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Patricia Pickering and John Pickering interviewed by Sue Bishop, 24 July 2015
No full textPatricia Pickering (PP) and John Pickering (JP) interviewed by Sue Bishop (SB), 24 July 2015. PP details her childhood growing up in Evington, father was a conservative councillor of Evington ward. Recalls when Evington Park was a private estate and transition to public park, PP presented a bouquet to the Lady Mayoress. PP and JP recall playing at Piggy's Hollow as children, going sledging in the winter and camping throughout year. Comment on Evington Park and the facilities available as children e.g. bowling. PP talks about the Americans Soldiers who built camp at Shady Lane during Second World War, mention Black Soldiers who were there, visit by President Eisenhower. Mentions camp later transformed to prisoner of war camp, prisoners integrated into village life. Comments on camp's demolition after war. PP and JP describe their present-day visits to the park. PP and JP recall plane crash in Shady Lane during war, JP comments on family tragedy from the blitz. Both express their appreciation for the park and their gratitude for the previous and present owners
Group interview about being a student in the 1960s, recorded 2015
No full textAn interview with a group of Engineering students from the 1960s, recorded at the Alumni Day 2015. Hear them discuss Professor Edward Parkes, Beaumont Halls, the luxuries of student life and gaining independence, discovering new cuisine, dating, rock concerts (Beatles, Rolling Stone, Long John Baldry), RAG week and the pram race, the Y Theatre and Little Theatre RAG Revue
Kailesh Chauhan interviewed by Grace Bell, 22 July 2015
No full textKailesh Chauhan (KC) interviewed by Grace Bell (GB), 22 July 2015. KC comments on recent retirement from role as Parks Officer for Victoria Park, held position for nine years. Mentions learning about the history of the park from his time as Parks Officer. Comments on noticing the deterioration of the historic gates as a part of his rounds in the park in 2008. Describes the process of evaluating the gates and project initiated to repair gates. Talks about his role in preparing park for Caribbean Carnival, opening gates and dropping bollards. Talks about team effort with emergency services and other council divisions involved, required for smooth running of carnival. Describes the Caribbean Carnival, community coming together to celebrate their culture with food, music, arts and crafts, funfair style events and displays of costumes. Mentions specific types of music played at carnival, comments positively on event. Talks about various other events that take place at Victoria Park, Picnic on the Park, Leicester Pride, Leicester Marathon and the Remembrance Day Services. Comments on Remembrance Services, Cenotaph and forces community. Talks about the Battle of Britain Parade, enjoys seeing troops march through the park.Talks about opening the gates for this event and the Caribbean Carnival. Recalls Kasabian playing at Victoria Park, one of his favourite memories of Victoria Park. Mentions band insisted they use the park as Leicester had personal significance to them. Describes the history of sport in the park, particularly cricket, dwindling numbers of those playing cricket in recent years.Talks about the park being primarily a football ground in recent years. Describes rise of other sports in Victoria Park; rounder's, boules, basketball and tennis pitches are more in demand. Space is used both formally by established teams and informally by public users. Mentions groups that use Victoria Park to set up and are encouraged to establish themselves formally to gain better funding for pitches. Mentions that Victoria Park is sometimes stressed for sporting spaces but wouldn't want to discourage people from using it for that purpose. KC gives summary of the park, what he feels it represents and what it means to local users. Mentions criminal activity in Victoria Park has decreased, local police force patrolling the area, being contactable by the parks services. Expresses gratitude for volunteers that put their time into maintaining Victoria Park. Mentions the pond space installed in park, suggests University of Leicester students helped this to happen. Mentions graduation ceremonies and the Parks Officers' role in making sure the area is safe during this time. Talks about Parks Officers' role within De Montfort Hall, upkeep of the grounds and floral arrangements
Ghost sign for 'Baker & Soars Ltd.' on Wellington Street, 2015.
No full textGhost sign for 'Baker & Soars Ltd.', a company in the plumbing industry. Established in 1943 on Wellington Street in Leicester, Baker & Soars Ltd. is still in existence, servicing both the public and plumbing trade. Between 2003 and 2005, the building below this ghost sign was demolished and revealed a secondary sign reading 'Warehouse Manufacturer'. According to the 1941 Kelly's Directory, Baker & Soars Ltd. was located at 140 Wellington Street, but the 1954 directory lists the plumbers' merchants on 83 to 87 Wellington Steet and their store on 19 Waterloo Street
Ghost signs for J.L. Putt & Sons Ltd. on Nottingham Road in Loughborough, 2015.
