The Golden Ball is a
public house
A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...
and hotel on
Ball Street in the English
market town
A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village or city. In Britain, small rura ...
of
Poulton-le-Fylde
Poulton-le-Fylde (), commonly shortened to Poulton, is a market town in Lancashire, England, situated on the coastal plain called the Fylde. In the 2021 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 18,115.
There is evidence of human habitatio ...
,
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
. Built in the 19th century,
[ Lancashire County Council & Egerton Lea Consultancy (2005), p. 22] it was originally a
coaching inn
The coaching inn (also coaching house or staging inn) was a vital part of Europe's inland transport infrastructure until the development of the railway, providing a resting point ( layover) for people and horses. The inn served the needs of t ...
for travellers making their way to local towns and villages.
During the course of its existence, the building has been a police courtroom, a newsroom and a café.
Ball Street is named for the pub.
[''A History of Blackpool, the Fylde and South Wyre''](_blank)
– Nick Moore (2018), p. 218
In 1847, the billiard room of the three-storey building hosted the first county court session in the town.
[''A History of Blackpool, the Fylde and South Wyre''](_blank)
– Nick Moore (2018), p. 310
Beginning in 1897, an
auction
An auction is usually a process of Trade, buying and selling Good (economics), goods or Service (economics), services by offering them up for Bidding, bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from th ...
mart occupied the land behind the building, formerly the pub's gardens, until it was replaced by today's car park. It featured a bull ring and a calf ring. Some of the walls of the auction mart are still standing, with the rings for the tethering of bulls still attached. The Auction Market Company folded in 1964, and some of its buildings became shops — including Gleeson's Joiners, The Victorian Birdcage, The Paper Tree and a charity shop.
These were demolished in 2006.
Tom Lockwood, landlord of the pub in the 19th century, formed Catterall & Swarbrick Brewery Ltd. in 1880 with fellow locals William Catterall and John Swarbrick.
The pub is one of 32 buildings in the town's
Conservation Area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...
.
[''A History of Blackpool, the Fylde and South Wyre''](_blank)
– Nick Moore (2018), p. 1151
As of 2023, the building is owned by
Greene King
Greene King is a British pub and brewing company founded in 1799, currently based in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. The company also owns brands including Hungry Horse and Farmhouse Inns, as well as other pubs, restaurants and hotels. It was listed o ...
. It was formerly a
Tetley's establishment.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Golden Ball
Buildings and structures in Poulton-le-Fylde
19th-century establishments in England
Pubs in Lancashire
Hotels in Lancashire
Coaching inns