The Famous Virgins & Castle
The Full Story
About
From our beginings in 1563, through the many changes over the past 460 years upto now, there's a rich history to Kenilworth's Oldest Pub
The Two Virgins
The Virgins and Castle can lay claim to being Kenilworth’s oldest pub, (known to have existed in 1563), and in June 1760 when its ownership passed to one John Brown it was known, as it had been from its earliest record, as "The Two Virgins" and was described as having “..a barn, stable, brew house, gardens and backside.”
The Castle Tavern
In the early 1800's the pub was run down and in a state of poor repair, but in 1827 with the pub now in a better state of repair and with a new licensee in place, the name was changed to 'The Castle Tavern', and in January 1831 ownership of the inn was conveyed from William Ball to Abel Miles.
Virgins Inn & Castle Tavern
There are several documents containing the phrase “Castle Tavern (or Two Virgins)”, and in 1852 with the pub up for Auction, the auction poster itself refers to it as “The Virgins Inn and Castle Tavern” and so it would appear that between 1851 and 1852 the two names were amalgamated. That year it was titled the “Castle Tavern and Two Virgins” and a number of variations have been used over the years.
A Bit More History
For more detail about the history of our famous pub and the many owners who have served the good people of Kenilworth, our friends at Victorian Kenilworth have written a detailed history, so grab a pint and have a read....
