The Railway Inn
A house has existed on the site of the Railway Inn since the late 18th century, built between 1775 and 1795. In 1795 the house and garden was referred to as Rushy Croft, owned and occupied by William Keen. However, by at least 1849, the property had become a public house known as the Railway Inn and had acquired an impressive Victorian frontage. Most certainly the pub was opened in response to the opening of the North Staffordshire Railway in 1848, which formed a rail junction with the Grand Junction Railway which had opened in 1837 and a nearby station. In 1851, it was included in White’s Trade directory when the landlord was George Kent.
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The Oddfellows Friendly Society had a strong presence in Norton Bridge and a strong association with the Railway Inn, which was sometimes from then on referred to as the Railway Hotel. The Lodge met at the Railway Inn and continued meeting there until the 1970s and a separate Oddfellows Lodge Hall once stood adjacent to the public house. In the early part of the 20th century the licensee was William Talbot who was also the Secretary of the Lodge. For many years the Railway Hotel/Inn was owned by Joule’s Brewery. In the 19th century, it was also used as a venue to conduct local inquests.
In 1912, Messrs Heywood and Sons, auctioneers of Newcastle Under Lyme, revealed plans for a new, large, saleyard at Norton Bridge for the sale of cattle, sheep and pigs to be called Norton Bridge New Smithfield on the Railway Inn field. The first sale was held on Tuesday 29th October of that year, opened by Mr Toon, a local farmer.
The Railway Inn also held a very successful annual Horticultural Show on its premises, the Norton Bridge and District Horticultural Show, from 1920 until 1928. This was a large event and the society’s area covered Norton Bridge, Chebsey, Yarnfield, Great Bridgeford and Walton. The president was the Reverend C M S Patterson, vicar of Chebsey Parish. Later, a ‘Heavy Vegetable Show’ was transferred to the Railway Hotel from the nearby Junction Inn.
The Railway Inn retained its Victorian character and continued to be a meeting place and venue for events, until its closure in 2016, including for a time as a shop. In 2021, it reopened as the home of the Izaak Walton Brewhouse and resumed its place as a hub of village life in Norton Bridge and the surrounding area until it’s closure in January 2025. During this time, the local community and their relatives and friends commemorated the big historical events of the time; Royal deaths, Coronations and Jubilees, at the Railway Inn, just like others before them did over a century ago.
Many thanks to Sue Wardle for the history content, the images, in order of appearance, are described as follows:
- Postcard of Norton Bridge
- The Railway Inn, 1990s – Bass free house branding
- The Railway Hotel, 1940s – Joules branding
- The Railway, 2013/14 – Village Shop Open