Situated on the crossroads at Aylestone Rd and Saffron Lane and known locally as the Leaping Deer, due to the M&B advert on the rear wall.
Latter years used as an off-licence, well camouflaged by a hedge, originally a beer house.
Off sales available until 1964. Licensee William Hill pulling one of the last pints – notice sparseness of the stock (Newark Houses photo).
The Cave family ran the X Roads beer house, both James Cave junior and senior. The address was given as 6/7 Freemans Common, by 1880 at least fourteen members of the family lived here.
James was registered here in 1861 but as a weaver, so it is unclear when it became licensed.
The Leicester Journal and Chronicle both reported that James Junior transferred his licence to James senior on August 1872. James Cave senior was still licensee early 1900s. James died 1906, aged 78.
In December 1899, James Cave was charged with letting beer be drunk in his garden against the conditions on his licence.
The magistrates claimed that the licence was and had been since 1875 off-licence only. James argued that the garden the men were drinking in belonged to his son James, so was not on his premises. Perplexed, the bench sill fined James but recommended an appeal to clarify the situation.
I don’t know the outcome, but whilst working at the brewery in 1959 I was told by local drayman that it was a regular occurrence even then for men to buy their beer from the X Roads and drink it outside in the garden. – Barry Lount
William Hill is registered as licensee in 1920 directory; he was still here on its closure c.1964
On researching the X Roads, the Cave family and I came across the Election of Freemans Deputies in 1877 (LINK NEEDED HERE) where both James Cave and John Millis had been elected. The report gave both as beer house keepers on Freemans Common, further research showed this to be so, John Millis having a beer house, unnamed at no 36 Freemans Common in 1871.
1881 this unnamed beerhouse was run by Samuel Clarke, he was listed as beer house keeper.
1891 Frances Preston is listed as publican at the same address no 36 Freemans Common, the type of licence or name is not recorded, so further research is needed.
(photos Newark Houses Museum)