Pubs of Leicester 

See also Belgrave Gate  Southgate Street

Leicester, like most cities, has suffered from some terrible town planning. Much of the carnage started in the early 1960's and, like Birmingham, a lot of the destruction was for the benefit of the motor car. I was horrified when strolling along Belgrave Gate. Hardly anything from the Victorian period remains. What they didn't remove from the landscape to make way for road expansion, they replaced with concrete and metal boxes. Where there were once over forty public houses only a couple are trading in the 21st century. However, rather than rant about the town planners ruining Leicester, this introduction attempts to celebrate what is left for the visitor to enjoy. A good town trail is the best way to introduce yourself to a town or city so this is just one suggested route that takes in some of the important sights. Hopefully, some general history will unfold along the way. If you would rather get straight to the pubs then click here or use the links above for some of the streets that have a page dedicated to them.

Despite having a whinge in the above paragraph, I still think reckon Leicester is an underrated city. This is perhaps because Leicester has not produced as many famous people as its Midlands' counterparts. OK, it spawned Gary Linker I'm talking here about pioneers of science or industry. Compared with, say, Nottingham with it's industrialists and intellectuals, or Birmingham who had a incredibly productive Lunar Society, Leicester has few entries in Britain's encyclopaedic dictionaries. However, whatever the city lacks in this field, it compensates with an excellent Roman legacy. Moreover, for those with a more contemporary outlook, today's Leicester is a gregarious city with a rich diversity of cultures making it an exciting place to visit.

The natural starting point of any walk around the city is in the square next to the Town Hall. Replacing the old Town Hall [or Guildhall], the Queen Anne-influenced building was erected on the site of the former livestock market between 1874-6 to the designs of F.J.Hames. Art historian Nikolaus Pevsner described the Town Hall as 'remarkably free and comfortable-looking for its date and its official purpose.' The square in front of the building is quite spacious and a valuable interactive part of the city's townscape. The fountain in the centre of the square, featuring four large winged lions, was also designed by Hames a couple of years after the completion of the Town Hall. On one visit, a woman dressed in period costume walked around the monument for several hours plucking petals and clipping the thorns from rose flowers scattering them around the pavement. Apparently, it was a work of piece of living art. But that's ephemeral representation for you? Personally, I had some fun at the square's maze which was laid out in 1992.

From Horsefair Street I headed for the City Rooms in Hotel Street. The three bay ashlar-faced building was designed by John Johnson in 1792. The front entrance features a porch with two pairs of Tuscan columns. The figures and the terracotta roundels on the exterior are the work of J.C.F.Rossi and J.Bingley. The building was originally used as a hotel in the late 18th century and was noted for its magnificent Regency Ballroom. Susanna Watts the author of an early travelogue entitled 'A Walk through Leicester', wrote in 1804: 'Here a room, whose spacious dimensions and elegant decorations, adapt it in a distinguished manner for scenes of numerous and polished society, is appropriated to the use of the public balls.' She went on to describe the room with 'its coved ceiling that is enriched with three circular paintings of Aurora, Urania and Night, from the pencil of Reinagle, who has also graced the walls with paintings of dancing nymphs...uniting under the same roof, every convenience for the gratification of taste, and the amusement of the mind.' Susanna Watts was clearly enchanted by the place so it's worth asking to have a look at the place for yourself.

In front of the City Rooms is an enchanting figure entitled the Leicester Seamstress. It was designed by James Butler in 1990. One water source of old Leicester is still noted by an information plaque in St.Martin's Square. An engraved metal block set in the carriageway of Cank Street marks the site of a public well known as The Cank. It was first recorded in 1313. 'Cank' is an old dialect word meaning 'to gossip' or 'meeting place.' In this location is the former Natwest bank, a spectacular building featuring giant coupled columns on the upper floor and two round domed angle towers. It was designed by S.Perkins and Pick and built in 1900. There are a good number of Georgian buildings in the St.Martin's area, particularly the old Alderman Newton's Girls School, Church House and the Provost's House. A walk along Peacock Lane brings you into the Castle Park area of the city. The church of St.Martin's was one of six parish churches recorded in Leicester at the time of the Domesday survey in 1086.

