I was absolutely glued to this video Middy and fascinated by the Bowstring Bridge. As a child on my hols and seeing something like this for the first time, I would have been in amazement in what I was seeing. There is something wonderful about big railway bridges, what an impressive railway it was. Many thanks again.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you and thanks for watching. I am going back to the area soon to cover more on the goods yard and perhaps an exclusive off the top of what remains. Glad you enjoyed the video
@levelcrossing150
2 жыл бұрын
@@MiddyExploresAll sounds very good Middy, I'll look forward to seeing that.
@fergalhedge106
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks Middy for all that you do and sharing your efforts to show how the Great Central was and is now, such a terrible waste of late Victorian engineering, Sir Edward Watkin would be horrified to see his Pride and joy destroyed.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching and your kind comments. I am sure there are many of the Victorian engineers and visionaries that would turn in. Their grave at what we have done to their legacy. Such a waste ☹️
@muckle8
Жыл бұрын
Fergal and middy I will go one stage further if I may : if the Victorian engineers and navvies that built this brilliant railway could see what we have done to this countries buildings and infrastructure then they would probably beat us all to death with pick axe handles and they would be completely justified IMHO
@andrewb9790
Жыл бұрын
I have so many memories of playing on this part of the GCR well before it was turned into a path. It was literally a tip! We'd go down and watch trains shunting in Vic Berry's. The loss of the Bowstring Bridge and The Pump & Tap will remain a travesty. My Mum has a painting of the Bowstring. Thanks for rekindling these memories!
@MiddyExplores
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. I have heard it was an adventure to get down there and play amongst the scrap!! I bet it was incredible!!
@mohammednadeemanwar2213
2 жыл бұрын
1992 i remember riding bike over bow/lattice girder bridge, along viaduct to steps and ramp back down to street level. PEX Factory still there, but remember GCR warehouse, and Kirby & West Bottling Plant with its fine Art Deco frontage. Old 4 floor GCR Goods yard offices. Watertower and other structures haveTesco and restaurants and bars within.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching and I must admit I am jealous! Shame the council decided to remove so much of our history
@NWP_EXPLORING
2 жыл бұрын
Great effort mate. Yes the small section of viaduct with the signal post on is down the road from the bowstring which I had a look at a few weeks back.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks as always. Little bits have managed to survive but I don't know how much longer ☹️
@evebeinguniquebeingme6205
2 жыл бұрын
ooh wonderful and not too far away dad's aim is to walk the great central way next year when he's used to his new hip hoping all goes well with the replacement 👏
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks as always for watching. Yes it's a lovely walk and quite flat so not that demanding. There is also loads of relics along the way! Hope everything goes well👍
@daystatesniper01
Жыл бұрын
Awesome video ,many memories of walking this line before utter madness of taking out the bridges , i had a painting commisioned by the Leicester artist Jill York of my late fathers fav' loco on these viaducts in the city ,what a waste of a line
@MiddyExplores
Жыл бұрын
Thank you and thanks for watching. Your kind comments are much appreciated. I think it's one of the saddest parts of Leicester history losing this wonderful line and the superb architecture that it had. The few bits that remain are constantly at risk. A sad waste of a great opportunity for this city and what now would have been a very useful line. More coming on the GCR in the near future.
@davebuckley1760
2 жыл бұрын
Lived as a student off Narborough Road in mid 1980s and remember the steel bridge and scrapyard---it’s changed massively
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching Unfortunately not always for the best
@ceanothus_bluemoon
Жыл бұрын
I remember hearing about the fight to save the bowstring, and then going and looking at photographs of it and the remains in Leicester. Another excellent video, if heartbreaking. Good to see both an info board and a plaque there. I don't expect the steel span was saved put is in a museum? That would be too much to hope for...
@MiddyExplores
Жыл бұрын
Thanks again for watching. I believe the whole thing was scrapped sadly. It should never have been demolished it was such a landmark
@seamusmcevoy2011
2 жыл бұрын
That was absolutely fascinating, there is still so much to see as well and on a beautiful day to boot. Being a PE teacher for over 30 years, I'm all in favour of new sports facilities, however, even I would have said NO to the demolishing of the Bowstring Bridge for a new sports hall. I'd love to get up on that viaduct but sadly it doesn't look possible - but you never know😆🤣.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks as always. To make it worse they only needed about 2 ft of land off the viaduct... Needless demolition. We had a really good look around to get up there and we couldn't get . 👍
@seamusmcevoy2011
2 жыл бұрын
@@MiddyExplores That's a shame.
