City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester  · 

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Old Grammar School, Market Harborough ~ Postcard from 1905.

[davieG]

New research has revealed the UK’s most active music venues, and whilst Club Shoreditch in London may take the top ranking, one of Leicester’s own independents has made the top 10.

Yes,  The Musician Pub which used to be called the Baker`s Arms ,  really is an underrated gem in the city, with music events happening so regularly they’re now officially the 10th most active music venue in the whole UK.

© Cool as Leicester

[davieG]

 

Shepshed History People & Places  · 

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Shepshed railway station when she was in working order

[Wymsey]

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicesters-ms-closes-final-time-9490966

 

[davieG]

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Leicester Memories

Graham Hulme  · 14 h  · 

 

 

Old postcard view of London Road with Victoria Park on the left, early 1900s. The junction on the left would seem to be at the turn for Victoria Park Road and a traffic island is now situated at this spot on London Road, with Mayfield Road off to the right. Just seen on the extreme left hand edge of the picture is the old Victoria Park Pavilion. The old Pavilion was constructed in 1866 and was used as the grandstand for the Leicester Races which were held here from 1806 to 1883. It replaced an earlier grandstand which had been nicknamed "the dog hole". The Pavilion was designed by the Borough Surveyor Edward L. Stephens who was also the architect of the former Towers Hospital (1869). The grandstand could accommodate 800 people and cost £2,500 to build. It was in the Italianate style and was of white brick with stone and red brick for the dressings. As well as the races, the Pavilion was used for other functions and had a café. There were also changing rooms for the different sports events, particularly cricket matches, which were held on the park. The old Pavilion continued to be used for various sports and social occasions after the races moved to Oadby in 1883. On November 20th 1940 the Pavilion was severely damaged by a parachute mine which had been dropped by a German Heinkel bomber aiming for a nearby radio transmitter station at University College. The mine caused over £11, 000 worth of damage and the Pavilion was subsequently demolished. The blast made a crater 30 feet across which was afterwards used for water storage for the Fire Station tenders. In 1942 a temporary wooden pavilion was built to house changing rooms for football and cricket players and to store their equipment. It also had a café which was a popular venue. This temporary structure was eventually replaced by the present pavilion in 1958. (Information from 'The History of Victoria Park, Leicester' by Helen Boynton, published in 2000).

[davieG]

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Wadkin...Lathe Shop...Leicester

 

 

Back when we actually made a lot of stuff.

 

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

Rob Murray  · 38 m  · 

 

 

train approaching Leicester Central station G.C.R.

[Parafox]

3 hours ago, davieG said:

Born and Raised in Leicester  · 

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Wadkin...Lathe Shop...Leicester

 

 

Back when we actually made a lot of stuff.

 

 

My dad worked at Wadkin's as a toolmaker.

 

Their woodworking machines were exported all over the world and regarded as among the best there was.

[SeCrEt FoX]

5 hours ago, davieG said:

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Wadkin...Lathe Shop...Leicester

 

 

Back when we actually made a lot of stuff.

 

Used a lot of Wadkin machinery over the years. Definitely the best. We have about 5 pillar drills at work, 4 new up to date ones  and I have a ancient Wadkin one. It's so nice to use and precise. Effortless!

[davieG]

11 hours ago, SeCrEt FoX said:

Used a lot of Wadkin machinery over the years. Definitely the best. We have about 5 pillar drills at work, 4 new up to date ones  and I have a ancient Wadkin one. It's so nice to use and precise. Effortless!

Where are the new ones made?

[SeCrEt FoX]

32 minutes ago, davieG said:

Where are the new ones made?

Oh sorry @davieG I didn't mean new Wadkin ones, I meant newer drills, different makes. They are really flimsy compared to Wadkin ones. They don't make them how they used to.

Edited 21 August by SeCrEt FoX
Because!

[davieG]

11 minutes ago, SeCrEt FoX said:

Oh sorry @davieG I didn't mean new Wadkin ones, I meant newer drills, different makes. They are really flimsy compared to Wadkin ones. They don't make them how they used to.

I was confused as I thought they along with many other similar companies were replaced by Japanese  and now Chinese ones.

