Leicester Central railway station
Leicester Central | |
---|---|
Frog Island, Leicester England | |
Grid reference | SK580050 |
Platforms | 6 |
Other information | |
Status | Disused |
History | |
Pre-grouping | Great Central Railway |
Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway London Midland Region of British Railways |
Key dates | |
15 March 1899 | Opened |
5 May 1969 | Closed |
Leicester Central was a
History
Construction
Opened on 15 March 1899, the station was part of the
The viaduct's construction required a large area of land to be acquired by
Layout
The station was comprised within a south-west facing rectangle, bordered on the one side by Blackfriars Street and Jarvis Street, and on the other side by the new Great Central Street. The tracks ran north-east to south-west, crossing the
The southern end of the new station and its viaduct required building over Jewry Wall Street and some of the houses that stood on it. In 1832 at one of these houses, number 53, a well-preserved and high-quality Roman mosaic floor was uncovered during enlargement of the cellar. The floor was preserved and the owner allowed public access to view the mosaic on request. Although number 53 was demolished the Great Central undertook to preserve the Roman floor within the structure of the southern northbound platform that was built around it. The mosaic was encased in a brick vault topped by a glass ceiling let into the platform so it could be viewed from above. A locked doorway at street level provided access to the vault and a local shopkeeper was entrusted with the key to continue to provide access to the public upon request.[4] The main station entrance was on Great Central Street where a large ornate terracotta-lined archway crowned by an ornate clocktower led through to the entrance hall and cab waiting area; the station frontage itself had a red brick and terracotta facade, to the left of which was the entrance to the parcels office. A second entrance was in Jarvis Street where a subway 20 ft below the platforms led through to the main booking hall, a light and airy space topped by a glazed roof. Stairs led up to the platforms, whilst a hydraulic lift was used to transport luggage from the booking hall.[5]
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Whetstone Line and station closed |
Great Central Railway London Extension |
Belgrave and Birstall Line and station closed |
Decline
Upon
The publication of the
The engine shed closed in 1964, and freight services were withdrawn from the line in June 1965. On 3 September 1966 the line ceased to be a trunk route with the withdrawal of services to
Post-closure
During 1970 Leicester Central's platform buildings, canopies and platforms were demolished and replaced by industrial premises; the
Station masters
- James Gaunt (formerly station master at Attercliffe)
- W. Barlow
- Frank Wilfred Wheddon ???? - 1923 (afterwards station master at York)
- Franklin Leigh 1924[12] - 1930 (formerly station master at Cleethorpes, afterwards station master at London Kings Cross)
- Harry Dennick 1931[13] - 1937 (formerly station master at Grantham)
- J.W. Plant 1937 - 1949 (formerly station master at Worksop)
- William Clegg 1949[14] - 1951
- E.E. Hannant 1951 - 1952[15] (afterwards station master at Sheffield Midland station)
- H.W. Warwicker 1952 - 1957[16]
- Vernon Archer 1957[17] (formerly station master at Ely)
Present day
The station buildings remained largely intact until the 2000s, but are now scheduled to be restored as part of the regeneration of the waterside area. The arches will be made into shops. The front taxi waiting area still stands and has its original lights and glass roof. The booking office with ticket windows is intact and old timetables and signs are still on the wall. There is a sign above the entrance to the parcels office.
Gallery
-
Gateway to the former parcels office in 2002
-
Parcels office, looking north in 2002
-
2020
-
Gateway in 2022
References
- ^ Leicester Civic Society, "Leicester Citizen: The Bowstring Bridge" by Stuart Bailey, (no. 8) December 2005
- ^ A story from The Last Main Line, "The Railway Cometh!".
- ISBN 0-85936-193-4.
- ^ A story from The Last Main Line, "A Suitable Location".
- ^ A story from The Last Main Line, "The Grand Fa'ade".
- ^ A story from The Last Main Line, "Nationalisation!".
- ^ Healy, J.M.C., op. cit. p. 87.
- ISBN 978-0-948135-48-4.
- ^ The Times, "Sunday Closing of 12 Stations", 3 January 1963, p. 5, Col. D.
- ISBN 978-1-85241-005-6.
- ^ A story from The Last Main Line, "After the Last Train".
- ^ "New Station Master". Nottingham Journal. England. 14 March 1924. Retrieved 8 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Mr. H. Dennick". Boston Guardian. England. 13 December 1930. Retrieved 8 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Station Chief". Manchester Evening News. England. 5 August 1949. Retrieved 8 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Rail Appointment". Leicester Evening Mail. England. 12 September 1952. Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "New job for city stationmaster". Leicester Evening Mail. England. 15 October 1957. Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Mr. Vernon Archer". Leicester Evening Mail. England. 21 January 1958. Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.