Leicester Central Railway Station


	This section covers Leicester Central Station. Although nearly everything at platform level has long gone there is still much that remains of Leicester Central Station, making it one of the most rewarding areas to explore. Click here for a street map of this area from multimap Notes on using the multimaps: The map linked to is a 1:10000 street map. The large scale street map unfortunately does not show the disused railway. Zoom out to 1:25000 to see the standard ordnance survey map version, but with no street names. To see an aerial photograph of the area covered by the map click on the “Aerial” tab above the map. When finished with multimap click on “Back” till you return here.

	Update November 2002 - The Leicester Mercury displayed proposals by consultants of the Leicester Regeneration Company which showed most of the Leicester Central Station site replaced by a 100-berth Marina connected to the river Soar and the canal. The rest of the site would be a small park. Update August 2003 - The Leicester Mercury reported that the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment had expressed concern that the proposed construction of a marina on and around the site of Leicester Central Station would affect an area of major archaeological importance. This area is near the centre of the site of Roman Leicester (Ratae Corieltauvum) and considerable Roman remains have been discovered in limited excavations. This includes the Roman pavement, now moved to the Jewry Wall Museum, which was discovered when the Central Station was originally built. There are also medieval remains in the area and even indications of the iron age settlement which predated the Roman town. As a result, the proposed site of the marina has been moved to north of Soar Lane, but there was no mention of any new plans for the station site. Update February 2005 - The Leicester Mercury had a special supplement about proposals by the Leicester Regeneration Company for redeveloping the station site and the surroundings as the “Waterside Area”. It stated that no decision had been made about the Leicester Central Station viaduct. It could be demolished which would give access to important archaeology underneath, but there would then be the obligation to investigate it, which would take a long time and hold up the redevelopment. Alternatively, the viaduct could be retained and used as “an elevated area of regeneration” featuring shops, bars, restaurants, and maybe housing, all with a good view over the Waterside Area. The arches of the viaduct could also be redeveloped. Update March 2007 - All had gone quiet about these proposals but the Leicester Mercury reported that the city council had approved planning permission for the regeneration of the area between the river and the Great Central station viaduct. The scheme, which the developers hope can start by the end of the summer, includes a mix of flats shops and businesses and will rival London’s regenerated Covent Garden. “The railway arches could become workshops, artisan units, cafes and bars.”



Leicester Central Station on Great Central Street. The nearer half of the entrance hall is used by a car repair company and the far half is used by a construction company.


	Inside the part of the entrance hall, now occupied by a car repair company. Update May 2004 - This part of the entrance hall appears to have been vacated.


Inside the part of the entrance hall now occupied by a construction company. The bricked up rectangular entrance on the right led to the booking hall and on to a subway under the tracks, leading to stairs up to the platforms. Update May 2004 - This part of the entrance hall is being used for the maintenance of taxis.


Leicester Central Station with the entrance to the Parcels Offices on the left.


		The entrance to the Parcels Offices.


Over all view of Leicester Central Station. The new industrial units at track level can be seen on the left. The low brick retaining wall left of centre and the roadway on the left to the factory units were built after the station was closed. Behind the wall there used to be a turntable, and beyond where the turntable stood the tall building in the centre was the Parcels Office.


At track level, standing where the Up Main Line ran, looking north. The Parcels Office on the right had a siding with a small dock running alongside - the white van is parked across the sites of both of them.


At track level, looking back from as far as you can easily go (a company has fenced off the whole of the northern end). This is looking south, towards London.


All Saints Road runs under the track bed which is supported by a bridge, just to the right of where the photographer stood to take the photograph above. The bridge is still in place (see below) and no buildings have been erected on it. This shows part of the bridge with a section of the down-side, north bay platform still in place, complete with edging stones and paving slabs. There is a similar section of the up-side, north bay platform behind the photographer.

A look around the outside of Leicester Central Station.


Just to the north of the station entrance All Saints Road runs completely under the track bed and platforms. This bridge is still in place so that the northerly industrial units on the site of the platforms can be reached. The dark cavern under the bridge, which is home to dozens of pigeons, can be seen in this view from Great Central Street.


This photograph was taken after walking round the north end of the station to the rear and looking back along Soar Lane. There was another very deep steel bridge across here.


Turning and looking to the right shows this view of the rear of the station backing onto Jarvis Street.


Looking through the bridge over All Saints Road from the rear of the station.


Looking north along Jarvis Street at the rear of the station. There is great industry here in the arches of the viaduct with many car repair and re-spray businesses, working away underneath the industrial units on top! Update March 2007 - The Leicester Mercury reported that the council had approved planning permission for the regeneration of the area here between the river and the Great Central viaduct. The scheme, which the developers hope can start by the end of the summer, includes a mix of flats shops and businesses and will rival London’s regenerated Covent Garden. “The railway arches could become workshops, artisan units, cafes and bars.”


Update December 2007 - The regeneration of the area between the river Soar and the Great Central viaduct has started, providing panoramic views of the viaduct.


	The Great Central generator house, across the road from the station, on the corner of Jarvis Street and Alexander Street. The tower is visible in the photograph above, in the distance, on the left..



	The regular pattern of the arches of the viaduct is broken opposite the old power house building where there was a rear entrance (the large black door) and some station rooms complete with the chimney built into the viaduct wall.

This was a rear entrance to the station and opened onto a wide passage which gave access to the lift to the platform, which was also reached from the front of the station by one of the three narrow passages shown in the old photographs of Leicester Central. The entrance is positioned on Jarvis Street, opposite Alexander Street. It is wide enough to accommodate small carts and could have been used to transport items to and from the platforms (e.g. perhaps beer barrels for the buffet) avoiding the passenger areas at the front of the station.
It is not known if it was used as an entrance by any travellers, such as workmen in nearby factories.



	At the south end of the viaduct, just beyond the last of the full size arches, is the entrance to the chamber which was built over a Roman mosaic floor. In 1977 the mosaic was moved to the Jewry Wall Museum a couple of hundred yards away.


		The cast iron sign that used to be above the entrance describing the chamber.


	There was another steel bridge here, at the south end of the station looking east up Welles Street towards Holy Bones. The retaining walls are covered in white tiles, as are those under the bridge at All Saints Road (above). The Jewry Wall Museum (well worth a visit, especially to see the Roman mosaic which was moved from its vault within the station viaduct) and Vaughan college are just beyond the bridge on the right. Note the window of the building built across the track bed, top right, which features in the photograph below.


	At the end of Talbot Lane looking northwards, with Vaughan College behind. This office building can be seen in the photograph above on the right edge of the bridge, which can just be made out across the pavement in front of the car. The track bed went straight through where this building stands, and Leicester Central South Signal box was sited on the left across the tracks. In the early 1960s I would often cycle here on a summer evening with school friends to see the “Britannia” class 4-6-2 hauled express fish train from Grimsby. It would stop at Leicester and take on water before continuing its journey south with its rake of white fish vans. It is hard to imagine this now.


	© 2001-2010. Text and photographs copyright Nigel Tout