St.Martin's was extended in the 14th and 15th centuries and restored in the 19th century. It is possible to see how the church looked before the Victorian restoration by looking at a drawing by Eliza Sultzer who captured the building on paper in 1833. The church was hallowed as the Cathedral of Leicester in 1927. The city had lost its cathedral status when the Vikings raided the Midlands during the 9th century when it was moved first to Dorchester-on-Thames and, later, Lincoln. The Victorian restoration is not without its critics but much of the work was faithful to the original. For example, the medieval spire was replaced in the 1860's with a new design by Raphael Brandon but the detail is a conscientious attempt to reproduce the Early English style. Other work by Brandon includes a clerestory in the Perpendicular style. Inside the cathedral there is a memorial to King Richard III who was killed by the Earl of Richmond in the Battle at Bosworth Field in 1485. The play by William Shakespeare has given us the immortal lines of 'Now is the winter of our discontent' and 'A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!'

Wandering around the side of the cathedral you'll find a route to the Guildhall, one of the city's finest timber-framed buildings. Built on a stone base, it was constructed around 1390 for the Guild of Corpus Christi which had been founded in 1347. It was around 1495 that it was first used as the Town Hall, a role in which it continued to be used until 1876. Inside the old Mayor's Parlour there is a rather splendid fireplace. Featuring decorated columns and curly strapwork cartouches, it dates from 1637 as does the Mayor's Chair. Further along Guildhall Lane is Wygston's House, reputedly the home of the Tudor wool merchant Roger Wygston. At first it looks as though it is a Georgian brick building but when you wander through the garden to the side you discover the old timber-framed house. Today, it is used as a museum and displays fashion, textiles and crafts from around the world, alongside a reconstruction of a 1920's drapers shop. Children are actively encouraged to dress up in replica historical costumes.

Although some of ancient Leicester has been preserved much was lost when Vaughan Way was ploughed through the old Castle Park area. On the other side of this monstrous dual carriageway you'll find a former hosiery factory which has been converted into the Guru Nanak Gurdwara. Although the opening times are restricted, there is a museum here which contains dramatic paintings and models illustrating the history of Sikhism and the sacrifice and devotion of its followers. The oldest church in Leicester is dedicated to St.Nicholas. It dates back to Saxon times. Indeed, it has been suggested that the building was the first cathedral of the city. The earliest record of a bishop here dates from 679. Although the building was altered by the Normans and again by the Victorians, it retains many examples of Saxon work, particularly in the windows inside and the north wall above the arcade. The Saxons and Normans used many of the Roman bricks readily available next door. A good example can be seen in the late 11th century tower which displays a herringbone pattern of Roman bricks.

And so to the star attraction of Leicester. Next to St.Nicholas' Church is the Jewry Wall, the largest Roman Civil building to survive in Britain. It is the only fragment of Ratae Corieltauvorum, the Roman town of Leicester, still standing above ground. The origin of the name Jewry Wall is unknown. There is no evidence of a Jewish quarter, with which the name might be associated. It forms part of the Roman public baths, the foundations of which are also visible. The building of the baths took place between about AD145-160. Some time later, from AD180-200, a reservoir was added in the southwest corner of the site to improve the bath's water supply. The Jewry Wall is thought to have survived because for a time it formed the west wall of the original Saxon church of St.Nicholas. Consequently, it survived whilst the rest of the Roman town was being demolished. Later the church was rebuilt away from the wall. A 19th century factory was cleared from the site in 1936 by the Corporation in order to build a new municipal swimming baths.

The Jewry Wall Museum records the archaeology and history of the Leicester and the county from prehistoric times to 1485. The Roman section contains a spectacular display of mosaic floors and wall paintings excavated around the city. The Peacock Pavement and the Blue Boar Wall paintings date back to AD150. The central octagonal panel of the Peacock Pavement consists of a magnificent Peacock. Its features are highlighted by the use of blue gloss. It is probable that it formed the floor of a residence of an important public official. It was found in 1898 and for many years, for one penny, it could be viewed in the basement of a corset shop. The Blue Boar paintings were found during archaeological excavations in 1958. Another major highlight of the museum is the Glen Parva Lady. She was found in 1866 in a field known as Rye Hill near to Lutterworth Road, Glen Parva, by men digging gravel. They thought that she was a recent murder victim, so they collected up the bones and called the police. The bones were not seen in the ground by an archaeologist but the following details are now known about her: She was 20 years-old when she died, she was 5' 6" tall, she was fairly wealthy [determined from the many objects buried with her], she died around 500AD [shown by the style of the brooches found].

