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The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland

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The Record Office for Leicestershire, Leicester & Rutland

The Record Office is a service provided by Leicestershire County Council in partnership with Leicester City Council & Rutland County Council

The Record Office exists to preserve and provide access to a wide range of Resources which can be used to research the history and culture of Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland.

02/09/2026

VILLAGE PORTRAIT - FREEBY IN 1977

It has been a while since we posted a village. And Freeby is one of those unspoilt villages that hasn't really progressed in any way shape or form. And that's how the people like and enjoy it.

09/08/2026

The construction of Foxton Locks.

An act was passed in 1793 for the construction of the Grand Junction Canal, a waterway which would stretch from the river Thames to Braunston, Northamptonshire. Alongside this, it was proposed that there should also be a link from the existing waterway at Leicester, to connect with Braunston. This would enable quicker and more cost-effective transport of goods, in particular the transport of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire coal. The commencement of the section from Leicester to Braunston began, however, unexpected problems with construction and finance meant that the canal only reached Debdale near Gumley. This became the terminus in 1797 and would remain as this for the next 12 years. The commencement of the final stretch of canal, which included Foxton Locks began in 1810.

Foxton presented a challenge as the canal would need to be lifted 75 ft. The solution was to create a staircase flight of locks. There were 10 locks altogether which consisted of 2 staircases of 5 locks, along with side ponds. It is the longest flight of staircase locks on the English canal system. A trip through the locks took about 45 minutes, however on busy days these locks could create a bottleneck increasing the time to get from one side to the other.

The canal, including Foxton Locks, was officially opened on 9th August 1814, and stretched 23 ½ miles.

Image below: Foxton Locks (ref: DE3736, Box 45, Foxton, folder 1)

06/08/2026

VILLAGE PORTRAIT - KIBWORTH IN 1980

We haven't posted a village portrait for a while. And this one is a special place for it's brass band. As many of our villages are well renowned for the bands they have, this particular one has been rather successful over the years and the whole article is dedicated to the band of Kibworth.

And talking of brass bands, we've been going through our ephemera archive, updating and listing what we have in terms of venues and concerts and you may well find a few brass bands performing at various locations.

18/07/2026

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS - 14th July to 31st July

It has been a month of very little worthy news to report on. So, to finish July, here are three items of interest.

Guard wires for trams were specifically in place to prevent accidents, particularly if there were telephone wires were in the area. During the General Strike, wires were deliberately fused or sabotaged during clashes between workers. On this occasion, the wire (which can be seen hitting the front of the vans' roof) simply snapped.

Kirby Muxloe Castle has and is still a site of interest. It was never finished as William, Lord Hastings bore the brunt of a change in power. William started building the Castle in 1480. It was going really well until Edward IV died, whom he supported. And when Richard III came along, he saw William a traitor and had him beheaded.

And finally, there can't be many families like this who pass on the occupation down the line involving generations to be involved in the railways in some way, shape or form.

11/07/2026

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS - 1st July 1926 to 13th July 1926

It's a very slow month newswise. It must be the heat. And indeed it is a major heatwave we having in 1926.

The Co-Op Society are having a big get together. The Agricultural Show land proved to be a very popular place for events as the Show itself proved to be very well attended. Nowadays it's being held in the County with this year being in Market Harborough.

We do hold records about Messrs Gent and Co. in part. But the main collection is at the Science Museum. Running from 1872 to 1981, it wasn't just clocks that they made electrical equipment for. They also produced such mechanisms for bells and fire alarms.

We do hold records on clubs and societies and in particular the Royal Leicestershire, Rutland and Wycliffe Society for the Blind. There are a few collections from 1793 to 2000. And also a recent additional record accessioned this year.

