Photo above: Taken circa 1927 shortly after the ‘new façade’ was added. St Marks church in the background.
The Waterworks Tavern was recorded in 1854 directory. It was auctioned off at the Anchor in Charles Street that year on the 12th of March.
1835 Richard Jelly licensee of the Brave Marine, 1840 John Garner licensee, of The Brave Marine ,John Garner is also listed as licensee of the Waterworks Tavern at around a similar time, so it is quite probable that they are one and the same, 1848 Joseph Brown Foundry Arms Foundry Square, 1849 George Collis, also (Foundry Arms) 1850 John Roberts- Waterworks Tavern, In Oct 1854 John Roberts was charged with keeping his house open after 10pm om a Sunday night, In court Roberts said he had forgotten the law, he was fined 10/-. ( The Newspaper reports of the period are often misreported, hence the possible discrepancies)
December 1854 John Roberts transferred the licence to Thomas Carter, but within just over a month Thomas Carter died aged only 36, so in Sept of 1855 Francis Carter who now held the licence transferred it to Elizabeth Dorman-a widow from Holy Bush in Begrave Gate, Now the pub sometimes referred to as the Earl of Cardigan others still as Waterworks Tavern. 1856 Elizabeth fined for having the house open after time on a Sunday. 1856 Elizabeth ran a booth at Leicester Races, a couple named King and Gilbert broke into her Bar booth one night stealing liquor, porter and brandy, Elizabeth found them the next morning very drunk outside, both were sentenced to one months hard labour. She seemed to leave 1857 transferring to the owner John Brown. Shortly after she was charged with insolvency, (charged with ‘fraudulent preferences’) turning up at the Bee Hive in Augustine Friars. her final examination being unopposed in 1859. (Elizabeth later moved 1861 to the Foresters Arms Dryden St)
John Brown would auction the now Earl of Cardigan together with brewhouse 1859.
Known for a period as the Foundry Arms after the foundry that was built here in 1799 by James Cort, a similar name to the beer house a few doors away in Belgrave Gate. This was short lived as it became known as the Cardigan Arms, the Lord Cardigan and eventually Earl of Cardigan. again. He led the ill fated Charge of the Light Brigade
,1862 James Gunton licensee off the Cardigan Arms died 1869 aged 69 .1869 John Bull, 1870 Edward Kirby, 1872 Thomas Duddle, Mr Hancock the owner. Henry Burgess 1889, John Burdett 1891, James Prendergast 1905, Arthur Edward Lovett 1909 (deceased, Thomas Bolton 1913, William Henry Billson 1929. William Judkins 1934.
An LBM House from 1899, prior to that it had its own brewhouse. LBM leased the pub until 1917 when they finally agreed to buy it for £3000.
Inquests were often held here during the 1870s.
Next door Central Motors’ cars displayed in front of the Earl of Cardigan.
The pub was refereed to the compensation board in May 1940 where its licence was to be rejected and compensation paid.
The pub was to close on the 8th of August 1941, but had been used for a short time by the local ‘Blackshirts’, much ‘nazi’ party propaganda found here.
Charlie Wright reopened the building as the Cardigan Café on condition that any forces in transit at the nearby station were to be fed and bed for the night. It next embarked on its most notorious time when known as the Blinking Owl café, being known as a haunt of prostitutes and illegal gambling, finally being raided in 1957.
The Blinking Owl, circa 1956: the respectable facade belies what lay behind.
Atmospheric photo of 1950s work on Foundry Square and the Blinking Owl (L C C)
SEE ALSO BRAVE MARINE.