Broughton Astley
Broughton Astley maps (2 available)
Map of Leicestershire
Beautifully hand-drawn and coloured, dating from around 1840
See this old map of Leicestershire
Personalised maps
Create an historic map centred directly on any postcode!
Broughton Astley books (13 available)
Market Harborough Town Walk Guide
Paperback
Melton Mowbray Town and City Memories
Paperback
Uppingham Photographic Memories
Hardback
- 4 photos on Broughton Astley appear in 2 Frith books - View photos of Broughton Astley
- Read extracts and see photos from these books on Broughton Astley and Leicestershire
Broughton Astley memories
Read and share memories of Broughton Astley and Leicestershire inspired by Frith photos
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You can also read memories of nearby places in Leicestershire below.
Leicestershire memories
Basset Street School
I remember this school so well, my first born went to this school in 1983 and so did my daughter, it's a shame they pulled part of it down. I remember walking the children over to what is now the infant school to use their swimming pool, later when they pulled some of the old school down the children were moved to the infant school in South Wigston, on the Countesthorpe Road, where all three of my children went, they then moved on to South Wigston High School where they had a real good head master, Mr Bothamy (sorry about the spelling).
A memory of South Wigston contributed by ruth carroll
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.
A memory of South Wigston contributed by ruth carroll
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)
A memory of South Wigston contributed by Richard Child
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 ...read more here
A memory of South Wigston contributed by Richard Child
Extracts From Broughton Astley & Leicestershire books
The pub fronts Main Street,
sitting prominently at the
junction of Cosby Road and
Station Road, and appears
to be the bad conversion of
a former row of cottages.
The fake timber framing is
ill considered and out of
place, while the rear
extension leaves much to
be desired. The village
along Main Street possesses
no outstanding
architecture. The Baptist
chapel at nearby Sutton-in-
Elms and an adjacent 17th-
century farmhouse are,
however, of some interest.
An extract from from"Leicestershire Villages Photographic Memories".
The village has been
given a sweeping
bypass, Broughton
Way, on its north side,
reducing the volume
of traffic negotiating
Main Street and the
area around St Mary’s
Church and Old Mill
Road. The photograph
looks south-east along
the culverted stream
bordering Station
Road, with housing of
the 1920s and 30s on
the extreme right. It is
a great pity that a little
more money could
not have been found
in the Council’s coffers
to provide a scheme of
enhancement, rather
than this concrete and
iron piping solution.
An extract from from"Leicestershire Villages Photographic Memories".
Willow Cottage is still trading, although the proprietor is no longer P A Jones. The small school (note the bell in the bell-cote) has been replaced with three other larger establishments, which gives us some idea of the growth the village has experienced. Already two adjacent hamlets, Sutton-in-the-Elms and Primethorpe, have been enveloped.
An extract from from"Leicestershire & Rutland Living Memories".
The pinnacled and canopied Clock Tower, designed by Joseph
Goddard in 1868, dominates the forefront of the photograph,
while its four stoney local worthies, Simon de Montfort, William
Wyggeston, Alderman Gabriel Newton and Sir Thomas White,
Mayor of Leicester and mine host at the nearby Horse and
Trumpet, gaze down. Beyond Corts Limited can be seen the
dominant dome of the Opera House, demolished in 1960,
where each year the Christmas pantomime was staged and
appreciated with thunderous applause
by generations of children.
An extract from from"Leicester Photographic Memories".
The link between London Road and Gallowtree Gate, this
short north-south road is visually of the later 19th century. The
Grand Hotel of 1898 by Cecil Ogden (1858-1944) dominates
its southern end, while the rather exuberant Turkey Cafe of
1901 by Arthur Wakerley and the Victoria Coffee House of 1888
by Edward Burgess (fl.1886-1915) add that longed-for touch
of eccentricity and quality to an otherwise undistinguished
townscape. The shops to the left of the photograph retain their
excellent fronts with stall-boards and timber frames, a sight
which has become a rarity in a plate-glass world.
An extract from from"Leicester Photographic Memories".