Photo above: circa 1958.
In 1849, this was known as the Oliver Cromwell, the directory giving the location as between Spencers Yard and Narrow Lane, which is between the Griffin and Wilton St.
On the 1 January 1853, landlord John Lacy of the Oliver Cromwell, Belgrave Gate, was fined 10/- (50p) for having his house open at improper hours on a Sunday. William Stevens is recorded as licensee from 1855.
According to directories by circa1860 the Oliver Cromwell had changed its name to the Marquis of Granby. In that year the landlord also fell foul of the law, when he too was prosecuted for unlawful opening on the 29 December.
The Marquis of Granby was short lived, by 1870 it had been renamed the Malt Shovel.
Licensees of the Malt Shovel were: 1870, Joseph Stacey; 1875, Henry Sturman.
1877, Richard Bowles; 1889, Ben Berry; 1891,WilliamHyde; 1895, William Bentley.
The Malt Shovel was then rebuilt circa 1897 and to commemorate Queen Victoria’s sixty years on the throne, it was renamed the Diamond Jubilee, Alexander Wotherspoon its new licensee. Three years later Arthur White took over briefly, before later the same year -1900 – Robert Dobson was installed. 1903, Walter Ward. 1906, Mark Billson. 1907, William Smith. 1909, George Harrison, and after he died Sarah Harrison in 1922. 1930, John Moore, also the same year John Rosevear.
Owners of the pub include Sarah Braubridge, or Bracebridge, who also owned the Horse Repository at the same time. The City Brewery Lichfield was the next owners, before the City Council purchased the property.
The Diamond Jubilee was a beer house only until 1932, when on the 18th of June it gained a full licence, with one transferred from the Brighton Arms, Northampton St.
Around this time it was rebuilt with the present day Art Deco facade.
The Diamond Jubilee closed in June 1958. The building is used for offices and retail showrooms.
A Holes Brewery pub
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