Photo above: Circa1906. Landlord William Payne, standing in doorway with Rosie the terrier.
George Lichfield, listed as a woolcomber, ran the beerhouse in the 1850s with his wife, Mary. They brewed their own ale and he was charged on more than one occasion of flouting the licensing laws.
George died at the beerhouse in1868, aged 51, whereupon the licence passed on to John and Emma Hollinsgsworth.
December 1873:
Well known old licensed Inn The Dolphin Lichfield St/Burleys Lane occupied by Emma Hollingsworth comprising a good corner shop recently a grocers and tap room, bar, parlour, club room, 4 beds, 2 good cellars, brewhouse, skittle alley, stabling, yard and out offices.
Emma Hollingsworth (who had been involved in an assault on and by her), left the following March and William Kingston took over. His young son died suddenly 1876 so William Kingston transferred the licence to Charles Hayler. By July 1877, the Dolphin was for sale again.
Charles Hayler would occupy the licence on three or four occasions, indicating he could have been the owner, the licence passing on numerous occasions to different landlords. One was William Sherriff (see Bath Hotel, Bath Lane).
Originally a home brew pub, it passed to Nuttalls Beeby Brewery who supplied the Dolphin from circa 1884, before being taken on by Thompsons of Burton, eventually Marstons.
In 1884, Charles Hayler was convicted of assaulting his wife when she refused to draw him more port. For this he was fined 40/- or one month in prison.
In the same year the Dolphin’s licence was refused but granted on appeal. In the September, Fred Lees (penny farthing bicycle racer) was to become the new landlord.
A period of calm then took place at the Dolphin.
Report on a twenty mile race won by Fred Lees, LJ June 1888. Fred would win many titles, becoming one of the leading cyclists of the day.
The Dolphin was again up for sale in 1887, when Fred Lees left to take over the Eclipse on Eastgates.
In 1917, the landlord fined for not displaying liquor order under the World War I licensing regulations.
There were Alterations in 1927, but in 1937 the Dolphin closed and the licence removed to the Speedway.