[kushiro]

On 20/08/2024 at 23:44, davieG said:

 

Leicester Memories

Rob Murray  · 38 m  · 

 

 

train approaching Leicester Central station G.C.R.

 

That seems to be a freeze frame from this video. You'll see it at about 7.50.

 

 

[The Fox Covert]

On 20/08/2024 at 15:44, davieG said:

 

Leicester Memories

Rob Murray  · 38 m  · 

 

 

train approaching Leicester Central station G.C.R.

Interesting picture of a scene which has changed almost beyond recognition. There is a painting in there if I can find better resolution images of the buildings and the bridges. The train is easy. Here is a painting someone else did of the same scene from a different angle.

[davieG]

Story of Leicester  · 

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The De Montfort Press was founded in 1876 and continued in business until 1976. In 1922 the business moved from the city centre to this factory in London Street. At the time, these premises incorporated the latest ideas in modern factory design, including large windows and spacious workspaces, so that workers had fresh air and could see the countryside. Under its director Franklyn Edmund Ward, who had joined as salesman in 1920, the company became the country’s first colour book printers.

Franklyn Ward also set up his own publishing company during the 1930s depression, in order to provide work for the De Montfort Press. In 1941, he advertised in the Times for authors of children’s books. After a modest success with a book of nursery rhymes, on 12th May 1945 he published the first of Rev. Wilbert Vere Awdry’s “Railway Series”, starring Thomas the Tank Engine. This first book sold a record 55,500 copies within a few months, and went on to become a world-wide success.

Image credit: Raithby Lawrence Souvenir Publication (1776-1876) to (1876-1976)

#StoryofLeicester

[Wymsey]

The Diwali light switch-on event on Melton Road is closed due to the high costs of running it.

Edited 23 August by Wymsey

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester  · 

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Leicester Co-operative House High Street ~ 1982

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An amazing old photograph sent in by Harry~with thanks x

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester

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Narborough Road, seen here in 1952

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Leicester Memories

Graham Hulme  · 13h  · 

 

 

An old postcard view of Gallowtree Gate. The card was posted to an address in Teddington in July 1968, though the actual photo used for it would have been taken some years before. On the left, after Finlays tobacconists shop, is the Pelican pub, the name of which can be seen over the entrance. The Pelican had been built in 1881, designed by the Leicester architect William Millican, to replace the old Pelican Inn which had stood there for many years. The Victorian replacement Pelican lasted until its closure in 1968, though the building still stands. On the extreme right of the picture is Jackson the tailor’s old shop. Jackson’s opened their Leicester branch here in 1949 and built a larger shop on the site in 1964 after purchasing Spalls building next to them (Jackson’s paid £200,000 for the old Spalls shop, as reported in the Leicester Evening Mail of 16th November 1961). Spalls moved to a new shop in High Street, opened in April 1962. They had first opened in the Gallowtree Gate building in about 1900. This was originally the business of Edward Charles Spall who was born in Birmingham in 1870. His father, Edward Spall senior, was a jeweller who became a licensed victualler in Birmingham. At the time of the 1881 census the family were residing at the Vittoria Inn on Vittoria Street, in the jewellery quarter of Birmingham, and by 1891 they were at the Lord Nelson on Birmingham High Street. Young Edward was then aged 21 and was working as a clerk. He married Emily Grace Walker at St. Martin’s Church in Birmingham in March 1893 and seems to have briefly held the licence of the Anchor Inn on Bradford Street in Birmingham. By the time of the 1901 census the couple had moved to Leicester and were residing at the Gallowtree Gate premises shown in the picture. Mr Spall’s occupation is entered as “Fancy goods dealer”. The couple had two daughters, Marie, aged 7, and Hilda, aged 1. At the time of the 1921 census the family are again shown to be residing at the Gallowtree Gate premises. Mr Spall was then aged 51 and was described as a “Fancy Goods & Jewellery dealer”. Mrs Spall is entered as “Manageress to Fancy Goods dealer”. Mr Spall’s widowed mother is also included in the household. She was given as aged 75 and had the occupation of “Housekeeper”. Two of the Spall’s children, Gerald ( and Lorna (6), were also residing there and a number of servants. Edward Charles Spall died at his Norfolk Broads home at Rollesby, north-west of Great Yarmouth, in October 1928. He was aged 58. Subsequently, the business was run by the Spall family, with the 1939 Register showing the widowed Mrs Emily G. Spall as Managing Director of the fancy goods business. Mrs Spall died in 1952, aged 79. Spalls expanded to open shops in several other towns over the years, including in Coventry, Norwich and Sheffield, but perhaps the best known to Leicestershire people was the Spalls gift shop in Lumley Road at Skegness or the shop in Regent Road at Great Yarmouth.

