Monday, May 21, 2018

Leicester before the King Power Stadium


Taken in 1927, the photograph shows Leicester Power Station. Leicester City's King Power Stadium now occupies the site.

You can also see the Filbert Street stadium where City used to play and the Aylestone Road ground where Leicestershire Country Cricket Club used to play.

The bridge over the river carries the line to Coalville, Ashby and Burton upon Trent, which is still open to freight. The sidings and wagons belong to the vanished Great Central main line.

4 comments:

Phil Beesley said...

What was the factory where the Odeon cinema is now located? Top right in the photo.

Jonathan Calder said...

Not sure. What puzzles me is how coal was delivered to the power station. Was it by water? There appears to be no rail connection.

Phil Beesley said...

The 1931 OS map shows a railway spur running from the main line, roughly parallel to Aylestone Road. This connects to the electricity station private lines. There is also a wharf on the River Soar which is visible in the photo.

The factory I questioned appears to be on the cattle market/abattoir site.

Jonathan Calder said...

Looking more closely, there is a siding just above the bridge that connects with the internal railway system.