207 High Road / Church Street

Lee

Above photo, 2009.

Opened around 1837 and was named after the swans that lived a small lake or moat which had been created by damming the Brook in what are currently the grounds of Merchant Taylor’s Almshouses.

Many coroners reports were help on the premises and one of note from about 1839 gave report of the death of  police constable, William Aldridge, from a fractured skull in Deptford. He was hit by a rock thrown by a mob who tried to resist the arrest of John Pine outside the "Navy Arms" in Deptford. The death wasn’t instant and Aldridge returned to his home in Lee where he declined rapidly and died – the Metropolitan Police had been formed a decade before and he was the eighth officer to die on duty.

The foreman of the jury was a well known Lee name, Sidery, possibly William the head of household but, could have been Thomas, who lived in one of the houses between the "Swan" and the "Woodman."

The inquest jury recorded ‘wilful murder’ against William Calvert, John Pine, his brother William, and John Burke. In the end charges were reduced to manslaughter and at the end of the trial at the Old Bailey, John Pine was transported for life as was William Calvert, albeit for 15 years.

In 1843 there was a pedestrian race between ‘Two Unknowns’ one from Greenwich, one from Lee for a £10 stake over 200 yards. There also seems to have been live pigeon shooting possibly over the road around what is now Bankwell Road, it was a sport that was only mentioned once in the press in relation to The "Swan," but was later to happen regularly at the "Old Tigers Head."

In 1869-70 the pub was part of a consortium who were advertising their goods of selling tea in response to grocers' selling beer and wine. (Click for further details.)

There was a serious distubance in early 1897, when George Lester was charged with being ‘riotous whilst drunk’ and assaulting two Police Constables after having to be ejected from the "Swan." He was found guilty and got a hefty fine of £6 or three months imprisonment with 6s costs.

The pub closed between 2012 and 2013 and when reopened became the "Ramblers Bar" shortly agter.

LICENSEE LIST

COUCHMAN James 1837+

COUCHMAN Thomas (son) 1841-46

CHAPMAN George 1846 (dec'd age 29)

TILEY James Charles 1847-74+ dec'd

FITZGERALD John  pre 1881

GREEN John 1881-Sept/84 (age 38 in 1881)

SCOTT Walter William Sept/1884-89

BEADLE John Byerlee 1891

COOPER Walter H 1891-Aug/96 (age 29 in 1891)

MINTY Frank Aug/1896-May/97

ELLSMERE J May-Sept/1897

MACPHERSON John Sept/1897-1905+

PEROU Bertie William Richard 1908-11

DREW Henry Bernard 1911-37 dec'd

MITCHELL Walter Edward 1939-44+

EDWARDS Graham 1960-70s

PATTERN George & Vera 1970s

WHIPPS William M K 1988-90+

https://pubwiki.co.uk/Swan.shtml

Census