City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[davieG]

History of Leicestershire in Images

Stuart Marbrook 

 

I was going to ask where this was, i reckon we may be here for a little while!

I don't think the children playing in the picture would last too long on the road these days.

Knighton Road (looking North). The Craddock Arms is immediately on the left of the photographer.

Picture is likely pre WW1.

Taken relating to the GPO installing their network of telegraph poles(posts?) at the time. An early form of surveying/planning I am assuming.

The photo's relate to poles/numbers being marked on them. Its likely these planned telegraph poles would have been removed in future development in the area to the immediate view.

[davieG]

John Ghent Leicester Estate Agent

 

Who remembers this view? 
Look at the sheer scale of Leicester’s Aylestone Road Gas Works in this incredible aerial shot from around 1931.

Imagine the noise, the smoke, and the smell when those giant gas holders were at full capacity. 

 Did you or someone in your family work here?
 Do you remember seeing the gas holders dominating the skyline?
 Any stories about life in the streets around the works?

Tag a parent, grandparent, or neighbour who might have memories of this place—let’s see how many first-hand tales we can collect!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Ghent Leicester Estate Agent ·

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Leicester Gas Works History

Check out this incredible old site map of the Leicester Gas Works around Aylestone Road, dating back to the 1950s.

You can see everything—from the retort houses and chemical works to the Grand Union Canal and the railway line that once served the site. This map shows a slice of industrial Leicester that’s mostly disappeared today.

Would you like to see a full video exploring the history of the gas works, the railway line that connected it to the Burton branch, and what’s there now?

Drop a comment if you’re up for a deep dive into this hidden chapter of Leicester’s past!

Location: Aylestone Road, Leicester

Era: c.1954

 

 

 

 

 

[davieG]

Roger RichardsMade In Leicester

 

I lived in Leicester from 1939-1970 went to Medway St. then Moat Rd. Schools .I had 7 brothers and 1 sister and lived in Eggington St. ,Earl Howe St.then Sparkenhoe St. before marriage to Suzanne Cann in1958 . I was a photographer at Leicester University and have many photos to share ,mainly my own but some old ones found stored in a box at the Uni.Many had the name Warden Harvey on the old glass negs.

My early memories are of the war time raids,gas masks,sheltering in basement of Medway St. school.Waking up one morning to find Earl Howe St. filled with sleeping soldiers from Dunkirk and talking to them. Later we used to walk to the pow camp on Shady Lane, Evington and talk to the prisoners through the wire fence . I remember going scrumping up London Rd. near Oadby with two brothers,crawling through a hedge to find an American soldier sitting on the lawn ,smoking but with a machine gun on a small tripod! We quickly backed out and ran .If this is of interest to you please let me know.After our marriage Sue and I lived in Cranbrook Rd. Thurnby and later in Copse Close ,Oadby. We now live on a 30 acre property with a lot of fruit trees in Montacute,just out of Adelaide. If the photos are of interest let me know.

 

Humberstone Rd. in mid 1960’s 

 

Leicester Base Hospital in Fielding Johnson Building ( now Leicester University) in WW1, Photo Warden Harvey

 

 

 

Scraptoft Village in mid 1960’s

 

The Magazine,date unknown,

 

 

Made In Leicester

Roger Richards 

 

