The Ball Inn

If you would like to share your memories of The Ball Inn, or 16 Fore Street, you can complete our 'Your Memories of Chard' form here, message us on the Museum Facebook page or visit us at the Museum.

16 Fore Street

The thatched Ball Inn was a quaint pub and a favourite place on market days. It was listed as an inn in the Trade Directory of 1822-23, with Robert Brown being the landlord.

In 1962 there was controversy over plans to demolish the pub and despite the protests the building was demolished in 1963 and a Woolworth’s store was built on the site.

Woolworths, affectionately known as “Woolies” was an iconic and well loved general store famous for its “pick and mix” sweet counter. With 809 stores in the UK there was a Woolworths in most towns.

Woolworths was hit by the recession in 2008. As well as increasing competition from budget stores such as Poundland and the bigger supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda expanding into their core product lines of children’s clothing and common household items.

The UK organisation and its stores came to an end in 2009, 100 years after it began. The site then became a clothes shop called Twenty-one and by 2018 it had become the clothing store Peacocks.