The Dun Cow was a coaching inn on the London to Holyhead Road, now the A45. It was first recorded in 1731 at Knightlow Hill (near the Knightlow Cross where the Wroth Silver ceremony is held). In the 19th century it moved along the A45 to the current site opposite School Lane in Stretton on Dunsmore. For many years this inn was the site of local inquests and the annual Wroth Silver breakfast.
In the 1930s a new Dun Cow was built alongside the old one (see photo) and the old building then demolished. The new Dun Cow later became a restaurant (Stretton Place) and a club (Oasis, then Crazy Daisy’s) and finally a Chinese restaurant called Goji with plastic palm trees and a Roman chariot outside – presumably because of the Fosse Way nearby.
Sadly the restaurant failed, was vandalized and set on fire in 2011. The ruin has stood for some years (see photo) but there is now an application to build on the site so it may soon disappear completely. Does anyone have memories of it in happier days? (I have heard tales of lively war-time dances with the American troops stationed nearby during the second World War.)
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Unusual, in that as the London Road got busier, it actually seemed to harm its business as it got more and more cut off from the village, especially when the central reservation closed. It’s been a building of many uses, I went to a school party there when quite little, and its later years as a Chinese Restaurant emphasised the vastness of the rooms. Shame to see it go though, I always thought it was an ideal site for a hotel.
I have many memories of the Dun Cow my father was the landlord there for a number of years back in the 1950s and I lived there with my parents. When we first came to the Dun Cow it had a reputation of being a very rough pub. Ansells Brewery approach my father who was at the time a landlord of a pub in Leicester and asked him if he would take on the task of trying to make The Dun Cow a pleasant and friendly place. I believe the Brewery asked because he was a ex R.S.M and also held a black belt in judo so was able to look after himself.
At the time the Dun Cow had a large dance hall with a dance every night except Sunday .It was usual for there to be several coaches from Birmingham all with people out for a good time. You can imagine with RAF camp at church lawford and Bobs cafe sleeping lorry drivers we had some fights in the dance hall for the first few weeks but Dad very quickly sorted it out and the Dun Cow became a respectable place to go for a night out.One memory I would like to share with you is that Dad always told me if there was a fight to watch his back he could deal with anything in front of him.
It wasn’t very long before the parents of youngsters in the village aloud there children back up to the dances.
The dun cow very quickly supported 2 dart teams, 2 skittle teams and 2 domino teams made up mainly of village folk. Every year Dad would bowl for the Pig at the village fete (in those days it was a real live pig) some how he always managed to win it and would take it up to Mr Quartermans pig sty there he would feed it up until Christmas and put on a Christmas Dinner for every Old Age Pensioner that live in the village as each pensioner arrived Dad would give them a envelope in which would be 10 shilling note.This money had been collected over year by Little Sid (as we all called him) by going around the dance hall with a tray. I could go on for ever with stories about the DUN COW but I think thats enough for now.
John Stevens (still living in our wonderful village)
Fascinating memories John – many thanks (and I’d love to hear more of them).
This is lovely to see as this is where my grandparents first met at the dances they held, I would imagine in the 50s. I’m just looking back on Stretton’s history as it is my own family history with at least three generations before me residing here, so far I’m back to mid 1800s. But Stretton is also dear to me as the same grandparents that met at the Dun Cow lived in Stretton for many years. Lots of lovely memories have been made there.
Lovely to read this. My dad has lots of memories of the Dun Cow from 1948 – 1955. His name is Ron Asker and he has many fond memories of dances there after the war. He was also in the darts team there. The Askers still live in the local area. We would love to see more photos from those times.
The dances at the Dun Cow, it was a regular place for dances, before the first war even. The Dun Cow was a real hot spot during the war for dances. It’s not surprising it became a nightclub really, is it.
I remember coming here back in the ’70s. I had just been to Combe Abbey, where there was a civil war re-enactment on that day. A couple of friends and I decided to pop in on the way home to find the place filled with participants from that day’s battle. We spent a few hours chatting to them, it seemed quite surreal almost as if we had slipped back in time but was a great experience!
Now demolished in entirity. And there passes a building of my youth…
I met my Wife there at the disco which went on until 12.00 Midnight & thus allowing an extra 1.5 hrs drinking time compared to Coventry’s 10.30 finish hence our appearance there that fateful night. Now sadly totally demolished it joins a long list of “no longer there” buildings of my Life (Binley Juniors Binley Park. RR Parkside……). Grim Reaper!
It was Golden River restaurant before it was Goji
My grandmother born about 1890 said her uncle was the landlord of the Dun Cow. I visited the pub in the 1970s and there were photos on the wall from Victorian times which my grandma said showed her uncle. Anyone remember those images? I think she originated from Stretton and moved to Huddersfield in the very early 1900s.
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