I’m not into the Facebook thing but I was amazed at the responses to my recent post about early Leicester! There were so many questions and all I can do is continue my memories in some kind of order. When we moved to Leicester we rented a flat above a painter and decorator business run by a Mr. Pole. There was a bakery on the corner and across the road was a sweet shop called by us as the halfpenny sweet shop as for a halfpenny they gave a small paper bag with a few sweets in. Dad found a larger place for us after two months and we moved late at night in the dark to 47 Earl Howe St. There was an outside loo but no bathroom so a tin bath in front of the fire was used. It had several rooms in the cellar but no lights . I remember mum was washing one of my brothers in the tin bath when she asked my older brother Peter to bring some more coal for the fire. Peter came back after a few minutes and threw a shovel of coal onto the fire. A few minutes later there was a loud bang and something shot out of the fire narrowly missing mum and the baby. It was a bullet but we never knew how it got into the coal! Dad was born Alec Rimes just before the end of the 19th.century in Farcet near Peterborough and at 14 was working at a local brickworks. The brick making machine he was using collapsed and chopped his arm off at the elbow.There were no ambulances and nobody had a car so his boss took him to the hospital in Peterborough in his horse and buggy, hard to imagine the dreadful situation and pain . He recovered well and he tried to enlist in the army when the war began just like his brothers. He was rejected obviously but kept trying. Eventually a friend told him to try changing his name so he knew an old family member had the name Richards so in 1917 they were so short of men that he was taken in. An early job was on guard at a downed airship but later he was sent over to France until the end of the war. An uncle later told me that he was promoted to Captain for bravery after saving wounded soldiers by using his good arm and his teeth to drag them back to safety . I haven’t been able to verify this and he never spoke about the war. He had difficulty finding any work but did fire watching at Taylor Hobsons in Stoughton St. He liked a drink at night and came home one night with a large fruit cake that I think he paid 7/6d for from a man at the pub. Later two plainclothe policemen knocked on the door and walked dad to Charles St. He was jailed for 3 months for receiving stolen goods! One of the policemen was Jock Joiner or Joyner and I think he was a survivor of a bombing in Saxby St. when several policemen were killed. The only friend that I remember from the street was a boy from the Irish family that moved into no. 49. I know he became a policeman and I saw him being interviewed on tv here in Australia about a murder case in England. He was a chief of police in the West Midlands area . Our family continued to grow and mum had boy number eight Stephen Charles in the back bedroom. We all crowded around to see him and nobody noticed that Robert the two year old had managed to open a door that led to the outside wooden staircase to the ground . He fell onto the brick surface and suffered head injuries. He was taken to the Infirmary but suffered brain damage and didn’t talk for another two years. He attended Medway school but ended up going to a Special School,can’t remember the name but think it was towards Glenfield . He did recover and visited us here in Australia several times, he loved travel by plane. I think it was November 18 when mum said that Coventry was being bombed and we could hear the noise in Leicester. The next day ,19 th was mum’s birthday and that was Leicester’s turn. We used our heavy kitchen table as a shelter but from the front bedroom window we could see the glow of many fires in the city. Mum was standing on a chair at the side of our bed and started to jump up and down when seeing a plane on fire,thinking it was the enemy. The base of the chair broke and she fell through it to the floor. After seeing all the damage the next day particularly around Sparkenhoe St. we decided to use the basement shelter of Medway St. school along with many of the neighbours. We picked up several incendiary bombshells the next day that were used just to set fire to homes. I’ll do more memories later, Roger

 

Vaughn Way

 

Prison & Royal Infirmary

 

 

Oadby

 

Blackbird Road

 

Underpass

 

[davieG]

 

Archaeological Services, University of Leicester (ULAS) ·

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We are uncovering remarkable archaeology ahead of redevelopment at Leicester’s market place — including Roman buildings, medieval market surfaces, and the remains of a long-lost civic landmark.

This image shows our team investigating the thick stone walls of a late medieval dungeon, likely part of the Gainsborough Chamber — a building that once stood in the market for 100s of years, used for shops, judicial and mayoral business, and a prison (!).

Excavations are ongoing, and we’ll be sharing more discoveries soon! To read more on this visit: https://news.leicester.gov.uk/.../evidence-of-2-000.../

#ulas #leicesterhistory #archaeology #romanleicester #medieval #universityofleicester

 

[davieG]

hinckley Journal  · 

Michael Dunkley 

 

Leicester..Hillcrest Hospital.This building was a former council Workhouse...pic 1965.

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble ·

Elizabeth II visits Corahs 1958.

[davieG]

John Ghent Leicester Estate Agent ·

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Leicester’s Lee Circle – 1955

A brilliant blast from the past!

This photo was taken in early June 1955, before the famous multi-storey car park was built. Back then, Lee Street was still at ground level and the circular area you can see was a simple open car park.

