City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[Parafox]

4 hours ago, kenny said:

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.”

 

Go on then. How huge?

 

Bradgate park

National Space Centre

Richard III in the Cathedral

Foxton Locks

New Walk (minus the street drinkers)

 

I think I've run out of reasons.

[kenny]

22 minutes ago, Parafox said:

 

Go on then. How huge?

 

Bradgate park

National Space Centre

Richard III in the Cathedral

Foxton Locks

New Walk (minus the street drinkers)

 

I think I've run out of reasons.

My additions would be

 

City and tigers (more city)

Curve

Great central railway

Twycross zoo (bit shit these days...)

Bird land 

Melton mowbray and it's food

Foxton locks

Golden mile

Diwali celebrations

 

They are  just the ones that spring to mind after a quick think.

 

Foxton locks attracts over 400000 visitors a year.

 

Why do Leicester people like shitting on their own county?

 

 

 

[Paninistickers]

1 hour ago, Parafox said:

 

Go on then. How huge?

 

Bradgate park

National Space Centre

Richard III in the Cathedral

Foxton Locks

New Walk (minus the street drinkers)

 

I think I've run out of reasons.

You'd have to define exactly what tourism means. Can only imagine most tourists come under the bracket of away fans at tigers and city, visitors to Curve/de mont and dog walkers at Bradgate Park. 

 

If you were somehow trying to sell Leicester+county as a short break destination, you'd weave together 

 

Richard III, Guildhall, Cathedral, Jewry Wall (eventually), Castle Area

 

New Walk, Museum, Queens Road/Uni Botanical Gardens and a day at the races 

 

Melton Food + Rutland Water 

 

Great Central Railway, River Soar walk, Beacon Hill

 

Bradgate, Cropston, Swithland walk

 

Not sure if it'd win me over apart from the fact of kinda seeing a low key, 'real' England

[Foxdiamond]

22 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

You'd have to define exactly what tourism means. Can only imagine most tourists come under the bracket of away fans at tigers and city, visitors to Curve/de mont and dog walkers at Bradgate Park. 

 

If you were somehow trying to sell Leicester+county as a short break destination, you'd weave together 

 

Richard III, Guildhall, Cathedral, Jewry Wall (eventually), Castle Area

 

New Walk, Museum, Queens Road/Uni Botanical Gardens and a day at the races 

 

Melton Food + Rutland Water 

 

Great Central Railway, River Soar walk, Beacon Hill

 

Bradgate, Cropston, Swithland walk

 

Not sure if it'd win me over apart from the fact of kinda seeing a low key, 'real' England

As a Leicester fan not from the Leicester area the love of the club expanded to an interest in the City in general. Your weave is pretty accurate of my experience. Enjoyed the historical places and shows at the venues. 

[Paninistickers]

9 minutes ago, Foxdiamond said:

As a Leicester fan not from the Leicester area the love of the club expanded to an interest in the City in general. Your weave is pretty accurate of my experience. Enjoyed the historical places and shows at the venues. 

Pity that Snibstone mine didn't survive as an attraction. You could easily add Bosworth + Snibstone plus there's a bike track (which name escapes me) round that way too

[westernpark]

58 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

You'd have to define exactly what tourism means. Can only imagine most tourists come under the bracket of away fans at tigers and city, visitors to Curve/de mont and dog walkers at Bradgate Park. 

 

If you were somehow trying to sell Leicester+county as a short break destination, you'd weave together 

 

Richard III, Guildhall, Cathedral, Jewry Wall (eventually), Castle Area

 

New Walk, Museum, Queens Road/Uni Botanical Gardens and a day at the races 

 

Melton Food + Rutland Water 

 

Great Central Railway, River Soar walk, Beacon Hill

 

Bradgate, Cropston, Swithland walk

 

Not sure if it'd win me over apart from the fact of kinda seeing a low key, 'real' England

You forgot to mention our curry.

[Miquel The Work Geordie]

2 hours ago, westernpark said:

our curry.

 

I loved his hit, I Believe I Can Fly 

 

[ozleicester]

On 09/05/2024 at 03:06, Paninistickers said:

For those from NW Leicestershire 

 

 

 

brilliant

[Stuntman_Mike]

On 08/05/2024 at 20:06, Paninistickers said:

For those from NW Leicestershire 

 

 

 

To think Coalville had trains since the early 1800's and before all those major cities as mentioned near the start of the video, yet there's still a campaign to this day to try and get one into Leicester 

 

Genuinely baffling. 

