by Bob Wiggins
The Bull Inn located at 4-5 Market Road was a Free house that closed in 2015. In mid-2023 work started on gutting the interior. The latest photo of the repainted exterior was taken in March 2024 when it displayed a ‘To Let’ notice -‘All classes and uses considered’.
Snapshots of past Publicans and other earlier events
Carpenter Samuel Wren was the publican in 1881 when the road was called Snag Lane. Also referred to as Snaggs Lane, it is recorded in 1818. It ran from Eastgate Square around the Market and along part of what is now Stirling Road. The name is probably based on the Sussex dialect word ‘snag’ meaning a snail.
In 1896 the inn was the location for an inquest on the Lord Bishop of Chichester’s butler William Cramp who lived at 4 Market Road and who had committed suicide by cutting his throat. He had apparently been suffering from depression for some time exacerbated by an illness and subsequent hospital operation.
In 1905 landlord Thomas Brown who had a reputation for drunkenness was charged with assaulting his daughter and threatening the family. He was bound over for a surety of £25 and ordered to keep peace for a month and pay cost of 9s 6d.
Licensee Edward Linkhorn suffered a tragedy in 1911 when his son Charles Linkhorn was found drowned in the Canal; the inquest returned an open verdict of ‘found drowned’.
The inn was also at times the location for the annual general meeting of the Chichester City Band. At its 1937 meeting its accounts showed a balance of £6 7s.
Harold Anderson was a licensee in the 1940s and like other licensees at the time fell foul of the practice of buying liquor from seemingly authorised persons. In 1942 he was let off lightly with a fine of £5 and costs of £1 1s. Harold was still licensee in 1947 when he died suddenly in his sleep.
The current owners of the freehold are Cassamo Holdings Ltd based in the Isle of Man who registered the title in 1992. They also own the building that was The Cattle Market Inn and is currently occupied by Turners Pies shop.
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The information above is drawn from the Chichester Pubs digital trail which is updated as and when new information is available and was originally created for The Chichester Society as part of their Heritage trails published initially in leaflet form.
Please let me know of any further information you have related to this pub.
The son of the landlord of The Bull, Charles Henry Linkhorn was 36 when he died on 24 January 1911. He had been born in Rustington and was a tailor’s traveller, working for John Sutherland, from Caithness, Draper & Outfitter in St. Martin’s Street, Chichester