The hotel that became home to a brewery

The Watford Observer is delighted to share pictures from the Watford Museum archive and this week we remember the Clarendon Hotel.

The museum’s volunteer archivist Christine Orchard: “A large three-storey building, named the Clarendon Hotel, was built in 1860 next to Watford’s newly moved railway station. There had been a Clarendon near to the first station close to the railway bridge on St Albans Road.

The hotel on the left with Watford’s new station ahead c1860. (Image: Watford Museum)

“As well as the usual accommodation and dining rooms, there was a billiards room, and according to an 1885 advert there were ‘tastefully arranged Gardens, adjoining the Railway Station’. A later advert mentioned that there was an opportunity to play tennis, presumably the tastefully arranged gardens were adapted.

The hotel and station c1905 (Image: Watford Museum)

“The hotel was later occupied by Benskins who had their head office here and also a pub named The Pennant which was the name of Benskins’ in-house magazine.”

The hotel building is now part of a popular pub. (Image: Google Street View)