39 Grenville Road
What Three Words: ///berated.
The building dates from the 16th century, and is recorded as being a public house named the Earl of Chatham from at least the 1820s. Its owner and publican from the 1830s to the 1870s was John Burt and then his son Joseph. A later publican was Alfred Serpell of Lanreath, though it may have remained in the ownership of the Burt family until the early 20th century. The pub originally contained only one bar, but the adjoining house was later incorporated into the pub as its lounge bar and now restaurant. In 1926, it was drawn into the growing chain of pubs being built up by Walter Hicks and Co. (the St Austell Brewery), which already owned the King’s Arms. Tenant publicans in the 20th century included Mary Worboys in the 1930s.
The pub is named after William Pitt, the 1st Earl of Chatham, a member of the Pitt family of the nearby Boconnoc estate. Thomas Pitt, Governor of Madras, had discovered the so-called Pitt Diamond, which he sold in 1691 for £135,000, about £29 million at today’s prices. This fortune enabled him to acquire the Boconnoc estate, which carried with it the right to control parliamentary elections in a number of rotten boroughs, including Old Sarum near Salisbury. Thomas Pitt’s grandson, William Pitt, duly entered parliament as MP for Old Sarum and began a remarkable political career.
William Pitt, Earl of Chatham
William Pitt was a skillful political manager and dominated parliament as the leader of the Whig party. He was de facto head of government for many years and held office as Prime Minister from 1766 to 1768. During his time in power, there was conflict with France during the Seven Years War, the establishment of British imperial possessions in North America and India, and the growth of the system of slavery in America and the Caribbean. He retired to the House of Lords in 1768 with the title of the Earl of Chatham and is known to history as Pitt the Elder, to distinguish him from his prime ministerial son, Pitt the Younger.
In 2024, the tenancy was taken over by Ian and Lisa Richards. The pub serves the range of St Austell Brewery beers, provides food in its bar, restaurant, and beer garden, and hosts a number of social events. It has two comfortable rooms available for accommodation.
Walk down Grenville Road to the war memorial to