Statue of Liberty, Leicester

This model of the Statue of Liberty, based on the famous New York icon, stands at the junction of Western Boulevard and Upperton Road in Leicester. It was originally placed on top of Lennards Shoe factory, which was located on the site of the modern building in the background of the photograph. The company changed its name to Liberty Shoes to identify itself with statue. It was a well known landmark and would have been familiar to thousands of football fans heading down Upperton Road to the old Leicester City football ground at nearby Filbert Street.

When the factory was demolished the City Council, to its credit, restored the statue and placed it in its current prominent position, marking a new road layout.

Ashby de la Zouch Railway Station

Situated on the Leicester to Burton branch of the Midland Railway this station has a very attractive frontage constructed in a classical style. The building is now used as offices. Trams of the Burton and Ashby Light Railways terminated here and remnants of the tram tracks are still visible.

Hinckley Signal Box

One of the last remaining manually operated signal boxes on the Nuneaton to Leicester line, the box was demolished in 2008.

Bus Shelters, Leicester

These views show a selection of the unique bus shelters provided to the City in 1934 by Robert Rowley JP. Designed in an art deco style these spacious shelters provided an important refuge, in inclement weather, for thousands of bus passengers, as the city expanded into the suburbs. It was a time that buses provided the most vital means of transport for the majority of people. Whilst these examples are reasonably well maintained, unfortunately they suffer at the hands of some of the modern philistines who cannot appreciate good, functional design. Consequently the lights are now devoid of glass and graffiti despoils some of the walls.

Click on the pictures for a full size view.

Foxton Locks

A flight of staircase locks on the Grand Union Canal. Also at the site is Foxton Inclined Plane which is currently being restored.

Shenton Hall

Interesting building hidden in the quiet village of Shenton. Once the home of the Hall family, manufacturers of HJ Hall Socks.

Wistow Hall

The hall has been partially converted to apartments and some of the outbuildings have also been converted to residential occupation. It occupies a picturesque location. Close by is Wistow Rural Centre, a rural retail village.

Watery Gate

This ford of the Thurlaston Brook cosses the road between Earl Shilton and Croft, close to the Normanton Turville estate. It is difficult for cars to negotiate at any time, except in the driest of weather spells, and is a hazard which regularly catches out the unwary motorist. Captured on a winter's day, although not at a particularly wet period, the marker indicates a water depth of half a metre.

The Oak & the Ash

Theddingworth Station