City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[davieG]

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Carl Wall  ·   · 

 

 

Welford Road Prison this morning...I googled it because my wife wanted to know if it was originally a castle. Nice to know that the story of the convict breaking his legs jumping from the wall wasn't just an urban myth.

"The prison was designed by Leicester county surveyor William Parsons to resemble a castle and cost £20,000. The oldest part dates from 1825, and it was opened in 1828. The gatehouse including the adjoining building to north and south and the perimeter wall are grade II listed.

The prison's distinctive, red brick perimeter walls are thought to be the highest in the country, with an estimated height of 30 feet.

The only known escape by a prisoner through scaling the wall was an ill-fated one, made by renowned 'safe-blower', Albert Hattersley on the evening of 18 December 1953. Hattersley made his way through a skylight in the prison's workshop and used webbing and a long pipe which he had broken from a wall in the workshop toilets to help him scale the wall. He then chose to drop by his fingertips from a part of the wall which was located above the governor's garden, in the hope that the soft earth would help break his fall. However, Hattersley suffered a broken ankle, with his right tibia protruding the skin. After several hours on the run, he was re-captured the following day."

 

 

Nice to know that the story of the convict breaking his legs jumping from the wall wasn't just an urban myth.

Used to play footy on the reccy as a lad and we often chatted about this.

 

[Free Falling Foxes]

19 minutes ago, davieG said:

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Carl Wall  ·   · 

 

 

Welford Road Prison this morning...I googled it because my wife wanted to know if it was originally a castle. Nice to know that the story of the convict breaking his legs jumping from the wall wasn't just an urban myth.

"The prison was designed by Leicester county surveyor William Parsons to resemble a castle and cost £20,000. The oldest part dates from 1825, and it was opened in 1828. The gatehouse including the adjoining building to north and south and the perimeter wall are grade II listed.

The prison's distinctive, red brick perimeter walls are thought to be the highest in the country, with an estimated height of 30 feet.

The only known escape by a prisoner through scaling the wall was an ill-fated one, made by renowned 'safe-blower', Albert Hattersley on the evening of 18 December 1953. Hattersley made his way through a skylight in the prison's workshop and used webbing and a long pipe which he had broken from a wall in the workshop toilets to help him scale the wall. He then chose to drop by his fingertips from a part of the wall which was located above the governor's garden, in the hope that the soft earth would help break his fall. However, Hattersley suffered a broken ankle, with his right tibia protruding the skin. After several hours on the run, he was re-captured the following day."

 

 

 

During the late 30s, a picture of my dad appeared in either the Mercury or the other Leicester newspaper (Chronicle? ) of him atop one of the prison walls.

He wasn't an escaping convict however, he was carrying out some repairs/pointing-up.

He kept a copy of the paper but it was lost.

Many years later, I spent at least a couple of days at the records office trawling through all their microfilm copies of the local evening papers from 1935 to 1941 (when my dad was called-up) in a fruitless search to find the edition he appeared in.

Edited 13 May by Free Falling Foxes

[davieG]

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Steve Anderson  ·   · 

 

 

Now and Then near St Marks Church.

[davieG]

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Steve Anderson  ·   · 

 

 

Now and Then. Fosse Road North and Henley Road junction.

Try not to say it’s not now it’s a year or two ago. I realise it may not be now, I just name these Now and Then. Thank you.

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

Peter Taylor  · pstSnoerodfc0143g9a2am84ii410621t6h855hiah050740t71mau3067h6  · 

 

Newarke Street Bus Station ( Year unknown )

 

Leicester Poly  Art /Tech College the background.

 

The demolished section of the Magazine on the left.

[davieG]

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Steve Anderson  ·   · 

 

 

Now and Then. Welford Road/Chapel Lane/Knighton Lane East junction. Then was 1947.

