VINE TAVERN, VINE STREET

Recorded as early as 1835, when Joe Mussan ran his home brew pub. Stood on the corner of Elbow Lane off Causeway Lane.

1843 Thomas Bryan followed Joe Mussan as licensee, 1854 William Case listed as landlord Elizabeth Case the owner of the pub. J Knight 1855, Henry Tarratt 1864, a Mrs Carver 1867 and James Kingston 1869 with Ann Kingston 1874, Wm Goodson 1878, and Dave Richards 1895.

During the 1890s, landlord Dave Richards was twice caught selling ale to a uniformed officer without consent: 10/-or 7 days on each count. It was Dave Richards who reputedly had a pet jackdaw who kept the brewer company but terrorized children. In 1902 when Richards tenancy was up a new landlord was sort, the ad read the Vine consisted of tap, bar, parlour, 3 beds and brewhouse that was about the only free brewhouse in the area.

1903 George Andrews took on the license, Wm Henry Townsend 1905, George Halford 1908.

Ernest ‘Dick’ Pegg was landlord of the Vine prior and during WW1  A local lad, he played for Leicester Fosse as an amateur aged only seventeen, he later turned professional, playing for among others Preston North End and Manchester United.  He died at the Vine in June 1916. aged only thirty-eight.  Wife Mary, would carry on running the Vine for the next decade. Wm Drackley would follow 1926

 The Vine finally closed for compensation in December 1938. Samuel Abell being the last licensee, A battle to save the Vine when a SPARE THE AXE plea was held before the compensation committee in March 1936, but the writing was on the wall Samuel sold off the F&F in Jan 1937. Jan 1937 the Vine was now used as a lodging house. June 1938 owners LBM offered the Vine to be taken over to form an extension to the Elbow Lane School. By the outbreak of WW11 in Oct 1939 the derelict Inn was used by the ARPs for blackout training, with dummy figures hidden beneath the wreckage as from an air raid bomb. A crowd gathered to watch the effective work of the ARP wardens.

Elbow Lane School (see article above) the school my dad Cyril Lount went to before and during the first war.

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