City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Fer Jarvis  

King Richards Road late 60's looking both ways with the site of the new Crows Nest being built & Wan's Garden.

 

 

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester ·

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Leicester Great Central Station entrance in c.1925

[davieG]

Story of Leicester

21 February 2019  · 

Throwback Thursday! Keeping on this week’s theme of fun we have a brilliant shot of roller skating at Granby Halls in 1983. Did you ever skate at Granby Halls? It looks like they also had a Roller Hockey Club at the venue. What were the other clubs that used to run out of Granby Hall? #Leicester #StoryofLeicester

 

Sunday afternoon, one of the few places you could catch the latest charts before a few pints then off to the cinema

 

 

[davieG]

What a terrible short sited decision to close down the Great Central line, I believe that not only was it the latest main line to be built it was also the flattest and most efficient. Also it would have been a great platform on which to develop a HS Line.

 

Look at all those destinations both local and nationally.

[davieG]

 

 

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Mervin Wallace  ·

13th July 1907 The Hinckley Sunday Schools Union Treats

[davieG]

 

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

Northgate Bridge.

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Fer Jarvis  ·

West Bridge and the railway viaduct about 1960

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble  ·

Charles Street 1959.

[The Fox Covert]

My painting of the level crossing at Station Road, Glenfield. The Leicester and Swannington railway connected Leicester with the coalfields in the north west of the county and when opened in 1833 was the first steam railway in the Midlands. Coal almost immediately halved in price in the city, which was set on the course to becoming an economic powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution and one of the ten largest cities in the country. By the 1950s the line had become a backwater, most traffic in and out of the city going north and south on the former Midland and Great Central lines or east and west on the Midland lines to Peterborough and Birmingham.

Many pits were still open and the main traffic of the line remained coal to the city coal merchants. There was a tunnel just on the Leicester side of the view, built to the diminutive proportions of the early railway locomotives from the 1830s. Only the smallest locomotives could pass through and my painting shows a Victorian-era Johnson goods engine, the last of which was not withdrawn from service until the 1960s. My painting also shows typical vehicles from the 1950s, all with local registration marks.

The third shot shows the same location today (Google Street View, because when I visited the location last December it was pi55ing down).

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/historic-gothic-building-leicester-undergo-10347475

 

 

A historic landmark Leicester building is to undergo major restoration work after nearly £250,000 in funding was secured from the National Lottery. The Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage has been awarded the money to carry out restoration work and make it more accessible.

The Grade II-listed building, at 8 Bowling Green Street in the city centre, will have its original, highly carved oak front door and stone features restored as part of the work. The Victorian Gothic Revival structure, built in 1865 as the Water Board Offices, mixes three different period designs in one building - Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular.

The £249,762 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund will see a lift installed to improve accessibility and the main entrance renovated. The funding will also allow the organisation to reinstate key heritage features in keeping with the building's architectural history while enhancing security and usability.

 

The building was originally constructed by architects Shenton & Baker and is nationally recognised for its architectural interest. Leicester City Council describes it as one of Leicester's earliest examples of the fashionable Victorian Gothic Revival style.

Pawlet Brookes MBE, CEO and artistic director of Serendipity, said: "We are delighted to receive this support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. It's a major step forward in safeguarding our building and our archive, while honouring the heritage and identity of the communities we serve. This project is about more than restoration—it's about access, pride and visibility."

The grant also supports the ongoing development of The Living Archive, a growing collection of oral histories, documents, images and digital content that preserves the presence and contributions of Black British communities across generations. The building serves as both the physical base for Serendipity's work and houses the nationally significant Living Archive.

No date has been given for when the restoration work will begin.

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester ·

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London Road

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester ·

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Queens Road 1948

 

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

Joblins Sweet Shop

Charnwood Street 1963.

[davieG]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/local-news/plans-revealed-mega-new-leicestershire-10356832

 

Plans revealed for mega new Leicestershire town with up to 4,250 homes
Developers estimate around 10,000 people would live there

By

Hannah RichardsonLocal Democracy Reporter

 

 

Plans for the long-discussed new Leicestershire town have now been officially submitted. Up to 4,250 new homes, three new schools, shops, hotels and sports facilities could be built over swathes of farmland next to Isley Walton, in North West Leicestershire.

