| Stag and Hounds Public House | |
|---|---|
| Stag and Hounds Bristol.jpg | |
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Location within Bristol
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| General information | |
| Town or city | Bristol |
| Country | England |
| Coordinates | |
| Construction started | 1483 |
The Stag and Hounds Public House is on Old Market Street, Old Market, Bristol.
It was built originally in 1483, probably as a private house. However the current building is predominantly from the early 18th century, when it was a Public house and it has been partly rebuilt in the 1960s, and refurbished in 1987.
At one time the inn was flanked by houses, but the building of a dual carriageway underpass has left it isolated.
It has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II listed building.[1]
A well in the former rear court has a 19th century iron hand pump with fly wheel and pump rods, an early example of an installation for raising water from a well. This old iron pump, operated by a wheel six foot in diameter, is in fine condition and all its parts still move. It is unique in Bristol.[2]
There is also a minute window looking out onto the courtyard, which opens onto a small room set between floors and is only accessible through a trap-door in what is now a bathroom. It is possible that this may be a survival from the days of priest-hunting.
In Norman times a court was set up to deal summarily with thieves and debtors of a market called the Pie-Poudre Court (also spelt pie poudre or Piepowders). The name comes from the French, "pieds poudrés" which can be translated as "dusty feet", and was a temporary court set up for the duration of a fair or market to deal with travelers who were not resident in the town.
It was held in the open air under an ancient oak tree, the site of which the Stag and Hounds was built upon. There is no actual record of when the court moved into the inn, which was reputedly held in the first-floor room.
It is believed that this was the last "active" Court of Piepowders, being abolished by the Courts Act 1971. Although it had not actually met since the abolition of the fair in 1870, an annual proclamation was still read on the last day of September under the portico of the inn.[3]