THREE CRANES – OLD THREE CRANES – BOULEVARD – CORK & BOTTLE – WHITES, 82-84 HUMBERSTONE GATE

Dated from 1715, according to the deeds –  it was certainly listed in directories in the late 1700s as the Three Cranes.  1780 Auction of three landed estates. 1780 Society of Florists held sales here.

Put up for sale in 1793, the ad in LJ read “justly esteemed as one of the largest and best furnished Inn in Great Britain” the victular William Taylor

1818 W Turner Victular.

1824 The Three Cranes for sale with brewing equipment

Listed in local newspapers in 1827 as The Old Three Cranes – Mr Walker was the landlord. This could again 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 and Wm Flint wine merchant, from Patrick Conner victular who found himself in financial difficulties.

Later 1828 John Tallow victular.

‘Butcher Destroys Himself At Three Cranes’

1837 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.’

1838 William Wheat was victular. 1840 Richard Balmer. 1845 George Cave. 1855 S Paine. 1859 George Hannam. 1869 John Copson also listed as owner.

A concert room was opened each season during the 1850s, as well as being a major auction site.

Harry Pollard barman c1920s.

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’.

1876 Frederick Palmer victular. 1880 Thomas Rawson, (also owner or lessee) (deceased) 1894 John Coleman Jnr. Around this time LBM Brewery became owners.

Two photos of Three Cranes, top Three Cranes can be seen behind stall center, prior to the recognizable plaster work seen today below
photo by Tom Bassett

1902 Joseph Henry Bailey landlord, Thomas Pratt 1905 ( he was later to take over the Hare & Pheasant where he died 1921), George Richard Dalby 1914, Tom Harry Blyth 1921, Frank Burton 1924, Harry Gumsley 1930. 1950 Mrs Edith Lovett.

1911 James Stevens 26 had been working away on returning found his wife and her sister in law Mrs Greaves drinking in the Three Cranes, when the two women refused to go with him, Stevens followed them into Wharf St, a quarrel occurred and Stevens stabbed his wife in the neck and her sister in the face. he then ran away, later he returned to where his wife’s sister lived, knocked on the door Frederick Greaves (his brother in law) came to the door, whereby Stevens shot Greaves through the heart with a rifle. The Trial cause quite a stir in the press (see May 1911) was a long affair and Stevens was committed to trial at the Assizes where he received 7 years penal servitude. (below scene from Police Gazette describing the crime)

The demolition of the building that was once the  Rutland Coffee and Cocoa House, opposite the Three Cranes in the 1970s.  Note the two builders wearing no hard hats or safety rails – just perching on the unstable brickwork.(photo Jack Graves collection)

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

(Leicester Mercury)

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 Reverting to the 3 Cranes before having been closed for a time.

Below 3 Cranes closed for a while (Leicester Mercury)

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.

THE END OF the THREE CRANES. March 2022 Kamlesh Parohit posted this pic on Leicester Bred & Born site, now the International multi grocery store

2023 photo credit Jeremy Corbett

5 Comments

  1. 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.

      1. 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.

  2. 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!!

  3. 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.

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