At the time of this photograph [December 2005] a phone shop was trading from the premises of the Brewer's Arms. The building was actually two separate properties that were combined in the late 1840's. Born in the parish, Thomas Bailey was the victualler in charge of the beer house at this time. He kept the pub with his wife Susannah who hailed from the Northamptonshire village of Polebrook. Following her death, Thomas Bailey continued as publican employing Ann O'Brien as a housekeeper and Mary Murrell as a domestic servant. The pub's name suggests that brewing took place on the premises but this may have ended when the long Bailey reign came to an end. In the early 1880's Lancashire-born John Dale also earned a living as a joiner. His wife Mary probably kept the pub during the day. In the mid-Edwardian period the property was trading as a fruit and vegetable shop but was later taken over by the butcher Arthur Shield.
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"The name Goadby is that of my Great Grandmother, Louisa Elizabeth Goadby who was born in Market Bosworth in 1858. She worked for a while for her brother John at the Britannia Inn. According to all the census since 1841, he was also born in Market Bosworth. His wife Elizabeth nee Rolfe was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. Prior to returning to Leicester they had lived in Harrogate, where their children Eleanora Louise and Frank Archibald were born. Having read the information on your website it would seem that the places are out of sync with what I have researched, could you tell me how you came to those conclusions?" Bruce Smith Virginia Beach 12th November 2009

In 2005 this tyre bay stood on the site of the fully-licensed Britannia Inn. The street leading off Belgrave Gate was named after the pub. Sussex-born Richard Cosens was the licensee during the early 1860's. He kept the pub with his wife Emily who hailed from Birmingham. They later moved to the Railway Tavern in Samuel Street. John and Alice Flude kept the Britannia Inn during the 1870's. John Flude had been living in Britannia Street and came out of early retirement to run the pub. Indeed, he was to continue working to a ripe old age long after he left the licensed trade. The Flude's moved to the nearby boatyard where John Flude traded as a coal merchant before running a grocery store on Church Lane. In the late 1880's John Goadby traded as a hay and corn dealer in addition to running the Britannia Inn. In the census of 1881 he told the enumerator that he originated from Amersham in Buckinghamshire whilst his wife Elizabeth gave her birthplace as the Yorkshire town of Harrogate. However, as can be seen from the message in the "Genealogy Connections" to the left this would appear to be false information. Indeed, in the census conducted ten years later John Goadby declared that he was born in Market Bosworth and his wife Elizabeth revealed that it was she who was born in Amersham. This may have been simply an error by the census enumerator of 1891. This is the only rational explanation for the differing data.
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This pub was located on the south-east side of the road, not too far from the Haymarket and just a few doors up from the Star Inn.

This former beer house was located next to the Malt Shovel. It was a licensed house with a short life, quite the norm in the early years of Victorian legislation. In 1861 the pub was kept by widower Millicent Preston. She was born in Enderby in 1789. She later moved to her son Ephraim's property in Brook Street from where he traded in fish. This was a departure from his previous life as a wood turner, a trade in which his brothers Thomas and Nathaniel were engaged. They grew up together at another pub in Leicester as Millicent and Thomas Preston once kept a boozer in Sanvey Gate in the 1840's before the family moved to Blackfriar's Street. Millicent Preston died in 1871. © Copyright

The Crown and Anchor was located on the north corner of Navigation Street, roughly on or under today's Burleys Flyover. The fully licensed pub was a homebrew house run by the maltster and brewer Robert Briggs for much of the first half of the 19th century. He kept the pub with his wife Mary. The couple hailed from Northamptonshire. Joseph and Mary Brown were running the Crown and Anchor in the early 1860's. A decade earlier they were at the Pelican on Gallowtree Gate. In 1871 Joseph Brown was recorded as a licensed victualler, wine and spirit merchant and cattle dealer. He later moved with his wife Mary and extended family to Stanley Villas, an affluent property on Humberstone Road. Employing four men and two boys, he continued to farm some 174 acres of land. Surviving his wife, he died in 1894. The Crown and Anchor passed to son John Stanley Brown who kept the pub with his Shropshire-born wife Mary Ann. It was during their tenure that a Primitive Methodist Chapel was erected on the opposite corner on a site formerly occupied by a slate and timber yard operated by J. and W. Jackson. A small dancing room was also located here in the mid-19th century. By the 1890's John and Mary Ann Brown had moved to the Pelican on Gallowtree Gate so I presume this had remained in the family in the interim years. Henry and Sarah Bray succeeded the Brown family at the Crown and Anchor. They had previously worked in the the textile trade when living close to the George and Dragon in Kent Street. © Copyright

