The Botany Bay Inne: Pub sign #3

I used to drive past this pub on my way to and from work for many years, but never bothered to find out why it has this name.

Botany Bay (now Sydney) was where Captain Cook first landed on the Australian landmass in 1770, having mapped New Zealand. It was so named because of the rich plant life found by ship's botanists Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander.

It later became a penal colony, which is how the pub got its name. Prisoners from the Dorchester assizes being deported to Australia stayed for the night here before they set off for Botany Bay.

Those who were struggling at this point were hanged at the nearby Red Post - another jolly little fact, hot on the heels of my martyrs blip. Very inappropriate for the season, I know. I just happened to be passing. I didn't even know the history.



History of Botany Bay Inne

Pub sign #2