The first member of the Millard family took on the license of the Jolly Collier pub and brewery in 1867. The name was changed to the Gypsy's Tent some time between 1871 and 1881. The original brewery was demolished and 'Millard's Little Model Brewery' was built about 1886. Mr. Harry Wright Millard became licensee on the death of his father in 1898. He retired as licensee in 1952, but still helped with the brewing.
The brewery ceased to operate about 1961, but the Gypsy's Tent Hotel & Restaurant continued on until about 1982
The brewery itself is long gone and to be fair considering how long the pub has been closed it is a miracle it is still standing itself. This place is a great snapshot of what pubs used to be like. I can vaguely remember pubs looking like this from when I was a kid, however those same pubs look very different today. Pubs and drinking has changed dramatically over the past 20 years, with most pubs now surviving on food sales and the days of dark dingy drinking dens being profitable are long gone.
The pub has a rather odd layout, comprising of a parlour, tap room and a small function room upstairs. The publican's living quarters are also spread over the two floors, with a separate staircase.
What little info we can find online does not explain why the pub is still standing and why it has remained shut up and preserved as it has. The living quarters are seemingly unchanged since well before closure. I spent a little time straightening the furniture up for a better view of what the place would have looked like before closure. Everything from bedding to personal possessions are still inside, just scattered about. It did not take long to stand everything back on their castors to get a better image of the place.
This is one of the best pubs I have had the pleasure to photograph. One can only imagine what the smoke filled tap room would have been like on a Saturday night decades ago...