This pub was located on the eastern side of Belgrave Gate next door to the White Swan Inn. 55 year-old John Boot was the publican at the time of the 1861 census. He kept the pub with his Mary - and did so for at least a decade. Rothwell-born former silk weaver Benjamin Walker was in charge of the Crown and Cushion in the early 1880's. He and his wife Emma had lived in the parish for a number of years. Benjamin Walker worked as an elastic web weaver in a local factory. The Walker's were succeeded by George and Elizabeth Hill. George was a Yorkshireman but his wife hailed from Nottinghamshire. It looks as though the Crown and Cushion may have offered entertainment as the 1901 census records a comedy duo, Bob and Alma Baxter, lodging at the pub. At this time the Crown and Cushion was managed by James and Elizabeth Jones. Their daughter was born in Massachusetts, suggesting the couple had tried their luck on the other side of the Atlantic ocean. © Copyright

This pub stood next to the Sultan Vaults. As England entered the late 18th century, a fashion for breeding farm animals swept the country. Royalty, nobility and commoners alike competed side by side for livestock prizes at agricultural shows. The goal? Breed the largest animal on the least amount of food, in the shortest period of time. It wasn't just a contest, though. The population was increasing rapidly, and people were moving off the land into towns and cities. That caused an increase in the demand for meats, and farm animal owners rose to the challenge. The competition to breed the largest cattle, pigs and poultry was fierce during this hugely popular period of experimentation. Pigs were bred so fat they could not stand on their own, and cows weighing some 2,800lbs toured the country on exhibition. Today the demand for lean meat results in livestock looking much different, so it is hard for us to believe these grotesquely large animals ever existed. But they did. We find these animals, many now extinct, endangered or evolved beyond recognition, fondly remembered in livestock portraits of the day, virtually the only record of an all-but-vanished agricultural heritage. The superstar of the day - that is, the most famous animal in all the land because of its size, was The Durham Ox. A print of this giant beast, produced in 1802 by John Boultbee, sold 2,000 copies within a year and was displayed in homes, inns and coaching houses. The animal's image even made its way onto an entire blue and white Staffordshire dinner service. The ox's owner sent the celebrated animal from one agricultural fair to another pocketing a portion of the admission fees. The Durham Ox toured the country in a specially constructed carriage which was drawn by four horses; if the going was tough, six horses had to be used to pull the carriage. There are conflicting accounts as to the weight of the Durham Ox because the "stone," the measuring unit of the time, was not standardised. The ox probably tipped the scales around 2,400 pounds and stood five feet, five inches at the shoulders. Records of its size exist because they were measured by artist George Garrard for his 1802 'A Fat Holderness Ox called the Wonderful Ox [The Durham Ox].' Despite its size, the Durham Ox appears to have been in good health and would have lived a long life. He was, after all, a show animal and not meant for the dinner table. However, following an untimely accident in 1807, the ox dislocated a hip bone and had to be slaughtered. The story of the Durham Ox illustrates the fascination English people had with these large farm animals, why owners would commission artists to paint them, and the effects the new breeding and feeding techniques would have on animal husbandry forever. Naturally, the animal was the inspiration behind many an inn sign. John Weston was the publican of the Durham Ox in the early 1860's. Born in Thurmaston in 1811, he kept the pub with his wife Harriet who hailed from Kilby Bridge. Following his death, Harriet went to run the Rutland Arms on the other side of the road. Former sawyer Henry Sketchley and his wife Elizabeth were mine hosts of the Durham Ox in the early 1870's. © Copyright

