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History
The Masons Arms stands in the shadow of the fines
church
tower in the south west, the jewel that is St
Mary Magdalene.
A century and a half ago the broad
street here was a narrow alley
called Blackboy Lane,
named after an inn whose landlord was
accused of
murdering a soldier thrown into the River Tone in 1809.
The area was known as 'the sink of iniquity' when cursing
and
swearing often drowned out the singing from St.
Mary's. The Blackboy region was cleaned up in 1864 and
the present road
carved through crowded courts and
old tenements to become
Magdalene Street. In 1855
the former house of George Stuckey,the towns rate
collector was taken by Edwin Witcombe, a 34 year
old
Taunton
born stone mason, who opened it as a beer
house. He named it
the 'Masons Arms' after his own
craft, and for over 120 years Witcombe's successors
have been dispensing a warm welcome
besides
St Mary's ever since.
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