Photo above: Taken from old postcard, the Railway Inn was perhaps one of the buildings behind the station house
Listed sometimes as 12 Bridge Street, the Railway Inn was situated at the rear of the old Leicester to Swannington railway station built circa 1832. The pub soon followed as in May 1835 landlord Joseph Boswell, aged thirty-eight, died at the pub.
As was usual, the Railway Inn had stables, as March 1836 two men were charged with horse theft by stealing a mare which was housed there. The Leicester Chronicle reported :
In December 1841, landlord Mr Winnington was knocked to the ground when he tried to stop John Weston drinking other people’s beer. Weston was fined 7/6 or fourteen days.
Ann Hammond was victualler from 1859. During Ann’s tenure in 1863 a fifteen year old boy, Isaac Measures, was sentenced to one month’s hard labour for trying to steal from the till.
Ann Hammond would stay until the licence wasn’t renewed in the 1876 Brewster Sessions.
The West Bridge Station was rebuilt approximately 100 yards away, some years later. Much is written on the Leicester to Swannington Railway and an in depth report on its founding can be found on Leicester University website.
An Inquest on the death of a young boy was held at the Railway Inn in January 1839, as reported in the LC:
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