THE ABBEY, ABBEY LANE

Photo above: John Zienteck c1948

Opened as The Abbey Hotel c1870, owned by Orsan Wright, purchased by LB.M. (Leicester Brewing and Malting Co) 10th of May 1894.

A building known as The Abbey Inn stood on or near the site, with listings in Abbey Gate and Woodgate from 1815 when Henry Stephenson was victualler. As it stood outside the town walls it could have been there earlier and it must have stood on a large plot as cattle were driven here.  Stephenson owned livestock including bulls, cattle, sheep and horses and was often in court disputing ownership, and charging people with stealing his livestock.

On one occasion in 1838, he saw some children in his grounds trying to light a fire when one small child was set alight.  Henry rushed to the child’s aid and draped her with his coat to try and extinguish the flames.  Unfortunately, the child a little girl – named Sarah Kirchin – aged only five died of her burns.

In 1842, the Leicester Yeomanry assembled at the Abbey Inn on horseback.  As the last Yeoman departed, a bulldog seized the horse.  The Yeoman drew his sword, but by attempting to cut down the canine he only succeeded to strike his own horse, much to the dislike of the horse.  To the amusement of the crowd watching the rider was thrown into a ditch by the angry horse.

Henry Stephenson put the business up for sale in 1847, complete with brewing equipment.

Other records include, William Amos in 1869; the court minute’s book records William Amos being fined 2 guineas or one month in prison for opening after hours on 8 July 1870. The address was given as Abbey Hotel, 56 Abbey Gate.

The register of licensees, court minute books, also state that the licence for the new Abbey Hotel was granted on 24 September 1874 to the owner James Harby, then in 1877 to Edward Roberts for four months before in December of that year to Sarah Anne Harby was given the licence.

Other licensees:

1879 William Baxter

1880 Joe Swift

1883 William  Ross

1886 Charles Smith

1887 Thomas Carvell

1888 Harry Oswin

1891 Charles Randle. 

The Randall family held the licence for the following forty years.  After Charles came Mary 1905, Sidney 1914, and Maria Randall in 1916. Maria married and became Maria Sheppard in 1922. 1932 saw John Morris as landlord, the minute book ends here, JR lists 1939 Oliver Bishop, 1944 George Heywood and 1947 Alec Bishop as further licensees.

“Memories of the Abbey” by Alec Bishop

One day as a schoolboy I was alone in the bar when the local chimney sweep came in bang on opening time. Airily dismissing my offer to get my dad, he insisted I pulled his pint. Well it looked alright but when he started to drink it he found it was a pint of pump cleaning liquid from the overnight pipe soak. He never asked me again.

We had an early Juke Box (a Bal Ami 40 3d a play) Unfortunately it came to the attention of various Rock & Roll starved Teddy Boy gangs, the regulars couldn’t cope with the influx, so the Juke Box went after a couple of weeks!

As with many Publicans my father was in regular demand for Coroners Jury as the pubs were closed in the afternoon then, it was good politics to keep in with the police and Magistrates.