[orangecity23]

23 hours ago, davieG said:

 

 

The only known escape by a prisoner through scaling the wall was an ill-fated one, made by renowned 'safe-blower', Albert Hattersley on the evening of 18 December 1953. Hattersley made his way through a skylight in the prison's workshop and used webbing and a long pipe which he had broken from a wall in the workshop toilets to help him scale the wall. He then chose to drop by his fingertips from a part of the wall which was located above the governor's garden, in the hope that the soft earth would help break his fall. However, Hattersley suffered a broken ankle, with his right tibia protruding the skin. After several hours on the run, he was re-captured the following day."

 

 

Nice to know that the story of the convict breaking his legs jumping from the wall wasn't just an urban myth.

Used to play footy on the reccy as a lad and we often chatted about this.

 

At least this occurred prior to the park being named Nelson Mandela park. If the same thing occurred now, the prisoner would be lying there, screaming in pain from their broken legs, staring up at a sign reminding them "There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere" Not quite such an inspirational quote in that circumstance

[davieG]

Leicester Past & Present ~ A walk down Memory Lane.

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LEICESTER PAST: Shady Lane, Evington ~ Postcard from the 1950's.

[davieG]

 

 

The Past History

 

The first batch of Morris 1000 Travellers delivered to the Leicestershire and Rutland Constabulary in April 1968. The cars are lined up to introduce the new Panda Car patrol service in the Hinckley, Coalville, Melton and Rutland areas.

The first three constables standing by their new vehicles, right to left, are Geoff Williams, Chris Moule and former newspaper man John Holmes, who worked for the Leicester Evening Mail before joining the Force. The Morris Minors survived in use until 1974/75

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

Peter Taylor  · oopsetnrdSil5013638m10i18c35gfu53at1f3htf9738llm058351t54mm0  · 

 

 

A train on the Great Central Line crossing over West Bridge ( year unknown )

[davieG]

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Steve Anderson  · eroStondsph115lm2158c5512ca8ft9a8ui15088292l0371l5gamahmu123  · 

 

 

Now and Then. Hinckley Road and Mostyn Street corner.

[Parafox]

9 hours ago, davieG said:

 

 

The Past History

 

The first batch of Morris 1000 Travellers delivered to the Leicestershire and Rutland Constabulary in April 1968. The cars are lined up to introduce the new Panda Car patrol service in the Hinckley, Coalville, Melton and Rutland areas.

The first three constables standing by their new vehicles, right to left, are Geoff Williams, Chris Moule and former newspaper man John Holmes, who worked for the Leicester Evening Mail before joining the Force. The Morris Minors survived in use until 1974/75

 

I think they've got that wrong. I think It's Rowan Atkinson's and Jeremy Clarkson's dads, respectively.  

[kushiro]

More on Leicester Prison.

 

Hattersley in 1953 wasn't the only prisoner who escaped over the wall (whatever it says on wikipedia). There have been several others. Two escaped together in 1939, and there were two cases in the space of two months in 1932. 

 

Here's a piece from the Leicester Evening Mail at the time of Hattersley's escape:

 

 

 

Those details are questionable though. Jones was initially thought to have smuggled himself out in a delivery van, as it says there, but it later became clear that he'd scaled the walls. And Philpott, as far as I know, was never recaptured. Two years after he escaped he was still on the run, and I can find no record of him after that. Anyone know different?

 

Here's a diagram from the Mercury after Philpott's escape:

 

 

 

Philpott had made it out of his cell by sawing through the bars on the window - just like the character in 'Over The Wall We Go' - not one of David Bowie's best known tracks, but it's great. The artist here is 'Oscar' - alias Paul Nicholas:

 

 

[Stuntman_Mike]

On 14/05/2024 at 08:03, davieG said:

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Steve Anderson  ·   · 

 

 

Now and Then. Fosse Road North and Henley Road junction.

Try not to say it’s not now it’s a year or two ago. I realise it may not be now, I just name these Now and Then. Thank you.