Formerly called the Waterworks Tavern, the Earl Cardigan [or sometimes the Earl of Cardigan] was technically in Foundry Square but this did form part of Belgrave Gate so is included here. It was as the Waterworks Tavern that the pub was run by Mrs F. Carter in the mid-1850's. The name had changed by the time William Kirby was running the pub with his wife Mary. He was born locally but she hailed from the village of Barlestone. The pub changed its name in honour of James Thomas Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan, who died in 1868. He was the officer in command of the Light Cavalry Brigade at the Battle of Balaclava and led the Charge of the Light Brigade on October 25th 1854. He was probably considered a hero during the Victorian period. However, in subsequent years he is viewed as nothing short of an incompetent idiot who bought his rank and abused his power.

The Earl Stamford's Arms was located on the eastern side of Belgrave Gate between Gower Street and Grosvenor Street. George and Helen Hodges were the hosts in the early 1860's. George Hodges was born in Ireland in 1811; wife Helen was a local woman. The couple had two daughters, Ann and Ellen. Their son Frederick worked in a local factory as an elastic weaver. The Hodges family hired Wanlip-born Thomas Gilbert as a general servant. The pub evolved into the Black Swan but the name changed back before the it was rebuilt.
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The Fleur-de-Lis was located on the eastern side of Belgrave Gate north of Bread Street, a few doors away from the Black Horse Inn. It was a large establishment with its own yard that accommodated two carriage builders. Former stocking maker and flour dealer Samuel Ginns was mine host in the 1860's. Born in Hinckley in 1821, he kept the busy inn with his wife Ann. He died in 1869 and was succeeded by Henry Turner who also traded as a glass and china dealer. An Irish flavour was introduced to the inn when Thomas Stanton was publican. Born in Country Clare, he was a widower but was helped by his mother Mary and his younger sister Mary, the latter being born in Walsall where their father had worked as a shoemaker. By 1887 the Fleur-de-Lis, like the nearby Black Horse Inn, was operated by T. Leary & Sons who installed Luke Worthington as manager. © Copyright

The Foundry Arms was not, as you would perhaps expect, in Foundry Square but a little further south along the west side of Belgrave Gate. The beer house was roughly halfway between the Crown and Anchor and the Rutland Arms. The Cox family kept the pub throughout much of the mid-Victorian period. Joseph and Anne Cox had previously run the Woodboy at Fleet Street. Following the death of her husband, Anne Cox remained as the licensee. She was assisted by her eldest son Edward until he joined the Royal Marines. Her other son, Alfred, worked as a butcher. Anne Cox supplemented her income from the sales of beer by taking in lodgers. The 1871 census records no less than eight lodgers living on the premises.
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This beer house stood on the west side of Belgrave Gate just to the south of Green Street, a thoroughfare that has since disappeared from the map following the re-alignment of Abbey Street. Widow Mary Ann Barnes was the publican in the early 1850's. She had four mouths to feed but was helped out by youngest son George who worked as a carpenter. The beer house was wedged between a fishmonger's shop run by Samuel Riley and a grocery shop operated by Sarah Barnes - a relative perhaps? It was an all female affair in the early 1860's as the Fox and Grapes was run by Elizabeth Read who lived on the premises with her three daughters Charlotte, Ellen and Elizabeth. Their father Samuel, a former wool sorter, had died when the family were living in Sycamore Road. The daughters all grew up to work in the boot trade. Former framework knitter, William Kirk took over the pub with his wife Sarah in the early 1880's. The couple hailed from Bulwell in Nottinghamshire. They later moved further up Belgrave Gate to run the Red Cow.
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Located on the south corner of St. Mark's Street [formerly called Crab Street] this furniture store stands on the site of the Gardener's Arms. The closest rivals for custom were the Sultan and Durham Ox. A fully licensed house, the Gardeners' Arms was run by George Bishop in the early 1860's. Born in 1801 in the Nottinghamshire village of Sutton Bonington, George Bishop kept the Gardeners' Arms with his wife Sarah who was Leicester born-and-bred. The couple had previously kept a short-lived beer house in Archdeacon Lane. Lutterworth-born John Hurley combined his trade of carpentry with that of his skills as a publican to run the Gardeners' Arms in the 1870's. Six years older than her husband, Ann Hurley was born in the Nottinghamshire village of Hickling in 1838. In something of a radical career change John Hurley later worked as a hairdresser further along Belgrave Gate.

