The White Hart, Hinkshay

This photograph was taken of the White Hart from off the “Jerry Mount” at Hinkshay. The road that ran between, and which crossed the Hinkshay Road, was called the “Jerry Rails” and the pub was knick-named the “Jerry”. Also, a furnace near Stirchley Pools was called the “Jerry Furnace”. Several reasons are given for this name including one that claimed that German prisoners of war laid the rails. This cannot be true because the rails, or tramway, were in existence well before the name “Jerry “was adopted for German soldiers. It can clearly be seen in the 1861 census, that the pub was originally called the “Tom and Jerry” and so we can safely assume that the name stems from this, and that the other places, and road, were named after the pub and not the other way round.

Tom and Jerry” was a name formerly used for roistering young men about town. In modern times the names are familiar from the cat and mouse cartoon characters. They first appeared in an animated cartoon called Puss Gets the Boot in 1940.

Tom and Jerry” is also the name of a hot mixed drink containing rum, brandy, egg, nutmeg and sometimes milk.

For more information on the origins of Tom and Jerry

The pub is mentioned in the 1896 Licensing returns, when John Breeze was landlord, and is listed in the 1841 census, where Thomas Summers was landlord. In Bagshaw’s 1851 directory we find Thomas Summers listed as a Maltsters, Farmer and Victualler at Hinkshay. The 1861 census clearly names the pub as Tom & Jerry, but in 1871 it is called the White Hart. In Kelly’s 1913 and 1926 directories, Walter Harper was the landlord.

The Jerry closed in 2007. It was eventually destroyed by fire and demolished.