I remember walking home from school and seeing that church burning down 

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

Peter Taylor  ·   · 

 

 

The Sovereign Cinema on Woodgate / Bassett St. corner 1960 .

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester

dpoSreonst21a8t1ahthgc6h2u663l80532m7g40i995u660i4hmc16a1cf4  · 

Humberstone Gate 1950

[davieG]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicester-market-might-never-return-9299703

 

Leicester Market might never return to historic home as regeneration plans 'paused'
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the market's demolition is an opportunity to consider other uses for the space

NEWS
ByHannah RichardsonLocal Democracy Reporter
13:14, 22 MAY 2024UPDATED13:35, 22 MAY 2024

 

Leicester Market might never return to its historic home, it was announced today. City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby has paused the regeneration of the 700 year-old-market to allow the council time to "consider other options". Those "options" include leaving the old Market Place as an open space and relocating the market stalls to a space due to be opened up between Market Place North and Cank Street.

The mayor said today that the demolition of the old market roof had revealed the “huge potential” of the space formerly occupied by the stalls, and opened up views of the heritage buildings lining the square. He said the revelation had prompted questions over whether installing a new covered market in the square “would be the right thing to do”.

Instead, the city mayor said he was “more than half convinced” the area in front of the historic Corn Exchange building should be left empty to be used as an open space which could host festivals and specialist markets, celebrations such as the recent Leicester City Football Club parade and generally serve as “an important meeting place at the heart of the city centre”.

 

 

Sir Peter added that for the majority of its centuries, the market served as a meeting place in the city, featuring events from Suffragette rallies to coronation celebrations. By pausing the regeneration, Leicester City Council could now take the time to fully explore its future potential, he said.

“I’m sure I’m not the only one who watched the old market roof come down and was blown away by what was revealed,” he told a Press meeting. “As the demolition team cleared the site, I was struck by the scale of the space and the quality of the surrounding architecture. It made me ask myself if we were missing an opportunity to do something really special.

“If we install new permanent infrastructure on the site – with stalls that would be used for just eight hours a day, six days a week – we won’t be able to use this extraordinary space for anything else. And once those new stalls are in place, they’ll probably be there for the next 30 years.

“We therefore have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to do something quite bold – and that’s to reconsider our plans and create the impressive, flexible space for large-scale public events that we currently don’t have in Leicester city centre.”

Aerial picture of the demolished Leicester Market space (Image: 2024 Matt Short Photography)
The pause, however, creates a question over what will happen to the market’s traders who moved into Green Dragon Square in December with promises they would be back in their historic home by the end of this year. Market traders told LeicestershireLive at the time that they did not fully believe the plan for the new-look market would come to fruition.

A number of options for the traders are now on the table and Sir Peter said those who run stalls would be involved in the decision making. One possibility is leaving them in Green Dragon Square, Sir Peter said.

However, he added that he was leaning towards moving the fruit and veg market into the new Cank Street link area. Approval was given earlier this year to knock through 14 and 16 Market Place North to create a walkway between Green Dragon Square and Cank Street, using the car park on the Cank Street side as a new trading area. Their neighbours at numbers 12, 18 and 20 were to be refurbished with the intention of renting them out.

However, early ideas for reworking the plans now suggest each of numbers 12 to 20 Market Place could be demolished and the space opened up there be the new home of Leicester Market. The space created “would accommodate a mix of market stalls and container units in an attractive and modern trading environment, protected from the elements by an elegant roof”, a spokesperson for Leicester City Council said.

Early artist's impression of what the Cank Street link market could look like (Image: Leicester City Council)
Sir Peter added: “I met with representatives of the market traders this morning (Wednesday) to explain my shift in thinking and to talk through the ideas. While I fully appreciate their concerns about work being paused on site, I hope I was able to convey that I believe we have an opportunity to make a good scheme even better.

