Photo above: Just off Humberstone Gate, the building centre (with the bow window), was known as the Clarence Tavern circa1840-72, and the Clarence Hotel circa 1870-80.
The Clarence was built circa 1840, with twelve rooms, six of them public outbuildings and a brew house. James Wragg seems to be the first licensee.
On the 16th of April 1842, he transferred the licence to Thomas Harrison. Later that year Wragg was taken to court for assaulting another man in the Clarence Tavern after he called Wragg’s mother a whore.
Harrison moved on in the 14th of January 1843, to be replaced by William Appleton, who immediately took out an advert inviting customers to a ‘free and easy’ every Tuesday evening. Although successful it encouraged trouble with fights outside. Appleton was taken to court and cautioned as to his future conduct and licence.
The Clarence was put up for sale but not before Appleton was once again before the magistrates, this time for having his house open after hours.
Within a couple of months Appleton transferred the licence to Henry Simmons, on the 25th of April 1846. Simmons himself was not without trouble as he too was charged for allowing gaming and on another occasion refusing to admit the police.
On the 4th of May 1850, Henry Simmonds moved to the Fleur de Lis in Belgrave Gate and William Eardley took the licence, but only for a short time until John Parish took over on the 26th of April 1851.
On the 17th of May 1851, landlord John Parish was charged with permitting drunkenness in his house at 12.15am. It was alleged that there were fifty persons in the house including many prostitutes. He was fined £1.
On the 7th of July 1855, John Parish to William Lenton, who was still there in 1864. In June 1866, Edward Dix tooks over but within three months died aged only thirty-three. His wife, Emma, took the licence until the 15th of February 1867, when Thomas Gamble and his family moved in.
On Thomas’ death Mrs. Gamble had the licence transferred to her, but through her misconduct and claims of allowing prostitution in the adjoining alleyway to Lower Hill Street in 1870 she was fined.
Mrs. Gamble, feeling aggrieved at the press reports, wrote to complain, saying ‘In the town hall report of last week I was described as a beer house keeper, when in fact I am a respectable licensed victualler, further more the reporter recorded my fine as 21/- or 14 days hard labour, when in fact it was 21/- and fourteen days in prison -no hard labour.’ That told ‘em.
In 1872, Mrs. Gamble lost the licence at the Brewster sessions due to her continued misconduct. The Clarence Tavern had to close.
In 1874, Charles Roper applied to reopen the Clarence claiming he had blocked up the alleyway, thereby alleviating much of the problem. This was turned down.
Thomas Dalrymple tried again in 1875, citing the closing and impending demolition of the nearby Horse & Jockey in Humberstone Gate for the building of the new school. This too was refused.
The building was then sold and became a hosiery warehouse. The owner, Mr. Bromley, offered the building for sale but not before Mrs. Gamble’s son, John T. Gamble, who was living in an adjoining house, appealed again to re-open the Clarence in 1878 – but to no avail.
The Clarence Hotel came up for sale again in April 1880. It advertised as having bar, tap, parlour, bar parlour, two cellars, brew house, eight bedrooms and three stables. By now it was used as a dwelling house.