"Until the pub was purchased by Everards Brewery in 1965, the Waterside Inn was known as the Duke of York ....
It was only in the last half of the 18th century, in the days of great engineers such as Thomas Telford and James Brindley, when canals were cut and locks were built to bypass weirs, that the River Soar was made navigable. The Soar was then joined to the Grand Union Canal and, in many ways, this put Leicester and Loughborough on the map.
The Inn was built by the water in 1795 and in those early days had stabling for 12 horses, an orchard and a piggery, the beer they served was most likely brewed on the premises. Provisions were brought by horse drawn canal barge until the railways and then motor vehicles took over - putting the canal bargemen out of business.
But Everards revived the old traditional temporarily when they took over the pub, bringing beer and provisions by barge from Leicester. A newspaper article from 1965 gives a little of the details:
"An unusual aspect of the opening was the arrival of beer by air and water. Jack Monk captained the narrow boat bringing the beer from Leicester and Capt. Anthony Everard, chairman of the brewery, brought a quantity of beer by helicopter which he piloted himself and landed in a field near the Inn. He was accompanied by his 78 year old mother, Lady Everard."
The article also states that an extensive refurbishment of the premises, including converting the stables into a restaurant, cost in excess of £10,000. The pub's latest refurbishment today, a joint venture between Everards and the new landlords, Lionel and Sue Roberts, has cost a good deal more than that.
"Multiply that 1965 figure by 25 and you'd be close," says Sue. "This is the most exciting pub venture we've had and we just know it will be our best. As head chef, Lionel leads the team from within, working most days in the kitchen, I do front of house with my son Lyam and Danny is our restaurant manager. We are trying very hard to co-ordinate with local demand by extending our opening hours in the summer holidays. It really is a lovely pub, right on the river with the eating area by the lock. On sunny days the atmosphere in the garden is breathtaking and it really is a pub for everyone.
We are very dog friendly - so many people round here have some fabulous dogs and obviously love them to bits! We've retained the intimacy of the original snug, keeping a local feel and yet the mixing of traditional with contemporary decor in the main pub makes you feel as you are somewhere very special. We've also brought some memorabilia from our last place. Lou Boileau, a friend of ours who photographs the stars, was a regular at the pub we ran for many years next to the theatre in Northampton."
Sue showed me a variety of bowler and top hats on a coat stand by the door, leading to the patio area and then pointed out various framed photographs of famous actors on the walls. John Thaw and Jeremy Brett, better known perhaps as Morse and Sherlock Holmes, grand old detectives from the fictional world.
Article from Soar Valley Life (
visit link) August 2014 edition"
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