“The proposed location for Leicester Market is a brand new cut-through that would link Market Place with Cank Street and the shops and bars of St Martin’s Square. Footfall would therefore be high – and the market’s proximity to the popular Food Hall would create a strong food-themed destination.”

He added: “This new proposal would provide our market traders with the clean, contemporary and attractive market area they need – and provide the city with a striking open space that could become home to the Christmas ice rink, the summer beach, live performances, outdoor cinema, food and drink festivals, national celebrations, and even open-top bus parades for our brilliant sports clubs.

“Of course there’d be work to do to upgrade and refurbish the beautiful old buildings that surround the space, and to attract the cafés and bars that would help to animate it, but our intention would be to seek funding to support the conservation work and to work with development partners to bring new life to the area.

“I’m now convinced that the right thing to do is to pause work on the current scheme to give people a chance to have their say, and I look forward to hearing those views.”

The original plan for the new-look market would have seen it split into three zones. Zone A, on the side next to the old fish market, would have hosted a new café, planting and public art, and would have had space for temporary stalls for one-off events such as farmers markets and a Christmas market. Zone B, at the heart of the space, would have been the new covered market.

In place of the old wooden structures, 84 “smart new stalls” were to be installed, which Leicester City Council said would have created “an attractive environment for the fruit and vegetable traders and other small businesses”. The stalls would have been set out in an "improved" layout to create better pedestrian routes through the market, the authority added.

There would also have been a selection of “attractive, flexible and lockable units” installed in front of the existing meat and fish market in what was set to be Zone C. This was to have 16 new “high quality and unique” lockable “pods” for traders, the plan showed.

While the original market regeneration plan was expected to be completed towards the end of this year, the new proposals could take years to bring to fruition if chosen as the way forwards.

[davieG]

[davieG]

 

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Charlotte Victoria Hubbard  · Sropdnesto113mu70h7588fh89g5ma4470fuc1a81740a88gh0g7u651f02u  · 

 

 

Aylestone Road/Middleton Street junction before/after.

[davieG]

I might have posted this before

 

Born and Raised in Leicester  · 

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Traffic chaos, 1930s-style. Buses, trams, cars, vans, cyclists and pedestrians, all happily mingling together, in what looks to be a completely higgledy-piggledy way – yet, presumably, it all worked out somehow.

This shot was taken looking towards the Welford Road junction with Aylestone Road, on a football match day.

The Aylestone Road recreation ground – ‘reccy’ (now Nelson Mandela Park) can be seen towards the upper left of the picture.

As today, there’s an impressive avenue of trees lining Welford Road and for the really eagle-eyed, there’s a glimpse of the white-painted entrance to the skating rink of the old Granby Halls, at the centre right, towards the top.

So, that just about gives us our bearings.

The tram nearest the camera is a football special, as I guess, so are the buses on the right, as, in those days, the vast majority of football supporters, both for Leicester City, at Filbert Street and the Tigers, just along Welford Road, would have walked, cycled or taken the bus/tram to the match.

The days of surrounding streets being crammed with supporters’ parked cars were a long way away yet

Jim x

 

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester

nesdprootSli907l5920m789fhlal3fta1375at744h42hma1aac42c7m913  · 

Leicester's High Street

*A grand mansion known as 'Lord’s Place' was on High Street and is said to have hosted Mary, Queen of Scots in 1586

*High Street was widened in the early 1900s to accommodate the new electric trams

*In medieval times the road was known as Forum Porcorum (‘pig market’) or Swinesmarket

*The street that sold pigs and accommodated royalty.

High Street follows a route that existed in Roman times, connecting East Gate to the Forum and Basilica (now Jubilee Square). In medieval times it was known as Forum Porcorum (‘pig market’) or Swinesmarket, but by 1524 had been renamed High Street to reflect its increased importance. By 1569 Henry, Earl of Huntingdon, was living here in a grand mansion known as Lord’s Place (now 43-51 High Street).

