City of Leicester & Leicestershire - The Good and Historical Stuff

[The Syrup]

On 10/03/2023 at 11:39, Stadt said:

Has anybody ever walked the Leicestershire round? Thinking of aiming to do it this year

I did the round in 2021. Highly recommended and a good way of seeing the county. Its a 100 mile circuit and I did it over 9 legs I think. Fairly easy to get to your start and end points by a bus route to Leicester if you haven't got a lift. Its signposted well and goes to a variety of places... lots of farmland so best to do when the ground is dried out a bit.

[Stadt]

1 hour ago, The Syrup said:

I did the round in 2021. Highly recommended and a good way of seeing the county. Its a 100 mile circuit and I did it over 9 legs I think. Fairly easy to get to your start and end points by a bus route to Leicester if you haven't got a lift. Its signposted well and goes to a variety of places... lots of farmland so best to do when the ground is dried out a bit.

Aim is to get lots of pubs in too so might have to do it in 12 or so. 

[The Syrup]

35 minutes ago, Stadt said:

Aim is to get lots of pubs in too so might have to do it in 12 or so. 

You'll pass through lots of villages on the route. How many still have a pub these days I don't know. Best map I found to plan it was this...

https://ldwa.org.uk/ldp/members/show_path.php?path_name=Leicestershire+Round

[davieG]

Made In Leicester
Rob Hubble  · 

It's 16th of April 1949.
Cheapside Leicester. - Colourised

[davieG]

Rob Hubble

nordptseSo6738i0mf1tl099f74u17h0307ci04020uf51tihcl81a5ul5mi  · 

 

[davieG]

History of Leicestershire in Images

Mervin Wallace  ·   · 

On the 20th July 1912 Mr Gustav Hamel, the famous young aviator, brought his Bleriot aeroplane to the Outwoods in Hinckley, where he gave a demonstration of powered flight at the Unionist Fete. This would have been the first time that most Hinckley people had witnessed a motorized aeroplane. The aeroplane flew over Burbage and Sketchley. Many people in Mount Road saw the plane as it flew low over their heads. A mishap resulting in a crash at the Outwoods at the conclusion of the flight made any further flying that day impossible.” the young pilot not being hurt. Sadly Gustav died at the young age of 25 in a flying accident in the English Channel in 1914.

 

 

 

[davieG]

Story of Leicester· 

Hinckley Road was one of seven main roads to and from Leicester that were improved by turnpike trusts in the 18th century. These roads were funded by tolls on vehicles and animals, payable at gates or bars across the road. Toll houses were built nearby for the use of the collectors.

This image shows the Hinckley Road toll gate, which records suggest was located in Dane Hills opposite what is now Dulverton Avenue. Most of the tollgates were demolished in the later 1800s with the coming of the railways.

Image from the Leicester & Leicestershire Record Office.

#StoryofLeicester #Leicester

 

[Free Falling Foxes]

15 minutes ago, davieG said:

Rob Hubble

nordptseSo6738i0mf1tl099f74u17h0307ci04020uf51tihcl81a5ul5mi  · 

 

Not very disabled and elderly friendly back then. If the gate was shut, you were stuck.

My recollection was that indeed the gate was often closed, or perhaps because as a child, I would go over those steps anyway. I guess your memory can play tricks.

 

The park is a wonderful and fabulous place to have, isn't it? Great gesture and wonderful legacy by Charles Bennion

Edited 16 March 2023 by Free Falling Foxes

[davieG]

3 minutes ago, Free Falling Foxes said:

Not very disabled and elderly friendly back then. If the gate was shut, you were were stuck.

My recollection was that indeed the gate was often closed, or perhaps because as a child, I would go over those steps anyway. I guess your memory can play tricks.

 

The park is a wonderful and fabulous place to have, isn't it? Great gesture and wonderful legacy by Charles Bennion

I thought there was also a swing gate, not sure how else to describe it entry like a half way revolving door.

[Free Falling Foxes]

5 minutes ago, davieG said:

I thought there was also a swing gate, not sure how else to describe it entry like a half way revolving door.

There certainly is now (kissing gate) in the same position as the steps were, plus another one further off to the left of the main gate.

My memory may be playing tricks though. Climbing up and over those steps was a priority for me all those years ago.

