Photo above: Original Durham Ox, circa 1920.
On the corner of Birstall St. and Brunswick St, the Durham Ox’s early licensees were: 1867, William Deacon. 1869, Joseph Ball.
Joseph was charged with assaulting his wife Mary Jane. In court, Joseph Bell claimed he would never live with his wife again, so the case was dismissed. This claim was obviously not observed however, as later in June 1878, Jane Holyland was charged with refusing to quit the Durham Ox. In her defence, Holyland claimed she went there to fetch her husband out who had been enticed to drink there by Mary Jane Bell from Monday morning to Saturday night. Mary Jane also took on the licence on her husband Joseph’s death in August 1880. A year later she transferred it to Charles Remingtonn.
1882, Alf Buckler. 1886, Thomas Garratt.
A particularly nasty crime was committed against Thomas’ four year old daughter, Ida, when Henry Yew of Gresham St. took Ida into the stables of the Durham Ox and viscously assaulted her. After Ida came out crying her mother sent for Dr. Lakin to examine her and he found Ida had suffered physical injuries. When arrested Tew said ‘I am innocent of the charge knowingly through drink.’ In court he repeated he was drunk and didn’t know what he was doing. The Bench regretted that they could not pass a sentence of ‘whipping’ they could only give him six months hard labour for this despicable crime on a young girl.
1890, Robert Osborn. 1897, John Ward, who also doubled up as a bookie at various race meetings. 1900, John Hurst.
Bates & Bishall sold to LBM circa 1897. Rebuilt circa 1938, when further land was obtained. Later in 1945 three adjoining cottages in Brunswick St, and two in Birstall S.t were bought.
A beer house only until 1948 when a wine licence was added. A full licence was not granted until 1956, when the licence from the recently closed Board in Humberstone Gate was removed.
. Now isolated, 1985 in its Ind Coope livery photo Chris Pyrah
June 2015. Two men charged with murder.
The Durham Ox did seem to close for a while sometime after, I remember driving past all livery had been taken down, this photo 2023 (from the Jeremy Corbett collection )shows the Duham Ox trading again. (apparently reopened late 2021)
That 1985 photo of mine shows the DURHAM OX in its Ind Coope livery; the Ansell’s brewery at Aston had closed in 1981 so local Ansell’s pubs were rebranded by parent owner Allied Breweries as Ind Coope houses.
Me and my wife kept the ox Ron And val