Swindon has several famed pubs to its name but few have quite the interesting and loaded past that The Goddard Arms has.
Found on the High Street in Old Town, the stalwart pub was originally built in 1249 and was frequented by pig farmers and sheep drovers on market day.
In the late 1500s it became a thatched inn called The Crowne before it was bought by Thomas Goddard in the 1620s.
As the Lord of the Manor of High Swindon, Thomas later named it after his family but the low thatched building was destroyed in a fire.
A larger coaching inn was built on the site in 1810 and nearly two centuries later in 2005 it was renamed as The Buccleuch Inn.
Wanting to retain links to its impressive past, the pub changed back to The Goddard Arms in 2009 after a period of closure and a £2,000,000 facelift.
Present day landlord Glynn Roddy took over the reins on Boxing Day last year and has been enjoying the role and its unique drink offerings.
“I am loving the pub and being the manager of such a historical place with a fantastic team behind me,” he said.
“We have a range of excellent real ales and ciders on hand pull with cocktails on draught also and cider slushies.”
Although only being in charge for a matter of months, the 55-year-old is already very clued up with the creepy history of the pub.
“A maid was shot by her jealous boyfriend in a coal shed behind the hotel on April 29, 1914,” said Glynn.
“A body of a newborn infant was also found hidden in a lumber room by a boot boy and it had been there for so long, it was impossible to know its gender.
“The hotel is frequented by the ghost of the murdered maid and guests frequently complain about the sound of children running in the corridors, in the early hours of the morning.”
The Goddard Arms is hard to miss with its distinctive ivy enveloping the building’s façade but there is even more on the inside.
“We have multiple entertaining areas which include our cellar bar called The Vault and our meeting room was an old Courtroom where legal trials were held,” said Glynn.
“There are 17 bedrooms in the hotel section but around 30 years ago, the rooms were actually a ballroom.
“We have no photos of this but we would love to see some of anyone has any.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel