social centre of a community