A little further along Gallowtree Gate from Spalls shop is seen the impressive stone frontage of the old Boots the chemists store. This was built between 1927 and 1928 and was designed in a classical style with pediments and large columns adorning the frontage, which had an open central loggia on the first floor. The architects were Bromley & Watkins of Nottingham who designed a number of buildings for the company. The store included a library and a cafe where lunches and teas were served. Boots had first opened a shop in Leicester at 9 Belvoir Street in September 1902 and opened a branch in an old building in Gallowtree Gate about 1924 before rebuilding on the site. In 1956 the 1920s store interior underwent considerable modernisation but the building was replaced by the present Boots store on the site in 1970, opening on 25th September that year. The large stone-fronted building a little further along from Boots is the Marks & Spencer store. A new store was first built on Gallowtree Gate in 1929-30, designed by the London architects W. A. Lewis & Partners, who did several buildings for the company around the country. The store was officially opened on Friday 30th May 1930 and large numbers of people visited it on that first day. The original store was much shorter than the later building and extensions were carried out in 1934 and 1937, resulting in a long stone frontage designed in a Neo-Greek Classical style, with fluted Ionic columns dividing the two-storey bays above the ground floor entrances. The cornice is richly ornamented and surmounting the parapet is a central plinth with anthemion decoration. Another bay was added to the southern end of the building in the 1960s. Alas, Marks & Spencer closed this store just recently after almost a century of trading here.

 

[davieG]

Cool As Leicester  · 

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BID Spotlight

The weather this weekend looks perfect for it, as Brew Beat returns to Jubilee Square. It runs from Friday - Sunday and is FREE entry.

Expect live music, a fine selection of craft beers from The Real Ale Classroom, cocktails from Audrey and 33cankstreet, street food options and more.

Family friendly and dog friendly.

Full info in our latest BID Leicester Spotlight.

https://www.coolasleicester.co.uk/bid-spotlight-music.../

[davieG]

 

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History of Leicestershire in Images

Graham Hulme  · 15m  · 

 

 

An old postcard view of Belgrave Road, looking towards Melton Road and the Loughborough Turn in the distance. The card was posted to Hasland on the outskirts of Chesterfield in January 1912. The large building seen on the left side of the road was the front of the huge Union Works of the British United Shoe Machinery Company. The factory extended back between MacDonald Road and Law Street, stretching beyond Ross Walk, and once employed thousands of workers. The earliest part of the factory had been built for Pearson & Bennion in 1897-98 and the Managing Director, Charles Bennion, negotiated a merger with the United Shoe Machinery Company of America in 1899. Sadly, the BU entered administration in 2000 and the factory was closed. Most of the old factory buildings have now gone with only a narrow strip of buildings apparently remaining along Law Street. The front building has been much altered and is now the Belgrave Commercial Centre. The large building on the right-hand side of the road was originally the factory of the boot and shoe manufacturers George Evans & Sons. The factory had been built in the mid to late 1890s, George Evans having previously been situated at the eastern corner of Vestry Street and Humberstone Gate. The Belgrave Road factory closed down in 1955 (due to labour recruitment problems it was stated at the time) and the company moved to Norwich to specialise in the manufacture of good quality children’s footwear. However, the business went into voluntary liquidation in 1958. The old factory in Belgrave Road was acquired by the British United Shoe Machinery Company for additional space.

