The Prince of Wales stood on the junction with the Staunton Road and Sparrow Hill, diagonally opposite the former Masons Arms (Help Me Through the World).
Robert Morgan was the owner and occupier of the Prince of Wales in 1891 which he leased to Eliza Burgham of the Redbrook Brewery. Twelve years later in 1903 the pub was in the ownership of Oliver Burgham’s Redbrook Brewery. Eliza, his mother, had died in 1902. The Prince of Wales was designated as a beer house, and it had an annual rateable value of £11.4s.0d.
The Redbrook brewery and its 22 tied houses were acquired by Ind Coope & Co. of Burton on Trent in 1923. In 1932 the Prince of Wales was leased to Ind Coope & Co. of Burton on Trent from a Mr. A.W.T. Claridge at a rent of £20 per annum.
The late Ray Allen, a respected Forest of Dean local historian, made extensive notes of Coleford pubs. In September 1998 he wrote an article for the Forest & Wye Review newspaper. He gave the following account of the Prince of Wales: “It survived one of the ‘purges’ of pubs launched by the authorities eager to cut down on working class drinking. While Britain’s restricted licensing hours were introduced as part of the WW1 war effort, an early attempted cull was made in 1907/8. In his evidence to the licensing magistrates Superintendent Griffin claimed that the Prince of Wales was frequented by ‘the lowest of the low’. Showing unexpected perspicacity, the panel asked him where such people might drink if the pub were closed. It was pointed out that if these unsavoury characters were in the Prince of Wales, then the police knew where to find them. Furthermore, there had been no conviction for poor behaviour by landlord or customer for 17 years, so the licence was renewed.”
The Prince of Wales Inn was compulsory purchased in 1938 by Gloucestershire County Council to allow for the widening of the Staunton Road. The pub was demolished in 1939.
Landlords of the Prince of Wales include:
1891 Robert Morgan
1903 Henry Birt
1932,1939 A.W. T. Claridge
