The Fox & Hounds, now closed, could have been previously called the Red Lion. Census returns indicate many different licensees throughout the C19th. Ownership was with the Hussey family who developed the large brewery next door and came to own a lot of property in the surrounding area. James Hussey is registered as licensee of the Red Lion in 1826.
The Fox & Hounds, in common with other such inns offered hospitality to travellers although census return show the Dog & Gun as having many more overnight visitors. Inns were also good meeting places for charitable Friendly Societies. The Netheravon Friendly Benefit Society was founded at the Fox in 1840 when Isaac Kinger was licensee. The committee comprised of:
Isaac Kinger
Philip Stone
William Cottrell
Joseph Webb
Armond Batchelor
Jacob Sheppard (clerk)
John Sheppard
Isaac Smith
Stephen Whitmarsh
Elisha Carter
Thomas Carter
Isaac Sheppard
John Carter
Soon after, in 1844, this Society met at the newly opened Dog & Gun and came to be called the Top Hat Club (see notes elsewhere).
William Selwood was licensee in 1861, having previously been an innkeeper in Salisbury. He and his wife Elizabeth had a large family. On November 28th 1867, the year that he had died, his two youngest daughters Ann and Ellen were married in a double wedding at Netheravon church. Ann aged 26, had taken over as innkeeper and married Emmanuel Plank, a groom; Ellen, aged 19 married Jacob Sheppard a son of Jacob Sheppard of the blacksmithing family and himself of that profession. Ellen and Jacob very soon emigrated to New Zealand. They were given a china dinner service which they could not take with them but it was collected by Ellen’s descendants from the home of Ivy Sheppard (at Lower End) one hundred years later!
Toch H, originally a Christian ex-servicemen’s charity, met there in the 1950s/60s.
The pub closed in 1995.