Monday 8 October 2007

The Roaring Donkey


This is one of Old Town's little gems, a tiny pub hidden away on the very narrow Albert Street at the back of the Swindon Advertiser building. Built probably in the 1800's of locally quarried Purbeck stone, it was previously called the 'Rising Sun' but always known locally as the 'Donkey'.
There are a couple of local stories as to how this name came about - the most plausible one being that the pub was used by the print workers from the Advertiser and when the iron print presses started up they made a noise like a roaring donkey - calling them back to work.
Another is that an old woman who used to own the pub kept a donkey out the back .......