Articles
Here I will put articles written for local news agencies and magazines.
Unseen Leicester
Francis ‘Tanky’ Smith
If you should walk down London Road, on the opposite side to Saxby Street you will find Top Hat Terrace, so named because of the 16 stone heads that adorn the front of the building.
The stone heads represent the disguises of Francis ‘Tanky’ Smith, Leicester’s first private detective.
In 1836 Leicester’s police force was formed to combat the crime going on at the time. ‘Tanky’ Smith along with his partner Tommy ‘Black Tommy’ Haynes joined in 1840 and became the city’s first detectives. They worked well together, making a good team with their undercover work infiltrating the criminal gangs of the City and gathering evidence which soon made them Leicester’s most successful police officers.
Tanky’s most famous case in 1862 involved the disappearance of James Beaumont Winstanley during a European tour. Tanky tracked him to Koblez where his body was found floating in the river Moselle.
With the reward money Tanky invested in property and Top Hat terrace designed by his architect son. The 16 stone heads represent Tanky’s various disguises. It is not certain if they were added during his lifetime. It is said that Arthur Conan Doyle based Sherlock Holmes’ use of disguise on Francis ‘Tanky’ Smith.
He retired from the force in 1864 where he then set up Leicester’s first private detective agency.
The stone heads represent the disguises of Francis ‘Tanky’ Smith, Leicester’s first private detective.
In 1836 Leicester’s police force was formed to combat the crime going on at the time. ‘Tanky’ Smith along with his partner Tommy ‘Black Tommy’ Haynes joined in 1840 and became the city’s first detectives. They worked well together, making a good team with their undercover work infiltrating the criminal gangs of the City and gathering evidence which soon made them Leicester’s most successful police officers.
Tanky’s most famous case in 1862 involved the disappearance of James Beaumont Winstanley during a European tour. Tanky tracked him to Koblez where his body was found floating in the river Moselle.
With the reward money Tanky invested in property and Top Hat terrace designed by his architect son. The 16 stone heads represent Tanky’s various disguises. It is not certain if they were added during his lifetime. It is said that Arthur Conan Doyle based Sherlock Holmes’ use of disguise on Francis ‘Tanky’ Smith.
He retired from the force in 1864 where he then set up Leicester’s first private detective agency.
The Salmon Freehouse
A typical well run community pub. voted Leicester Pub Of The Year 2012