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Existed from at least 1794. The address is also given as 23 Great St Helens in 1882, and as 25 Great St Helens in 1895. ***
In 1831 the ownership passed from the East India Company to the trustees of the ‘Thomas Buckford Trust’ There are a whole mass of documents concerned with the transaction. For instance, the “Abstract of the title of the East India Company to a Public House in Great St Helens London called the Sugar Loaf…” “…to peruse and advise whether a good title can be made to the premises”, takes up some 54 pages of legal documents, which start in 1684. *+
The land appears to have been originally called ‘Priest Common’, and belonged to the Lawrence family. It included orchards and gardens, a far cry from the ugly 387-foot Commercial Union tower block built on the site in 1969! *+
This pub was previously listed under St Helen’s Bishopsgate in the earlier census (e.g. 1851). This pub survived until at least 1935 but is now demolished. **
Historical London public houses, Taverns, Inns, Beer Houses and Hotels.
Residents at this address.
Hirams Lodge of Joppa, Constitution 1781, met at the Sugar Loaf, Great St Helens, London in 1791
In 1794, George Lightup was then just 24 and born in Norwich it’s unlikely he had been landlord for long but he was married the same year so it could be that his wife’s family had the pub before that. She was a Brocklebank. *
1794/George Lightup/../../../Sun Insurance Records *
The Lodge of Israel meets at the Sugar Loaf, Great St Helens, London in 1802
The Lodge of Joppa meets at the Sugar Loaf, Great St Helens, London in 1809
1811/John Thompson, Sugar Loaf, Great St Helens/../../Holdens Directory
1825/Mrs Thompson, Sugar Loaf, Great St. Helens/../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1829/Peter Geekie/../../../Robsons Directory
1830/Mr Wilson, Sugar Loaf, Great St Helens/../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1831/Joseph Wilson, Sugar Loaf, Great St Helens, St Mary Axe, 5 guineas/../../Licensed Victuallers Association
1832/Joseph Wilson, Sugar Loaf, 22 Great St Helens, Bishopsgate street/../../Pigots Directory
1833-34/Joseph Wilson/../../../Pigots Directory
August 1833/Mr Wilson, Sugar Loaf, Great St Helens/../../Licensed Victuallers Association
The lessee, Joseph Wilson, must have relinquished the pub because of severe illness, because on 25th July 1834 he died: “Suddenly, on Friday evening last, the 25th inst., aged 42 years, Mr. Joseph Wilson, late of the Sugar Loaf, Great St. Helen’s, a Subscriber to the School in Kennington-lane,6 and Donor to the Asylum”. *+
James Edward Brand' who ran it from 1834 to 1844 was my 3x great grandfather *+
In July 1834, James Edward Brand takes over the lease. *+
The annual rent for the pub appears to have been £40 in 1790, but had increased to £100 p.a. when James took over the lease from one Joseph Wilson in July 1834. In addition, James paid Joseph Wilson £570 for the lease of the property. To quote from the Deed of Covenant made by James, it comprised “All that messuage Tenement or dwelling house and premises being numbered 23 on the south side of Great St Helens near Bishopsgate Street in the City of London formerly two messuages no’d 22 and 23 in the occupation of the said Joseph Wilson used as a public house known by the sign of the Sugar Loaf and containing in front next Great St Helens aforesaid 33 feet 11 inches.”.
On 3rd August 1834 August Caroline gave birth to a son Frederick William. This was very soon after James had taken over the pub in July, so the event may or may not have taken place there. *+
When James and his wife Caroline took over the pub, they had three surviving children, and during their time there had six more, born between 1834 and 1843. The first to be definitely born there was son Alfred Augustus on 14th on January 1837, and he was baptised in March at the nearby church of St Helens, only a few dozen yards away. Curiously, the first five children were all baptised on that same day, 19th March 1837.