The picture hints at a city on the cusp of big change—factories on the skyline, chimneys pumping smoke, and rows of tightly packed houses soon to give way to modern developments. Today, doubts hang over the future of the Lee Circle car park that eventually replaced this scene.

Do you remember this view, or have stories from the Lee Circle days? Share them below—let’s bring these memories back to life.

[davieG]

Story of Leicester

Skeffington House (now Newarke Houses Museum) is seen here decorated for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. It was built between 1560 and 1583 and is the only surviving Elizabethan urban gentry house in Leicestershire. Thomas Skeffington, the house´s first owner, was Sheriff of Leicestershire at the time of the Spanish Armada. Its original look showed the stone building material, but it was much altered by its 18th-century owners. They built a brick extension and clad everything in stucco (plaster) to give it an elegant Georgian appearance.

The house is now part of Newarke Houses Museum; Leicester’s social history and Royal Leicestershire Regiment museum. Discover the history of the Leicestershire Tigers Regiment, including a recreation of a First World War trench and find out more about Leicester’s famous son Daniel Lambert as well as visit a 1950s street scene inspired by Wharf Street, Leicester.

Find out how to visit: https://goo.gl/A13rDw

[Wolfox]

On 22/08/2025 at 11:05, kushiro said:

 

Here's a map from about 1910 where you can see Battenberg Avenue:

 

 

 

 

 

And a letter to the Leicester Mail from March 1918:

 

Fantastic, I’ve just shared this on my local WhatsApp group (I’m a South Knighton resident)

Edited 28 September 2025 by Wolfox

[davieG]

John Ghent Leicester Estate Agent ·

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Who remembers when Narborough Road looked like this?

Back then these shops were the beating heart of the neighbourhood. The florist, the wool shop, the tent hire place…all buzzing with friendly faces and everyday errands. Rows of classic Leicester terraces wrapped around it all, giving the street a true feel-good factor—everyone seemed to know everyone.

Then came the housing boom of the 2000s. Prices that once felt steady suddenly shot up as buyers looked beyond the city centre. What was once a street of lifelong homeowners became one of Leicester’s biggest rental markets, fuelled by the university crowd and hospital staff. Landlords snapped up terraces, and the area’s character started to shift.

Today Narborough Road is a mix of old and new: independent takeaways, global grocery stores, and long-time locals alongside students and young professionals. Some love the vibrant change, others miss the slower, close-knit days.

What’s your memory of Narborough Road—old or new? Share a story, a favourite shop

[davieG]

 

Made In Leicester

Alan Freeman ·

 

Map of rivers, brooks and culverts in the Leicester area, found at: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/.../map-of-ordinary... when trying to find out just what route the Wash Brook takes after disappearing under Knighton Fields Lane West.

[Grebfromgrebland]

On 29/09/2025 at 15:30, davieG said:

 

Made In Leicester

Alan Freeman ·

 

Map of rivers, brooks and culverts in the Leicester area, found at: https://www.leicester.gov.uk/.../map-of-ordinary... when trying to find out just what route the Wash Brook takes after disappearing under Knighton Fields Lane West.

You need to go on the free guided walks around Leicester.  My dad goes on them and quite often he's the only one. On one they tracked the woggy for quite a distance. It's name changes along the way.

 

[davieG]

Braunstone History Group  · 

Molly Storer

 

Now, here’s a tale of a little and large, featuring a local and national icon, who will be familiar to all with a sweet tooth.

Leicester’s famous Fox’s Confectionery business started in 1880 on Oxford Street.

Perhaps its most popular brand is Fox’s Glacier Mints, made famous by its polar bear logo, called Peppy – short for peppermint.

City artist Clarence Reginald Dalby (1904-1983) was paid just 7/6 for designing the logo, after attending Leicester College of Art. Later, he also illustrated the Rev W Awdry’s Railway Series books, featuring Thomas the Tank Engine.

Peppy was introduced to the public in 1922. Around the same time, Fox’s commissioned a taxidermist to shoot and stuff a real polar bear, which was displayed at public events, such as football matches, to advertise the mints. The unfortunate stuffed bear was taken all over Britain and eventually, as many as four other taxidermied polar bears joined him.

