Dated from 1715, according to the deeds – it was certainly listed in directories in the late 1700s as the Three Cranes. Put up for sale in 1793.
Listed in local newspapers in 1827 as The Old Three Cranes – Mr Walker was the landlord. This could be confused with the Three Cranes in Gallowtree Gate of the same period.
In July 1828, whilst in the occupation of Mr Philips, the Three Cranes was auctioned off together with two adjoining tenements in Wharf Street and one next door in Humberstone Gate. In June 1836, the pub was assigned to Thomas Watts Wine and Spirit Merchant High Street from Patrick Conner.
‘Butcher Destroys Himself At Three Cranes’
Joseph Clifford, a butcher from Reasby, stood Leicester Market selling his meat. Like many other farmers he would have a lunchtime break in the Three Cranes.
Joseph, a squat good looking man, had recently been acting strange – drinking more and losing money on deals. One Saturday morning he left his helper (eleven-year-old, Laben Brassington), to attend the stall whilst he went to the Three Cranes, there he stayed all day, refusing to go back to the market to attend his stall. He confessed to the landlady, Mrs Wheat, and other farmers that he was fed up with his job and would give up his trade ‘sooner than you think.’ No one could persuade him to return to the market, and he retired to the parlour.
After hearing a rattling sound from that room, the landlady entered to find him motionless in a chair. A small phial was in the fire grate. A doctor was called who tried to pump his stomach to no avail and Clifford was pronounced dead from apparent poisoning.
The inquest heard from a local chemist that some days previous Joseph bought some laudanum to medicate his sheep, as was his custom. The jury found that Clifford had died from the effects of laudanum administered by himself whilst in a ‘fit of derangement.’
There are many court cases involving incidents at the Three Cranes. One such was of two Irishmen drinking in the Three Cranes in 1861. James Sharky and Patrick Gorthy, friends for ten years, left the pub after a session that lasted until 4am. Just outside, a dispute arose when Gorthy questioned Sharky’s pugilistic abilities, Sharky deemed himself insulted, so, according to the court reports, ‘displayed a little of his ability on Patrick Gorthy’s eye’ The magistrates asked them both to retire and ‘make up’.
Below from (Story of Leicester) demolition complete.
The Three Cranes plaster relief work on the facade was done in the 1920s when a major refurb took place. I met the plasterer’s son, a plasterer himself, who did the work. He claimed his father jealously guarded his artistic work when he moulded the Three Cranes by erecting sheets around the scaffold motif so no one could see how it was done.
Barry Lount
After Allied sold the pub it reopened as the Three Cranes in 1997. After a brief closure, it was sold to Springwood Leisure who again refurbished the property to make it a twenty five bedroom hotel as well as a giving its traditional bar a lift by restoring many of the art deco features.
For a time this was a jewel in Leicester’s Real Ale pub circuit: comfortable, arty and welcoming. Unfortunately the area declined over the next decade after this brief resurgence, and it returned to somewhat of a no-go area for many, with the last of the local housing vanishing.
Astonishingly, Allied Brewery obliterated the wonderful Three Cranes motif in trying to attract the emerging ‘yuppy’ trend of the 1980s, by renaming the pub the Boulevard. Problem: Leicester didn’t have many yuppies and those that were there didn’t live in this part of town.
Having failed, Allied decided to sell the Boulevard in 1995 and, having been closed for a time, before reopened as the Cork and Bottle in 2006.
The pub still retained some of its elegance, and to their credit, the city council spent money on the surrounding area – but trade still couldn’t be attracted.
The Cork & Bottle wasn’t to last for long. Briefly, in 2008, it became known as the ‘fun pub’ although without any signage on the building.
By 2008, it was Whites’ Victorian Bar, but this again lasted only for about a year.
In 2010, it had turned full circle to the Three Cranes. It is a pity that so many people have tried and spent money. The building was re sold in 2015.
2023 photo credit Jeremy Corbett
About 1969 afew of us lads from the Northfields Estate used to drink in the ‘Cranes’ before going to watch the ‘City’. We were decked with scarves, Doc Martens and some of us also sported cropped hair!
The Cranes was also our first stop in town before going to the hare and pheasant and others before going Top Rank or the Adam snd Eve.
Thank you for sharing your memories with the Pub Project.
My Dad Tom Murtha was the landlord of the Three Cranes circa 1960. Before that he was landlord of the Palmerston Arms on Taylor Street. In the 1960s many Irish building workers used the pub. It could be quite lively on pay nights. Dad was an ex boxer and PTI in the war and often wore a track suit. If any trouble broke out he would vault the bar to break it up. The vault alone was often enough to quell the flames. Upstairs was a club room with a full size snooker table and electric pianola. Memory tells me it also had the longest bar in Leicester at the time. I slept on the top floor above the sign. I often looked out at night over to the coffee bar. All Leicester nightlife was there. Fascinating for a you boy oh 10.
Dad was a landlord of the Three Cranes at the start of the 1960s. Before that he was landlord of the Palmerston Arms on Taylor Street. The final one before it was demolished. He also managed another pub on Humberstone Gate but I can’t remember the name. The Cranes was a lively pub. Frequented by what were known as Townies and Irish building workers. It could become quite rowdy on pay nights. Dad was an ex boxer and PTI in the war. He often wore a tracksuit behind the bar. At the first sign of trouble he would vault the bar to sort it out. The vault alone was often enough to quell the flames. The bar was reputed to be the longest in Leicester. Upstairs was a club room with a full sized billiard table and electric pianola. I slept on the top floor over the sign. I spent many nights watch the sights at the coffee bar over the road. Quite enlightening for a 10 year old boy especially as the evening wore on!!
Thanks Tom, what a fascinating insight, it fits in perfectly well with my experiences of the Three Cranes, I worked on building sites 1960 and I would accompany the Irish off the site to the 3 Cranes, it was exactly as you described it, as I was only young I would get ‘trashed’ trying to keep up with the ‘Paddy Men’ it was as you say a favorite haunt of theirs, always very busy, must have been the time your Dad kept it. Thanks again, not only does it add depth to its history, it brings back memories.