Edited 16 March 2023 by Free Falling Foxes

[davieG]

 

James Greig

oSdsopenrt73hh8a3ga3282c7haf71152c9819i1uu901323fi58t0a5uu60  · 

 

A moment in time at the Lord Mayors Show, Granby street, Leicester 1964. Held the camera above my head and the original is a tad blurred but managed to sharpen it up. Many happy faces with big smiles, a bit different to the miserable ones you see today. Taken with a Ziess Werra on Kodachrome.

[davieG]

Rob Hubble

rtooSpdensc5131842259mh28mg31mm1312g4fha0t8gh161tmg5tcli9fl8  · 

Wigston South Station. 21st August 1961 ( photo by Hugh Ballantyne ).

 

Terry Jones

eSostorndp0c00mm1mif0g5ag8lc52i1mmm1cl7u070m4a0cch9tt2t9ma3u  · 

In front is the level crossing on Blaby Rd running across the photo...Left is Sth Wigston and right is past the newish Tesco and Wickes and up Spion Kop hill towards Wigston Magna...This pic below is taken from over to the right of the main pic and shows the pedestrian walkway over the tracks ... 

[davieG]

 

Rob Hubble

odtrSpsone9i75hf3ttlg103t6t4204hah7c1418h08g102fhi52f6291g2h  · 

 

It's 1958 the Great Central Line is still in use as this locomotive heads over St Augustine Street and West Bridge. - Colourised

[davieG]

St Margaret's Baths.

 

Built with the wrong size swimming pool so couldn't be used for official competitions

[davieG]

Terry Jones

spreodtoSn5700u9a81al112ahcaglma8m9g0t8a7ui0h10i254iu9669ift  · 

 

From inside The Newarke leading up to the gateway there was a row of large family houses..At No11 lived William and Lucy Orange and their daughters Dorothy,Denzil,Amy,Marjorie and Phyllis.Their house was next to what is now the Newarke Houses Museum.In 1892 they moved to live in a spacious 3 storey house in what was then called Southgates.The part where they lived was between Millstone Lane and Friar Lane.It was a spacious house for the 7 of them plus Rose the family nurse..It had 10 rooms with the entrance hall being so wide there was enough room to dance the quadrilles at Christmas time when it used to look so gay with the pretty little lanterns hanging.The hall led out into the conservatory..Outside there was a large lawn with a pathway surrounding it and flower beds at the bottom.There was a summer house with a red may tree on one side and a laburnum on the other........At the end of the row on the photo is the re-built Blue Boar Inn...I`ll not bore you with any more......Click on the link for a Google Image...https://goo.gl/maps/hFR9Uo3zJgi7yToy7

[davieG]

Terry Jones

Sornoestdptufl6t5i25a5819ac0u6t2g09gu18tm0290lf5hh4t6u98icll  · 

 

Picture is the cab rank on Every St near Municipal Square mentioned in the story by Phyllis Orange........"I well recall my mother enjoying singing with the Leicester Philharmonic Society as she posessed a lovely contralto singing voice.I enjoyed seeing her dress for the concerts held at the Temperance Hall on Granby St.Many celebrities sang in this hall including Dame Nellie Melba.We watched her has she put her red satin ribbon sash across the bodice of her white dress.The sopranos wore a blue ribbon.Mother`s transport was a cab hired from the cab rank in Every St near Municipal Square.Every St gaining it`s name from the cab sign "We can take you to every street in Leicester"or similar wording according to my father...I can remember seeing the cab drivers sitting in their hut waiting for customers.Of course the cab or Hansom was the only form of transport apart from the horse bus taking passengers up the London Rd.I well remember plush red cushions on the seats,little curtains at the windows and straw put down on wet days.The fare was one penny which you dropped into the slot of a tall brass tin brought round by the conductor"...

