City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[davieG]

The Magazine and Newarke Bus Station 1963.

 

Before they demolished most of it leaving just a token piece for some hard to fathom reason

[davieG]

 

Terry Russell  
Braunstone Gate early 1900's.
The railway bridge in the distance is over Western Boulevard.
Braunstone gate was the main route into Leicester as the Narborough Road North dual carriageway wasn't built until 1970's

 

Today

[Wymsey]

On 07/11/2021 at 19:20, davieG said:

A knitted Soldier - Syston Memorial

 

 

 

 

That's class.

Just hope no thug messes around with it.

[davieG]

Terry Jones  ·
Wholesale Market Halford St.....1958.

 

[Webbo]

I love these old photos. It's like a window into the past. 

[SeCrEt FoX]

I love this thread! 

Saffron Lane, couldn't tell you when but so fascinating. The level crossing was before they dug down to the level it's at today, and I think the 2nd photo is when the work was done (or they were laying tramlines)

Any one know what the roundabout is? Taken from the top of a well known Leicester landmark. Looks so much different from what it looks like today. 

[Rain King]

27 minutes ago, SeCrEt FoX said:

I love this thread! 

Saffron Lane, couldn't tell you when but so fascinating. The level crossing was before they dug down to the level it's at today, and I think the 2nd photo is when the work was done (or they were laying tramlines)

Any one know what the roundabout is? Taken from the top of a well known Leicester landmark. Looks so much different from what it looks like today. 

That's Pork Pie roundabout, can almost see my childhood home behind the large tree in the top centre of the photo.

Edited 11 November 2021 by Rain King

[SeCrEt FoX]

1 hour ago, Rain King said:

That's Pork Pie roundabout, can almost see my childhood home behind the large tree in the top centre of the photo.

Correct! 

[davieG]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southgate Street in 1966

 

 

 

[davieG]

Looking towards the demolition of the Haymarket, you can see right through to Charles St from the High Street. Assuming early 60s 

[Phil Bowman]

Has anywhere been more damaged - often by its own council - than Leicester between the sixties and now? Lost so much lovely stuff? Had its old road system so savagely hacked about?

 

Such a shame. It’d be better than Chester, York, etc if it had been preserved.

[davieG]

19 minutes ago, Phil Bowman said:

Has anywhere been more damaged - often by its own council - than Leicester between the sixties and now? Lost so much lovely stuff? Had its old road system so savagely hacked about?

 

Such a shame. It’d be better than Chester, York, etc if it had been preserved.

Sad thing is it's still going on and even listed properties owned council are left rotting

[davieG]

 

[Parafox]

On 13/11/2021 at 18:28, Phil Bowman said:

Has anywhere been more damaged - often by its own council - than Leicester between the sixties and now? Lost so much lovely stuff? Had its old road system so savagely hacked about?

 

Such a shame. It’d be better than Chester, York, etc if it had been preserved.

 

On 13/11/2021 at 18:52, davieG said:

Sad thing is it's still going on and even listed properties owned council are left rotting

When you look back over the city in these photos it's saddening to see how much has been lost that could have been preserved. Our city might as well have been bombed in WW2 like Cov because we've almost become the same non-descript concrete eyesore without the destruction by the German bombs

[davieG]

Strolling along Fosse Rd Central over a century ago...(Leic Merc).

 

Could be St Pauls Church in the background so probably before Hinckley Road cuts right through the middle of this right to left.

[davieG]

Steve Walters  ·
The Sovereign Cinema in Woodgate opposite Lidl.
Off the Internet...
Located to the west of Leicester city centre at the corner of Woodgate & Bassett Street in the Newfoundpool district to the north of the city centre. The Sovereign Cinema was opened in October 1919. Designed by the Leicester based architectural firm of Seale & Riley, it had a wooden half timbered façade in a Tudor style. Seating was provided on a single sloping floor, and there was a small raised section at the rear of the auditorium. The proscenium was 24 feet wide.
By 1934 it had been taken over by the H.D. Moorhouse Circuit. It was equipped to present CinemaScope films in 1955 and a new 34 feet wide proscenium was installed.
The Sovereign Cinema was closed on 14th January 1961. By the 1980’s, the front of the building had been altered, and it became a bank and shops, which extended midway into the auditorium. The remainder of the auditorium was in use as a warehouse. Today the front of the building is in use by restaurants.

