The Lamb was an inn and hotel on the site of cottages leading to East Street from the junction of North Street and The Square. It once boasted a paddock garden, stables, shop, cottage, an outbuilding and a sizable ballroom that was often used for grand occasions in the early 19th century. Inquests and property auctions were also held there, as well as amateur stage productions and concerts.
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In 1793 more than 70 leading citizens of Westbourne met at the Lamb Inn to pledge undying loyalty to King George the Third, and to declare that in the event of a French invasion, “we will with our lives and our fortunes aid and assist the government to protect, defend and keep the same inviolable.”
The Lamb Inn had a side gate leading to stabling for horses and for many years was the centre of village activities. In the late 1890s and early 1900s the Lamb was also a favourite stopping place for clubs and societies from Portsmouth that wanted to enjoy a horse drawn wagonette trip into the countryside.
A typical outing to the Lamb Hotel was made by seamen from HMS Formidable in October 1904. Leaving Portsmouth at 8.30am, they had breakfast at the Lamb followed by races at Fishbourne and lunch at Chichester. They returned to the Lamb for tea and then, with their horse-drawn brakes illuminated by Chinese lanterns, set off for a smoking concert at the Black Dog, Havant. They arrived back at Portsmouth just after midnight.
In September 1906, a party of canteen managers from Portsmouth left the city at 1pm in ‘a well-appointed brake’ and enjoyed ‘an excellent repast’ at the Lamb. They indulged in sports until dark, and then “adjourned to the hotel, the remainder of the evening being passed most pleasantly with music and dancing”. They were home in Portsmouth at 11pm. Below is the first motorised charabanc trip from Westbourne from the White Horse, around 1920.
By 1924, however, the police were concerned that Westbourne had too many pubs for a population of just over 2,000 people. The pubs comprised The Lamb, The Cricketer’s, Good Intent, White Horse, George and Dragon and Stag’s Head as well as numerous beer shops.
When the licensing justices met that year police said that, although there have been no complaints about the running of the Lamb over 30 years, the premises were in a poor state and the structural condition was too bad for the pub to continue.
The Lamb closed shortly afterwards. It was then converted, first into small businesses and then later into private housing.