The Greystone Inn used to be on the west side of Coldweather about a quarter of mile closer to Gisburn than the present day Moorcock. I say 'used to be' because I understand it is now a housing development but in the 1950s it was a roadside inn catering for travellers. I think it was built to cater for horse drawn landau trips out into the countryside from Nelson and Colne and at one time was owned by Massey's Burnley Brewery.
I forget how I came to be in there one night drinking Guinness but remember it clearly because in those days Guinness was bottle conditioned and contained sediment. In consequence it had a limited shelf life and every bottle the landlord gave me was definitely past it's sell by date! We gave up in the end and I had a Pale Ale. Evidently there wasn't enough trade to keep the stock fresh.
The landlord was a man called Bob Feather and he was a bit of a character. I was a bit puzzled how he and his wife held the tenancy of what looked like a failing pub but one night he told me a story. I don't know if he embroidered it but it fitted the facts and here it is.
One wet windy night at about 9PM a man called George Rushworth was travelling over Coldweather from Gisburn and decided he wanted a drink and a warm by the fire. He pulled in but found the door was locked so he hammered on it until he got a response. A window opened upstairs and Bob popped his head out. I should mention that George Rushworth was a man to be reckoned with, he had a successful scrap business in Colne and owned several farms round Whitemoor Reervoir. Bob told him he was closed and had gone to bed. Rushworth told him that he was Rushworth from Colne and he wanted a drink. Bob told him he didn't care so George threatened that if he didn't open up he would buy the pub and chuck him and his wife out. This had no effect so the following morning George bought the pub but funnily enough didn't evict Bob and his wife, I suspect he quite liked him.
Some time later George was found dead on the moor and it was put down to a heart attack. When his will was read it was found that there was a codicil stating that Bob Feather and his wife were to have the tenancy of the Greystone until death or them voluntarily giving it up. I think Thwaites Brewery bought it as an investment and waited until natural causes gave them control and seem to remember them trying to revive the pub as a roadhouse but it was never a success.
That's my Greystone story, all I have is Bob's word but I believed him because it fitted the facts. It would be a shame not to pass such a good tale on.
Greystone Inn location in 1950.
I like that...
