From Sileby To Filbert Street

[kushiro]

This story begins with a photo posted by @davieG over on the 'City of Leicester' thread in the General Forum:

 

 

Some of the photos on that thread are so evocative they leave you wanting to know more. When exactly was the photo taken? And why? 

 

Usually, it's impossible to answer these questions. But this photo really demanded attention, so I started to investigate.

 

I'm so glad I did, as it's helped throw new light on an old story. 

 

 

First, let's get our bearings. 

 

Look at this map of post-war Leicester:

 

 

You can see Fosse Road North running from top to bottom, north to south, with the bridge of the old railway line near the top. The arrow marks the spot where the photo was taken.  Notice that black square in the bottom left corner. That's the old Fosse Cinema, closed in 1981 then demolished in 1998:

 

 

 

 

Now let's go back to the original photo and look more closely at those advertising hoardings by the railway bridge:

 

 

On the right is a poster for that very same Fosse Cinema, and it seems to be advertising a film called 'Calcutta'. It shouldn't be too difficult to find out when that film was released, and when it was showing in Leicester.

 

The film is from 1947.

 

And here's the entertainment column of the Leicester Mercury from Saturday May 17th that year:

 

 

There we are - it began at the Fosse two days later, on Monday 19th.

 

It seems Calcutta was only at that cinema for three days - so that narrows down the possible dates for the photo. It was most likely taken that weekend - on May 17th or 18th. 

 

Can we say anything else?

 

What was happening in Leicester that weekend? Anything that might give us more clues?

 

The winter of 1947 was the most severe that anyone could remember, and the football season was extended till June, so Leicester City would have been playing that Saturday. Were they at home?

 

No - they were at Chesterfield, losing 2-0 to a side that contained Stan Milburn, future Filbert Street favourite.

 

Here's the report of that game in the Mercury:

 

 

Who's that athlete next to the report?

 

The caption under the photo reads 'Forbes, remarkably fresh, reaches the finishing point in Filbert Street to win the Mercury Walk with a good margin. 

 

Interesting - so that's why, when the season was extended, Leicester were given an away game on this Saturday. There was already another sporting event scheduled at Filbert Street - the annual 20 mile walking race, sponsored by the Leicester Mercury.

 

The 'Forbes' mentioned is Harry Forbes of Birmingham. This is the Mercury again:

 

 

 

In third place was T Lloyd Johnson, who you might remember from the Bernie story. Here's a reminder of what happened at Bernie's first ever Leicester game, on August 21st 1948, just a year after the events we're now talking about. 

 

Before the game, local hero T Lloyd Johnson was introduced to the crowd. He had just won a bronze medal at the London Olympics in the 50 km walk, and the Melton man received huge acclaim as he did a celebratory lap of the ground in his unique style. 

 

Bernie had probably seen him in training along the roads of North Leicestershire, perhaps planting a seed in his mind about the joys of long distance walking, and he could never had imagined that, decades later, he himself would be introduced to the Filbert Street crowd (by Alan Birchenall), and invited, like Lloyd Johnson, to march around the ground.

 

But how does this help us with the photo?

 

Well, what was the route of the Mercury Walk that day? Could it have gone anywhere near Fosse Road North?

 

The day before the race, the Mercury gave the details:

 

 

 

Bingo! The walkers would have passed right under the railway bridge, heading the same way as the tram, and past the point where the photo was taken. 

So now we can start telling a story,  Our photographer went out with a camera that day not to take pictures of trams - but to take pictures of the big event. The Mercury Walk was the biggest thing to come along Fosse Road North for years (this was the first staging of the event since the War). 

 

You might have spotted something else in those route details. The race passed through Sileby - the place, you probably recall, where Bernie was brought up (on the same street as Leicester's star striker Jack Lee, who was playing in that match at Chesterfield). 

 

From Silelby to Filbert Street.

 

So when Bernie was making this journey on foot in later years, striding purposefully through the Leicestershire lanes on the way to the match, he was retracing the steps of Harry Forbes, T Lloyd Johnson et al. Maybe it was this very event that inspired him.

 

What route did the race take through the village? 

 

We can take a pretty good guess, based on those route details, but the Mercury didn't give us a map. What they did tell us was this:

 

 

In 1947 it was the same route as the first ever race, 20 years earlier. 

 

And in 1927, the Mercury did have a map:

 

 

 

In that first year, it didn't finish at Filbert Street but at Welford Road, near the Tigers' ground. But otherwise, it was the same. That map confirms the route they took through Sileby:

 

 

The race's mid point came just before the centre of the village. Look at that 'H' in 'Half Way'.  The house where Bernie lived, in Wellbrook Avenue, is right underneath it. Had he wished, he could have seen it all from his upstairs back window. But no doubt he was out by the main road, giving the walkers his special variety of vocal encouragement.

 

Here's what he looked like, aged 12:

 

 

 

And here we reach our own halfway point  - the end of part one of this story.

 

Part two will hopefully appear in the next few days, as we pass the first anniversary of Bernie's funeral.

 

It will tell the amazing story of that first Mercury Walk, back in 1927. 

Edited 4 March 2023 by kushiro

[Kinowe Soorie]

Great stuff 

Edited 3 March 2023 by Kinowe Soorie

[SemperEadem]

“We'll keep the blue flag flying high”

[FOTS]

Fantastic @kushiro - love reading your stories. Looking forward to part two 👍🏻

[Fox92]

Superb work again. Your threads are the best on this forum. Always a great and interesting read.

[stripeyfox]

superb stuff @kushiroas always 

[Chiltern Fox]

Brilliant 

[satkinson]

That's great.  I looked at the photo not recognising anything.  But then realised where it was when reading.   I moved to Newport Street in about 89.  Can't remember what was in the place of the cinema at that time. 

[kushiro]

1 hour ago, satkinson said:

That's great.  I looked at the photo not recognising anything.  But then realised where it was when reading.   I moved to Newport Street in about 89.  Can't remember what was in the place of the cinema at that time. 

It was a bingo hall!

 

This is a great history:

What’s all the Fosse about? Why cinema was so special - Leicestershire Live (leicestermercury.co.uk)

[gw_leics772]

My dad used to park under that bridge when he first started taking me 32 years ago. No parking there again now. 

 

Love me a good tram

Edited 4 March 2023 by gw_leics772

[kushiro]

@davieG    This piece you inspired has been updated, over on The Fosse Way:

 

A glimpse into Leicester’s past: One day on Fosse Road — The Fosse Way

 

 

[davieG]

 

Born and Raised in Leicester  · 

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Abbey Park

Just a mile outside the bustling city centre, Abbey Park is a lovely area of greenery which is divided in two by the River Soar.

On the western side of the river are the Abbey Grounds with the remains of the 12th century Leicester Abbey and the ruins of Cavendish House, a 17th century mansion.

To the east of the river is the Victorian part of the park with its evergreen shrubberies, trees, boating lake, miniature railway, and formally planted flower displays.

Pets corner on the western side of the park is free to enter and has a selection of birds and animals.

[davieG]

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Granby Halls Roller skated here as a youngster .. it was used variously as a trade exhibition centre, wrestling venue and roller skating rink.!

 

 

Like St Margarets Baths never been properly replaced.

 

[davieG]

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Conduit Street, 1946..