The Shipley Boat can be found circa 1815 with an address of Shipley Wharf, a newspaper report in June 1824 has Mr Grant of the Shipley Boat contributing 1/- to the Framework Knitters’ fighting fund.
John Bateman, a witness at the trial of William Brown for the horrific murder of William Glover in March 1825, recollected seeing the accused in the Shipley Boat on a particularly day. The trial aroused much attention resulting in the death penalty for Brown (LC).
Circa 1826, the Shipley Boat changed its name to the Heanor Boat, named after the first barge to sail the London Canal when it opened. The voyage nearly ended in disaster when the boat almost sank. (ES)
The Heanor Boat was up for let in March 1834 from coal merchant, S. Coleman. The pub had its own wharf trading in coal and other materials.
Joseph Gent took over the wharf from S Coleman, advertised the fact that he intended to carry on the business of coal, coke & lime trader, together with victualler of the Heanor Boat.
Joseph charged Mary Chapman, fifty-seven, of stealing three buttons and 9d (4p) from him in August 1838, Mary received four months hard labour.
Joseph Gent died in November 1841, aged sixty-seven. A year later his wife Ann Gent transferred the licence to William Barsby.
William Cox was victualler during the early 1850s. In July 1852, he was charged in with keeping his house open after time. No men were found drinking in the house, only a number of men were in the yard, and no beer was found on them – but Cox still received a caution. Cox transferred the licence to Thomas Hughes in 1855.
1868 Thomas Hughes prosecuted Joseph Oldershaw, a nut hawker for stealing two hams and trying to sell them in his pub. The accused denied the charge saying they were lawfully his, the recorder found the case unproven as it was difficult to prove ownership.
1869 saw W. G. Mason as victualler. The council refused permission to use part of the Heanor Boat grounds as a knacker’s yard, ordering all nuisances to be removed. By March 1870, the Heanor Boat & yard were to let, and the ad claimed it was suitable for a cow keeper. Alexandra Foulds was the next victualler, transferring to James Wood. Wood had his licence objected to in 1873 for the offence of selling milk on a Sunday.
Being used by boatmen, the wharf area had a particular boisterous edge – an area to avoid, especially at night. Assaults and thefts were commonplace, as can be imagined.
Accidents and suicides around the canal Wharf were quite common and the Heanor Boat housed the bodies of those found drowned in or near the Wharf. In 1876, Joseph Statham aged thirty was found drowned and removed to the Heanor Boat.
On the evening of the 16th of June 1877, people close to the wharf were startled by a heavy splash, followed by a scream. Upon investigation, the body of seventeen-year old Clara Preston was discovered in the water. The corpse was taken to the Heanor Boat to await an inquest.
The canal was a magnet for children, after one drowning in 1890, the police were queried on their role in protecting children. The police stated they were fully stretched in their duties (nothing changes there, then) so couldn’t patrol the full length of the canal, but they would make every effort to have a patrol during the school holidays.
James Higginson had been victualler there for five years at the time. In 1891, he was declared bankrupt with liabilities of £787. Higginson claimed that his accounts books had been burnt in a recent fire. On valuing the f&f and stock, the liquidating company found there was no stock at all: the coppers and a piano were missing, together with many smaller items that had been included in the opening stock, as no account could be given for there whereabouts it was presumed they had been pawned.
Other licensees included James Ballard, who died at the young age of thirty five in 1883. His widow, Ann, carried on the business for a further two years.
See Steve Pratts comments below
About 1902 the licensee was Charles Wells. He had previously been at the Junction Inn, Junction Road, for 11 years and after a short period of just over a year at the Heanor Boat, went on to become licensee at the North Bridge Inn, Frog Island where he remained for 26 years.
A death announcement in the Leicester Mail on 20th February 1930:
“On February 19th 1930, Joseph William Johnson passed peacefully away at the Heanor Boat, Pasture Lane aged 73 years”. This was a change to previous years where dead bodies were taken to the pub. He may have gone there by choice.
In 1957 the new licencees were Mr & Mrs Len Smith, formerly of the George and Dragon, Freehold Street, Leicester and the Bulls Head, Markfield.
In an article in the Leicester Mercury of 12th April 1962, “George Abell, an ex policeman and retired publican, has died. He first kept the Heanor Boat, Pasture Lane and later the Shamrock in Orchard Street.” This would have been pre World War 2 as the piece also says that he retired in 1946.
According to a piece in the Leicester Mercury (9th October 1968), the Rayns Street area was awaiting demolition for road widening and had become derelict. The area was prone to vandalism and theft. The landlord of the Heanor Boat was a George Pearson, a man with only one arm. He realised that he needed a guard dog for security and acquired and Alsation named Groucho. As well as protection for the pub Mr Pearson also used Groucho to escort local customers safely to their homes and, on a couple of evenings a week, do a street patrol to chase away tramps, thieves and vandals.
Fascinating insight and research Steve, just the sort of comments we are looking for, ‘brilliant’ love the story of George and Groucho thanks again. Cheers Barry