After Rowntree acquired Fox’s in the 1960s, in the age of television advertising, understandably, the exhibition of a shot symbol of the threatened environment was deemed unwise, so the stuffed bear was replaced by a cartoon version of Peppy.

In 2003, the original Peppy – measuring almost 5ft high by 7ft long, was donated to Leicester’s New Walk Museum. The stuffed bear had been “hibernating” for several decades in a factory store, as a manager explained:

“We found it in the back when we were clearing out and decided to donate it to a museum – the best place for it. We didn't want it in the reception because it’s so gory, we feared it could scare the customers when they visited.”

After the donation, New Walk Museum spent six years restoring the threadbare bear to display standard and there it stands today.Who remembers the lovely mint smell wafting over Braunstone?.

 

 

 

[davieG]

Story of Leicester

Did you know Leicester's Silver Street roughly follows the Roman Road that connected the West and East Gates?

The area known as ‘The Lanes’ dates back to medieval Leicester with the street pattern remaining much the same for many centuries. Silver Street has had various names over the years but by 1587 it was know by the name we use today.

This photo was taken around 1900 and shows the view looking down towards the Clock Tower. Leicestershire Record Office.

The building to the left, 'A. Dunknley Confectioner' is now the location of the long running retro clothes shop The Wardrobe.

#StoryofLeicester

[davieG]

John Ghent Leicester Estate Agent

 

Can you even imagine Leicester with this many railway lines?

This 1920s railway map shows a Leicester packed with tracks and stations. What’s now green space or endless housing estates was once dominated by the railways. 

In just 100 years, the city has transformed — the scale of change is massive. I’ll be diving deeper into Leicester’s railway past soon, but I’d love to know: what railway stories should I cover first?

[davieG]

Made In Leicester

Roger Richards

A couple of memories about my early war time years at Medway St. school .I can remember the school held a memorial session for a small boy from the school that was killed in a bombing raid. I believe he lived in Highfield St. near the home of Dr. Majut,the Moat Boys German teacher. During those years I think we were all lacking in Vitamin D and for some reason I was sent to a clinic for treatment. We were seated in a circle wearing just our underpants and given goggles to wear .In the middle was a uv type of lamp and we faced it for a short time then told to turn so our backs had the same time. I think the clinic was close to the old Art and Tech. Building. Yes the previous photo was of Blackbird Rd. and shows the BTH/ AEI clearly as Bernard my oldest brother was a radar engineer there and my wife Suzanne was the bosses secretary,a Mr. Linnell . Sue’s uncle George Bott also worked there.

 

9 Cranbrook Road, Thurnby,a Jelson home

 

Roger Richards

 

Not sure but think it’s part of Oadby

 

Comment

Alison Stone

Looks like Manor Road with Blackthorn Lane running towards the bottom centre

 

Metal Box Factory

 

Student Accommodation Oadby

 

[davieG]

Your Leicester is at Great Central Street.  · 

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Leicester’s skyline is levelling up.

Right in the heart of the city, No.4 Great Central Square is redefining what Grade A office space looks like. With over 70,000 sq ft of flexible, design-led workspaces, a feature roof garden, and amenities built for modern teams this is where business can come be part of Leicester!

They’ll be panoramic city views, open-plan layouts, cycle storage and showers all teamed with and next-level sustainability. And all of this just steps from Highcross and the Leicester’s best food, culture and transport links.

While no official construction start date has been confirmed yet, businesses can already enquire about renting space through M1 Agency, giving early movers the chance to secure a spot in one of Leicester’s most exciting developments.

Leicester’s future of work starts here.

4 Great Central Street, LE1

From 10,000 to 71,590 sq ft

To Let — enquire via M1 Agency

#YourLeicester #Leicester

 

 

[davieG]

John Ghent Leicester Estate Agent ·

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Midland Auction Mart, 1876 — Leicester

Tucked away on Market Street, this beautiful Victorian façade has watched over the city for nearly 150 years.

