Short answer:
The Riverway was a 1960s post‑war estate pub on Arkwright Way in The Meadows, originally a Shipstone’s house, later taken over by Samuel Smith’s Brewery, and finally boarded up in 2019 after decades of intermittent closures. It was not located at 6 St Saviour’s Gardens — that is a residential address. The pub simply stood near St Saviour’s Church, which is why the names get mixed up.
Below is the full, sourced history.
🏛️ Origins and construction (1960s)
- The Riverway was built in the 1960s as part of the Meadows’ post‑war redevelopment.
- It was constructed as a Shipstone’s Brewery estate pub, serving the new housing around Arkwright Way.
Nottinghamshire Live Pubs Galore
This makes it one of the few post‑war pubs in an area that had previously been dense Victorian terraces.
🍺 Shipstone’s era (1960s–1990s)
- The pub operated for decades as a Shipstone’s tied house, with two rooms and a strong local following.
- It was known as a locals’ pub, especially busy on Nottingham Forest and Notts County match days.
Pubs Galore
Residents from the period recall it as lively, sometimes rough, but well‑used.
🙏 Link with St Saviour’s Church (1990s)
- In the early 1990s, the landlord welcomed worshippers from nearby St Saviour’s Church after services.
Nottinghamshire Live
This is likely why some people associate the pub with St Saviour’s Gardens, even though the pub itself was not located there.
🏚️ Decline, closures and takeover (2000s–2017)
- The Riverway went through multiple management changes and long periods of closure.
- In 2017, it was taken over by Samuel Smith’s Brewery, known for preserving a “Victorian” pub atmosphere and banning mobile phones.
Nottinghamshire Live Pubs Galore
Despite the takeover, the pub never fully recovered.
🚧 Surviving the Meadows demolitions (1970s)
- During the major Meadows redevelopment of the 1970s, 22 pubs were demolished.
- The Riverway was one of the few that survived the clearances.
Nottinghamshire Live Nottinghamshire Live
This makes it historically significant within the context of the area, even if not architecturally notable.
🔒 Final closure and dereliction (2019–present)
- The pub was boarded up on 2 April 2019.
Pubs Galore - By 2021–2022, it was widely described by residents as an “eyesore”, “derelict”, and “disgraceful”.
Nottinghamshire Live Nottinghamshire Live - Locals repeatedly called for it to be reopened, repurposed, or demolished.
As of the latest reports, it remains closed and boarded.
📍 Clarifying the address confusion
The Riverway pub was never at 6 St Saviour’s Gardens (NG2 3LH).
Its correct location was:
The Riverway
Arkwright Way
The Meadows
Nottingham NG2 2JU
Pubs Galore
St Saviour’s Gardens is a modern residential cul‑de‑sac nearby, which is why the names sometimes get mixed up.
🧩 Summary
- Built: 1960s
- Original brewery: Shipstone’s
- Later brewery: Samuel Smith’s (from 2017)
- Location: Arkwright Way, The Meadows (NOT St Saviour’s Gardens)
- Role: Local estate pub; match‑day stop; church‑goers’ social spot
- Survived: 1970s Meadows demolitions
- Closed: Boarded up April 2019
- Status: Derelict, long‑term closure
If you want, I can reconstruct a timeline of every pub lost in the Meadows or map exactly where The Riverway stood on historic maps.
Concise answer: The Meadows lost 22 pubs in the 1970s clearance, with closures continuing into the 1980s–2000s. The timeline below reconstructs the rise, demolition, and disappearance of the area’s pubs using the strongest available sources.
Every entry begins with a Guided Link so you can explore any pub in more detail.
🕰️ Timeline of Meadows Pubs Lost in Redevelopment (1870s–2020s)
1️⃣ Victorian & Edwardian era (1870s–1930s): the pub‑dense Meadows
The Meadows developed into a tight grid of terraces, each with its own corner pub. By the early 20th century, the area had dozens of small beerhouses, many later swept away. (Context from Nottinghamshire Live and Meadows Timeline)
2️⃣ The 1970s: the great clearance — 22 pubs lost
The Meadows was condemned in the 1970s, and huge areas were demolished. Twenty‑two pubs disappeared, the largest single loss in the district’s history.
Below are the key closures:
Crocus Inn — Home Ales house, Pegg Terrace/Goodhead Street, demolished 1975.
Locomotive Inn — Wilford Road, Shipstone’s, closed 1975.
Crescent Inn — Bruce Grove/Ryeland Crescent, demolished 1970s.
Poet’s Corner (original) — Kirke White Street East, lost in 1970s clearance.
Cricketers Rest — Kirke White Street area, demolished 1970s.
Queen’s Hotel — demolished 1970s.
Rifleman — demolished 1970s.
Millers Arms — Agnes Street, demolished 1970s.
Meadow Inn — Arkwright Street, demolished 1970s.
Plumptre Arms — Muskham Street/Bunbury Street, demolished 1970s.
Cremorne Hotel (original) — Queens Drive, demolished 1970s.
Griffin Inn — Waterway Street, threatened with demolition in 1973.
These represent the core of the 22 lost pubs referenced in the Nottinghamshire Live coverage.
3️⃣ 1980s–1990s: survivors struggle, a few close
After the clearances, only a handful of pubs remained. One of the most notable:
Spinning Jenny — Meadows Way West, survived into the 1980s–90s; later became a police station.
4️⃣ 2000s: final losses of the old estate pubs
A second wave of closures hit the remaining post‑war pubs.
Cremorne (rebuilt version) — demolished 2007.
Toll Bridge Inn — Wilford Toll Bridge area, demolished in the 2000s; site now proposed for housing (2025 plans).
5️⃣ 2010s–2020s: the last traditional pub era ends
The Riverway — Arkwright Way, Shipstone’s → Sam Smith’s, boarded up 2019, now derelict.
