A brief history of The Wicket Inn The earliest known reference to a public house at Lea in Staffordshire is in the census for 1841 when a William Limer is listed as a publican at Lea Heath in the Parish of Colwich. It is not known exactly when the property became a public house but the Beerhouse Act of 1830 marked the founding of many present day pubs. The earliest recorded name for the pub is "The Gate", which may be related to a toll gate that is referred to in the papers of the Bagot family of Blithfield. In the 1851 census the public house is called "The Newgate Inn", though by 1861 it was again known as The Gate. By the 1881 census the pub had been renamed "The Hanging Wicket", and in 1885 became part of the Parish of Stowe. A wicket is the name given to a small gate within a larger one and this again could be connected to a former tollgate. The gate was also used to pen sheep and cattle whilst the drovers took refreshment! By 1912 the pub is in the hands of the Martin family who remained there until at least 1940. At this time a forge situated opposite the pub in what is now the car park was a thriving establishment and attracted the custom of local farmers from a wide area. The pub continued to be known as the Hanging Wicket (referred to by locals as just "The Wicket") until 1995 when it was renamed "The Tolk Inn". Mary and Glyn Evans took over the licence in April 1999 and returned the name to "The Wicket Inn" in August 1999. Return to Main Page