Leicester Chronicler Tempus omnia revelat Time reveals all   Listening to the historic heartbeat of the City of Leicester and its environs in the English East Midlands A reflection of past and present thoughts and aspirations Design and text © Stephen Butt 2006 Rev 04/01/07 Latest Research Requests Many visitors to this site have valuable knowledge and information relating to Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland which could help others in their research. If you would like your line of research published on this page, or you can offer some help to those who have contacted us, please take part.

I was born and grew up in the Narborough/Hinckley Road area of the city and emigrated to Canada in 1975. I was, like so many others of my age, an avid enthusiast of steam locomotives. The Great Central line, heading south out of the city was a short walk from our family's home. In the same area, and terminating at West Bridge, was the older Leicester to Swannington Railway. Though I can find snippets of information and some excellent pages at your site, I have yet to encounter any photographs of either engines or rolling stock used on the line, especially those towards the end of the line's life when passenger service still operated.

 

Through aerial photographs one can still trace the track bed as it moved north west along Tudor Road, across the Fosse Road and heading up through New Parks and the Glenfield Tunnel.

 

I would be delighted to hear if any records do exist and that possibly some of those are accessible through the Internet. Can you help?

 

   

John Page

Milton, Ontario. Canada
28/09/06

 

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I am looking for information regarding a George Walton born in Leicester in 1888 the son of Joseph Walton 1864 and Elizabeth Rachel Walton 1862. 

George moved to London in about 1916 does anyone have anything to share.

Regards 

Maureen

I am looking for information regarding my grandmother Nellie. Fosker born in Epping Essex in 1884. Her father's name was John William Fosker born in Monks Leigh, Suffolk in 1857. Her mother's name was Emma Selina Peacock born in 1858 in Essex. 

Later the family moved to Kettering and then to Leicester where my father Percy William Fosker was born in

1908. 

I would be pleased if anyone could help as to what happened to Nellie.

                        

kind Regards

Maureen 

I may have the incorrect name of the hospital.

We left Leicester in 1947 - had contact with E.M.Johnson up to our departure for Australia in 1951.

 

Any information of this dear lady would be appreciated.

 

Sincerely

Beverly (Howard)

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Hi,

I am trying to find out if their was a Holyoak(e) shoe manufacturer in Leicester around 1900s. It has always been said that my grandfather's family made shoes for the Co-op  and later went on to have a line of shoes bearing the name Holyoak, and also had some connection to Freeman, Hardy and Willis

I have tried without success to find any truth in this "story" but somewhere along the line must have some truth somewhere as my grandfather used to have a shoe stamp with the name Holyoak on it.

I would be grateful if anyone can shed any light on this matter and would like to hear from anyone researching Holyoaks .

 

Regards

Gail

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Dear Sir

I do not know if this site can help me or redirect me but I am trying to find out if bombs ever fell on Bradgate Park during the Second World War?  

Yours Faithfully

 Mike Marley

Hi Stephen,

 

 I am looking for information which might fill in some blanks.   Are there any relatives of a J.Thorpe Hincks from the 1860-1920 period ? He was a good friend and hunting partner of Kings Edward and George V, also a good friend of the Duke of Portland and shot thousands of pheasants at Sandringham and Wellbeck (Portland)

Does anyone have a photograph, or know anything about the ' Crispin Arms ' pub in Leicester. My grandfather , and his father (Gammage ) ran it before the Great War.

I  am also looking for connections with Gammages and Astens (all on my mothers side. She is Christina Betty Gammage, born 1920).
 

Thanks,

Tim Newcombe.

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I have an antique walnut roll top desk that has a plaque  Thomas Turner (Leicester) Ltd 44, Holburn Viaduct, London on the front. Can you tell me if was made there and any price information? 

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Richard Cain was a well known bare fist fighter who lived in Leicester for much of his life. 

He retired from pugilism about 1841, married, and kept the New Inn in Highcross Street and later moved to The Castle Tavern in Gallowtree Gate.

He died in 1866 and is buried in Welford Rd cemetery.

I would be grateful if anyone can direct me to any pictures of Dick-as he was known, or either of the pubs that he kept.

Rosemary Jefferson

I am looking for any Wells and Ashford family past or present from Loughborough.

Regards,

Beryl Barnes

 

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Hi,
 
I am hoping to do a website about my mothers family who were all born and lived in Knighton Leicester. I am hoping that someone has some photographs of St Mary Magdalene Church,  Knighton, The Cradock, Newmarket Street, Gilliver Street, The Nook and Church Lane. 

 

In fact, any photographs of Knighton would be great. If anyone has, could they email them to me please. 

 
Also I am looking for the history of St Mary Magdalene Church and Knighton village.  I know there was a book published by Terence York Cocks in 1965, but there are no publications available at the moment.
 
Gratefully yours
 
Angie Marshall

 

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Dear Stephen,

 

As I think you will remember me telling you before, my cousin is researching the Rowe “Family Tree”.

 

He has arrived at the period of my history that includes the war years, and is seeking information of a “Shadow Factory” that that my father worked in, which was situated in Weymouth Street in Leicester.

 

I remember it vividly still, although I was only about six years of age at the time, because on entering it I remember seeing rows of aircraft fuselages supported on trestles, and my father sat me in one while he and my mother disappeared for a few minutes. Apparently I howled the place down, thinking that they had left me.

 

I seem to remember that it was a single storey building with large sliding doors, and was still in situ about ten years or so ago, but on trying to find it a few days ago found that it, and much else had been demolished.

 

I remember that there were confectionery tins nailed to the doors, probably to obscure what the place was being used for, which makes me wonder whether that before the war it was possibly a sheet metal works, which would make sense, as sheet aluminium would have been used for covering the fuselages (I believe they were Spitfires, as my father also worked in the Supermarine buildings at Desford Aerodrome, and occasionally had to travel to Castle Bromwich).

 

It may be a slim chance, but do you know anything about it, or is there any publication in existence devoted to “Shadow Factories”?

 

Brian

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