Market Harborough Railway Station

This splendid station building, constructed in the Queen Anne style, dates from a reconstruction of the station in 1884. Market Harborough was at one time an important junction with connections to Rugby, Northampton, Stamford and Leicester. It was a LNWR station which was also used by the Midland Railway. (See also Theddingworth Station, below.) It is still in main line use today, being on the route from Leicester to London, thus providing access to rapid services for local commuters.

Higham on the Hill Railway Station

This station was situated on the Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway, serving the small village of Higham on the Hill. The original plans for the line did not include a station here but it was built following requests by the local villagers. The station was constructed without goods facilities and is unlikely to have ever been very busy, with its reliance on passenger traffic. The layout of the station was interesting, with the main station building being of third class size, following the design adopted generally along the line, but being on a higher level than the platforms. A ramp provided access to the up platform but it can be seen in the top photograph that there were also some steps provided as a short cut. The station closed in 1931 when passenger services on the line were withdrawn. The station buildings were demolished shortly afterwards, with some of the materials being put to good use by local villagers. The Station House does actually survive with the present garden covering the site of the station.

Due to its minor importance in the railway system there were no known photographs existing of the station. However, the originals of these photos have recently surfaced in Australia. They were amongst a set of photographs taken there in 1920 by a former resident of the village (Edith Koos, nee Taylor) who had emigrated. A copy of the photos was supplied from Australia by Vicky Millard, the grand-daughter of Edith. It is clear, therefore, that the scenes pictured here date from 1920 or earlier.

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.

Wistow Hall

The hall has been partially converted to apartments and some of the outbuildings have also been converted to residential occupation. The hall is thought to date from the early 17th century and occupies a picturesque location. Close by is Wistow Rural Centre, a rural retail village. The old village of Wistow was depopulated in the 17th century and the park for the hall was laid out around the same time. The manor of Wistow was in the ownership of various branches of the Hastings family from sometime in the 13th century until the late 16th century. The Halford family owned the manor from the early 17th century until late in the 18th century.

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.

Castle, Ashby de la Zouch

This ruined castle is forever linked with the story of Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. Originally a fortified manor house, it was converted into a castle by Lord Hastings who had been granted it in the 15th century by King Edward IV. During the English Civil War the castle was a Royalist stronghold but when it fell to the Parliamentary forces it was slighted, resulting in the ruin that is seen today.

Bradgate House

Bradgate House is situated in Bradgate Park, a country park that covers over 800 acres of former enclosed hunting park that was part of Charnwood Forest. It is thought to have been enclosed in the 13th century and local inhabitants of the village of Bradgate were moved to the nearby location of Linford and established a new town - now Newtown Linford. Construction of Bradgate House commenced at the end of the 15th century when the estate was owned by Sir Thomas Grey. It was one of the first brick-built country houses in England which was not fortified. Sir Henry Grey, grandson of Sir Thomas was created Duke of Suffolk in 1551. His wife was Lady Frances Brandon. They had three children, who spent their childhood at Bradgate. Through their maternal line they were related to King Henry VIII, being the great-grandchildren of Henry VII. The eldest, Jane was born at Bradgate in 1537. In May 1553 she was married to Lord Guilford Dudley. son of John Dudley, the Duke of Northumberland. Following the death of the young king, Edward VI, the ambitious Northumberland proclaimed his daughter-in-law, Lady Jane Grey, as Queen of England on 9th July 1553, based on her ancestral link to the Tudors and his claim that both Mary and Elizabeth Tudor were illegitimate. However, the reign of Jane was short-lived, lasting only 9 days before Mary asserted her right to the throne. The unfortunate Lady Jane Grey was executed for treason in 1554, along with her husband, Guilford Dudley. Her father, Henry Grey, was executed 2 days later.

Bradgate House was occupied until 1719 but after that fell into disrepair and the only building that remains more or less intact is the chapel which contains the tomb of Henry Grey and his wife.

Grace Dieu Priory

Established between 1235 and 1241 by Rose de Verdon for an order of Nuns, the Priory fell into ruin shortly after the dissolutions of the 16th century. It was a thriving self-sustaining community, with fish ponds constructed close by to provide a regular supply of fresh fish. For most of its period of occupation there were usually 14 nuns in residence. It was an independent order which, shortly before the dissolution, described itself as the White Nuns of St. Augustine. As members of the order, the nuns were forbidden to leave the precincts of the priory.

The Friends of Grace Dieu Priory

Whitwick Railway Station

This unusual little station was on the Charnwood Forest Line which connected Coalville and Loughborough. This short railway provided a service to a series of small towns and villages. It included halts in very sparsely populated, rural areas. It was never economically viable and passenger services ceased in the 1930s. The line closed completely in 1963. The Waiting Rooms on the single platform were demolished and it is just the old Booking Office with rooms below that remains. The building now, fittingly, provides a home for the Whitwick Historical Group and the trackbed serves as a public footpath.

High Cross

This monument was commissioned by the Earl of Denbigh of nearby Newnham Paddox in Warwickshire to mark the crossing point of the great Roman roads, Watling Street and the Fosse Way. The monument stands on the Leicestershire side of Watling Street, which, for several miles, forms the boundary between Leicestershire and Warwickshire.

The Oak & the Ash

Theddingworth Station