The Cowherds is a public house situated on the west side of the Avenue, near the south end of the Common. It was built in 1762 on the site of a much older building. It has been extended and altered over the years and now only the central part of the current building dates from the 18th century. It was built to house the cowherd, who from late medieval times was responsible for the livestock grazing on the Common. The building became a public house in the 18th century, when Edward Dyett, cowherd from 1744, began selling beer from the house to supplement his income. This side of the business was so profitable that in 1789 the building became a full-time public house. It was officially known as the Southampton Arms. Early nineteenth century editions of Baker's Southampton Guide (1814-1830) abbreviate the name to the Hampton Arms Inn, "commonly called the Cowherds; which is frequented by many of the inhabitants of Southampton as a pleasant retreat in summer" (1814, p 61). It is Grade II listed.
Cowherds, The
Photograph, c.2000
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