It is said Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed there in 1586 followed by King James I in 1612 and Charles I in 1642. A plaque on No. 45 High Street records the site’s history.

A Victorian shopping street

In 1885 the Co-operative Society built a large new store on High Street, accommodating the various services the Co-op provided. It traded until 1985 and was demolished four years later when The Shires shopping centre (now Highcross Leicester) was constructed. However, its façade, as well as the frontages of other Victorian and Edwardian buildings, was incorporated into the complex as 53-71 High Street.

The arrival of the trams

In 1899 the construction of the Great Central Railway further increased the importance of High Street, which linked the commercial heart of Leicester with the new station. The street had to be widened to accommodate Leicester’s new electric tram system and many of its buildings were demolished and replaced.

Replacement buildings that have survived include No. 7, a classical style bank (1904), No. 40, Leicester’s first cinema, the Electric Theatre (1910), Nos. 58-60, Butler’s Chemist’s Shop and Nos. 76-88, the Coronation Buildings (1904).

Butler's Chemists, 58-60 High Street

The building on the west corner of High Street was designed in a classical style but with distinctive art nouveau features by Albert Edwin Sawday and built in 1902 for Thomas Edward Butler, who had previously dispensed from premises in Sanvey Gate. His family's business had been founded in 1840 and was styled as 'wholesale druggists'. Butler also owned a factory in Town Hall Lane where he produced his 'Sea Breeze Saline', a headache remedy which was advertised in the façade of his High Street shop. This, with an image of a full-rigged sailing vessel, together with the likeness of the proprietor in the guise of a medieval alchemist with pestle and mortar and carboys, were made from Royal Doulton tiles, and were a familiar landmark in High Street for many years. At the back of the building, the original wrought iron gate still stands with the words 'Butler’s Goods Entrance'.

1. Looking up High Street from the Clock Tower with electric trams in the foreground c.1930

2. High Street 1904

3. The Butler's Chemist building, seen here in 2017

 

 

 

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester  · 

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Woodgate, Leicester, in about 1910

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester  · 

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St Nicholas Street, 1899..

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/flats-improvement-plan-cank-street-9301204

 

 

Flats and 'improvement' plan for Cank Street row of shops including Paper Tiger
The iconic fancy dress store announced its closure in January

ByHannah RichardsonLocal Democracy Reporter
11:18, 27 MAY 2024

 

 

A row of shop buildings in Leicester’s Cank Street could be used for new homes. An application submitted to Leicester City Council reveals a developer wants to turn the upper floors of numbers nine to 15 Cank Street into accommodation.

The line of buildings include the former Paper Tiger store which recently became vacant. The iconic fancy dress store announced its closure in January after 50 years in the city.

Applicant JGM (Nottingham) LTD said the upper floors of the row had “remained unused for a number of years” and the rear extensions and roofs of the buildings had become “dilapidated and unusable”. It also wants to “restore and improve” the facades of the shop fronts which face Cank Street.

 

 

JGM originally intended student flats for the buildings, documents show. However, following conversations with the council, the new homes are now proposed to be general residences. They would be a mixture of two studio flats and five “houses in multiple occupation” (HMOs) if the scheme is approved. The HMOs would comprise two seven-beds, one four-bed and two three-beds. HMOs are homes where separate households live together, sharing communal areas like kitchens and living rooms.

The existing “dilapidated roof” would be replaced with one which creates “additional residential space” in the upper areas. The extensions at the rear of number 9 would be demolished as well.

The developer said its intention was to also “create a simple ground floor commercial unit” in the space in addition to the flats. It is further proposing to “restore and improve” the facades of the shop fronts which face Cank Street. Design would be “contemporary” and “respectful to the neighbouring traditional architecture”, the application states.

A consultation on the plan is underway with residents able to have their say until Tuesday, June 18. A target decision date has been set by the city council for Monday, June 24.