Pigot's directory for 1835 records Thomas Smith as the publican of the Grey Horse on Belgrave Gate. So far, it is the only reference I have found for this public house.

Replacing an older Griffin Inn, this building was erected in 1929. At the time of this photograph the pub was trading as Jacey's Bar. The old Griffin Inn was run by James and Susannah Smart throughout the 1860's. James Smart was already a resident of Belgrave Gate having spent his teenage years living above his parent's tailoring business. Samuel Bevans was the publican by 1891. He and his wife Mary had previously lived at Junction Road where Samuel operated a small needle manufactory. He had moved his factory from Albion Street where he was located next to a malthouse operated by William Peel. He had followed in his father's footsteps as a needle maker. His dad, also named Samuel, was based on Welford Road. Samuel and Mary Bevans later moved to their son's property in Whitwick where they went into business as carters.

Located on the north corner of George Street, Aquis House stands on the site of the Holly Bush Inn. The name of the Holly Bush is truly ancient and goes back to the very early days of inns and taverns in Britain. This is because the Romans used the holly bush during their Saturnalia celebrations which often extended to seven days of unrestrained revelry that usually ended up with debauchery. Sounds like a good session! Former glove factory foreman John Johnson was the publican of the Holly Bush Inn during the early 1860's. He kept the pub with his wife Martha. The couple employed Ann Walker as a servant. They were succeeded by James and Elizabeth Fletcher. Born in Market Bosworth in 1824, James Fletcher moved to Leicester in the 1840's where he found work as a frame work knitter [who didn't in those days?] The couple lived in Dysart Street and Oadby-born Elizabeth worked as a laundress.

Later known as the Repository Hotel, the Horse Breaker's Arms got its name because the pub was traditionally run by horse breakers. One such publican was Wilson Mortimer. Indeed, his son John also worked in this field. Born in Littlethorpe near Narborough in 1831, Wilson Mortimer was running a pub in Midland Street [probably the Joiners' Arms] during the 1850's with his Quorn-born wife Hannah. In the 1860's the couple kept the East End Tavern in Morlidge Street where Wilson Mortimer also worked as a horse breaker. By the time Thomas Ward was mine host at No.45 Belgrave Gate, the property was recorded as the Repository Hotel. The proprietors of the Leicester Horse Repository were Warner, Shepherd and Wade.
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This seven bay building was erected on the site of the old Malt Shovel. The beer house was on the eastern side of the thoroughfare five doors away from Narrow Lane. The latter is just to the left of this photograph. High on the Narrow Lane wall of this building one can make out the fading and flaked lettering for Hole's Newark Ales. The Malt Shovel was a huge wooden shovel used in the traditional floor malting process to turn the barley. The raw grain is allowed to partially germinate by steeping it in water. But just as any seedlings start getting ideas above their station, they are whisked off to the brewery because, at this stage, they have the perfect combo of sugars and proteins to give the malt flavour we beer drinkers lust for. The enumerator recording the 1861 census listed the pub as the Marquis of Granby so it would appear that the Malt Shovel name was not the original moniker for the boozer.

This beer house was located at the 'town end' of Belgrave Gate on the western side of the road. It was a short-lived enterprise. In the 1860's the property was used by the tailor and bookseller William Holyoak. However, by 1871 the premises had been licensed and was trading as the Nag's Head. Henry and Ann Gisborne were the hosts. Most of their six children brought additional income into the household which, judging by the census conducted in 1871, was fairly cramped as the Gisborne's also took in lodgers.

With this name, this pub was probably located at the northern end of Belgrave Gate close to the canal basin opposite Melton Street.

