The Braziers Arms on Russel Square/Woodboy street dates from the 1830s, as with the British Lion. An auction of January 1836, offered the Braziers complete with brewhouse for sale together with adjoining tenements, and the beer shop in the occupation of widow Auton. The sale clearly didn’t occur as the identical advert was placed in the newspaper in the September of that year.
From circa 1840 until circa 1892, the Braziers was run by the Garner family.
From here on in the pub was known for its quality of its beer, especially the Shippos (Shipstones) mild, one of three pubs in Leicester run by members of the Finnegan family (the other two being the Bowlturners and the Royal Oak). The Braziers, in the back streets as well, would be packed with mild drinkers from far and wide, complementing regular locals.
It is hard to imagine today, the amount of beer drunk – the most “more-ish pint”, you could never have just one or two. Ask any townines of the 1970s-90s. The Braziers is the one that conjures up good nights out (if you remember them).
Barry Lount
The Braziers in the 1980s – its heyday nearing the end. By 1994, the pub was closed, another of Leicester’s classic boozers to be no more.
There are many reasons for the decline of the British local: drink driving laws, government beer orders – however well meaning had a damaging effect. A lack of investment, central area redevelopment, café bar trends – little could the pub goer of the 1960s imagine the changes over the next 50 years.
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