The Leicester Chronicle reported a cottage beerhouse in Garden Street that changed its name to the Silent Women, depicting a headless women on the sign. The backlash caused so much offence that he had to take it down and revert to the Cottage. The landlord’s name was Thomas Staines.
Thomas Staines ran the beerhouse in the 1830-1840s. He was recorded in White’s Directory as in Royal East Street circa 1846. Royal East Street backs on to Garden Street, so most likely the same place. The Cottage could possibly be a forerunner to the Horn of Plenty?
The Leicester Journal reported in July 1838, a robbery of two pots stolen from Thomas Staines’ garden in Royal East Street. He is recorded as being there to at least 1849.
In November 1847, Staines was find 10/- for keeping his beerhouse open after hours. Again in November 1848, the Leicester Journal reported he was charged with having five people at 11.45 pm.
In March 1849, Ben Bordole, who could neither read or write, was found guilty of receiving a pair of stolen boots belonging to Thomas Staines. Ben was given four months imprisonment (heavy justice indeed).
The previous month, the Leicester Mercury reported Thomas Staines of the Woodbine beerhouse was allowing lads to gamble on his premises. This is a little confusing, as research shows Thomas Chamberlain being convicted in February 1856 of having the Woodbine beerhouse in Garden Street open on a Sunday morning, against the licensing laws.
Yet Thomas Chamberlain ran the Shamrock in Royal East Street/Orchard Street from the late 1850s, so perhaps the Woodbine was a forerunner to the Shamrock as the dates tie in with both. Only the deeds will probably solve this riddle. Shamrock or Horn of Plenty?
Same scene, some ninety years after the picture above of Horn of Plenty. Midland Dynamo occupied the replacement building in the 1960s, which later bought by Ann Oliver of the Ann Oliver Dancing School circa 1993. It was eventually transformed into the International Arts Centre with studios and function rooms. A Giorgio’s Bar apparently occupied part of the property.
Barry Lount writes: In 2015, this was the only cottage left in Garden Street, (it would be just out of the coloured picture, above – no. 1 or 3 Garden Street). This was where my Great Grandfather, Charlie Lount was born in 1850, so you could say it was my ancestral home.