Gibbet, Bilstone

A rather gruesome reminder of past methods of punishment for felons.

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.

Bier House, Bagworth

Built to house the local funeral bier by a local farmer in memory of his wife.

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.

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.

Stoke Golding Railway Station

Despite now being in private hands the main station building retains much of its original appearance. It was a second class station on the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway, a joint venture between the Midland Railway and the LNWR, running from Abbey Street Station in Nuneaton to Moira Junction. The railway opened in 1873. The line was always most important for mineral traffic, serving the coalfields of north-west Leicestershire. Regular passenger services ceased in 1931 and freight services ceased in the 1960s. Part of the line north of Stoke Golding has been reinstated and operates as the Battlefield Line, running between Shenton and Shackerstone.

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.

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