Then & Now

The Square and Lord Leycester’s Lodge – Then & Now

This then and now comparison shows a pre-war view of the clock tower at Abbey End. It can be identified as pre-war simply because it shows part of Lord Leycester’s Lodge (extreme right) which was destroyed by the Luftwaffe parachute mine of November 1940. We can also see the steps beneath the clock tower, later… Read More The Square and Lord Leycester’s Lodge – Then & Now

Then & Now

Site of Lord Leycester’s Lodge – Then & Now

This Then & Now comparison shows the site of another casualty of the night of the 21st of November 1940, when a lone Luftwaffe bomber dropped a parachute mine over Abbey End. This is where a centuries old timber framed building known as Lord Leycester’s Lodge stood until it was fatally damaged during the tragic… Read More Site of Lord Leycester’s Lodge – Then & Now

Then & Now

Postcard of The Square & Clock Tower – Then & Now

This postcard of The Square can be dated between 1906 when the clock tower was constructed and the 1930s when alterations were made to the buildings comprising Numbers 1 & 2, The Square behind the clocktower. Long distance shots of the same scene can be found in previous Then & Now comparisons here and here.… Read More Postcard of The Square & Clock Tower – Then & Now

Then & Now

The Clock Tower – Then & Now

This unusual postcard, dated 1906, shows the clock tower in The Square during its construction. The scaffolding and hoardings are still in place, the stonework appears to have been completed but the clock faces and weather vane are yet to be added. In the background we can see the buildings of Abbey End as they… Read More The Clock Tower – Then & Now

Then & Now

De Montfort Hotel – Then & Now

The De Montfort Hotel (now the Holiday Inn) opened in 1967, occupying part of the site destroyed by the landmine of the 21st November 1940.  Historically,  the Square had been more of an intimate affair, comprising a cozy triangular area enclosed by low rise buildings on all sides. The ‘then’ picture shows that at this… Read More De Montfort Hotel – Then & Now

Then & Now

The Clock Tower Post-War – Then & Now

The Square, early 1960s and in December 2015. At first glance, little has changed between the two images. However, a handful of the buildings on the left of the clock tower survived the landmine of November 1940 before being cleared for the post-war Abbey End redevelopment, as shown in the modern image. Up until the early… Read More The Clock Tower Post-War – Then & Now

Then & Now

The Square, Early 1960s – Then & Now

The Square, early 1960s. Where the roundabout now stands once stood an elegant building with grand bay-windows, which can be seen on many a postcard of the Square from before the turn of the century. The ‘then’ image above shows its somewhat truncated state in the early late 1960s, following a number of enforced reductions in its… Read More The Square, Early 1960s – Then & Now

Then & Now

Postcard of The Square – Then & Now

  UPDATED 19/02/2016: I am very much indebted to the incomparable Robin Leach for correcting the inaccuracies in the previous version of this text. The ‘then’ image above shows an early 20th Century postcard of The Square, taken from the junction with Station Road and Warwick Road with its equivalent image from December 2015. On the… Read More Postcard of The Square – Then & Now