BLACK BOY, 35 ALBION STREET

A Black Boy was listed in 1747, Thomas Drake as its victualer, no address is given. (JR). It is known that a Richard Johnson kept the Black Boy Albion St. in 1827 with the following licensees up to the millennium:

1831 John Smith; 1840 Daniel Winterton; 1843 James Sawbridge; 1846 Joseph Fox; 1868 Charles Fox; 1912 George West; 1920 William Sharp; 1925 Elizabeth Sharp; 1929 Bernard Winfield; 1935 Herbert Howard; 1938 Florence Howard; 1945 Charles Wright; 1954 Horace Wright; 1958 James Wright;1987 John Whitehead; 1992 Paul Jessop and 1994 Nicola Devey.

Throughout the Black Boy’s history it was thus kept mainly by four families: Fox, Sharp, Howard and Wright.

Confusion surrounds the name as in the political correct climate of the 1990s the Black Boy sign was deemed insulting. The original reasoning had been lost in time, the term “black boys” were named after the time when boys were sent up chimneys for cleaning, many were named after tobacconists as the sign of that profession was often a black man smoking a pipe as most tobacco came from the southern states of America. Some “black boys” referred to King Charles who had dark skin and was so named at the time. Sense eventually prevailed and the name stood with King Charles as the pictorial sign.

Brewed its own ale in the 19^th century, eventually leased then sold to Brunt & Cos Brewery, Bass took over, rebuilt the pub in 1927. The classical façade with ornate internal art deco plaster ceiling still stood proud in 2000

Various inquests from the 1830s-40s were held at the Black Boy.  One on Joe Hodgson, a regular at the Richard III, who hung himself in their outside privy (dealt with under Richard III). 

Another was an inquest on a young women, a Mrs. Buswell aged 27, who was married with three children and who died suddenly at her home in Stamford St. near to the Black Boy.  It was well known by neighbours that she was often beaten and ill treated by her husband Ed Buswell, so much so it was assumed he was the reason for her death one way or another, a great crowd gathered outside the Black Boy and also Buswell’s nearby home awaiting the inquest verdict.  It was told that he would soak her bed clothes so as she would catch cold, regularly threaten to kill her and set fire to her.

The expected verdict of murder wasn’t found, however, as the post mortem showed a heart defect, putting the jury in two minds. A verdict of death by natural causes was reached.  Yet so much dissatisfaction registered in the public’s minds that even at the funeral the husband was regularly saluted with the cry of ‘murderer’.

The Fox family ran the Black Boy from c1846 until 1906.  Joseph Fox was the first member of the family, he died in 1867.  The licence passed on to his widow, Ann, before one of his sons – Charles – took on the reins in 1868.

Charles and wife Sarah were to run the Black Boy for years, but the pub was put up for sale by auction in 1890 by the trustees under the terms of father Joseph’s will who had died some 33 years previously.  Ironically, son Charles was forced to bid until the pub, and adjoining yard and tenements were knocked down to him for £4,000.  Charles continued at the Black Boy until 1906, when he retired and put the pub up for auction.  Another son, also named Joseph, was to run another pub in Ashwell St. Leicester during the 1890s:  perhaps the reason for the terms of Joseph the elder’s will was due to the fact he had quite a few sons and daughters.

This was once a jewel in Leicester’s pubs and it started to decline during the late 1990s, and saw a succession of landlords, under the Punch Company regime, who had taken it on from Bass.  This saw the pub change from one of the classiest and busiest, serving one of the best pints of Bass around, to an ever changing identity, resulting in its closure and sale notice.  The classic interior was vandalised and ripped out, leaving a shell falling more and more into disrepair.

2023 (Jeremy Corbett collection) Still standing and neglected, what next?