Present building has the date 1690.
Engraving of Town Hall Lane, circa 1820, the Queens Head is centre next to St Martins. First mortgaged for £500 for 1000 years circa 1706.
1789, leased to William Watts Brewer of Leicester (later to be in the convoluted make up of All Saints Brewery).
1830, to Let, and in 1833, the Queens Head was put up for sale as a freehold property. John Noakes became proprietor. By 1835, W. Leman, who advertised fifteen stocking frames for auction at the beerhouse. In 1836, Leman advertised the Queens Head for auction together with brewery stables etc,. having undergone thorough repair.
Leman left in 1847, passing on to John Smart. William Taylor was at the helm in the early 1850s, being followed by wife, Sarah, who was there for over twenty years.
William Taylor was treasurer to the Ancient Order of the Foresters. They met at the Queens Head in February 1867 at the Queens Head: a meeting of ‘Benevolence’ on William Taylor’s death, with condolences given to his widow, Sarah.
Sarah Taylor was one of the licensees around the centre that was granted an extension to open Sunday night until Monday morning for the annual Leicester Cheese fair.
After Sarah Taylor, Joseph Bishell of Bates & Bishell Brewery was to buy the Queens Head, having the licence in their name and employing managers to run. Not long after, in August 1883, both Frederick Bates and Joseph Bishell were summoned for allowing gabling in the Queens Head. They were fined £2 each on the promise it wouldn’t happen again, also the manager would be dismissed. Around this time they changed the name to the Opera Hotel.
The 17th century building had a maze of cellars, reportedly connected to St Martins Church, and also served as cells for holding prisoners from the nearby town gaol.
Opera Hotel, circa 1889. Bates Son & Bishell (who were to become LBM), offered the pub for sale in March of that year. It didn’t seem to sell, so Bates & Bishall substantially refurbished the Opera Hotel later that year Later the beerhouse became part owned by Samuel Finch, he put the Opera Hotel for sale again in 1893.
1899 Alfred Elson was licensee Cooper & Co Brewers of Burton On Trent the owners-according to the licensing records. 1902 Charles Johnson now recorded as licensee, and Harry Turton in 1906.
Catherine Whitehouse became licensee 1907 during her tenure the Opera House was to gain somewhat of a reputation.
There is some ambiguity as to the actual ownership, as Bates & Bishall are still recorded in some directories as still owning the pub at this period. What is known that objections to its licence were made in 1913 – the owners were T. Cooper & Co Ld. The police objected on the type of clientele, accusing it as serving as a brothel. Next to Catherine Whitehouse’s name in the Justice licensing records is scrawled ‘BROTHEL’ With takings tight, now only £40 per week whereas 10 years ago it was taking £100 per week, customers had moved to the King & Crown, all resulting in the Opera Hotel being closed in 1913. Compensation was paid at the Brewster Sessions by the Inland Revenue £935 to the owner and £100 to the tenant.
After its closure, the pub was used for commercial dealings, part antique dealer and part Walter O’ Brian, sewing M/c manufacturer.
The property would stay in the same hands until late 1990s, when local builder Noel Weafer bought the property. He complexly gutted it, returning to a licensed premises again, all be it as a restaurant.
Re-opened as the Opera House Restaurant in 1999 – it became established in a short time as one of the best in the East Midlands. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the Opera House Restaurant closed in 2007.
Later that year, local businessman Geoff Thornton reopened, this time as a champagne bar Epernay.
Epernay 2007 wasn’t to last long – controversies over the type of licence delayed the opening as the Opera House Restaurant licence covered only that, and it wasn’t a full licence (which was eventually was granted). A new direction was taken with the opening of Taps in 2008.
By the end of the year, another change – the unique Taps concept perhaps too chic for Leicester. Now called Gadabout.
Someone has missed a trick here somewhere: Right in the centre of historic Leicester, with King Richard III buried next door in the cathedral, this was the perfect opportunity to play on the historical aspect. I may be wrong but I believe Gadabout name was misplaced.
Barry Lount
The Gadabout cocktail and wine bar is still very much open for business as of writing.
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