Located on the western side, the New Inn was right up the top of Belgrave Gate where the thoroughfare changed into Belgrave Road. Thomas and Sarah Nichols were hosts during the early 1870's. They later operated a shop in Birstall Street where Thomas specialised as a tripe dresser.

Housing an Oriental Restaurant in 2005, this large building stands on the site of the Noah's Ark public house. It was situated between Narrow Lane and Wilton Street. Although there seemed to be many boozers called Noah's Ark in the 19th century, the name seems to have almost disappeared from our pub landscape - except for Sheffield which has two - one at Crookes and the other at Intake. The story of Noah and his big boat captured the imagination of the god-fearing Victorians so it was natural than many beer houses should spring up bearing the name. William Fielding combined his trade of wheelwright in addition to working at the Noah's Arks with his wife Hannah. The couple employed John Philpott as an ostler, suggesting a fair bit of equine activity on this site. Both born in Castle Donington, William and Hannah Fielding had previously kept the Weavers' Arms in Luke Street. The property had been converted into refreshment rooms by 1916.
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The Cornwell family run this pub for much of the early-mid 19th century. The pub was extended into the adjoining property in the late 1850's and eventually evolved into the Royal Oak. Widow Jane Ludlam was in her 80's when she was the licensee of the Nottingham Arms. Trading as a butcher, her son George lived on the premises with his wife Ann. George took over the licence following the death of his mother in 1876 and, following the loss of his wife, he retired to Orchard Street where he died in 1884.

The Ostrich appears to be another of those beer houses that enjoyed a short lease of life. I picked it up in the 1861 census which recorded 74 year-old widower William Wilson running the place. Also living on the premises were his daughter Frances Lane and granddaughter Emma Simpson. The boozer was on the south corner of Wilton Street so looking across to the Prince of Wales. By 1870 the property was being used as a tobacconist's shop that was run by John Tierney. William Wilson was meanwhile admitted into Trinity Hospital at The Newarke. © Copyright

When this photograph was taken in December 2005 it looked as though the Pack Horse Inn was done and dusted. And to be frank, it looked as if demolition would be putting it out its misery. Already a gruesome building, it had been vandalised to the point where it looked like, well, just about the last place on earth you'd want to have a pint. I don't know what the original Pack Horse Inn looked like but absolutely anything on the planet would have been better than this. What a hole!  Horse bandage manufacturer William Lowe was the licensed victualler in charge of the old Pack Horse Inn during the early 1870's. The pub was on the western side of the road on the corner of Painter Street so there would have been some trade from the canal basin and the nearby cement works. William and Ann Lowe remained at the Pack Horse into the 1890's. They were succeeded by Richard and Emma Pick who had previously kept the Star and Garter on Wigston Magna's Leicester Road.
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This hideous building stands on the north corner of Wilton Street, the site of the Prince of Wales and Concert Hall once known as the New Tivoli. Entertainment had long been a staple of the saloon bar, a room of the pub that first appeared in the late 1820's or early 1830's. It was a part of the pub where customers could be entertained by singers, dancers, magicians and, well, just about any type of variety act. The creation of a separate room for such amusements, allowed the publican to charge an entrance fee or, alternatively, a premium price on the drinks. So successful were some of the so-called "Music Hall Pubs", it was necessary to extend or enlarge the premises to get more bums on seats and, of course, expand the range of entertainment on offer. However, demarcation soon followed when an Act of Parliament was passed in 1843 that prohibited the consumption of alcoholic drinks in the auditorium.

Located on the north corner of Orchard Street, the Red Cow has long since operated as a public house. However, given the mass destruction of historic Belgrave Gate, we have to be thankful that the lovely building survives, albeit as flats and apartments. Above the front door the initials J. T. can be found in a wrought-iron which I presume stands for Joseph Taylor who was the publican at the time of the 1901 census - the pub looks like a late 19th century creation. He kept the pub with his wife Louisa. The couple had four young children all born in the 1890's. Joseph Taylor employed Bernard Owen as a barman and Robert Riddington as a potman. Charles Crofts was the licensee of the original Red Cow in the early 1860's. He had moved up the road from the Nottingham Arms, a pub he had kept with his wife Sarah in the early 1850's. She, like him, originated from Berkshire.