 

The only trace remaining of the frontage is the square outline in the bricks at the top.

 

 

[PAULCFC]

12 minutes ago, davieG said:

Steve Walters  ·
The Sovereign Cinema in Woodgate opposite Lidl.
Off the Internet...
Located to the west of Leicester city centre at the corner of Woodgate & Bassett Street in the Newfoundpool district to the north of the city centre. The Sovereign Cinema was opened in October 1919. Designed by the Leicester based architectural firm of Seale & Riley, it had a wooden half timbered façade in a Tudor style. Seating was provided on a single sloping floor, and there was a small raised section at the rear of the auditorium. The proscenium was 24 feet wide.
By 1934 it had been taken over by the H.D. Moorhouse Circuit. It was equipped to present CinemaScope films in 1955 and a new 34 feet wide proscenium was installed.
The Sovereign Cinema was closed on 14th January 1961. By the 1980’s, the front of the building had been altered, and it became a bank and shops, which extended midway into the auditorium. The remainder of the auditorium was in use as a warehouse. Today the front of the building is in use by restaurants.

 

The only trace remaining of the frontage is the square outline in the bricks at the top.

 

 

I was brought up on woodgate and never realised that used to be a cinema!I think the midland bank was there at one time.

[davieG]

Terry Jones
 · 
Checketts Rd Belgrave. Many moons ago. I would hazard a guess that the road on the left is Claremont St.....The Black Horse pub would be out of shot on the left and a little further towards the front of the pic The Champion pub on the corner of Loughborough Rd...

 

[Free Falling Foxes]

4 hours ago, davieG said:

Strolling along Fosse Rd Central over a century ago...(Leic Merc).

 

Could be St Pauls Church in the background so probably before Hinckley Road cuts right through the middle of this right to left.

As others have said; smashing thread. I particularly like those then and now photos.

Why are most (all?) the 'now' photos, awful in comparison?

 

Sad story: I was working with a partially sighted chap who moved recently from elsewhere in the UK and was now living on Fosse Road central. He had been attacked twice in a matter of weeks. The police said he could not have moved into a worse area for low lives to take advantage  of his vulnerability.

Edited 15 November 2021 by Free Falling Foxes

[davieG]

Just now, Free Falling Foxes said:

As others have said; smashing thread. I particularly like those then and now photos.

Why are most (all?) the 'now' photos, awful in comparison?

Plenty of reasons but besides some terrible demolishing decisions the Internal combustion engine and all the now deemed necessary road signage and associated paraphernalia.

[WarehamFox]

On 13/11/2021 at 08:57, davieG said:

Looking towards the demolition of the Haymarket, you can see right through to Charles St from the High Street. Assuming early 60s 

More like the late sixties, the Haymarket shopping centre opened in 1973. Unless it was like that for over ten years? 

[davieG]

 

 

 

[davieG]

12 hours ago, WarehamFox said:

More like the late sixties, the Haymarket shopping centre opened in 1973. Unless it was like that for over ten years? 

You could be right although Littlewoods opened in 1967 so that must have taken some time to build.

[davieG]

 

Humberstone Gate 1969...On the right Lewis`s Department Store and some memories as told by Joy Jordan........Mum would often take me into Leicester for her standard shopping trip, a visit to Lewis's, through the back doors straight into Marks and Spencer, then on to Boots...Lewis's was my favourite because there was so much to see, they seemed to sell absolutely everything.As far as I can remember, the basement had household goods, gardening, pots and pans and lovely china displays.The ground floor had cosmetics, hats, gloves, stationery and of course, the delicious food hall.Above that, was clothing, then another floor of furniture and carpets and finally the top floor restaurant.Christmas was very special at Lewis's. We gazed for ages at the delightful window displays, followed by a trip to the fantastic toy department and then into Santa's grotto. You knew Christmas was just around the corner when you'd seen Santa at Lewis's!
As a 15-year-old schoolgirl in the mid-1960s, I decided I needed some extra money to buy clothes, make-up and records. It was Lewis's that provided my first part-time work in the school holidays and later, a regular Saturday job. Hours were 8.30am until 6pm, and my first weekly wage was £4. Then, later on, as a Saturday girl, I was paid £1......Happy Days. 

 

Older pic.

 

[davieG]