Known as the Dog and Gun circa 1815-1890. Stood on the corner Market Street/Welford Place. Early directories list the address as Market Street but later ones sometimes go for Welford Place.
In May 1822, a meeting & diner of ‘Friendly Society for the burial of Pensioners’ was held here.
June 1832, the inquest with jury was held at the Dog & Gun on the notorious murder by James Cook on Mr Paas. The case was well documented, with gruesome details given of Cook’s cutting up and disposal of the body. The inquest and witness’s called with details can be found in the Leicester Chronicle on the 9th of June 1832.
Cook was to hang at Welford Road prison, with an estimated crowd of 30,000 watching his execution. Cook’s body was then gibbeted and hung on display on the corner of Aylestone Lane.
The Dog and Gun stood on a reasonably substantial site, as a description of its sale in 1857 describes:
‘The Dog & Gun to be sold by auction at the Three Crowns by direction of the mortgagees, situated at Welford Place in the occupation of Mr Holland , consists of bar, bar parlour, tap room, kitchens, large dining room, sitting room, seven bedrooms, dressing room, cellars, brewhouse, stabling, hard and soft water pump, out offices, gateway to entrance to yard in Market St, together with a retail shop in Market St’
Fred Holland was to give up his licence later that year, transferring to Christopher Scott.
Christopher Scott to Emma Enoch recently of the Craven Arms.
Arthur Dabbs also ran the Craven Arms sometime after Emma Enoch as well as him running the Dog & Gun during the 1870s & 80s.
In 1888, Henrietta Elizabeth Nicholson was victualler. The court records show that some drunkenness was allowed in her house. PC Collins observed a man coming out of the Dog & Gun legless, and on entering the pub he saw another staggering and escorted him outside. PC Collins then spotted a man drunk lying on the floor. The landlady was fined 10/- and the drunken men were charged also.
It was around this time that the Dog & Gun was to disappear and a new ornate building erected on the site. It was intended to call it Queens Hotel but if this happened is uncertain as from 1890, the new Granville Hotel was advertising for staff.
This was advertised as having 1st Class vaults and continued being used for auctions etc.
It seemed to be owned by ‘The Leicester Real Property Co’. Their shareholders’ meeting of 1911 bemoaned the fact that the licence of the Granville had been abandoned so affecting the shares. In fact it closed its doors on the 23rd of March 1910.
The building still stands today.