Victorian Leicester (A Guided Walk in Leicester)
"Victorian Leicester" is a popular Guided Walk devised and led by Blue Badge Guide Colin Crosby, of Colin Crosby Heritage Tours.
These strolls are a most enjoyable way of soaking up some Local History.
The starting point is outside the Town Hall in Leicester City Centre.
In particular, the walk will look at some of the flamboyant Victorian architecture for which the city is famous. The upper floors of many of the buildings around the City Centre streets are a riot of monsters, goddesses and angels flying about completely unnoticed by thousands every day.
There are impressive banks, some of which, like the much admired Midland Bank (HSBC), are still functioning today. The banks, of course, were anxious to impress. But more surprising are the factories, which also vied with each other to be attractive buildings.
And the Town Hall itself was built in the Victorian period, in 1875, on the site of the Horse Fair Leys. So was the Clock Tower, on the site of Leicester's original hay market.
Colin also talks about some of the prominent pople connected with Leicester at the time. These included Thomas Cook, who ushered in the age of modern tourism with his historic trip from Leicester to Loughborough; Thomas Cooper, a prominent member of the Chartist movement; and Mary Linwood, the eminent needlework artist, who was admired throughout the world.
Dates, costs and where to meet
A place on 'Victorian Leicester' costs £3.50 per person, or £2.50 if paying in advance. The guided walk begins at Town Hall, and is running on:
I'm sorry, but there are no plans to run this event at present.
If you would like to book a place on one of these dates, please telephone Colin on (0116) 2611576 or email him at colin@crosbyheritage.co.uk.