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Aylestone
Aylestone maps
Historic maps of Aylestone and the local area, hand-drawn by Ordnance Survey and Samuel Lewis. View all Aylestone maps
Aylestone photos
We have no photos of Aylestone, although we do have photos of these nearby places:
South Wigston| West Knighton| Wigston| Knighton| Leicester| Countesthorpe| Oadby| New Parks| Evington| Cosby| Glenfield| Kirby Muxloe| Kilby| Groby| Anstey| Broughton Astley| Thurmaston| Fleckney| Newtown Linford| Sapcote| Saddington
Aylestone area books
Displaying 1 of 9 books about Aylestone and the local area. View all books for this area
You can read extracts and browse photos from these books.
Memories of Aylestone
Displaying a selection of personal
memories of Aylestone.
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Evacuated to Aylestone
After seventy plus years it's very hard to remember exactly what year I was sent to stay with friends of my mothers in Aylestone. It was likely in 1940 as the general panic about getting the children away from the large cities had begun in ernest. Now all I can recall about that time was staying at a lovely semi detached house, on Narrow Lane with a Mrs Powderill and her unmarried son Neville. My mother stayed with me most of the time but over Christmas they sent for her as Dad had become seriously ill and was in hospital.A 4-wheel-drive ambulance was sent to take her to his bedside. Later he was sent to Cromer as he recovered. Finally he joined us at Easter in Aylestone. I can also recall playing in a walled children's playground behind one of the local pubs. There were other children there and we managed to buy special wooden matches that burned slowly in different colours. We were yelled at by some adults... Read more
Leicestershire memories
Above Shop Flats
1963: We were so desperate for somewhere to live when we got married that we almost signed up for one of the upstairs flats above the shops. The flats were brand new and looked very attractive back then. The the reality set in that we couldn't afford it and we ended up renting a flat off the Narborough Road in the Westcotes area. SLCS must be 'The South Leicester Co-op Society'
Happy Childhood Days
When I was about 6-7 years old we lived in Lansdowne Grove ( 1 mile approx) and Crow Mills was a favorite place to come and fish for minnows and frog spawn. The summers seemed endless and jam jars were a precious item to us as they were needed to bring home the results of the days exploits. I think the mill was still working then, I know the water wheel certainly was. All you needed was your jar of course a stick, some thin string or cotton, a few worms and a bent pin. We would spend hours there. Across the road were the 'Rally Banks' which was the railway embankment and bridges another favorite play ground; as there was lots of undergrowth to play Cowboys and Indians in. In the winter when it snowed they were used as mini sledge runs. Seasonal treats were bunches of 'pussy willow' in the spring and blackberry's in the late summer both of which could be guaranteed to pacify your Mum if... Read more
Blaby Road West End
This view is not much different from the forties. This photo has been taken from outside Rawlinsons butchers shop to the right and St Thomas's church to the left ( both out of shot). The first shop to the right is Eric Holmes Cycle shop. Eric Holmes Jnr was a school friend of mine and we both attended Basset Street Juniors(just round the corner). The road off to the right is Countesthorpe Road. The roof that appears to stick out of the line of roofs on the right is the 'Ritz' cinema (now a bingo hall)
South Wigston, Gloucester Crescent
I moved to South Wigston in 1978 as a newly wed, I lived on Marstown Avenue which then was a two way road, and very busy, and I remember using these shops all the time. I used to do my shopping in what is now called Jacksons and is a Sainsburys shop. I notice looking at the picture of the 1960s that not a lot has changed but the end shop on the left of the picture is now a fish and chip shop, all that keeps changing is the type of shop. I no longer live in South Wigston but do get to visit it still, and even now in 2008 things are very much the same.
Blaby Road
We lived in Arnold Avenue off Lansdowne Grove until I was 11, that would have been about 1959. I remember the footbridge over the railway where we used to stand and wait for a train to go under we used to love the the thick smoke and steam all around us (I don't suppose it was very good for us but we didn't care). I remember Hadens the paper shop and Whiteheads chip shop. Charlie Moore's music shop was always intriguing with the violins and other musical instruments, across the road on the corner of Station Street was the Cafe, I can't remember what it was called but they did lovely ice cream sodas, a special treat. There where so many shops along there then I could almost name every one of them and they were all making a living, those were the days, no Fosse Park then. On a Saturday evening my Grandad would take me into the little chip shop next to the Ritz and I would have... Read more
2002 to Today...
I work in this area nowadays, the SLCS is still going strong but is now a small branch of SAINSBURYS. The flats and shops look in pretty good nick for their age, though round the back they look a little seedy! The flat with the space underneath it now has a fish and chip in the space!
