The Royal Oak Main Street Kirby Muxloe
Inns
Kirby Muxloe Inns
Brewing, Alehouses, Inns, Pubs and Hotels of Kirby Muxloe
Brewing in Kirby is mentioned in the Desford Halmote Court records in the 16th century. However, the first reference to an alehouse appears to be in 1608. Initially, the licence was granted to a person, not to a place, so we have no inn or pub names from the earliest times.
The earliest ale house was possibly in the Old White House on Main Street. The house dates back to 1474. Initially this was a stone built single storey house. There were rumours that at one time the house had a passage which led to the Castle or the Church.
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Today, we have the Royal Oak and the Castle Hotel on Main Street. The Red Cow in nearby Leicester Forest East which was in Kirby Parish. Many of the licenced victuallers and their families from the 19th century are buried in St. Bartholomew's churchyard.
We are indebted to the late Jonathan Wilshere for much of the research which we have reproduced on this and other pages on our website.
The Old White House built in 1487
Picture The Lucinda Haywood Collection
The Royal Oak Public House
The first reference to the Royal Oak Public House in the Trade Directories appears in 1861. It is thought that there were ale houses in the village since 1587, and that the first fully licenced public house was the Royal Oak in 1810. In these early days, keeping a public house was often a part-time occupation, sometimes coupled with another trade. This was the case with Jonas Poyner, a tenant of the Royal Oak in 1916, who also traded as a blacksmith. The first listing in the Trade directories is James Colpas in 1861 until 1880, followed by the Spiers family who in 1898, were listed as joint tenants with Albert Davey. In 1908, Philip Boswoth had become a tenant. For many years the Royal Oak was known as a "spit and sawdust" pub. One of the best known publicans was George Upton, licencee from 1943 to 1963. He was known to be a great prankster and caused much mirth with his jokes played on his unsuspecting customers. As time went on through the years, the building became very old and delapidated and was eventually demolished in 1970. At this time, the white painted building fronted the road with just a narrow pavement between the pub and the ever increasing traffic on the road. It was demolished to make way for a new public house, built in a very modern design which did not sit well with the surrounding architecture. The new building was named "The Spanish Blade". After much lobbying from the locals the name reverted to the Royal Oak in 1981.
Main Street showing the Old Royal Oak
Photograph The Joe Moore Collection
Demolishing the Royal Oak 1969
Photograph The Will Walker Collection
The Castle Hotel
This was built in the 1630’s as the Castle Farmhouse, which replaced an even earlier farmhouse dating back to the Middle Ages. The current Grade II listed building appears in the register of listed buildings under its original title of the Castle Farmhouse. This may lead to some confusion, as the newer extension part trades under the name of the Castle Farmhouse B and B. The hotel currently trades under Greene King’s Chef and Brewer brand as part of the Spirit Pub Company.
The interior of the pub has retained many of its original features. Of particular interest are two large black slate flagstones, both of which are fluted with a cross set with two concentric circles. Local lore accounts that pigs to be slaughtered were hung from hooks above the flagstones and that the purpose of the grooves was to disperse the blood.
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Another school of thought is that the fluted symbolism is a representation of Norse Paganism. Odin, the highest ranking god in Norse mythology, has as his symbol a cross in a circle (Odin’s Cross).
The Castle Hotel, Main Street, Kirby Muxloe
The Red Cow
In the 1650's the Red Cow was a very small inn and part of a row of terraced cottages which later expanded to become one property.
The name Red Cow came from an old rhyme-"The old red cow, which never did low, with coat as soft as silk. Come in, if you please, and sit down at your ease, and taste her nut brown milk".
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In 1780, Henry Hitchcock was shown to be the occupier of the Red Cow in the Land Tax assessment, and Mr Goode was the proprietor. The tax, paid half yearly, was £3 5s 6d.
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Henry left the Red Cow to his daughter Jane Brewin in his will and it remained in the Hitchcock and Brewin families for many years. The Trade directories of 1870, tell us that John Wells Hitchcock is the landlord. Many members of these Brewin and Hitchcock families are buried in Kirby Muxloe Churchyard.
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The pub was purchased by Everards in about 1908, but it was only granted a full licence in 1924. During the 1920's and 1930's a large whale bone with an apex reaching 10ft, is said to have stood outside. It actually stood in the garden of Samuel Harrison, the wheelwright, in one of the adjacent properties. In 2002 Everards sold the Red Cow to a company which became Mitchells and Butlers. It has been extended several times over the years until eventually becoming a hotel in the 1980's. The Travel Lodge was later built on the adjacent land.
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The Red Cow is now a Vintage Inn (2024).
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The Red Cow, Hinckley Road
The Reg Dickinson Photo Collection
The Whale Bone Arch
Photograph The Will Walker collection
The Airman's Rest
The Art Deco designed Airman's Rest was built as Britain's first "Heli-Hotel" by the Everard family of brewers between 1938 and 1941, originally to serve the nearly Braunstone (Leicester Municipal) aerodrome which had opened in 1935. Anthony Everard was one of the county's helicopter pioneers, having founded the Helicopter Club of Great Britain in 1966. Like his father he had a keen interest in aviation having earned his fixed-wings pilot's licence in 1947 and his helicopter licence in 1963. He was the first Britain to order one of the then new 5-seater Hughes 500 helicopters which was introduced into service in 1967. As chairman of the Everard brewery, he regularly visited by helicopter, the inns owned by the company in the East Midlands. The Airman's Rest is well remembered by many local people. During and after WWII, it was frequented by airmen from Desford and Braunstone air fields. It was also a regular meeting place for the 82nd Airborne Division based at Braunstone Park. It is thought that the owners expected  Braunstone aerodrome would continue after the war, however, that did not happen and so the pub lost a very valuable clientele. The Public house continued trading for many years and was a favourite meeting place for many people, either for Sunday lunch, wedding receptions, parties and "Grab a Granny" evenings on Thursdays. It is well remembered for its lovely garden, darts nights and the nightclub in the 1980's. At one time there was even a man standing in the garden selling cockles and mussels. The pub was also popular with the staff of the British Shoe Corporation on Scudamore Road, until its closure in 1998. The Airman's Rest ceased trading in 2002 and was demolished the following year.
The Airman's Rest, Ratby Lane, Kirby Muxloe
Post Card KMHG Collection
British Legion Ladies' Section Dinner at the Airman's Rest. Photo: The Tony Ball Collection
Advertisment for the opening of the Airman's Rest in 1947