Fronting on to Rutland St called the Wellington Castle c1820-70
1827 FATAL EFFECTS OF ROBBERY & DESERTION John Leggett a deserter from the 7th Dragoon Guards was lodging at the Wellington Castle when a corporal in the same Guards was reading the ‘Hue & Cry’paper where it gave evidence of a robbery committed by John Leggett, the corporal proceeded to the Wellington where he recognized Leggett who on being recognized became distressed, ran to his room, Mrs Pycock the landlords wife urged her husband to follow him, so with another named Hawkins they tried his door only to find it locked, Hawkins took a few paces back and charged the door open where they found Leggett on the floor with his throat cut. At the inquest the Jury proceeded to to view the body, a most dreadful spectacle , the throat being cut from ear to ear, the room deluged in blood , a razor laying on the dressing table. The verdict was that Leggett cut his throat in a fit of torment. That wasn’t the end of the matter as landlord Pycock was cautioned under the Mutiny Act of harboring a deserter.
1834 Richard Johnson charged with selling ale during divine service.
A major hotel, many auctions were held here, such as one of knitting frames in 1838, as well as sales of other pubs. These included Fox & Grapes in 1872, Loggerheads, Boat & Engine and the Railway Hotel in 1873. The Nailstone Colliery was auctioned off here in 1879.
Photo above, circa 1875. Over the central door a balcony was added in the 1880s, where visiting MPs or other important people would deliver their speeches to often sizeable crowds.
From January 1957, the ground floor fronting Granby Street was used as retail by Hepworth’s the tailors, with the entrance to the Wellington Bar in Rutland Street – as seen in this photo. This was until 1997 when Bass regained control and reopened a new bar on the ground floor – called Edwards – finally closing the Wellington Hotel and bars. Edwards courted some publicity when it banned people wearing Leicester City shirts but seemingly welcomed those wearing Tigers shirts. Edwards reverted to the Wellington Bar in 2001, but the rebranding of the Wellington name only lasted until May 2002, when another refurbishment took place to be called Global Café Bar.
The Global Café Bar was not to last either, as by 2005 that too closed. The whole block was then bought by a local builder and business man, where the now unnamed bar was open for around a year before closing, as major works were to go ahead in rebuilding the hotel with just the façade standing. It eventually became a Tesco’s supermarket.