The Jain Centre is a former 19th century Congregational chapel which, during the 1980's, was converted into the grand Jain Centre. It is quite unique in the Western World. Jainism is an ancient religion whose doctrine rejects all forms of violence and treats all living creatures with love. The building is quite spectacular throughout and can be viewed with permission. Further out from the city centre along Welford Road is the town's prison. Described as 'very Baronial' by Pevsner, it is a dramatic building which was designed by the county surveyor, W. Parsons, and built between 1825-8. The front of the prison features a bogus portcullis and is flanked by two round towers. Public executions were once carried out in front of the prison. One murderer attracted a crowd of 20,000 in 1847. One place where they still pull a similar crowd is not too far away. Back towards Castle Park will bring you to the Magazine Gateway, the original gateway to the Newarke, built around 1410. During the English Civil War the Magazine Gateway was used for the storage of arms which is how it got its name. The original gateway was extended in 1894 to incorporate a drill hall. The structure has three arches, a vaulted canopy and ornamental square-topped windows. The new work, or the Newarke as it is known today, is a walled enclosure of about four acres, outside the castle boundaries, in which stood the noble Collegiate Church of St.Mary. The Newarke Houses Museum is just a short distance from the Magazine Gateway. This was formerly two separate houses - Wygston's Chantry House and Skeffington House, both of which were built in the 16th century. Wygston's Chantry House is the oldest and is the only Elizabethan urban gentry house in the country.

The two buildings house a rich collection and exhibits of domestic life. The ground floor even has a recreated Victorian street scene and a room setting of the 1600's. Items belonging to Daniel Lambert, Britain's largest man, can be seen in the museum. A visit is highly recommended. Behind the museum if part of the old Newarke Hall which had a number of holes knocked into it during the English Civil War so that guns could be fired. It is fortunate that they were never used because, in order to achieve an effective field of fire, the Newarke Houses would have been demolished. Adjacent to the Newarke Houses Museum is the Old Trinity Hospital. This was founded in 1331 by Henry, Earl of Lancaster and Leicester, as an almshouse to care for fifty senior citizens. The hospital was rebuilt in 1901 by Goodacre and Sons but much of the old chapel is original. Two of the windows of the chapel were taken from the church at Ashby Folville. A new hospital was built on the other side of the River Soar in 1995 and the old building was taken over by De Montfort University and renamed Trinity House. The area behind the Old Trinity Hospital along the Soar is called Riverside Park. Flood alleviation work to the river in the 19th century formed the 'Mile Straight' which is popular for rowing. Today's West Bridge was built in 1890 though there is an additional concrete monster next to it which was added in the 1970's. Next to the two bridges is the Terracotta Mermaids archway, saved when the city's wholesale vegetable market was demolished in 1968.

Returning to the park from the archway you'll encounter this statue of Richard III which commemorates his links with Leicester. In fact, you'll find a plaque on Bow Bridge which reads "This Bridge was erected by the Corporation of Leicester in 1862 on the site of ancient Bow Bridge over which King Richard III passed at the head of his army to the Battle of Bosworth Field on 22nd August 1485." The king returned over the bridge - but as a corpse. Richard was a bit of a git anyway - he murdered his way to the throne before he was eventually challenged by the Earl of Richmond who, after his victory, was crowned as Henry VII. In fact, very little is known about the battle. Most of our knowledge is clouded perhaps by Shakespeare's highly dramatic tale of events. Within the park, one can wander up to the top of the motte of Leicester Castle looking towards the church of St.Mary de Castro. The motte was built by the first Norman lord around 1070 and would have had a timber fortification on top.

