Most people who walk past Watson's on Granby Street assume the name is just that — a name. Few realise it's a quiet nod to one of Leicester's more unusual contributions to twentieth-century history: the word “vegan” itself, and the man who coined it.
Who Was Donald Watson?
Donald Watson was a woodwork teacher with a lifelong interest in animal welfare and self-sufficiency. In 1944, frustrated that the existing Vegetarian Society didn't take a clear stance on dairy and eggs, Watson and a small group of like-minded people broke away to form a new organisation with a firmer position: no animal products of any kind.
They needed a word for it. “Non-dairy vegetarian” was clumsy, so Watson proposed taking the first three and last two letters of “vegetarian” — vegetarian — to form vegan. The word stuck, and the Vegan Society was founded that same year.
"The vegan society regard the killing of animals for food, clothes, or any other purpose as a violation of this right." — Donald Watson, 1944
The Leicester Connection
Watson lived and worked in the Leicester area for a significant part of his life, and it's here that much of the early groundwork for the Vegan Society took place. It's a genuinely under-told piece of local history — most people in the city have never heard that a word now used by millions worldwide has roots in Leicester.
Why We Kept The Name
When Watson's opened on Granby Street, the name was chosen as a small tribute to that local history rather than a statement about the bar's identity. We're not a vegan-only venue — the bar serves a full menu of classic cocktails, wine, whisky and food — but in Watson's honour, we've always kept a handful of vegan cocktails and small plates on the menu, and we like sharing the story with guests who ask about the name.
A Small Detail Worth Knowing
You don't need to know any of this to enjoy a drink at Watson's — but if you're curious, ask your bartender. It's one of those only-in-Leicester facts that's more interesting than it has any right to be, and a reminder that even a small city street can carry a genuinely global legacy.
Curious About The Name?
Come and ask us about it over a drink — and try one of our vegan cocktails, made in Watson's honour.
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