With over 500 examples around the country, this sign remains the second most popular pub name. Its origin goes back to the days of Charles II who, along with Colonel Carless, avoided capture by Roundhead soldiers pursuing him after his defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651. The king and his comrade hid from noon to dusk in the Boscobel Oak, near Shifnal in Shropshire before making their escape. Following his restoration to the throne it was declared that 29th May, the King's birthday, should be celebrated as 'Royal Oak Day' as an act of thanksgiving. This particular Royal Oak evolved from the Nottingham Arms and stands on the north corner of New Parliament Street. Thomas Tillson was the manager of the pub in 1901. He ran the Royal Oak with his wife Catherine. They had help from Florrie Chapman who was employed as a general servant. Thomas Tillson, like his father before him, had previously worked in the shoe trade.
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This beer house was on the western side of Belgrave Gate, a little further away from the town than the Foundry Arms. Indeed, there was once an iron foundry next to the pub. Widow Harriet Weston was the licensee in 1870. She had previously kept the Durham Ox with her husband John Weston. When she retired she was succeeded by Samuel and Sarah Preston.

Also recorded as the Spitalhouse Inn, this pub was located close to the Pack Horse Inn. Former groom Henry Illsley and his wife Margaret were hosts in the early 1870's. They were both from Ashby-de-la-Zouch. They later moved to the Black Lion at the Haymarket end of Belgrave Gate.

This pub was located on the south-east side of the road close to Haymarket. In 1871 it was kept by Henry and Sarah Bray. Locally born in 1829, Henry Bray also rented out horses. He had previously worked as a toll gate keeper on the Leicester Road at Belgrave. The Bray's later moved to Sarah's hometown of Wigston to run the Railway Hotel.

Located on the southern corner of Woodboy Street, this building was erected in 1931, replacing an older Sultan Vaults, a pub formerly called the Milton's Head. The Durham Ox once stood next door though, at one time, there was a grocery store wedged between occupying part of the pub's premises. In 1936 this pub was recorded as the Sultan of Egypt. Britain occupied Egypt in 1882 and, although independence was granted in 1922, UK armed forces remained until 1952. The title of Sultan was established in the 10th century. The pub's later name probably refers to the Husayn Kamil, Sultan of Egypt and King of The Sudan from 1914-1917 who ruled during the period when Egypt was declared a British protectorate during World War One. However, as the pub was known as the Sultan Vaults much earlier than this, it was probably a reference to Sultan Azizi of Turkey who came to England in 1869. This was on a state visit that seemingly captivated the nation. The Royal Navy even named a vessel after the head of state. The pub was trading as the Milton's Head when Manchester-born Margaret Shilton was the licensee in the early 1870's. She employed Rothley-born Catherine North as a servant. The pub's name had changed to the Sultan Vaults by the time John Coleman was landlord. He kept the pub with his wife Elizabeth. Although born locally, the couple spent some years in Birmingham before returning to Leicester and entering the licensed trade.

They later moved to Walnut Street. James and Emma Flint were in charge of the place in the early 1890's. The son of a framework knitter, James Flint grew up in Broughton Astley before following in his father's footsteps when starting work. He continued working as a framework knitter following his marriage to Emma. The couple established a home in Kent Street where their children Thomas, John and Lillian were born. After their spell running the Sultan Vaults the Flint's moved to the White Swan Inn. George Rollestone kept the Sultan Vaults for much of the early 20th century.
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Details of The Talbot to follow.....

Details of this beer house to follow.....

The Waggon and Horses pub name is naturally very common as they were the principal means of transportation before the advent of the railways. Moreover, it was not just beer deliveries that involved pubs and inns - many publicans acted as agents and all manner of goods could be left there where they would either be forwarded or collected by locals to whom they were addressed.

Details of the White Horse to follow.....

Details of the White Swan Inn to follow.....