HOW IT WAS (4)
THE NEW INN

Our cover picture shows a view of "The New Inn" at West End published by Rood Bros just after the Great War. This was the original building dating back at least to the 1840's. It was replaced in the 1930's by a mock Tudor building which was later renamed "The Lamp & Mantle", and demolished in 2004 to make way for the apartment block known today as Rosemount Court.
The original owners were Strong & Co, brewers based locally at Romsey, who were later absorbed by Whitbreads, they in turn sold the pub to an independent chain who sold the site for redevelopment. The original pub was the centre of the village of West End complete with village green and pond in front, later these disappeared with road widening and re-alignment. The later "Lamp & Mantle" has an exact twin in Eastleigh,"The Leigh" this was also a Strongs pub.