04/07/2026

Wartime Food Rationing:

The country was in the first few months of World War Two, and there was concern in Government that the reduction in imported food would lead to shortages. They needed a way for everyone to get a fair share of the food that was available. And so, on the 8th January 1940 bacon, butter, ham and sugar were rationed signalling the start of wartime food rationing. Prior to this, each individual had been issued with a ration book consisting of coupons, which needed to be registered with a local shop where the rationed supplies would be purchased from. When a rationed food was purchased, the shopkeeper would draw a line through or remove the corresponding coupon from the book. Throughout this time, it was common to see long queues at shops, and for people to reach the front of these queues only to find the item they wanted to purchase had just sold out. Over the course of the war, further products were added to the list of rationed food including cheese, eggs, tea, biscuits and chocolate. Other non-food items were also rationed including coal, soap, clothes, and fuel. After the war ended, restrictions on goods were slowly lifted, such as flour in July 1948, clothes in March 1949, sweets in February 1953, and cheese in May 1954. Food rationing ended on 4th July 1954 when restrictions on meat and bacon were lifted.

Images below: ration coupons, and page showing the shop where rationed foods would be purchased from.

28/06/2026

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS - 24th June 1926 to 30th June 1926

Three pictures to end the month with.

We start with the trackless train, which has been travelling throughout England and Scotland leaves Leicester for Derby. It was a proper road vehicle made to look like a train and even the film company MGM used it to promote their company. And before that, it had been used as a military hospital.

Second is the ill fated bridge at the annual Gopsall Hall Fete. It was a totally unexpected turn to what was a day full of fun with the usual outdoor sports and activities. It was a great way to get together local agricultural workers and the like within the communities. It lasted until 1950 when the estate was sold off.

Thirdly, cattle transportation using the streets of Leicester. The Leicester Cattle Market is to blame. At the moment, there's no way of bringing in livestock to Leicester alongside the market itself. Designated routes are available. But this is still disrupting the traffic flow. There will be proper sidings made so that cattle, etc. can be got off the trains directly at the market site on Welford Road.

24/06/2026

Did you know that the Record Office has a collection of photographs showing the construction of the Great Central Railway London Extension. These photographs were taken by Sydney Walter Alfred Newton. As the construction of the railway progressed, Newton captured the excavators, locomotives, bridges, cuttings, and also the navvies working on the line. His photographs formed a key account of the social and engineering history at the end of the 19th Century.

These photographs are available to view in our Searchroom, as well as on the Railway Archive website: https://www.railwayarchive.org.uk/

Image below: L2811 - Platelayers at work on the Mountsorrel branch, Leicestershire

21/06/2026

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS - 17th June to 21st June 1926

17th June - a fantastic voyage to a better future for two young girls.
20th June - another poverty stricken family in Market Harborough.
21st June - all change for the Wyggeston's schools in 1928.

Pointers to consider - check passenger lists on Ancestry or Find My Past if your ancestors suddenly appear in a different land.

The Record Office does hold workhouse records for families who suddenly find themselves incapable of looking after themselves.

As Wyggeston schools (boys and girls) are a big part of our education section of collections, just doing a search on our catalogue using the words "Wyggeston School" brings up 264 items.

14/06/2026

THAT WAS THE WEEK THAT WAS - 3rd to 7th June 1926

3rd June - We see people collecting water from what is also known as Caldwell Spring. And it was a good source of water right up until 1950.

5th June - Another example of how people were still living. Fortunately, land has been acquired and new houses are set to be built soon.

Imagine the census record. Don't forget, you can do some house and family research using Find My Past by looking at census records. You can visit the Record Office or ask your local library for access.

7th June - There aren't many church services made from a boat. It must have been well advertised as well because rev Disney drew quite a crowd.

At the Record Office we do hold church registers and other in depth church documents like service registers. Just wondering whether this service was recorded in the register.

Address

The Record Office For Leicestershire, Leicester And Rutland, Long Street
Leicester
LE182AH

Opening Hours

Monday	9:15am - 5pm
Tuesday	9:15am - 5pm
Wednesday	9:15am - 6pm
Thursday	9:15am - 5pm

Website

http://www.recordoffice.org.uk/

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