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davieG

City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

By davieG, in General Chat

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davieG

davieG

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26105298_2016-08-23_I-wonder-if-they-still-do-open-t.jpg

I wonder if they still do open top bus tours of Leicester? I’m not sure that this sudden conversion to an open top bus would bring the driver any more custom, but, fortunately, bar himself, the double-decker was empty when this dramatic episode happened in Leicester. This is another fabulous picture from David Harvey's book, Leicester Buses, published by Amberley, which I reviewed a couple of weeks back. Amazingly, this photo is almost 60 years old and shows what can happen to a double-decker if the driver loses his sense of scale. The caption reads: “Don't take a short cut! Leyland bodied Leyland Titan PD 2/1 115 (FJF 154)was returning from a football special duty on Saturday, February 22, 1958, when the driver decided to take a short cut underneath the 12ft 6in-high Lancaster Road railway bridge. “The bridge won the contest, as the bus was decapitated, the whole of the top deck being peeled back and left in the roadway behind the bus. “This rather took the shine off Leicester City FC's 8-4 victory at Filbert Street against Manchester City. “Fortunately the bus wasn't carrying any passengers and bus number 115 eventually received a new top deck, re-entering service in September 1958 and surviving until October 1967. “It was then sold to a dealer called Hibbins, based at Ramsey near Huntingdon, along with nine other Leyland bodied Leyland PD2/1s.” It really was lucky that the top deck of the bus was empty. However, similar accidents with other tall vehicles have continued at this bridge over the years, perhaps the most recent in December 2009, when a bus carrying 52 pupils was de-topped - fortunately, apart from shock, the occupants escaped ‘because they were so small.’ The Lancaster Road bridge wasn't the only bridge that could cause problems for tall vehicles: Gipsy Lane and Fosse Road North were two others. On a happier note, to anyone who grew up in Leicester in the 1950s and 60s, these Leyland PD 2/1 buses were everywhere. They were amazingly long-lasting and feature in several of the 250 superb illustrations in David Harvey's book.

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kushiro

kushiro

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On 10/04/2022 at 17:02, davieG said:

28 nifty Leicestershire images from the 1950s as we dip into the archives of 1954

 

https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/history/gallery/28-nifty-leicestershire-images-1950s-6907703

Some magnificent pictures in there. 

 

That one of the woman hanging on to her house amid slum clearance in the Wharf Street area almost broke my heart:

Wharf-Street-1954.jpg

 

There's a great picture of that area in the Historic England aerial archive, from 1939. It's a good view of the whole of the newly built Charles Street - and you can see the Wharf Street area bottom left.

 

pic-6.png

 

Also in that Mercury 1954 collection are two pictures with Filbert Street lurking in the mist:

 

This one: 

pic-54-3.jpg

 

See the Double Decker in front of the chimneys in the distance?

 

Here too - a bit of the Double Decker, and the whole of the Main Stand roof - you can even see the join of the section recently repaired after the damage it suffered during the war:

 

pic-54-4.jpg

 

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davieG

davieG

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May be an image of outdoors and text that says "LIBERTY SHOES SHO Leicester Storyofleicester.info LIMIGN"

Ever wondered why there is a Statue of Liberty on a roundabout in Leicester?

It was made for the Lennard Brothers, a large local shoemaking business, who patented the Liberty brand of footwear in the early 20th century. After returning from a visit to America, they decided to commission a replica Statue of Liberty for the roof of their new factory on Eastern Boulevard, pictured here around 1930s.

Read all about it on our website: https://storyofleicester.info/a-workin.../statue-of-liberty/

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Kinowe Soorie

Kinowe Soorie

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On 12/04/2022 at 11:54, davieG said:

May be an image of outdoors and text that says "LIBERTY SHOES SHO Leicester Storyofleicester.info LIMIGN"

Ever wondered why there is a Statue of Liberty on a roundabout in Leicester?

