Sunday, January 27, 2019

After the Bowstring Bridge: Greening Leicester's Braunstone Gate


Yesterday I went back to a quarter of Leicester that greatly exercised me in 2009. I went back to the area that had then been home to the Bowstring Bridge.

Despite a campaign from local residents, the bridge - a remnant of the old Great Central main line through Leicester - and a neighbouring pub were demolished to make way for a new sports centre for De Montfort University.

It all looked rather bleak, and more land is due to be cleared in the area to make room for housing. I don't know if that will involve the removal of the embankment south of the site of the bridge.

One hopeful thing from the day was that I met some people from the Bede Street Community Garden. They have been granted a short-term lease on an old railway arch or two and are working to green this Braunstone Gate area of Leicester.

More power to them - and I did find that the bridge is remembered in a mural on Braunstone Gate.








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