| The Britannia Inn, Grange
Street, Cobridge was certainly here in 1802 but apparently the
building dates back a century or a century and a half earlier than
this.
A well known authority on inn signs tells of another Britannia in the countryside near London. Here London porter was sold, and the sign depicts Britannia in a very drooping and dejected condition, with the legend Pray Sup Porter.
Inns and Beerhouses of Stoke-on-Trent Index
questions/comments? email: Steve Birks |
The
title is, of course, symbolic of our country, and the figure of
Britannia appears on our pennies. It was first struck on British coins
in Roman times, and in 1667 Charles II revived the device, the model
chosen being a lady friend of his (a maid of honour to Queen Catherine
his wife), Frances Stuart, Duchess of Richmond, concerning whose
character the less said the better. Other writers have it that the model
was Barbara Villiers, Duchess of Cleveland, another of King Charles the
Second's lady associates.