This closure symbolises the end of the Meadows’ long pub tradition.
📊 Summary Table — Meadows Pub Losses by Era
| Era | What happened | Representative pubs |
|---|---|---|
| Victorian–1930s | Dense pub landscape emerges | Crocus Inn, Locomotive |
| 1970s clearance | 22 pubs demolished | Plumptre Arms, Cremorne Hotel |
| 1980s–1990s | Survivors repurposed | Spinning Jenny |
| 2000s | Final demolitions | Cremorne (rebuilt), Toll Bridge Inn |
| 2010s–2020s | Last estate pubs close | The Riverway |
Core takeaway: The original Poet’s Corner was a Victorian pub built in 1860–61 at 132 Kirke White Street East in the old Meadows. It survived for more than a century before being demolished in 1975 during the major Meadows clearance. It is one of the most historically documented of the lost Meadows pubs.
Below is the full, sourced history with citations.
🏛️ Origins (1860–61)
The original Poet’s Corner was constructed in 1860–61, during the rapid Victorian expansion of the Meadows after the 1845 Enclosure Act opened the land for development.
First licensee: John Heason
Built as a classic corner‑house pub serving the newly built terraces
Located at 132 Kirke White Street East, a street named after the Nottingham poet Henry Kirke White (1785–1806)
🎭 Why it was called “Poet’s Corner”
The pub took its name from Henry Kirke White, a Nottingham-born poet whose best-known work was Clifton Grove.
The street itself was named after him, so the pub inherited the literary association.
🏘️ Role in the Victorian Meadows
Historic photographs show a dense grid of brick terraces, shops, and small factories surrounding the pub.
Poet’s Corner served:
Local factory workers
Railway employees
Families living in the surrounding terraces
A tight-knit community typical of pre‑war Meadows life
It was a traditional multi-room pub, typical of the era.
🏚️ Decline and demolition (1970s)
By the early 1970s, the Meadows was earmarked for total redevelopment. The original Poet’s Corner was:
Closed and demolished in 1975
One of 22 pubs lost in the clearance
Photographs from 1973 show the pub still standing but already in a worn state, with bricked‑in upper windows.
🏢 Replacement pub (1977)
A new Poet’s Corner was built in 1977 in the Bridgeway Centre as part of the modern Meadows estate.
This replacement:
Was a Home Brewery house
Had a fort‑like appearance with arched ground‑floor windows
Formed part of the new shopping precinct
It is still trading today, but it is not the same building as the Victorian original.
🧩 Summary
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Poet’s Corner |
| Location | 132 Kirke White Street East, Meadows |
| Built | 1860–61 |
| Named after | Poet Henry Kirke White |
| Demolished | 1975 (Meadows clearance) |
| Replacement | 1977 Home Brewery pub in Bridgeway Centre |
Here’s the full, structured history of the Poet’s Corner pub in The Meadows, covering both the original Victorian pub (1860–1975) and the modern replacement (1977–present). This is the most complete reconstruction available.
🏛️ 1. The Original Poet’s Corner (1860–1975)
📍 Location
132 Kirke White Street East, in the old Meadows grid of Victorian terraces.
The street was named after Nottingham poet Henry Kirke White, and the pub took its name from him.
🕰️ Construction & Early Years (1860–61)
Built 1860–61 during the Meadows’ rapid Victorian expansion.
First licensee: John Heason.
A classic corner‑house beerhouse, serving railway workers, labourers, and families in the surrounding terraces.
It was one of dozens of small pubs that formed the social backbone of the old Meadows.
🍺 Role in the Community (1860s–1960s)
The pub was a typical working‑class local:
Multiple rooms (public bar, snug, lounge).
Strong ties to nearby factories and workshops.
A regular stop for residents of Kirke White Street, Bunbury Street, and the surrounding grid.
It appears in several early 20th‑century trade directories as a steady, unremarkable but well‑used neighbourhood pub.
🏚️ Decline & Demolition (1970s)
By the early 1970s, the Meadows was earmarked for total redevelopment.
The pub was photographed in 1973 with bricked‑in upper windows and signs of decline.
It was closed and demolished in 1975.
It was one of 22 pubs lost in the Meadows clearance programme.
Nothing of the original building survives today.
🏢 2. The Replacement Poet’s Corner (1977–present)
📍 Location
Bridgeway Centre, Meadows (modern estate).
This is not the same building — it is a replacement pub built after the demolition of the original.
🧱 Construction & Brewery
Built 1977 as part of the new Meadows shopping precinct.
A Home Brewery house.
Distinctive fort‑like brick design with arched windows and a heavy 1970s civic style.
🍻 Role in the New Meadows
The new Poet’s Corner became:
A central meeting point in the rebuilt estate.
A more modern, open‑plan pub compared to the Victorian original.
A survivor — one of the few pubs left in the Meadows after the 1970s clearances.
It remains open today, though the surrounding area has changed significantly.
🧩 Side‑by‑Side Summary
| Feature | Original Poet’s Corner | Replacement Poet’s Corner |
|---|---|---|
| Date built | 1860–61 | 1977 |
| Location | 132 Kirke White Street East | Bridgeway Centre |
| Brewery | Various (19th–20th c.) | Home Brewery |
| Architecture | Victorian corner pub | 1970s civic brick |
| Fate | Demolished 1975 | Still trading |
| Context | Dense Victorian terraces | Post‑clearance estate |
🧭 Why the Poet’s Corner matters
The pub is a symbol of:
The lost Victorian Meadows
The 1970s clearance, which erased an entire neighbourhood
The attempt to create a new community centre in the rebuilt estate
It is one of the few Meadows pubs with a continuous identity across two completely different urban landscapes.
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