The newly built station entrance on Campbell Street (see photo below). The Railway Hotel was to accommodate passengers to the new transport. This building was replaced by the present structure in London Road.
ROYAL MAIL:
Licensees from 1855: 1855, J Slawson. 1863, Thomas Wright. 1878, Harriot Flude. 1885, Thomas Wright. 1888, William Scotney. 1893, Harry Staines. 1884, Sam Whiteman. 1896, Charlotte Whiteman. 1897, John Freer. 1901, Edwin Thomsett. 1912, Fred Gram. 1922, George Roach. George Heath, 1932. Josiah Pegg (December). 1932, Edward Palmer.
John Slawson with wife Eliza had moved from the Fox Humberstone Gate c1853, John also owned property and had a smallholding on Stoughton Lane.which he sold at auction 1861, the livestock included 32 lambs, 33 ewes, cows and farming machinery. This all happened after the death of his son William aged 17 from bronchitis, followed by Johns wife Eliza aged only 39 both in April 1861. The year was a tumultuous one for John Slawson, as well as the deaths of wife and son he was taken to court for selling liquor before 12 noon on a Sunday, the headlines in the LC ‘A RIDICULOUS CHARGE AGAINST LEICESTER INNKEEPER’ As the Railway was next to the station travelers were allowed to partake of refreshment outside of normal licensing hours, all of the drinkers in the pub at that time had gotten off the train from London, so called in the Railway for refreshment. The magistrates much to the embarrassment of the police dismissed the case. Other incidents occurred when 17 George Robinson was given 4 months hard labour for stealing 10lbs of beef that was hanging up in the Railway. James Elliot 3 months for stealing potatoes, lettuce and onions from the pub garden. John Slawson would leave the Railway and move to the OLD HORSE on London Rd in 1863.
Thomas Wright was an early owner of the Railway, selling it to Ind Coope.
The magistrate’s records state the first mortgagee was a doctor from Acocks Green, Birmingham – although the name is illegible.
On the 4t May 1872, the Leicester Chronicle reported a séance held here.
The Royal Mail was auctioned at the Wellington Hotel on 9 August1873.
In 1895, the Leicester Daily Post reported a match stand valued at 10/- stolen from the Railway vaults by a lodger from the Welcome Inn.
Landlord Les Catlin found this banner of the Leicester branch of the National Union of Railwaymen, whilst cleaning out an old store in December 1975.
The pub’s last days was as a live music venue, specialising in jazz, blues and roots music.
The End of the Royal Mail, September 2000.
The end came as a shock to the tenants, as the owners London based Magnet Properties invoked a clause in their contract to close the pub at a month’s notice. The intention was to demolish the Royal Mail and surrounding properties to create a £30 million leisure and shopping centre on the site.
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