Model of Newcastle Arms Inn

The Newcastle Arms Inn once stood on Church Street in Weybridge. It was one of the oldest inns in the district, recorded as a hostelry even before the 1770s. The inn derived its name from Henry Clinton, the 9th Earl of Lincoln, who became Duke of Newcastle in 1768 and owned the Oatlands Park estate from 1730 to 1788. For generations it served as a lively meeting place for locals, travellers, and traders passing through the town. 

By the 1830s, the inn had taken on an important role. It became Weybridge’s receiving house for post where the mail arrived by cart each morning at 9:00am. Residents would come to collect their letters while outgoing mail was gathered there again each afternoon at 4:00pm. This made the Newcastle Arms the centre of communication for the growing community.  

Model of Newcastle Arms (1.1951)

The inn was more than just a place for ale and conversation. It also featured a banqueting room where local groups gathered for meetings and celebrations. Among its regular visitors was the town’s fire brigade. They held their annual dinner here throughout the 1890s. 

A single-story extension was added to the building in 1903, reflecting the inn’s continuing important at the turn of the century. The model displayed here was made by Mr A. Taylor who was born at the Newcastle Arms. 

Local directories give us the names of many of the innkeepers of the Newcastle Arms:

• 1838-1840       John Akehurst
• 1845                  William Brewer
• 1855-1867        Mrs Ann Hitching
• 1871-1878        Henry Stapleton
• 1882-1905       Henry Mills
• 1907-1915        Alfred Taylor
• 1922                 Mrs Elizabeth Taylor
• 1927-1938       William Roberts

The inn was destroyed in 1962. Although the inn itself no longer stands, its site is now occupied by ‘And so to Bed’.