This rather beautiful building is Dirty Gerties Gin Parlour which is a venue that’s primarily open only for private events, but does have some general opening times when members of the public can visit. It’s a charming building and it’s thought to date from the thirteenth century, but is perhaps best known for being the town’s former court house.
There’s a plaque to the side of the door which mentions the history of the building. The listed building record adds:
“Late mediaeval timber framed building refaced in C18 and C19. L shaped. Thatched roof. Eastern cross wing refaced with roughcast. Street facade of 2 storeys with 1st floor jettied out. Gable end has elaborate carved bargeboards with pendant and an embattled beam below ornamented with a row of shields. 1st floor has casement window with dripstone above. Shop front below in similar C19 style. Western part of facade plastered and with plinth. 1 window, sashes with boxed frames and glazing bars. Eastern side facade has exposed, substantial, square panel timber framing. Court Leet was held here for some years after Court Hall was demolished in late C19.”
These were tea rooms before the current owners took over in 2018, although the premises do look like a pub from the outside. The venue themselves give some more history (something that I always think is a lovely thing to do):
“Dirty Gertie’s is situated within one of Christchurch’s oldest council properties with elements dating back to the 13th century. It was originally used as a private dwelling up until the 15th Century when it was purchased by the borough making it possibly Britain’s oldest council house.
After the purchase, the council used it as a residential property to house the towns mayor. When the neighbouring ‘’Courthouse’’ was made derelict in the 1800’s, the court leet began to meet in the back parlour room to appoint the towns mayor, constables, hayward and of course the towns ale-taster!
In 1850, the building became a butchers shop, with evidence of the meat hooks still visible today in the back room and outside in the window frames. The butchers was owned by ‘Gert’ who unfortunately had a back lack of hygiene which earnt him the nickname locally as ‘Dirty Gert’.
The old jailhouse lockup is still situated in the back garden of the property and was used to house petty thieves back in the day.
It has also been a shoemakers and bookshop until 1944 when the production and selling of perfumes began, giving it the name ‘’The New Forest Perfumery’’.
It was run as a Perfumery until 1996, when previous occupants decided to turn one of the rooms into a tea parlour and began its life as a tearooms until 2018 when Dirty Gertie’s was born.”
All really rather lovely. CAMRA note that alongside the spirits they sell, notably gin, there are also some keg beer options.