No full textGhost signs for J.L. Putt & Sons Ltd. The closer sign in this photo reads: 'Putts / Paint & Wallcovering Specialists since 1911'. The sign farther away reads: 'J.L. Putt & Sons Ltd. / Wallpaper & Paint Specialists / Est. 1911'. Founded by Joseph Lester Putt in 1911, J.L. Putt & Sons Ltd. moved to the site featured in the photo in 1928, operating for more than 100 years before closing the business in 2017
Ghost sign for Harry Rayson, house furnisher, on Biggin Street in Loughborough, 2015.
No full textGhost sign for Harry Rayson. The sign is severely deteriorated at the top, but the bottom half reads: '... Ra... Complete House Furnisher'. The sign was likely repainted at some time as there is a faint second layer visible. There is also a rectangular outline visible, indicating a potential second layer or that the sign was partially covered at some time. According the 1936 Kelly's Directory of Leicestershire & Rutland, Harry Rayson is listed as a house furnisher on Biggin Street
Ghost sign for H. C. Pretty & Son Ltd. on New Bond Street, 2015.
No full textGhost sign for 'H.C. Pretty & Son Ltd.', reading 'Belting / Manufacturers, / Mill Furnishers / Head Office Church Gt'. This sign is not visible on Google Street View. Between 2010 and 2015, a window was added to the building, partially destroying the sign.
H.C. Pretty & Son Ltd. was founded in 1939 and dissolved in 2010
Ghost sign for Taylor Bell Founders on Freehold Street in Loughborough, 2015.
No full textGhost sign for 'Taylor Bell Founders', also called John Taylor Bell Foundry Ltd., John Taylor & Co., Taylor's of Loughborough or Taylor's. There are two other variations of this sign available to view in our collection.
Originating in the 14th century, the Taylor family took over in 1784 and their first foundry was established in 1839, moving to its current site in 1859. In 2009, the company was bought out of administration by the consortium UK Bell Foundries Ltd., and in 2016, the directors founded the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust which now controls the buildings, equipment, intellectual property and museum, the only one of its kind. It is one of the few Victorian purpose-built manufacturing sites still being used for its original purpose, and its campanile contains the most-pealed bells in the world. For more information, see: https://www.taylorbells.co.uk/ OR https://belltrust.co.uk
Doreen Skelton interviewed by Sue Bishop, 20 July 2015
No full textDoreen Skelton (DS) interviewed by Sue Bishop (SB), 20 July 2015. DB comments on early life and schooling in Humberstone Village. Mentions worked as Secretary at Samuel Farmer's warehouse on Northampton Street. Comments on first recollections of Shady Lane, would visit as a girl with friends- went to dances in the Village Hall in Evington. Mentions trips to Piggy's Hollow and visiting with her friends on bikes at weekends, would play games and explore. Describes dances at Village Hall, recalls band 'The 20th Century Band'- used to get ride home on the cross bar of the young farmers' bikes. Recalls dancing waltzes and quick step, in the interval of the dance would go for a meal in the cafe on High Street. Recalls Polish Soldiers who were guards of German Prisoner of War (POW) camp used to come to the dances. DS attended the dances for four years. Recalls regularly visited Shady Lane Arboretum throughout life, walking dogs- remembers the squatters in previous POW camp waiting to be rehoused in pre-fabricated houses [00:11:47 section redacted]. Mentions family homes in Leicestershire, suggests there has been very little change at Shady Lane
Interview with Paul Shelvington.
No full text27 minute and 1 second interview with Paul Shelvington [slightly edited to remove interruptions]. Paul Shelvington grew up in the Wharf Street, St Matthews area of the city and remembers the area in the 1960s. He mentions the "Longship" one of the many peephole clubs in the city at that time, as well as the Top Rank Suite and watching soul bands perform at Il Rondo. Paul recalls the Freeman, Hardy and Willis factory (known locally as the "three blind mice"), and his time aged 16 in 1971 spent working at the Leicester Hide and Skin to renovate the roof and install central heating. He talks in detail about the working conditions he witnessed there. Paul also recalls his mother's working career in hosiery factories. Paul talks in depth about the northern soul club night he ran "Centre Soul Club"