Alnwick (Hotspur Street) - Sun Inn

Name: Sun Inn

Address: Hotspur Street, Alnwick

Rebuilt Terraced Properties c.1876
Original site of the Sun Inn (Google)

The Sun Inn was located on Hotspur Street, and was active from around the 1830s until it closed around 1871. Due to its location near the junction of Bondgate Street outside Bondgate Tower, it was also recorded as being on Bondgate Without, on occasion.

There was only ever one landlord, a John Mattison, who was a painter by trade and supplemented his income by running the beerhouse, an enterprise made possible by the enactment of the Beerhouse Act of 1830.

1841 Census - John Mattison

1851 Census - John Mattison

1855 Whellan's Directory - John Mattison

On Friday an inquest was held at the Sun Inn, Alnwick, before Mr. Hardy, coroner, on the body of Ann Swan, widow, aged 69. Deceased occupied a room by herself, and was generally in a feeble state of health. On. the morning of the day preceding she had been observed by her neighbours going about as usual, but about eleven o'clock they were alarmed by screams issuing from her apartments, on entering which they found her leaning against her bed enveloped in flames, as were also the bed clothes. Immediate efforts were made to extinguish the fire, but she was so severely burnt, that she expired before those efforts were successful.

Verdict —"Accidental death"
Saturday,  Jan. 23, 1858 Morpeth Herald

1858 Post Office Directory - John Mattison

1861 Census - John Mattison

MARRIAGES

At ALNWICK, at St. James's Church, on the 8th inst., Mr James Hunter, tailor, Hockett House, Bennington, to Mary Ann, daughter of Mr John Mattison, painter, Alnwick.

Friday,  Jan. 10, 1862 Publication: Newcastle Courant

1871 Census - John Mattison

John Mattison died shortly after the census above, in 1871, and the inn was never to reopen. Historical records suggest the terraced row was later demolished and rebuilt in 1876. By comparing the OS maps of Hotspur Street from 1864 and 1897 one can easily see how the street on the corner frontage changed to what it is today, where we now see Jobson's of Alnwick.

OS 1864                                         OS 1897