1836/James Edward Brand/../../../Pigots Directory
1839/James Edward Brand/../../../Pigots Directory
The lease of the premises was due to expire in March 1941, some seven and three-quarter years after James had taken it over. So, on 11th August 1840, the trustees renewed it: *+
1. The new lease to commence 25th March 1841.
2. Annual rent to be £110.
3. First quarterly payment to be due 24th June 1841.
4. The trustees would insure the premises for £1400, the cost to be met by James
1841/James Edward Brand/../../../P.O. Directory **
1841/James Brand/Publican/35/../Census
1841/Caroline Brand/../35/../Census
1841/Thomas Passmore/Male Servant/20/Middlesex/Census
1841/Mary Holmes/Nurse/20/Middlesex/Census
1841/Margaret Stott/Nurse/14/../Census
1841/Elizabeth Smith/Female Servant/35/../Census
1841/Caroline Brand/../13/../Census
1841/Sarah Brand/../11/../Census
1841/James Brand/../9/../Census
1841/Frederick Brand/../4/../Census
1841/Alfred Brand/../2/Middlesex/Census
1841/Eliza Brand/../1/Middlesex/Census
1842/J E Brand, Sugar Loaf, 22 Great St Helens street, Bishopsgate street/../../Pigots Directory
1843/James Edward Brand/../../../Kellys Directory
April 1844 – James Brand leaves the ‘Sugar Loaf’ *+
Only four years after signing the new lease, James left the ‘Sugar Loaf, He formally gave up the property in a document “Surrender of the lease of the Sugar Loaf public house in Great St. Helens, City of London”, dated 30th April 1834.
The parish inhabitants’ register book confirms he had left the parish by “Lady 1844”, i.e., Lady Day, the 25th March 1844.
[Sadly, the reason for leaving must have been ill health, because just under two years later James died; on the 14th February 1846, aged only 40. This tragedy for his family left his wife Caroline with six children to finish bringing up on her own. His death certificate gives the cause of death as “Phthisis Pulmonalis 12 months”. This means a wasting away concerned with the lungs, perhaps tuberculosis.] *+
1848/William Adams Larby/../../../Post Office Directory
1851/William Adams Larby/../../../Kellys Directory
1856/Mrs Lucy Larby/../../../Post Office Directory
December 1859/George Adams Larby/Outgoing Licensee/../../London City Press
December 1859/Charles Latham/Incoming Licensee/../../London City Press
1867/Mrs Emma Latham, Sugar Loaf, 22 Great St Helens, Bishopsgate/../../Licensed Victuallers Association
The Era 08 September 1867 - Transfer of Licences
City of London - Bishopsgate : Sugar Loaf, Great St Helens, Charles Latham to George Garland
1869/George Oxford/../../../Post Office Directory ***
January 1871/George Oxford/Outgoing Licensee/../../Era
January 1871/George Latham/Incoming Licensee/../../Era
1871/Charles Latham/Licensed Victualler/56/Farringdon, Middlesex/Census
1871/Emma Latham/Wife/45/Westminster, Middlesex/Census
1871/William Latham/Son, Gas Fitter (Apprentice)/19/Farringdon, Middlesex/Census
1871/Eliza Latham/Daughter, Milliner/18/Farringdon, Middlesex/Census
1871/Emma Latham/Daughter, General Servant Domestic/16/Farringdon, Middlesex/Census
1871/James Latham/Son/6/Bishopsgate, Middlesex/Census
1871/Annie Latham/Daughter/3/Hackney, Middlesex/Census
1871/Eliza M Latham/Sister, Late Sextoness/59/Farringdon, Middlesex/Census
1871/Sarah Short/Barmaid/16/Rotherhithe, Surrey/Census
1871/Mary Smith/Kitchen Maid/22/St Georges East, Middlesex/Census
1871/Louisa Webb/Nurse Maid/16/Lambeth, Surrey/Census
1874/C Latham/../../../H D Miles London & Suburban Licensed Victuallers Directory **
1882/William M. Hartridge/../../../Post Office Directory ***
1884/John Skegg/../../../Post Office Directory
1891/John Skegg/../../../Post Office Directory
1895/Gurney & Co/../../../Post Office Directory
1915/Gerald Mooney/../../../Post Office Directory ***
* Provided By Janet
*+ Provided By Robin Brand
** Provided By Stephen Harris
*** Provided By Ewan
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