 

 

[davieG]

1 minute ago, Stuntman_Mike said:

To think Coalville had trains since the early 1800's and before all those major cities as mentioned near the start of the video, yet there's still a campaign to this day to try and get one into Leicester 

 

Genuinely baffling. 

 

 

Not really Baffling as Beeching the mastermind behind all the cuts was born and lived in East Grinstead, look at a map of the South East of which East Grinstead is very central and every little town still has a railway station.

 

Coincidence, I doubt it. 

 

 

[Paninistickers]

1 hour ago, davieG said:

Not really Baffling as Beeching the mastermind behind all the cuts was born and lived in East Grinstead, look at a map of the South East of which East Grinstead is very central and every little town still has a railway station.

 

Coincidence, I doubt it. 

 

 

Good point. All the towns robbed of rail connections were industrial towns with large labour forces. 

 

Those that remained in the south east were essentially a service for Captain Mainwarings and Reggie Perrin to read the paper before work in an office 

[davieG]

8 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

Good point. All the towns robbed of rail connections were industrial towns with large labour forces. 

 

Those that remained in the south east were essentially a service for Captain Mainwarings and Reggie Perrin to read the paper before work in an office 

....and were also more likely to be able to afford a car for none work related travel or their stay at home wives.

[davieG]

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Jan Smith  · 13h  · 

 

 

Leicester,The Royal Opera House. Unfortunately long gone. It opened in 1877 and closed down in 1960. It stood in Silver Street.

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

John Finch  · 1h  · 

 

 

The iconic image of Aylestone, Leicester that I grew up with.

The Cattle Market with a view beyond of the 2 landmark cooling towers and I think the Gas chimney.

Circa 1950's.

[davieG]

Born and Raised in Leicester  · 

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17h  · 

 

 

High Street - 1969

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

John Finch  · 2h  · 

 

 

Borough Gaol. - High cross Street, Leicester.

circa 1880 estimated.

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

Martin Hall  · 51m  · 

 

 

I found this.interesting fact.

In 1830 Isaac Harrison discovered a natural spring in his market garden, on the outskirts of Leicester, a city then swelling with new industries and new arrivals. Referring to it as the New Found Pool, he thought he could turn it into a spa, but the good citizens of Leicester weren’t ready for a spa – Buxton, maybe, but not Leicester. It didn’t work. So, turn the clock forward to 1885 when Orson Wright, a local builder, buys some of the land and starts to construct Newfoundpool. He laid out the streets so that the first names spelt “IHarrison’ (I for Isaac). In the middle, a larger building, the original spa hotel, became the Empire Hotel

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

Graham Hulme  · 7h  · 

 

 

An old postcard view of Queen’s Road, looking towards the junction at Victoria Park Road in the far distance, early 1900s. The tram is heading towards the turn at Clarendon Park Road. A horse and cart are seen in the distance emerging from Montague Road, where a corner shop has a sign in the window which appears to read “Darlows for Hosiery & Corsets”. Local directories dating between the late 1890s and the late 1910s reveal this to be the shop of Harry Darlow, a draper and milliner, at 95 Queen’s Road (now the premises of the restaurant Halcyon Kitchen). The 1901 census shows Harry Darlow, aged 38, residing at this address with his wife, Louisa, and a five year old daughter named Elsie. He was entered as born in Leicester and his occupation is given as “Hosiery Warehouseman & Fancy Draper (shopkeeper)”. The 1911 census also shows the family residing at 95 Queen’s Road and Mr Darlow is again shown as a “Hosiery Warehouseman & Draper”. Mrs Darlow is given as “Assisting In Drapery Business”. Harry Darlow was born in 1862 and was the son of a tailor, Edward Thomas Darlow. The 1871 census shows him, aged 8, living with his parents and several siblings in Causeway Lane. By 1881 he was working as a warehouseman but was still living with his parents in Causeway Lane. In September 1886 he married Louisa Hopkins at Edensor parish church on the Chatsworth estate in Derbyshire and by 1891 the couple were living in Belgrave Gate in Leicester and Harry was working as a draper and warehouseman. By 1895 local directory entries show him at Queen’s Road. The 1921 census shows Mr and Mrs Darlow living in Knighton Drive and Mr Darlow’s occupation is shown as “(Manager) Hosiery Warehouseman Messrs J. Morley & Son”. Louisa Darlow died in 1923 and it appears that Harry Darlow remarried in 1928. He seems to have retired with his second wife, Alice, to Bexhill on Sea in Sussex and died there in May 1940, aged 77.

