Wem High Street - No 48 White Horse Inn

Landlord/owners 1791 John Bagshaw 1822 Thoamas Griffeths 1890 Matilda Turner 1902 A.E.Franklin 1914 Mary Davenport 1917 Albert Brunnen 1927 David Hope-Edwards 1940 JMrs Shaw

The White Horse was described in the 18th century as 'Wem's premier Coaching Inn'. Coaches coming in through the Shrewsbury Gate down Mill Street would see its entrance before them, with the ornate coach entrance (now boarded on the left of the hotel) welcoming them. In its heyday, it had a meeting room for 250, and was the location of the meeting to formally open the Crewe-Shrewsbury railway in 1960. T his of course helped in the decline of such inns.
In 1822, The Chester coach called every morning (except Sunday) at 7.30 and the Manchester coach at the same time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Thee Shrewsbury coaches called at 4.40pm.
In the early 1970's it was the start and end point for the 'two-gallon tour' of Wem. Such tours involved drinking 2 pints in each of the 8 remaining pubs in town, following a route from the White Horse to the Fox, The Dickin Arms, the Hawkestone Arms, The Albion, the White Lion and the Castle. Successful completion gained the participant a commemorative tie.

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