The motte was once much higher but was lowered towards the end of the 18th century to create a bowling green. Unfortunately, the original layout of the castle has been lost. It is known that both Henry IV and Richard III occasionally stayed in the castle. Founded in 1107 by Robert de Beaumont, the first Earl of Leicester, the church of Saint Mary de Castro was rebuilt in 1783 but is still famous for its surviving Norman features. It was probably built on site of Saxon church and has changed considerably over the centuries. For example, in 1160 the church was considerably enlarged with an extension to the chancel and an addition of the north aisle. More additions followed in the early 13th century and alterations were made in the 15th century. Interestingly, the churchyard is several feet higher than the surrounding ground, a result of centuries of burials. It is thought that Geoffrey Chaucer was married in the church and King Henry VI was knighted here in 1426. Next to the church of Saint Mary de Castro is the Castle Gate. This group of buildings comprises of two medieval timber-framed dwellings and a brick built house dating from the Georgian period. The Gateway would have houses the porter's lodge guarding the entrance to Castle Yard. The timbered posts of the gatehouse were probably built in 1445-47 when extensive reconstruction work took place after a fire. Sadly, the Castle Gate is not open to the public.

Walk through the archway and you find yourself in front of the Great Hall, a building that has an elegant brick frontage dating from 1695. This conceals the remains of an important building which has been in continuous use for over 800 years. It is one of the few buildings in Western Europe with any of the original timbers surviving. The hall was built by Robert le Bossu, second Earl of Leicester, in about 1150. The hall was extensively rebuilt and the roof structure replaced in about 1523; but it fell into disrepair. It was used as a law court from the earliest times until 1992. It is recognised as one of the most important medieval secular buildings remaining in England. The Turret Gateway forms the exit to The Newarke. This archway, a part of the fortified gate, which had a turreted house above it, formed the southern entrance to the castle enclosure. The complete gate and gatehouse were probably rebuilt in the late 14th century. The portcullis grooves can still be seen. Back into the the modern town... the clock tower is pretty central to most things.

Erected in 1868, it was designed Joseph Goddard, a member of a famous local family of architects who designed many of the city’s important public buildings. The clock tower is one of the most ornate of its kind anywhere in the country. There are spiral mouldings around the square shaft which indicate that there is a staircase inside. On the lower stage there are statues of Simon de Montfort, William Wiggeston, Sir Thomas White and Alderman Gabriel Newton, the work of Samuel Bardfield. For more than a century arguments have raged whether the clock tower should be relocated but the people of Leicester relate to the structure's position to such a degree it is unlikely to be shifted. The Corn Exchange in the city's market square is quite spectacular. The stuccoed building was originally constructed in 1851 as a single storey Market House but the upper floor, designed by F.W.Ordish, was added four years later to serve the role of a corn exchange. This necessitated the addition of a staircase at the front of the building and the result is similar to that of a Venetian bridge. The Corn Exchange replaced an earlier building which served pretty much the role. A disastrous fire meant that the building lay empty for some years but it has returned to its former glory and is now a pub.

Designed by Joseph Hansom, the library in Belvoir Street was originally constructed as a Baptist Church in 1845. The building became part of the Leicester College of Adult Education in 1950. The stuccoed building features giant Doric pilasters and parapet. One of the most wonderful things about Leicester is New Walk - every city would be richer for a peaceful avenue such as this. It stretches from the city centre at Belvoir Street to Victoria Park which contains De Montfort Hall. When the avenue was first laid out in 1785 it was called Queen's Walk, following the line of the Roman Gartree Road. It has remained a pedestrian thoroughfare because in 1824 the City Corporation decreed that it should be 'for the purpose only of a footpath...' Fashionable buildings did spring up after around forty years but were allowed only on condition that they were constructed at least ten yards from the causeway. Consequently, a spacious air pervades to this day. The earliest houses were probably built in 1825 in the style of Regency classicism.

Halfway along New Walk is the remarkable building housing the city's Museum and Art Gallery. Designed by Joseph Aloysius Hansom, the man responsible for the lending library, it was built in 1836 as a non-conformist Proprietary School. Born in York in 1803, Hansom was also the inventor of the 'Patent Safety [Hansom] Cab' in 1834. He also designed Birmingham's Town Hall and the Roman Catholic cathedral at Plymouth. The Proprietary School was taken over as the Museum in 1849. In front of the museum there are a couple of Russian cannons which were captured by the Leicestershire Regiment during the Crimean War.