Look closely and you’ll see the incredible detail — carved faces, scrolls, and flourishes that once represented the pride and craftsmanship of an era when even everyday buildings were designed to impress.

It’s a reminder that Leicester’s history isn’t just in museums or monuments — it’s right above our heads.

So next time you’re walking through town, slow down… and look up.

 

[Parafox]

5 minutes ago, davieG said:

So next time you’re walking through town, slow down… and look up.

 

I still remember a teacher at school nearly 60 years ago telling the class exactly this. It stuck with me and I still do it.

 

Nearly all the nondescript shop fronts have such architecture above them, particularly High Street, Gallowtree Gate, Silver Street and around the market place.

[davieG]

 

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

Welford Place 1946.

[kushiro]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

 

Made In Leicester

Rob Hubble 

Welford Place 1946.

 

Fascinating picture. Quick delve in the archives produces this:

 

 

 

That's from the Mercury, January 9th 1947. In the same issue, the paper explains that:

 

 

 

[Foxdiamond]

On 10/10/2025 at 18:56, Parafox said:

 

I still remember a teacher at school nearly 60 years ago telling the class exactly this. It stuck with me and I still do it.

 

Nearly all the nondescript shop fronts have such architecture above them, particularly High Street, Gallowtree Gate, Silver Street and around the market place.

That was good advice and also something I do. It can be a good thing to ride on those open top bus tours in some of the tourist cities. Riding above the traffic and almost eye level look as the architecture is rewarding. 

[Foxdiamond]

On 10/10/2025 at 18:45, davieG said:

John Ghent Leicester Estate Agent ·

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Midland Auction Mart, 1876 — Leicester

Tucked away on Market Street, this beautiful Victorian façade has watched over the city for nearly 150 years.

Look closely and you’ll see the incredible detail — carved faces, scrolls, and flourishes that once represented the pride and craftsmanship of an era when even everyday buildings were designed to impress.

It’s a reminder that Leicester’s history isn’t just in museums or monuments — it’s right above our heads.

So next time you’re walking through town, slow down… and look up.

 

I remember looking at the Premier League win parade overhead tv shots and thought  it showed the City centre in a good way as well as a wonderful occasion 

[davieG]

John Ghent Leicester Estate Agent ·

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West Bridge Station – Where Leicester’s Rail Story Began

Tucked just behind the city centre, West Bridge Station was once the beating heart of Leicester’s industrial age. Opened in 1832 as the terminus of the Leicester and Swannington Railway, it was one of the earliest railways in the world — built to haul coal from the Swannington mines into the growing town of Leicester.

What makes it even more fascinating is that this was pre-Victorian engineering — rails laid before most people had ever seen a train. The first locomotives rumbled down these tracks when horse-drawn wagons still dominated the streets.

By the time this photo was taken, likely in the 1940s or early ’50s, passenger services had long gone. The line survived mainly for freight — coal, building materials, and goods from Leicester’s factories. The small brick building you see was the station office, sitting quietly beside rows of terraced housing that grew up long after the railway itself.

The line finally closed in 1966, ending over a century of service — but its ghost still lingers. Parts of the old trackbed can still be traced today through Frog Island and along the River Soar, reminders of Leicester’s early leap into the railway age.

⸻

If you’ve ever explored the West End or Frog Island, you’ve probably walked right over history without realising it.

#LeicesterHistory #LostLeicester #WestBridgeStation #LeicesterRailways #SwanningtonLine #OldLeicester #LeicesterHeritage

[Wolfox]

On 10/10/2025 at 18:56, Parafox said:

 

I still remember a teacher at school nearly 60 years ago telling the class exactly this. It stuck with me and I still do it.

 

Nearly all the nondescript shop fronts have such architecture above them, particularly High Street, Gallowtree Gate, Silver Street and around the market place.

With the market cleared and the corn exchange made more prominent…. A good clean up of the market facing facades could be epic…. Nice cafes etc. could be a real draw…. And pretty much (?) unique for the UK

Edited 12 October 2025 by Wolfox