History of the pub - The Armoury, Shrewsbury

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About Us

Here is just a little info to let you get to know our pub better...

History

Here is little potted history of our pub and the local area... if you have a spare minute or two and maybe a cup of tea (or is that a G&T), we think it's well worth read.

Read on...

The Armoury is quite a grand building that started life as an Armoury (strangely enough) in the late 18th century, although it originally wasn't situated on its present site at all. The whole building was moved lock, stock and barrel (to use an appropriate metaphor) in 1922, from the Armoury Gardens, because immediately after the First World War, building materials were hard to come by, and they recycled what they had. It has served various purposes in its life, having most recently been a bakery.

After the war the Armoury
was used for convalescence

When the Armoury was a bakery
the pillars were striped as a
warning to fork-lift truck drivers.

Jerry and Graham have always liked Shrewsbury, and one day had a wander round the city checking the lie of the land, seeing if they could find a home there. They saw the Armoury as it was, with its long run of high windows looking out over the river, and thought it would make an interesting pub, although it wasn't available at the time. To use an attractive building on the banks of the river for industrial production was a waste and the potential was plain to see for those with pub-eyes. It seemed that it could be a Harkers on a bigger scale, with the advantage that it would be big enough to cope with a healthy dining trade as well as a busy wet trade.

When the building did come on the market some time later, we were pretty quick out of the traps, although the building needed some serious work on it to get it up to scratch. What began as a quiet spot down by the river when we opened has since burgeoned into the entertainment quarter of the town, with bars and restaurants all around, which wasn't quite our original plan.

Photos courtesy of Morris and Co.

If you'd like to put a name to a face, allow us to introduce you to the crew...

Front of house

Emily Periam

Manager

Emily's family have had pubs in and around Birmingham and Shropshire for years, so she's no stranger to a barrel of beer. She studied Drama and English lit at De Monfort University in Leicester, and is a ballroom and latin dance expert to boot. She has a passion for fine wine and vodka (not necessarily mixed), has a filthy laugh, and works like a Trojan.

Denise Millea

Deputy Manager

Denise is one of the original crew who opened The Armoury in March 1996, but actually she has been with the company since the year dot in various capacities. Denise lives in Shrewsbury with her husband Eugene, who is another Brunning and Price legend.

Taylor Fisher

Deputy Manager

Taylor loves buying clothes on a regular basis and comes into work every day with a new outfit. She is a work Trojan who loves the Armoury with a real passion: there is no one you would prefer to have working beside you when the tables are full, and the customers are deep at the bar. Taylor is a wine hound who loves to share a bottle of wine with her boyfriend Tom who is also our assistant manager and their guinea pig Jeff.

Huw Britnell

Deputy Manager

Bobble hats, beer, the Armoury and his girl friend are always on the must list with Huw. He Loves being around people and looking after them - which is why his colleagues and customers love him. Hew can be distinguished by the pen seemingly surgically attached to his ear and the smile constantly on his face. He has worked behind bars since he was 18, and you will usually find him on one side or the other.

Kitsy Burrell

Trainee Assistant Manager

Originally from our sister pub the Cornmill in Llangollen, Kitsy decided to join us at the Armoury for a new adventure. She enjoys looking after customers, but her real joy is serving the dogs of the Armoury and looking after their every need. Kitsy also enjoys a large glass of red after hours and is our knowledgeable wine expert.

Thomas Skone

Assistant Manager

Tom is known as the old man of the armoury who loves nothing more than to read a newspaper with his favourite beer. He joined the team a few years ago and has been moving his way up the ranks. When not serving pints, he enjoys playing rugby for his team in Whitchurch or enjoying the company of his girlfriend Taylor (who also works at the Armoury) and his guinea pig Jeff.

Jay Adams

Bar/Cellarperson

Now becoming part of the woodwork of the Armoury, Jay is always full of cheer and joy and manages to brighten anyone's day up. He enjoys nothing more than sorting out the cellar and keeping our beer selection current and up to date. He often enjoys an evening filled with darts and plenty of fruit cider to keep him going.

Sarah Ferry

Supervisor

Also known as 'Fez', Sarah is the lady who answers our phone, responds to email and generally sorts out the day to day running of the Armoury from behind the scenes. As well as her passion for providing good service to customers she is also training to become a counsellor and always has time to lend an ear for anyone who needs it.

Kitchen

David Gater

Head Chef

Dave, aka Popeye, has been in the cheffing trade for many years including a spell working in the tavernas of the Greek islands where he perfected kebabs and moussaka. Dave follows a conflicting range of interests which include weight training, flower arranging, and tough guy competitions, running marathons and needlework. He also a big rugby fan and player when he gets the chance, and likes to wind down after a game with a Campari and soda whilst listening to his favourite Ronan Keating and Westlife tunes.

Andrew Tonks Lawson

Sous Chef

Doesn't drink alcohol? What's all this about I hear you ask?!? He may not be able to partake in a beverage (due to a natural intolerance) but he is living proof that you don't need alcohol to have a good time! Andrew does a mean Dr. Evil impression, helped by his natural features, and will serenade the kitchen all evening long.

David Phillips

Sous Chef

David graduated from the University of South Wales with a degree in English Literature and creative writing. He can often be found reciting poetry to the Armoury team and enjoys participating in local pub quizzes. David is also very artistic and loves to paint and draw with one hand and have a good glass of rioja to drink in the other. He also serenades the armoury kitchen daily.

Augustin-Lucian Chiriacescu

Senior Chef de Partie

Lucian has been with us awhile now and has proved time and time again to be hard working. In fact getting him to stop is the trick - he is a great addition to the kitchen team.

Edward Ball

Senior Chef de Partie

Ed may be a chef, but his true talent lies within comedy. You can always find him cracking out a joke or two in the kitchen with his witty sense of humour. He has a real passion for Asian Food and wishes to travel around Asia in the future to broaden his knowledge. When not in the kitchen he can be found either in the gym or at home enjoying his favourite snack - poached eggs!

Federico Dandrea

Chef de Partie

Our very own Italian Stallion! Originally from the town of Marsicovetere in the Southern region of Italy, Fed moved to England to pursue his dreams of becoming a chef. He has an infectious laugh and always fills the kitchen with cheer. His family own various Italian restaurants round Shrewsbury so he can whip up a mean spaghetti carbonara.

Ethan Currie

Chef

True to his name Ethan loves a curry! Originally from the big city of Manchester, his strong northern accent can be heard throughout the kitchen. However, don't let that masculine exterior fool you! Ethan is very in touch with his feminine side and loves a glass of zinfandel on a night out. He also has a guilty pleasure for beat boxing and karaoke. Once he gets going he can't stop!

Luke Johnston

Trainee Chef

Luke is our newest recruit in the kitchen who was inspired by his dad to become a chef. He is our pudding guru and loves to create new, delicious puddings for us to try. In his spare time, he enjoys gaming and has a real passion for game development. Smart and creative he is an all-rounder.

Maintenance

Noel 'Kitchen God' Ferguson

Cleaner

Noel is an Armoury kitchen legend - he works hard and plays hard, as long as your definition of 'playing hard' is a cup of tea while watching Murder she Wrote box sets. He is a dedicated dessert don and anything that he doesn't know about sweets isn't worth knowing.

Constance Harris

Cleaner

Connie started at the Armoury in April 1999 and since then she has become an integral part of the maintenance and kitchen crew. She has a passion for anything from Laura Ashley and regularly brings chocolate biscuits to work with her in the mornings - so is a very popular member of staff.

Front of house

Kitchen

Maintenance