Pump & Tap Pub, Leicester

There has been a pub on this site since at least the 1820's. It was previously called the West End Inn, and was renamed the Pump & Tap in 1988. This was a very popular pub indeed, and a regular meeting place for the Leicester urbex lot. It was unique in the fact it had a large seating area at the rear, under the arches of the great central railway viaduct. Despite protests and people chaining themselves to it, the wonderful railway bridge next door has been destroyed over the past few weeks. The pub itself is now going to be torn down to be replaced by a swimming pool for students. Despite much opposition the place served its last pint on tuesday, and is due to be pulled down on monday! This whole saga is all just very, very wrong

Many thanks to the owner for permission to wander around and take photos while the place was being cleared out.


People enjoy an evening under the railway viaduct


As the doors close for the last time people gather in appaling conditions for one last photo


The pub when still open


The bar on the last night, all of the interesting memorabilia had already been taken off the walls


The bar now


Graff done on the last night


The other bar, this is where sports used to be shown on a flatscreen tv over the fireplace


Room full of interesting old stuff


Room piled high with interesting old stuff and junk


Nice old fireplace


Bathroom, the bath was full of old junk!


Me behind the bar

Another good pub lost, it's a crying shame it really is

Nice one goldie, That place will be missed

This seems to have been a very nice place. Sorry that such a place had to close.

old fire places love them gonna be dust.

I remember you mentioning this in the report about the bridge a while backalong. Sad to see it's going.
Thanks for the pics, Goldie.

Now that's what I call a demo' travesty

Thanks for posting your snaps -you've done a great job in recording this place -stirling work!

Any ideas why the Railway Bridge / Viaduct was knocked-down?

Many thanx Rick for this wonderful report.

This place has been a regular meeting place for the lesta lot for some time,Im absolutley gutted that it's now closed and is going to be demolished.This place is unique to lesta and especially enjoyable to me as i love the great central railway.

This was one of lesta's top pubs and should still be open.It wasn't closed for the lack of customers or the lack of money just the precious land it sits on.

Another historic landmark destroyed by leicester ****** council:

Gutted, this was a regular haunt when I lived in Leicester - I was in some of the christmas photos etc (used to live off Tudor Road)

The bloody poly (DMU or whatever) just do what the hell they like, it'll be the Jewry Wall next

Lightbuoy said:

Any ideas why the Railway Bridge / Viaduct was knocked-down?

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It was done up in the 80's and became part of a cycle route following the old trackbed. In recent years the crooks at the council decided they could make a tidy profit off the land, so claimed it was unsafe and closed it off. They then sold it to the university for £1! Its all backhanders

festcu said:

Gutted, this was a regular haunt when I lived in Leicester - I was in some of the christmas photos etc (used to live off Tudor Road)

The bloody poly (DMU or whatever) just do what the hell they like, it'll be the Jewry Wall next

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I presume the owner took the photos away, dunno where they will go now though. Im sure the DMU will wreck more things soon, they have already trashed the poor old magazine... http://www.flickr.com/photos/leicester_photos/3972427104/

MD said:

Like ive said before leicester city council are all a bunch of ***** for destroying our heritage

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Don't beat about the bush mate, say it how it is ... lol

If you are looking for a new meeting place in Leicester, I can recommend the Swan and Rushes, Oxford Street, near the LRI, they have real ale and real cider on draught as well as a good selection of bottled beers.
It's also on the bus route From Artypie's house, so handy for us

Davious said:

Don't beat about the bush mate, say it how it is ... lol

If you are looking for a new meeting place in Leicester, I can recommend the Swan and Rushes, Oxford Street, near the LRI, they have real ale and real cider on draught as well as a good selection of bottled beers.
It's also on the bus route From Artypie's house, so handy for us

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I have heard that is a good pub, never been there though.

Update, popped down tonight to see what was going on to find this...


7pm this evening and scaffolding is being put up


Bit dark, but the extension at the back is now rubble

im liking the sound of that
im sure Mr sam will like the sound of the cider too

Maybe we should arrange to have a drink one Saturday evening to mourn the loss of the Pump and Tap and the Bowstring bridge, in the Swan and Rushes.

tell you what sounds good to me just pm me a time and a day and il be there lol

Davious said:

Maybe we should arrange to have a drink one Saturday evening to mourn the loss of the Pump and Tap and the Bowstring bridge, in the Swan and Rushes.

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Yeah i'll have a word with the guys see what we can do, will be nice to try a new pub

It makes me angry and worried. What hope do pubs have left. This looked fantastic architectually as well. The closing of pubs is just wrong. Seems though i semi live in a pub im hoping were goin to be safe!

ps The demo seemed to go ahead quite quickly. Had it been planned for a long time in advance?

With so many pubs closing and hanging by a thread it's criminal to demolish one that's thriving.

I used to know the landlord in the Swan and Rushes, and those in the Nags Head and Star (demolished for flats), the Oxford Boater (now a nasty chain pub) and the Angel, to name but a few. Used to knock about them all in the early nineties, and they all had a core of "characters" that were always about - some right dodgy blokes