The Tickle Toby Inn, Northallerton

This is not the oldest inn in Northallerton but it is the one I photographed today when visiting the market. Northallerton High Street was part of the Great North Road so there were many inns and stables for the passing stagecoaches to stop at. The inn sign used to show a highwayman galloping away from a stagecoach with pistol above his head. I cannot find much about the building.

Back in 1774 Northallerton had a racecourse and the County Hall stands on Racecourse Lane. Unlike nearby racecourses at Ripon, Catterick and Thirsk it no longer exists. In the 1830s it was severely shortened when the mainline trains cut through town, it closed in 1880. One pub, the Horse & Jockey, changed its name to Station Hotel to move with the times.

What I do know about The Tickle Toby Inn is that it was named after a horse owned by a trainer called John Hutchinson. In 1790 it was sent to the USA as a stud. I'm guessing the Inn was around back then and the horse was something special.