photo from Peter Taylor
The Prince of Wales, on the corner of Crafton Street and Wharf Street is a mid Victorian building owned by John Millington who first applied for a licence in 1864, William Atkins listed as next licensee and Joseph Raven c1869, and to William Henry Smart 1879. Richard Vann 1880, 1882 The Prince of Wales was put up for auction on behalf of the mortgagees (doesn’t say who but Est of John Millington is listed as ownership), he was to also be tenant of the Abbey Park pavilion. He was fined 10/- in 1886 for leaving his hose and cart unatended in front of a pub in Sileby fo rover an hour. Richard was to die aged 44 in 1887 in somewhat peculiar circumstances it was said that Richard had been violently beaten and kicked in the head in a public house before retiring home to bed, the doctor whist admitting Richard has hemorrhaging of the stomach and bruising over the right ear. never the less he recorded death from natural causes, the coroner reporting as there was no one charged with an offence directed the jury to agree on the natural causes, the Vann family through Richards widow Elizabeth Vann would take on the licence, she also brewed here in the latter part of the 19th century until 1901.
Albert Edward Clayton would become licensee 1901, Charles Henry Baker 1931, Thomas Randal 1935, Jack Bingham 1938 Frederick Davis 1939.
It became a Bass House, and survived as such until circa 1995 when Centric Inns took over to be followed by Gibbs Mew in 1998. Underwent further changes and became run down (as did the area), in 2006-2007 changing its name altogether to Barocco.
Another classic photo from the Jeremy Corbett collection 2023 now empty.