The firm of George Evans had been established in the early 1870s and originally had premises in Burley’s Lane. Local directories of the late 1870s show them in Cobden Street but by the mid 1880s they had moved to the Vestry Street site before moving to Belgrave Road in the 1890s. The proprietor, George Evans, was born in Leicester in about 1830 and worked as a framework knitter until the 1870s. The 1871 census shows Mr Evans, aged 41, and his wife, Mary (40), together with their eight children, residing in Mansfield Street. The eldest child was William Evans who is shown in the 1871 census aged 19. Next was George Evans junior, aged 17, followed by four girls, Mary (15), Elizabeth (13), Emma (10) and Harriett (6). The youngest children shown were the boys Walter Evans, aged 3, and Alfred Evans, aged 2. In the 1881 census the family are shown residing in Cobden Street and Mr Evans has the occupation of a shoe manager. Another daughter, Ada, aged 7, appears with the family. The 1891 census shows Mr Evans and his family residing in Uppingham Road. He was then aged 61 and is given as “Boot Manufacturer”. His daughter Elizabeth is given as “Forewoman Shoe Trade” and the boys Walter and Alfred both have the occupation of “Clicker” - all three were probably working in their father’s factory. Mr Evans’s wife, Mary, died in 1893 and by the time of the 1901 census he and four of his children, plus a granddaughter, were living in Loughborough Road. Mr Evans, aged 71, is entered as a “Boot manufacturer”. His daughters Elizabeth, aged 42, and Harriett, aged 36, are both single. Elizabeth has the occupation of “Forewoman Boot machinist” and Harriett is given as “Forewoman Stock room”. Mr Evans’s son Alfred is shown as aged 30, single and a boot manufacturer. The youngest daughter, Ada Evans, is shown as single and aged 27. Her occupation is given as “Housekeeper domestic”. William Evans, the eldest son of George Evans, had married in 1873 and by 1881 he and his family were living on Humberstone Road. His occupation is given as “Boot Manufacturer”. The second son, George Evans junior, had married in 1876 and at the time of the 1881 census was living in Cobden Street with his wife and children. He is shown with the occupation of “Manager Boot Warehouse”. George Evans junior died in 1905, aged 52. His father, George Evans senior, died in April 1907, aged 77. Of the senior Mr Evans’s remaining sons - William died at his residence Knighton Lodge in September 1922, aged 71, he had served as a Justice of the Peace for many years; Alfred Evans, who married in 1908, retired from the boot and shoe business in 1933 and died at his home in Meadowcourt Road, Oadby, in November 1951, aged 80 (his great interest in retirement was bowls and he was a member of the Knighton Victoria Bowls Club and Oadby Bowling Club); Walter Evans married in 1899 and eventually became the proprietor of the family shoe factory until it became a limited company in the 1940s, subsequently becoming a director, with his son, Frank Evans, as managing director of the company. Walter Evans retired from the company in 1955 and the Belgrave Road factory closed shortly after. He died in June 1966, aged 98.

A shop seen on the right of the view has the name of H. Leavesley displayed. According to local directories of the early 1900s this was the premises of Harry Leavesley, a picture framer at 71 Belgrave Road (now forming part of the premises of the Sharmilee restaurant). The 1911 census shows Harry Leavesley, aged 38, residing at no. 71 together with his wife, Mary Rebecca Leavesley (43), daughter Evelyn (9) and sons, Stanley (7) and Frank (5). Mr Leavesley was born in Leicester in 1872, the son of William Leavesley who was a shoe maker, and married Mary Rebecca Sharp in 1901. At the time of the 1901 census Harry was still single and was residing with his married sister, Clara, and her husband Frederick Hartopp at the 71 Belgrave Road address. Mr Hartopp was head of household and had the occupation of a dyer’s clerk. By 1911 Frederick and Clara had moved to Humberstone Road, and Frederick was also working as a picture frame maker. Harry Leavesley is still shown as a picture framer at 71 Belgrave Road in Kelly’s Directory of 1925, though his home was now given as Brooklands House on Uppingham Road. Kelly’s Directory of 1928 also shows him as living at Brooklands House but he is now listed as a fruiterer, the business being called Leavesley & Son. At the time of the 1939 Register Mr Leavesley and his family were living in Hartfield Road. He is entered as an “Ex Picture Frame Maker Unemployed”. Mrs Leavesley is entered as “Wife (Blind)” and the couple’s unmarried daughter, Evelyn, has “Household Duties” entered for her occupation. Harry Leavesley died in 1952, aged 80. His wife, Mary, died in 1955, aged 87. The newsagent’s shop, seen to the right of Leavesleys, belonged to Thomas William Holehouse in the early 1900s. The 1911 census shows Mr Holehouse and his family living at the premises, which was numbered 69 Belgrave Road. He was then aged 50 and had been born in Leicester. He had married his wife, Rosetta, in Leicester in 1890. The couple are shown with two daughters, Ethel (19) and Roselina (11) and a son, Thomas Reginald Holehouse, aged 17. Earlier, the 1901 census shows the family living in Vulcan Road and Mr Holehouse is shown with the occupation of joiner and carpenter. Mrs Holehouse’s occupation is entered as “Newsagent & Tobacconist Shop Keeper”. Mr Holehouse died in August 1938, aged 78, and at the time of the 1939 Register Mrs Holehouse was living in Doncaster Road. She died in Leicester in 1960, aged 95.