[davieG]

 

History of Leicestershire in Images

Jan Smith  · 38 m  · 

 

 

Leicester, Sanvey Gate. The 1st photo is 1897, it has been here since Medieval times & follows the line of the original Roman Wall. At Margaret’s Church is in the background. The 2nd photo was taken in 1974

 

 

[Parafox]

On 20/03/2023 at 19:24, davieG said:

Terry Jones

Sornoestdptufl6t5i25a5819ac0u6t2g09gu18tm0290lf5hh4t6u98icll  · 

 

Picture is the cab rank on Every St near Municipal Square mentioned in the story by Phyllis Orange........"I well recall my mother enjoying singing with the Leicester Philharmonic Society as she posessed a lovely contralto singing voice.I enjoyed seeing her dress for the concerts held at the Temperance Hall on Granby St.Many celebrities sang in this hall including Dame Nellie Melba.We watched her has she put her red satin ribbon sash across the bodice of her white dress.The sopranos wore a blue ribbon.Mother`s transport was a cab hired from the cab rank in Every St near Municipal Square.Every St gaining it`s name from the cab sign "We can take you to every street in Leicester"or similar wording according to my father...I can remember seeing the cab drivers sitting in their hut waiting for customers.Of course the cab or Hansom was the only form of transport apart from the horse bus taking passengers up the London Rd.I well remember plush red cushions on the seats,little curtains at the windows and straw put down on wet days.The fare was one penny which you dropped into the slot of a tall brass tin brought round by the conductor"...

The first Hansom cab travelled down Coventry Road in Hinckley in 1835. It was originally known as the Hansom Safety Cab, and in the name lies the reason for its success. Other cabs of the time had stability problems which made them prone to overturning.

 

[davieG]

 

 

Made In Leicester

Terry Jones  ·   · 

 

 

"Gaston`s Bum"....This pic of Fox Lane at the side of Lewis`s has graced the Facebook pages many times.It popped up again within a thread and was posted by Charlotte...In the far right corner there is a glimpse of the weightlifter`s derriere and it reminded me of the story you are about to read..........."He was Leicester's strongman, flexing his muscles for the masses.Phillip Gaston, simply known as Gaston, who performed feats of strength in the Market Place, near the old Gaumont Cinema(Odeon), and in Fox Lane, near Brucciani's, during the 1950/60s. The son of a Belgian schoolmaster, Gaston had been a weak child, bedridden for half his adolescence. He eventually went to work for a bicycle repair shop where, and, in between submerging inner tubes in a bowl of water looking for tell-tale bubbles, the proprietor encouraged him to exercise and lift weights. Whether through this, or by coincidence, he became better is unknown, but he decided that as weight-lifting had helped him so much, he would earn his living by touring the country. This led him to settle in Leicester, where he publicly lifted weights up to 110lb/50kg. During the war, he served the city in Leicester's ARP Rescue Service, his strength useful for lifting rubble and rescuing buried Blitz casualties. Gaston lived in a little house between Leicester's old College of Art and the Fox's Glacier Mint factory. When models failed to arrive at the college he would earn a few shillings as a stand-in. Gaston posed for sculptors and during the breaks would talk about Greek philosophers. He could also speak Esperanto. He had been a member of the Esperanto Club since 1932 and had written to contacts in 26 countries – Gaston was both brains and brawn! However, the students also noticed he had several blackened toes where the weights had won! "I recall going up an entry in thick fog one cold February morning and on opening the gate of his tiny backyard, found him staggering about at the age of 70, red in the face and blue with cold," recalled a friend. "He was bare-chested, wearing Harris Tweed plus-fours, woollen stockings and brightly polished brown boots. With his muscles knotted and rippling, he balanced his barbell vertically as part of his morning exercise. "Then, when the fog lifted, he would be off into town to do his weight-lifting feats for cinema queues and shoppers, collecting a meagre amount of coins. "Everybody came to know him and the police didn't move him on. "Towards lunchtime, his iron weights and piece of plywood would lean against the cinema wall to signify that he had gone to lunch at a local pub. There, Gaston would buy his friends a round of drinks – and pay for them with a hundred half-pennies!" Joan Bussingham, of Aylestone, remembered Gaston as one of the city's colourful characters: "I felt sad when he was obviously getting too old for his act, but he had friends everywhere." Gaston retired from his strongman act at the age of 77. But even in retirement, he still lifted dumb bells weighing 58 pounds!...He retired to The Towers old people`s home in Kirby Muxloe…

[davieG]

Terry Jones

Ssponortedu090fc78f6laf8cggugll2914m1t6c4g3716m3lcu2c6m18a15  · 

 

The legend that was "Rum Weather"..