Nearer the camera, on the left side of the picture, a sign is partially seen which would appear to bear the words “Family Butchers”. This is probably the butchers shop of William Archer at 99 Queen’s Road, where Archer’s butcher’s shop remains to this day. The 1901 census shows William Archer, aged 29, residing at 99 Queen’s Road with his wife and children. His occupation is entered as “Pork Butcher (shopkeeper)” and he is shown as working at home on his own account. He was born at Barlestone, near Market Bosworth, in about 1873 and was the son of Noah and Elizabeth Archer. His father died when William was only about 6 years old. Both his father and grandfather, Thomas Archer, worked as agricultural labourers at Barlestone. William’s wife was Agnes Alice Archer, aged 35 at the time of the 1901 census. She was born in 1865 at Buckingham and was the daughter of Levi and Ann Barlow. Her father was a boot maker. The Barlow family had moved to Leicester by the time of the 1881 census and Agnes married William Archer at Leicester in 1898. At the time on the 1901 census the couple are shown with two children, Cyril L. B. Archer, aged 2, and Ethel K. Archer, who was 9 months. Wright’s directory of 1903 lists William Archer as a pork butcher at 99 Queen’s Road but Kelly’s directory of 1908 shows him to be a pork butcher in the High Street at Ibstock. The move might be partly explained by the death of his wife, Agnes, at Leicester in August 1901 and the death of their daughter Ethel Kate Archer, aged 1, in February 1902. William remarried about two years later to Elizabeth Ann Beal. The marriage was registered at Ashby de la Zouch in the first quarter of 1904. The 1911 census shows William and Elizabeth, and their family, residing at 81-83 High Street at Ibstock and William’s occupation is entered as “Master Pork Butcher”, working on own account at home. The couple are shown with six children - Cyril, who was now aged 12, William (6), Gladys (4), Thomas (2), Fred (1) and Florence (aged 1 month). No entry is made in the 1911 census for 99 Queen’s Road but Wright’s directories of 1909, 1911 and 1914 show the London Central Meat Co. Ltd. at that address. However, by the time of the 1921 census William Archer and his family were back at 99 Queen’s Road. Mr Archer is shown as aged 46, born at Barlestone, and has the occupation of Master Pork Butcher, working on own account at home. His wife, Elizabeth, is given as aged 42 and born at Coalville. Mr Archer’s eldest son, Cyril, was now aged 22 and his occupation was given as a pork butcher, working for “W. Archer Pork Butcher Father”. The other children listed included William A. Archer, aged 16, Gladys (14), Thomas (12), Fred (11), Mary (10), John (6) and Edith (3). Thomas, Fred and Mary are shown as having been born at Ibstock. Gladys is given as born at Great Glen and the other children were born at Leicester. Looking at the ages of the youngest children, the family’s move back to Leicester from Ibstock would appear to have occurred sometime between 1911 and 1915. Kelly’s directories of the 1920s list Mr Archer’s butchers’ shop as W. Archer & Son 99 Queen’s Road and he and his wife, Elizabeth, and the two youngest children are shown to be residing at the Queen’s Road address in the 1939 Register (his daughter, Florence, was living next door at that time, at 97 Queen’s Road, with her husband, Edward N. Groocock, who was a fruiterer). William Archer’s occupation is entered as “Butcher (master)”. His youngest son, John Archer, is given as “Butcher’s assistant” and his youngest daughter, Edith, was a hosiery worker. William Archer died at the end of December 1954, aged 81, at his home at 99 Queen’s Road. Reports in the Leicester Evening Mail and the Leicester Mercury noted that Mr Archer’s name had been known in the butchers trade for over 60 years and that he founded the firm of W. Archer & Sons Ltd. The business also had a branch at Market Harborough as well as at Leicester. William’s eldest son, Cyril Archer, had married in 1921 and was living, together with his family, in Queen Street at Oadby at the time of the 1939 Register. Cyril died in 1965. Fred and John Archer appear to have taken over the running of the Queen’s Road shop, after their father and elder brothers deaths, until the business was acquired by another butcher’s business in 1975 (the business retained the name of Archer after the change of ownership). Fred Archer retired at that time (report Leicester Mercury 27th March 1975) and John Archer retired in 1979 (report Leicester Mercury 2nd April 1979). The butcher’s shop has more recently been in the ownership of Sean Jeynes.

