Historic pub that gave town its name calls last orders

The modern town of Nelson grew around the Lord Nelson pub

A 220-year-old pub that gave the Lancashire town of Nelson its name is set to close its doors.

The Lord Nelson, which dates back to 1805, will call last orders for a final time on 2 October after its brewery owners decided to sell it.

Once known as Great Marsden, the town switched names to differentiate it from the Marsden in Yorkshire - taking the name of Nelson after the Lord Nelson pub, which had become synonymous with a railway station in the town.

Historian Roger Frost said: "It is the only town in England as far as I know of that was named after a pub."

He continued: "In 1849 the railway was coming to Nelson but the railway company already had a station called Marsden.

"Great Marsden was the old name for Nelson and so the company couldn't cope with two stations of the same name.

"So they looked around for another name and the most prominent building near the station was what is now the Lord Nelson."

Michelle and Ian Jones met in the Lord Nelson 14 years ago

The station became known as Nelson and history was born, with the surrounding hamlets growing into the modern town of Nelson today.

The original inn was built in 1805, according to Lancashire County Council's (LCC) archives.

The building was demolished in 1895 and the Lord Nelson Hotel was constructed to replace the old building, before a further revamp in 1988.

Landlady Samantha Barrett said it was "the end of an era" and the staff would be hosting a leaving party for customers on 29 September.

"It's a shame. Some of the customers have been coming here in here for 50 years," she said.

Landlady Samantha Barrett said there was a lot of history and memories attached to the pub

Ian and Michelle Jones said they have fond memories of the Lord Nelson after meeting there 14 years ago - when Mr Jones felt "a tap on the shoulder".

"It was Michelle's niece," he said

"She said 'my aunty fancies you'. Fourteen year later and we're still together."

Historian Roger Frost said Nelson was the only town in England named after a pub

Admiral Taverns, which owns the Lord Nelson, said: "We are strong believers in the importance of community pubs and our focus is always on helping our operators to run sustainable pub businesses.

"After careful consideration however, we felt in this instance that the Lord Nelson did not have a long-term sustainable future and we've therefore taken the decision to sell the pub."