The History of the Brown Cow

The back to back cottages which made up Leeds Street and Turkey Street were built around 1820. The question of exactly when the Brown Cow came into existence is difficult to say because many pubs came into existence as "beer houses" and had no need to have a proper name as we do now. However, it appears that at some point in time, four back to back cottages were knocked through to make the pub as it now stands. The trade directory of 1870 has an entry of The Brown Cow, 14 Cross Street, with John Robinson as the Inn Keeper. The pub was bought by Taylor's brewery in 1901 and the following photograph shows Martin Ford, the landlord at the time, stood outside the door with his two children.