It was made for the Lennard Brothers, a large local shoemaking business, who patented the Liberty brand of footwear in the early 20th century. After returning from a visit to America, they decided to commission a replica Statue of Liberty for the roof of their new factory on Eastern Boulevard, pictured here around 1930s.

Read all about it on our website: https://storyofleicester.info/a-workin.../statue-of-liberty/

This building looked such an eyesore, in the end. But it looks a beauty there.

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davieG

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4 minutes ago, Kinowe Soorie said:

This building looked such an eyesore, in the end. But it looks a beauty there.

I'm sure it could have been refurbished by an architect with a bit of imagination and flair but it probably would have cost more and it's only for students. It's like a lot of lost Leicester buildings deserved more respect.

 

 

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davieG

davieG

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May be an image of 2 people and people standing

They used to have a place on Queens Rd near the junction of Clarendon Park Rd.

 

 

When I was at Avenue Rd Junior School I had a friend who said his Dad was the Manager there, we went there one lunch time and he said help yourself to a drink and we strolled around the place and went into the Manager's Office where we sat and finished our drinks.

 

Later on in life I found out he was bullshitting and his Dad never even worked there. lol

 

Couldn't get away with that now. Good days though.

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davieG

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https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/leicester-city-council-buy-5-6949181

 

 

Leicester City Council to buy 5 Cultural Quarter properties to support regeneration ambitions

 

Leicester City Council is to buy five properties in the St George’s Cultural Quarter at a cost of £1.6 million. City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby approved the purchase as part of the authority's "long term ambitions to develop and transform the Cultural Quarter", according to a report outlining the decision.

The council said that controlling the properties, alongside those it already owns, would enable it to have more scope to regenerate the area. The authority has said it wants to create a vibrant community in the area, which lies around the Curve theatre, combining a mix of cultural facilities, leisure, the arts, urban living and creative sector jobs.

It has also said that owning the properties would make it easier for the authority to get Government funding for future schemes in the area. The £1.6 million will come from a pot of money the council has set aside for 'strategic acquisitions’.

READ MORE:Watch crane lower new Leicester footbridge for cyclists and pedestrians into place

The authority has not yet revealed which five properties it is buying, likely to prevent a bidding war that could come about if the details of the sale were made public. A spokesperson said the property details would be made public when the deal was complete.

The purchase is the latest in a number of property deals for the city council. In 2018, the authority revealed plans to buy an office block in St George’s Way for half a million pounds. It also spent £280,000 buying a 275 square metre patch of disused land in Midland Street. In both instances, the council said the purchases would help with its regeneration plans.

The authority has also supported the expansion of the Phoenix cinema, granting it a funding boost last year after development work was delayed by the pandemic. The work to add new screens and improve the refreshment offerings began in September and is expected to be completed before the end of the year.

 

 

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davieG

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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leicestershire-61097538

 

New heritage panels to celebrate Leicester's history
By Heather Burman
BBC East Midlands

 

Heritage panel

 

Ten new heritage panels have been put up in Leicester to tell stories behind key historic and cultural sites.

The colourful panels detail the city's history from Roman times to the Victorian manufacturing era and beyond.

The city council said they had been installed as part of the Story of Leicester project.

Architect and former Lord Mayor Arthur Wakerley is featured in three of the latest panels around Gwendolen Road in Evington.

'Fascinating places'
A panel has been put up at Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara, in East Park Road, highlighting the importance of the Sikh place of worship to the community.

Another panel has also been placed at the Shri Swaminaryan Mandir in Catherine Street, to showcase the architecture of the Hindu place of worship.

Other locations for the panels include the Haymarket Theatre and the former Leicester City ground at Filbert Street.

Leicester deputy city mayor for culture, leisure and sport, councillor Piara Singh Clair, said: "These latest heritage panels are part of an extensive network across the city which bring to life the stories of some of Leicester's most fascinating places and people.

"Some of the locations are better known than others, but all have a history worth telling through these easy to read, colourful and informative Story of Leicester heritage panels."

A total of 175 heritage panels have been installed in the city since 2014 as part of the project.

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