[Wolfox]

9 hours ago, davieG said:

 

 

Made In Leicester

Terry Jones  ·   · 

 

 

"Gaston`s Bum"....This pic of Fox Lane at the side of Lewis`s has graced the Facebook pages many times.It popped up again within a thread and was posted by Charlotte...In the far right corner there is a glimpse of the weightlifter`s derriere and it reminded me of the story you are about to read..........."He was Leicester's strongman, flexing his muscles for the masses.Phillip Gaston, simply known as Gaston, who performed feats of strength in the Market Place, near the old Gaumont Cinema(Odeon), and in Fox Lane, near Brucciani's, during the 1950/60s. The son of a Belgian schoolmaster, Gaston had been a weak child, bedridden for half his adolescence. He eventually went to work for a bicycle repair shop where, and, in between submerging inner tubes in a bowl of water looking for tell-tale bubbles, the proprietor encouraged him to exercise and lift weights. Whether through this, or by coincidence, he became better is unknown, but he decided that as weight-lifting had helped him so much, he would earn his living by touring the country. This led him to settle in Leicester, where he publicly lifted weights up to 110lb/50kg. During the war, he served the city in Leicester's ARP Rescue Service, his strength useful for lifting rubble and rescuing buried Blitz casualties. Gaston lived in a little house between Leicester's old College of Art and the Fox's Glacier Mint factory. When models failed to arrive at the college he would earn a few shillings as a stand-in. Gaston posed for sculptors and during the breaks would talk about Greek philosophers. He could also speak Esperanto. He had been a member of the Esperanto Club since 1932 and had written to contacts in 26 countries – Gaston was both brains and brawn! However, the students also noticed he had several blackened toes where the weights had won! "I recall going up an entry in thick fog one cold February morning and on opening the gate of his tiny backyard, found him staggering about at the age of 70, red in the face and blue with cold," recalled a friend. "He was bare-chested, wearing Harris Tweed plus-fours, woollen stockings and brightly polished brown boots. With his muscles knotted and rippling, he balanced his barbell vertically as part of his morning exercise. "Then, when the fog lifted, he would be off into town to do his weight-lifting feats for cinema queues and shoppers, collecting a meagre amount of coins. "Everybody came to know him and the police didn't move him on. "Towards lunchtime, his iron weights and piece of plywood would lean against the cinema wall to signify that he had gone to lunch at a local pub. There, Gaston would buy his friends a round of drinks – and pay for them with a hundred half-pennies!" Joan Bussingham, of Aylestone, remembered Gaston as one of the city's colourful characters: "I felt sad when he was obviously getting too old for his act, but he had friends everywhere." Gaston retired from his strongman act at the age of 77. But even in retirement, he still lifted dumb bells weighing 58 pounds!...He retired to The Towers old people`s home in Kirby Muxloe…

Ice cream sodas at Bruccianis as a kid - heaven!

[davieG]

Terry Jones

Sepdtonosr0hgig9cmm065c972238m7117h6icha7l013aicacmui7g5cm5h  · 

No not Steptoe`s old dad or even Jamie Vardy`s relation but Arthur Ponsonby.The gentleman of the road in this pic is on part of his usual turf on Humberstone Gate.Here he is at the side of the old coffee/hot dog stand opposite The 3 Cranes..At the side was a police box.Arthur would often open the door and sign in the coppers diary "PC99"....(David Scott)...(Photo by Deryck Wills).... 

 

[WarehamFox]

16 hours ago, davieG said:

Terry Jones

Ssponortedu090fc78f6laf8cggugll2914m1t6c4g3716m3lcu2c6m18a15  · 

 

The legend that was "Rum Weather"..

And his suitcase full of cash 

[SeCrEt FoX]

15 hours ago, davieG said:

Terry Jones

Sepdtonosr0hgig9cmm065c972238m7117h6icha7l013aicacmui7g5cm5h  · 

No not Steptoe`s old dad or even Jamie Vardy`s relation but Arthur Ponsonby.The gentleman of the road in this pic is on part of his usual turf on Humberstone Gate.Here he is at the side of the old coffee/hot dog stand opposite The 3 Cranes..At the side was a police box.Arthur would often open the door and sign in the coppers diary "PC99"....(David Scott)...(Photo by Deryck Wills).... 

 

Looks like vardy 

[Bordersfox]

22 hours ago, Wolfox said:

Ice cream sodas at Bruccianis as a kid - heaven!

My Grandad used to take me every time we went into town when I was a kid.  Without fail.