Freeman's Meadow Lock, Leicester, in 1967

In 1965 the Inland Waterways Association held its National Rally of Boats at Blackburn.

Two years later it was held in Leicester and the second of the old IWA Bulletins I bought at Foxton earlier this summer covers it.

The most interesting photograph is the one above, whose caption includes the following:

But Leicester still faces problems, such as ... its present treatment of the Grand Union alongside the power station at Freeman's Meadow Lock, a perfect setting for large scale redevelopment.

I went to the lock today to see if I could replicate this photograph of the weir - the Grand Union merges with the River Soar for its journey through Leicester - with the railway bridge behind it.

It must have been taken from the power station as the industrial buildings in the background are the gas works off Aylestone Road.

The writer of the caption got his way as the power station site is now occupied by Leicester City's King Power Stadium.

I took the photograph below from its car park today.

The 1967 photo, by my calculation, was taken from a vantage point now occupied by the car park of the neighbouring Holiday Inn.

But the river bank is fenced off there and trees have grown up, so my attempt to replicate it was defeated.

Freeman's Meadow Lock, which is right next to a weir, is still a remarkable spot. I took lots more photos there today and will share them with you another time.