Great Central Railway around Braunstone Gate, Leicester

This section covers the line south of the station, in the West Bridge and Braunstone Gate area.

Click here for a street map of this area from multimap, with red circle centred on the Bowstring bridge.
Notes on using the multimaps:
The map linked to is a 1:10000 street map.
The large scale street map unfortunately does not show the disused railway or the Great Central Way. Zoom out to 1:25000 to see the standard ordnance survey map version, but with no street names.
To see an aerial photograph of the area covered by the map click on the “Aerial” tab above the map.
When finished with multimap click on “Back” till you return here.

Parts of the track bed of the Great Central Railway can be walked in this area since it is now used by the Great Central Way foot and cycle path, south out of the city.

The River Soar and the Grand Union Canal feature prominently in this area. The River Soar splits into two between Upperton Road, at the south of the Great Central goods yard, to West Bridge.
The canalised River Soar is the east arm and flows along to the east of the goods yard site, across Western Boulevard. It was straightened out as a flood prevention scheme just before the Great Central was built at the end of the 19th century, and was crossed by the Great Central at West Bridge.
The “Old River Soar” is the non-navigable west arm and is bridged by the Great Central several times.



		At West Bridge there was a large girder bridge over the River Soar/Grand Union Canal, and two large steel bridges over roads. All signs of these are long gone, except for the blue bricks on the far side of the river, just below the right end of the new apartment block, which were in the base of the bridge abutment. Looking north towards the Central Station.


The viaduct immediately south of the River Soar/Grand Union Canal has long been demolished, and here in December 2010 the viaduct further on at Braunstone Gate was being demolished (looking south). The digger is standing on the site of the “Pump & Tap” pub which was demolished the previous year.


Demolition of the viaduct north of Braunstone Gate in December 2010, looking south. This was the final arch leading to the “Bowstring Bridge” which spanned the gap over Western Boulevard, between the two fences.


The magnificent Bowstring bridge in Braunstone Gate before its demolition in 2009 after a prolonged campaign to save it, looking south-east. For more photographs of the bridge and its demolition see the page Old Photographs: Leicester Demolition 2.


The view in Braunstone Gate in December 2010 after the demolition of the Bowstring Bridge and during the demolition of the north part of the viaduct.


Work on the demolition ceased over the Christmas and New Year’s holiday and recommenced in January 2011. The last part of the viaduct was being demolished on January 8th 2011.


	The Bowstring bridge spanned both Western Boulevard and the Old River Soar here. In January 2012 the swimming pool and sports hall were being built on the site of the bridge abutment and viaduct on the north side.


		In September 2010 a commemorative plaque was put on the wall of The Bowstring restaurant, opposite the site of the bowstring bridge.


			The plaque commemorating the bowstring bridge.


Another bridge over the Old River Soar 50 yards south of Braunstone Gate bridge. Looking south near where the previous photograph was taken. The path on the far left is the Great Central Way which joins the track bed all the way to the outskirts of Leicester. At one time the Great Central way crossed this bridge and headed over the Bowstring bridge, which was to the right.


A fence now blocks off the path where the Great Central Way originally followed the GCR over the Old River Soar and the Bowstring bridge. The diverted Great Central Way is off the photograph to the right and rejoins the GCR track bed just behind the photographer.


Looking northwards through the fence and across the bridge over the Old River Soar. The wooden fence in the distance protects the gap which the Bowstring bridge at Braunstone Gate used to span, while beyond is an apartment block which was built over the route, next to the canal/river Soar.


The view north towards West Bridge from the end of the viaduct when it was still part of the Great Central Way footpath. The viaduct continued straight ahead where the GCR crossed two road bridges and a river bridge at West Bridge. The apartment block in the previous photograph now dominates this view. The tall building far right is the distinctive Pex sock factory, now converted to offices and occupied by the Land Registry.


	© 2001-2012. Text and photographs copyright Nigel Tout