[davieG]

 

Leicester Memories

John Finch  · 5h  · 

 

 

The Electric Theatre also known as The Cameo - High Street Leicester.

[davieG]

Story of Leicester  · 

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Did you know... The Rally Park near Tudor Road has been created on what was the southernmost part of the Leicester & Swannington Railway, designed to bring coal from the North West Leicestershire coalfields into Leicester. It was one of the first railways to be built in the world.

Opening in 1832, it was engineered by Robert Stephenson, son of the famous railway pioneer George Stephenson. Its route was northwards through the mile long tunnel at Glenfield, to Desford, Bagworth, Long Lane (Coalville) and Swannington.

The image shows the first West Bridge Station when a narrow platform was eventually created in 1876, with the Mary de Castro Church spire in the background.

Learn more about it here:

https://storyofleicester.info/a-work.../west-bridge-station/

[SeCrEt FoX]

On 17/09/2024 at 13:48, davieG said:

 

Leicester Memories

Martin Hall  · 51m  · 

 

 

I found this.interesting fact.

In 1830 Isaac Harrison discovered a natural spring in his market garden, on the outskirts of Leicester, a city then swelling with new industries and new arrivals. Referring to it as the New Found Pool, he thought he could turn it into a spa, but the good citizens of Leicester weren’t ready for a spa – Buxton, maybe, but not Leicester. It didn’t work. So, turn the clock forward to 1885 when Orson Wright, a local builder, buys some of the land and starts to construct Newfoundpool. He laid out the streets so that the first names spelt “IHarrison’ (I for Isaac). In the middle, a larger building, the original spa hotel, became the Empire Hotel

Had to look for myself. Fascinating. 

 

 

[davieG]

 

[davieG]

Leicester crowned best place to live and work in East Midlands
The UK's 52 largest cities have been ranked

ByLinda SteelyardHannah RichardsonLocal Democracy Reporter
15:07, 19 SEP 2024

Leicester has been crowned best place to live and work in East Midlands (Image: Getty)
 

 

Leicester has been ranked the best place to live and work in the East Midlands. A number of factors, including the city's healthy work-life balance and decent transport links, helped it win the accolade in this year's Good Growth for Cities Index.

It was also seen as a "good environment to set up a new business". The city further performed well when safety and workforce skills were considered.

In addition to coming out top in the East Midlands, Leicester placed 20th overall in the rankings which examines the UK's 52 largest cities. In response to the news, city mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said that when he was elected in 2011, Leicester had a "collective inferiority complex" and "couldn't believe it had anything good about itself". Today, he said, he believes that attitude is completely different.

 

He told LeicestershireLive: "It's great to see that people want to come and live here, but also to see the numbers of people who want to come and visit here."

The mayor said that for him, Leicester has three key selling points: its history; its historic buildings; and its people. He said: "It has 2,000 years of history. It's got some wonderful buildings from every period of its development over those 2,000 years which are very much cherished and looked after.

"And the third [selling point] is the people. We're very proud of the fact that we're a diverse city, and, as a result of that, we've got an incredible range of things to offer to people wanting to live or work or play here, or visit."

The next best-performing city in the East Midlands was Derby, ranked 23rd overall. Lincoln was 24th, Nottingham finished 35th and Northampton was 40th. The index looks beyond core economic growth and instead considers broad measures of economic well-being such as jobs, income, health, skills, work-life balance, housing, transport and the environment. Leicester received average scores for jobs, health and housing.

But the report authors said they believed the new Government's push for further devolved powers for cities in the UK - enabling them to make more decisions on where Government funding is spent locally - will help to make the outlook in Leicester and elsewhere "far rosier" over the coming 12 months.

The report states: "Though the tough economic environment has affected real economic growth across the UK, we expect a rosier outlook for several cities. The UK economy is recovering slowly and steadily, and we expect economic growth to bounce back this year and continue on into 2025."

Rachel Taylor, of PwC, said it was up to local leaders to now make the push for growth. She said: "As local leaders look forward to playing a greater part in delivering economic growth in their areas, they have a window of time to take stock.

"They must use this time to reassess what their strengths and ambitions are for their areas and how they will grasp the fresh opportunities on the horizon."