Brown Cow Inn

Name: The Brown Cow

Address: 110, Market Street, Chorley

The Brown Cow Inn was opened during the 1840s; pictured above in the late 1890's is the landlord Alexander Smalley but many in Chorley would not recognise it today in its current guise as the Godfather Pizza House.

2015

The listed landlords of the pub were James Reed (1848), Jane Westwell (1861), James Turner (1871), William Baxendale (1881), Alexander Smalley (1891-1901) and William Winnard (1911).

Preston Chronicle 08 January 1848

1861 Census

Whitehaven News 12 January 1865

1871 Census

1881 Census

1891 Census

In the 1880's and 1890's the Smalley family ran the Brown Cow and like many Chorley families of this era they were to lose one of their children to the Great War. Alexander Smalley's son Richard died in France in 1916 just 25 years of age. He worked for Chorley Corporation and had signed up just 6 weeks earlier.

1901 Census

1911 Census

The Brown Cow appears to have ceased trading for a time in 1914 when compensation was awarded along with a number of other Lancashire pubs by the Compensation Authority.

Burnley News 08 July 1914

Market Street in the 1940s; Lion Ales can be seen painted on the wall of the Wellington Inn further down Market Street on the left
of picture whilst the front of the Joiner's Arms can just be seen right of picture.

Market Street in 2015; Brown Cow on the left of picture whilst the
front of the Cunliffe Arms can just be seen right of picture.