The Isley Woodhouse project has been on the cards for years, with North West Leicestershire District Council (NWLDC) having asked residents whether they would support the development during a local plan review in 2022. A local plan is a document which sets out where house building and other developments can take place in an area, and is intended to protect communities from speculative projects.

Developers Harworth Group and Caesarea Development Holdings are now seeking formal permission to proceed with the scheme from NWLDC, with documents published online revealing more about their intentions for the site. If the development goes ahead, it could bring around 10,000 new residents to the area, the companies have said.

In addition to the thousands of new homes, two primary schools would also be built on the farmland. These would each be two-form entry, and would have space to later expand if needed. A secondary school is also proposed for the mega developments.

Two neighbourhood centres and a local centre would be built too, offering spaces for “local shops and services”. There would be room for hotels and restaurants as well, and a sports and leisure centre is also proposed.

The rough outline of the proposed development site near East Midlands Airport (Image: North West Leicestershire District Council)
The application is for outline permission only, meaning the developers are looking for approval for the scheme in principle, with further details to be submitted at a later date. As such, there is limited detail on the types of homes proposed.

However, documents do say there would be a “variety” of types and heights, and suggest a mix of detached, semi-detached, terraced and apartments would be suitable. The developers added they believe that the new homes would be “in high demand” from local workers, including those employed at nearby East Midlands Airport and the Segro East Midlands Gateway logistic park in Castle Donington. Some 30 per cent of the properties would be classed as “affordable”.

Four new access points would be created into the development off the A453 which in turn would be realigned to “remove sharp corners” and ensure safety.

Residents can find more information on the plans on the NWLDC planning portal, with a public consultation running until Tuesday, August 12. A target decision date has been set for Friday, October 10.

 

 

[Trav Le Bleu]

On 16/07/2025 at 10:11, davieG said:

The Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage has been awarded the money to carry out restoration work and make it more accessible.

When I first read this I thought some kind of coven had been established in Leicester.

[Trav Le Bleu]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Some 30 per cent of the properties would be classed as “affordable

Or to put it another way, 70% will be unaffordable

 

[ajthefox]

On 16/07/2025 at 09:38, The Fox Covert said:

My painting of the level crossing at Station Road, Glenfield. The Leicester and Swannington railway connected Leicester with the coalfields in the north west of the county and when opened in 1833 was the first steam railway in the Midlands. Coal almost immediately halved in price in the city, which was set on the course to becoming an economic powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution and one of the ten largest cities in the country. By the 1950s the line had become a backwater, most traffic in and out of the city going north and south on the former Midland and Great Central lines or east and west on the Midland lines to Peterborough and Birmingham.

Many pits were still open and the main traffic of the line remained coal to the city coal merchants. There was a tunnel just on the Leicester side of the view, built to the diminutive proportions of the early railway locomotives from the 1830s. Only the smallest locomotives could pass through and my painting shows a Victorian-era Johnson goods engine, the last of which was not withdrawn from service until the 1960s. My painting also shows typical vehicles from the 1950s, all with local registration marks.

The third shot shows the same location today (Google Street View, because when I visited the location last December it was pi55ing down).

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cren4dnd3djo

 

Timely, did you know about this?

[The Fox Covert]

1 minute ago, ajthefox said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cren4dnd3djo

 

Timely, did you know about this?

No, so thanks for posting. I still have family in Leicester and did visit the location before doing the painting. I did know that the tunnel was open for visits every now and again but no idea that a railway had been installed in the tunnel. This painting was well received on my other social media so I have plans to follow it up with another painting some time.

[davieG]

No apologies for posting this again - what a waste.

 

 

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble

Kirby & West 1994.

[Wymsey]

10 minutes ago, davieG said:

No apologies for posting this again - what a waste.

 

 

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble

Kirby & West 1994.

What is it now?

[Guest WarehamFox]

57 minutes ago, davieG said:

No apologies for posting this again - what a waste.

 

 

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble

Kirby & West 1994.

I remember walking past that great building so many times. But when I walk down Western boulevard and on to Braunstone Gate I still struggle to think off where it was. Cheers DavieG 👍

[davieG]

Another angle showing the Bowstring Bridge

[davieG]

1 hour ago, Wymsey said:

What is it now?

if you compare this current image with the previous post showing the Bowstring Bridge it should give you an idea

 

 

A modern office unit and err nothing.

 

 

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester ·

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London Road the day the Circus came to Town

 

Possibly Nov 1965

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

The Bell Hotel Humberstone Gate before the Haymarket.