The Roaring Meg at Lincoln

The Roaring Meg was built for Messrs. James Hole and Co., Ltd., of Newark, to replace the former New Bridge Inn on Waterside South, which had been acquired as part of a town-planning scheme. The new pub opened on 13 July 1939 at the junction of Nettleham Road and the new Outer Circle Drive, serving both the rapidly growing local area and passing main-road traffic.

It was designed by Messrs. Traylen and Lenton of Stamford, who also designed Ye Olde Crowne on Clasketgate (1937), The Duke of Wellington on Broadgate (1932), and The New Manvers Arms on Monks Road (1934).

The landlord was Andy York, a 45-year-old Blyth-born former professional footballer who had played for Lincoln, Northampton, Newark, and Scarborough, where he had spent the previous four years.

The pub was named after a nearby stream that supplied a Roman reservoir, which in turn fed Lindum Colonia via a piped aqueduct. The spring water once rushed through a hole in a six-foot wall and fell onto a stone, creating a double splash and a “roar” that could reportedly be heard almost a mile away. The spring now lies beneath Waitrose, about 20 metres north of the filling station (53°15'05.0"N 0°31'18.5"W).

The “Meg” part of the name was derived from a nearby house called Margaret Well House. Interestingly, there was also a building known as “Megg House” near the Lincoln Bypass, west of Harland Road. Could this have been Margaret Well House?

For its time, the pub had several modern features, including a central service area that allowed staff to serve three public rooms and an off-sales department efficiently. It also had a large, well-fitted cellar for beer storage.

During the 1930s, the rise of more reliable motor cars greatly increased personal mobility. Roadside pubs such as The Roaring Meg were ideally placed along main routes to capitalise on this growing motorist trade. Exterior facilities included a large tarmac car park at the front and a spacious garden at the rear, with lawns and crazy paving for open-air refreshments.

Much of the building, along with its fixtures and fittings, was supplied by local companies. The main building contractors were Thornhill Bros. of Lincoln; the bricks were supplied by Lincoln Brick Co., Ltd.; fireplaces and sanitary fittings by Duckerings Hardware; plumbing by A. Beaumont; electrical work by C. R. Spouge; decorating by Toogood and Simpson; carpets and curtains by Bainbridges (Lincoln) Ltd.; tapestries by C. J. Fox and Co.; and glassware by J. Glover.

Vaux Breweries, the owners, closed The Roaring Meg in February 1994. The reason given for the closure was “lack of business”.