The Albert Hotel, built circa 1900, was constructed on the site of a previous Albert Inn beerhouse and two dwelling houses in Cobden Street. Next to it were also a smithy and stores.
The smithy and are stores at right angles to Humberstone Road.
The original Albert Inn was named after Queen Victoria’s intended and the earliest record dates from 1842, when owned by George Frith. He had moved recently from the Mansfield’s Head in Mansfield Street.
Frith was to be fined numerous times for licensing offences, mainly keeping open during divine service on a Sunday morning, an offence that he had previously been caught at the Mansfield’s Head.
In December 1844, Ellen Gilham, reported to be the landlord’s daughter and her mother who both lived at the Albert, were visiting public houses in the town as they frequently did. After visiting Allens Liquor Vaults, they moved on to the Castle in Gallowtree Gate with John Rasen or Raisen, a twenty- four-year old regular from the Albert and to whom Ellen was engaged.
There, Ellen and Rasen got into a row outside the inn, where upon Rasen slashed Ellens throat with a knife. Bleeding profusely, Ellen ran back towards the Inn but Rasen followed and stabbed her in the back – the six inch blade buried deep up to its shaft. Dick Cain, the landlord of the Castle came to her aid.
Pieces of flesh severed from Ellens neck hung over her shoulders, the knife had also penetrated her lungs. A surgeon was called, who proceeded to sew her throat back up. Rasen was taken to the Borough Goal and Ellen taken back to the Albert.
Her life lay in the balance for some days, but she eventually made a miraculous recovery.
Johh Rasen was sent to the assizes where in mitigation it was told he had previously been a man of good character, who unfortunately suffered from fits and blackouts. On the night in question he had been drinking brandy most of the day which made him unstable. Rasen was found guilty.
The judge told Rasen he would be merciful on him and so sentenced him to 15 years transportation (a sentence worth comparing with that of George Smith’s ten years earlier (see Fox and Goose, Humberstone Lane).
There is a little confusion over the report that Ellen Gilham was the daughter of the landlord of the Albert, as we know George Frith was the landlord at the time. Not until 1855, did George sell the pub to Daniel Brown. Even that ended in a court case over the F&F as Frith claimed the cost of some trees that he said were his and wanted to take with him.
Dan Brown was not to last long as he handed over to John Manton in December 1856. Manton also had cattle and horses grazing and in 1857, his animals were some of the 28 that had their tails and manes cut off in a spate of maiming that went on.
Cricket was played on the nearby ‘Albert Grounds’. Annual fairs were held here, advertised was ‘A wonder of nature a “Double man”’, an extraordinary fat pig, sundry peep shows, performing birds and ponies, together with steam merry go rounds. Various wooden buildings were on the Albert Grounds as in 1893 a fried fish stall caught fire.
All these outbuildings, stables, blacksmiths and nearby tenements were demolished for the new Albert Hotel to be built on the site in late 1900.
Landlord Mr. Scholes serving a pint of Worthington E, circa1 1983, before the Albert’s demise, to make way for the new traffic junction on Humberstone Road, Cobden Street in 1985.
This photo from Steve Anderson (Made in Leicester) shows Albert on left- looking towards out of town c1970s unrecognisable today