The Quarryman's Arms

The Quarryman's Arms Inn was what is now Quarry House on Queen Street. The original cottages date from the early 1700’s. They are very old and had many uses before becoming a pub. The Inn was licensed as a beer house, so it could only sell beer - not wines or spirits.

The earliest record we have found is Thomas Gregory, who was recorded as the beer house keeper in the Wrights Directory of 1888. However, he was probably running a beer house there in 1880. Later press reports state it had held a licence since 1892.

Marston's (later Marston, Thompson and Evershed) purchased the Inn in 1900. They owned it until it closed as a pub in 1955/1956. It then became a private home, known as Quarry House.

The landlord Arthur Gibson in the photo arrived in the years leading up to 1911, when he was aged 44. He left between 1932 and 1939. Note that the Inn was clearly a beer house only in the photo.

By 1939, Edward Wapples was the landlord, as shown on the 1939 Register.

Their son, Victor James Wapples, was killed in the Second World War, in November 1944. He is remembered in Markfield Cemetery.

It seems that the Inn struggled for custom. An attempt by the Licensing Sessions in 1945 to close it was overcome, subject to the sanitary arrangements being improved. It was said to be a quiet, old world house, with customers middle aged and older. At that time, there were reportedly eight licensed premises in Markfield.

On 3rd December 1954, the Leicester Evening Mail reported a lucky escape from a fire, the family being saved by their dog.

Mr John White was the landlord at the time.

A further attempt to force closure was reported in March 1955. The Licensing Sessions heard that the pub was located in an obscure position and attracted few customers. The Brewery representative said the premises were structurally sound, following £1,000 of improvement works in 1946-47. However, he admitted that it did not seem to serve any great consumer need. The Bench referred the application to the Compensating Authority to consider closure, by not renewing the licence. This was agreed in July 1955, on the grounds of redundancy. Sadly, the Police Sergeant described it as an outmoded and miserable place in which to sit.