greyhound yard

greyhound yard

A 'court' between two pubs

 

Greyhound Yard, also known as Greyhound Court, was named as such because it ran alongside and behind the Greyhound Hotel in South Street. The Greyhound Hotel was on the eastern corner of the yard and another pub, the thatched Cow Inn, was on the western corner. The three dwellings in the yard were built in red Yeovil bricks with Ham stone dressings.

In the 1841 census the properties in Greyhound Yard are included within South Street generally but they are identified separately in the 1851 census. At this time the residents included greengrocer William Leach and his wife and niece, both glove sewers; glove leather dyer Thomas Dunn with his glove sewer wife their four young children and a lodger and finally stage coachman James Jones and his wife, a total of twelve people.

Greyhound Yard was not listed separately in the 1861 or later census returns, although the dwellings remain to this day as part of the Keep.

 

MAP






The 1886 Ordnance Survey showing High Street running across the top of the map and South Street at the bottom. Greyhound Yard is seen right of centre, running parallel with Tabernacle Lane to the east.

 

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This photograph features in my book 'Yeovil From Old Photographs'

This photograph of South Street was taken about 1880 and looks west towards Hendford. At extreme right is the old Greyhound Hotel before it was rebuilt and next to it is the Cow Inn. The man standing between them is at the entrance to Greyhound Yard, which was actually wider than it appears in the photo - but not by much.

 

This aerial photograph dates to 1928 and shows South Street at left, High Street at top right and the newly-built King George Street running between the two at the top of the photo. Note that at this time the post office building along the eastern side of King George Street was yet to be built. At centre left, more or less on the corner of King George Street and South Street, is the thatched Cow Inn and behind it, and running parallel to King George Street are the dwellings in Greyhound Yard. The three-storey building next to the Greyhound Hotel was Henry Phelps' glove factory and to the right of it in the photo are visible the rooftops of the dwellings in Tabernacle Lane. At centre is seen the dark pitched roof of the Tabernacle itself.

 


Courtesy of Vivien and John Cornelius

Looking through the Greyhound's porte-cochere to glimpse the Yeovil red brick houses of Greyhound Yard. Photographed in 2003.

 


This photograph features in my book "Yeovil In 50 Buildings"

Photographed in 2017 - off-white paint now covers the lovely old Yeovil red bricks and Ham stone dressings. Shame.