Syston, Melton Road c.1955
Photo ref: S488007
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Photo ref: S488007
Photo of Syston, Melton Road c.1955

More about this scene

How did it happen? Syston, a Domesday village situated about four miles north of Leicester, was industrialised by an influx of framework knitters in the 19th century, which generated standardised red brick buildings of neat and unobtrusive design. Even the cinema of the 1930s on the right is in relative harmony with its surroundings. It is not, in fact, until after the Second World War that the village became devastated by plan- ning ineptness. In place of the cinema is now an ill-designed single-storey supermarket with a similar building next door, and this pattern extends its tentacles into the heart of the village until it is spoiled.

A Selection of Memories from Syston

For many years now, we've been inviting visitors to our website to add their own memories to share their experiences of life as it was, prompted by the photographs in our archive. Here are some from Syston

Sparked a Memory for you?

If this has sparked a memory, why not share it here?

The building on the left of this photo was my home for the first 21 years of my life. In fact the last few letters of our surname can just be seen - ACLE. This was the general grocery shop known as Barnacle's, owned by my parents from 1939 to 1960, mostly managed by my mother Win. My dad Ken was employed by Fox's Glacier Mints in Leicester but would help staff the shop during holidays and weekends, consequently I ...see more
The cottage on the left of this photo was where my great grandfather and his ten children lived at the turn of the 20th century. He was a butcher. There was a slaughterhouse at the back of the property. They lived there from about 1895 to 1908.