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

John Finch  · 3h  · 

 

Anyone remember the Picture House cinema Granby Street Leicester - demolished in the 1980s ?.

 

 

Mr brother and I plus a couple of mates got refused entry and accused of causing problems the week before, absolute nonsense.

[davieG]

Story of Leicester  · 

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The Cradock Arms pub in Knighton, c. 1915.

Image credit: Leicester & Leicestershire Record Office.

When the pub’s car park was extended in 1932, a Roman coin and pottery were found, giving a clue to Knighton’s ancient past. The pub was originally called the Bull’s Head and dates from around 1846 although parts of the actual building date back to the 17th Century. The pub was renamed the Cradock Hartop Arms in 1855, now shortened to The Cradock Arms.

The Cradocks were a family of Leicester merchants that owned Knighton's Manor House from 1721 until around 1879.

[kenny]

https://www.thebusinessdesk.com/eastmidlands/news/2088775-2.4bn-tourism-boost-for-leicester-and-leicestershire

 

New figures have revealed that the the tourism sector in Leicester and Leicestershire is now worth almost £2.4bn.

The figure relates to activity in 2023 and is up by 15.5% on the 2022 figure of £2.07bn.

 

Over 31.28m people visited the city and county in 2023, an increase of 2.46% on the previous year’s figure of 30.53m. Of these numbers, the county welcomed 21.04m visitors whilst 10.24m visited the city. The number of visitor days rose to 38.53m, up 2.34% on the 2022 figure of 37.65m – with 24.62m visitor days in the county and 13.91m in the city during 2023.

 

The new figures also show that the number of tourism-related jobs is on the rise, with more than 22,923 people now employed in the visitor economy sector across the city and the county – an increase of 8.96% on 2022.

 

In the 2019 (pre-pandemic) figures, visitor numbers for the city and county totalled 35.37m, the economic impact was £1.962bn and 22,714 people were employed in the sector.

 

The tourism figures for Leicester and Leicestershire are taken from the 2023 Scarborough Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) survey.

The positive tourism results have been welcomed by City Mayor Peter Soulsby and County Council Acting Leader, Deborah Taylor.

 

Leicester City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “The economic value of tourism in Leicester continues to grow which is excellent news. The growth we’ve seen in tourism-related jobs gives a huge boost to our economy, as do the millions of visitors who come here and spend their money with local businesses. These figures show that our investment in making the city centre an attractive place that’s easy to get around has been well worth it. They also reflect the hard work of everyone involved in the tourism and hospitality sector in our city.”

 

Leicestershire County Council acting leader, Deborah Taylor, said: “This is great news and shows that the city and county are on the up. Whether it’s discovering history, tasting world-famous cuisine or trying more active escapes such as kayaking, we are a top visitor destination. And with 21 million people visiting the county last year, spending money in hotels, restaurants, attractions and local shops, enabling businesses to grow and more jobs to be created, it’s an important boost for our local economy.

 

“Leicestershire is an excellent place to live, invest and visit and I’m pleased that more people are enjoying the wealth of attractions on our doorstep.”

Erika Hardy, chair of the Tourism Advisory Board for Leicester and Leicestershire, said: “We welcome this new data which is further evidence to prove that we have a thriving and vibrant tourism and hospitality sector locally, full of people passionate about our city and county. The campaigns run over recent years to promote Leicester and Leicestershire as a fantastic destination for visitors have really highlighted the huge number of reasons to visit.”