Leicester's London Road Station was designed by C.Trubshaw and built in 1892. The grand brick design features a long arched porte-cochère and a domed turret at its end. Close to the entrance is a statue of Thomas Cook, commissioned by Leicester City Council with assistance from British Rail and the Thomas Cook Company. Cook revolutionised modern tourism and invented the package tour. It evolved from his zeal for the temperance movement. Wanting to get teetotallers from Leicester to a rally in Loughborough, he hired and advertised a special train on the Midland railway; 570 people responded and made the return journey for a shilling on 5th July 1841. Within a few years Cook was organising attractive holiday tours; 350 tourists, for example, paid a guinea to travel by train and steamer to Glasgow, where they had vouchers for their hotels and were greeted with brass bands and the firing of cannons. Under his son, John Mason Cook, and grandsons, the firm expanded but was bought in 1992 by LTU, a German travel and air charter group.

Checketts Road

Licensees of the Black Horse Inn 1881 - Charles Tidd

Charles and Hannah Tidd were running the Black Horse Inn at the time of the 1881 census. They later moved to the Woolcomber's Arms in Royal East Street.

North Mill Lane

Licensees of the Clifden Arms 1881 - George Halford

Moving from the Emperor Napoleon in Willow Bridge Street, George and Harriet Halford were running the Clifden Arms in the 1880's. They later moved to the Gardeners' Arms on Belgrave Gate.

Morlidge Street

Licensees of the East End Tavern 1861 - Wilson Mortimer 1870 - Mrs Mary Ann Lewin

Wilson and Hannah Mortimer were running the East End Tavern in the 1860's. They later moved to the Horse Breaker's Arms on Belgrave Gate.

Willow Bridge Street

Licensees of the Emperor Napolon 1870 - George Halford

George and Harriet Halford were running the Emperor Napoleon at the time of the 1871 census. They later moved to the Clifden Arms in North Mill Lane before taking over the Gardeners' Arms on Belgrave Gate.

Freehold Street

Licensees of the George and Dragon 1870 - Joseph Lane 1899 - John Taberer

Moving from the Black Lion on Belgrave Gate, Joseph Lane was the publican of the George and Dragon in the early 1870's. Born in Thurmaston in 1811, the former framework knitter employed widow Mary Tapley as a housekeeper. In retirement, Joseph Lane moved to Enderby. He lived near the reading rooms at The Cross and died in 1883.

Kent Street

Licensees of the George and Dragon 1870 - Charles Sawbridge 1881 - Millicent Herbert

Details of the George and Dragon to follow...

Samuel Street

Licensees of the Railway Tavern 1881 - Richard Cosens

Sussex-born Richard Cosens was the licensee during the early 1880's. He and his Birmingham-born wife Emily had run the Britannia Inn on Belgrave Gate during the 1860's.

Luke Street

Licensees of the Weavers' Arms 1851 - William Fielding 1870 - Simeon Taylor

Wheelwright William Fielding the licensee of the Weavers' Arms during the early 1850's. He and his Castle Donington-born wife Hannah later moved to the Noah's Ark on Belgrave Gate.

Fleet Street

Licensees of the Woodboy 1851 - Thomas Harris Cox

Joseph and Anne Cox kept this pub in the early 1850's. They later moved to the Foundry Arms on Belgrave Gate.

Royal East Street

Licensees of the Woolcomber's Arms 1855 - J. Litchfield 1861 - George Stone 1881 - John Halford 1891 - Charles Tidd

This pub was located in Royal East Street. George and Sophia Stone were the hosts in the early 1860's. Charles and Hannah Tidd moved to the Woolcomber's Arms in 1891. The couple had previously kept the Bowl Turner's Arms on Belgrave Gate in 1891. Charles Tidd was born close to the Rutland border at Knossington in 1851. He grew up on the farm worked by his parents Thomas and Mary. Soon after their marriage, Charles and Hannah Tidd moved to the Black Horse Inn on Checketts Road. The couple later moved to the Bull's Head Inn on the Lutterworth Road in Blaby.

1887 Advertisements