@knottyal2428
2 жыл бұрын
The waterfront building snuggled against the viaduct next to the bowstring bridge was the original Kirby & West dairy. It used the viaduct arches, I guess. They moved to new premises on the area of West Bridge station, the Leicester & Swannington terminus.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching and for the information 👍
@1701_FyldeFlyer
2 жыл бұрын
Nothing short of cultural and industrial vandalism how these lines were ripped up, destroyed and lost. Thanks for the vid.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. This part of the destruction is particularly bad as everyone loved the bowstring bridge and as usual the council didn't care one bit as the university rules all. Now the last bits of the viaduct are under threat because they want to build yet more student accommodation ☹️
@richarddavey9547
2 жыл бұрын
Excellent video 👍 if you looked to your left before crossing the Uppertton road the old carriage works building is still there , was occupied by Evans cycles until a couple years back. The Leicester council have made absolutely sure there is NO chance of reopening the GCR through the city😢. About 20 years ago there was still some track and a ground frame you could operate around the Bede Island area, now every trance all gone. Apparently when they redeveloped round there they found remain s of a turntable ( which I think might be at the GCR in Loughborough 🤞)
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. Yes I meant to mention the carriage works at the end. I will be going back and doing a feature on the whole foods yard in the future 👍
@richarddavey9547
2 жыл бұрын
@@MiddyExplores looking forward to that
@only1hawky
2 жыл бұрын
I came to live in Leicester back in 2003, and was able to enjoy both the Bowstring Bridge and the Uppingham Road bridge, as I cycled to and from work along the Great Central Way. I was also a small part of the protest against the plan to demolish the Bowstring Bridge, and probably have more than a few nostalgic photos of it buried away on my hard drive somewhere. Great video, and I would certainly join Middy in encouraging any interested individuals to do this walk, as I myself hope to do again at some point during the autumn.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks as always David. It is indeed a lovely walk and the railway nostalgia just adds to it. The bowstring bridge was a belter and should still be there... Shortsighted council as usual.
@richardshephard5335
2 жыл бұрын
the bridge had to go for financial reasons, cost of maintaining it and the back handers that would have been flying about for the leisure centre development. much like pulling down a factory that makes money and developing the land for housing then moving production abroad. always about money. thanks for the videos cheers
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. Sometimes it's more than the money to the people who love the area, shame that the powers that be can only see as far as their bank balance
@craiglogistics2092
2 жыл бұрын
GCR was closed by Barbara Castle MP under a Labour government, let's not forget that
@richarddoran3877
2 жыл бұрын
Great video full of interesting information. Being a Nottingham lad, my knowledge of the GCR through Leicester is lacking a little, so these videos are really good. Love the superimposed effect with the upperton road bridge. Keep up the good work.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you and thanks for watching. Loads more videos coming up on the GCR and surrounding lines.
@daystatesniper01
Жыл бұрын
Just to add when a team of people excavated the old GC shed quite a few shed codes were found in the turntable pit cut off after it closed and tossed in to the pit
@MiddyExplores
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. I will never understand why there was such blatant disregard for this lost history. Leicester for some reason seems particularly bad for destroying anything historical.
@sturmtigerking4263
2 жыл бұрын
Great video of this section. I wish the bowstring wasn't removed, I never saw the bridge sadly, it looked amazing in pictures. Almost at 1000 subs!
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching as always! Ye sit was a lovely bridge I remember it way back in the 70s when it had first closed but no photos unfortunately! Yes the channel is nearly there!!!
@Leicesterbusvideos32098
2 жыл бұрын
The remains of Bowstring Bridge now is in such bad condition that it's been closed off due to safety conditions, the remains of the bridge was supposed to be demolished in 2012 but it never came to fruition, I can say that it hasn't got long left
@MiddyExplores
Жыл бұрын
Sad end to a local landmark. It's on such a poor state now it's such a shame. Could have been a local area of interest but instead left to history.
@peterwarren5412
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks again for a nice video. I was wondering what do you use to make these videos? A phone camera on a selfie stick or something a bit more advanced than that? :)
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thank you for watching. I use a combination of a phone on a gimbal head (currently a Huawei p30 which is excellent) the gimbal head is made by DJI. I also use a Nikon d900 SLR and on occasion an old action camera. About 90% is filmed on my phone and then admitted through Filmora on my laptop. Hope that answers your question!!
@peterwarren5412
2 жыл бұрын
@@MiddyExplores it does thank you!
@stevecutts5450
2 жыл бұрын
I used to go to Vic berry scrapyard in the late 80s. What line would the scrap locos arrived om?
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
They arrived on the Ivanhoe line ( Leicester to Burton) and came along a line that ran parallel to the GCR.
@stevecutts5450
2 жыл бұрын
@@MiddyExplores thanks. I've always wondered that 👍. I'm sure we used to pay 50p to go and have a wander around there. Health and safety would have a field day these days!
@jappedut9009
2 жыл бұрын
How many of the reminiscences of GCR could be redeveloped into railway, do you think ?
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching. I think they could possibly do something between rugby and lutterworth and possibly Cosby but it would cost billions to do and I am not sure it would be much use. Probably better to invest in existing infrastructure
@jappedut9009
2 жыл бұрын
@@MiddyExplores thank you for the answer
@andrewmarch7891
2 жыл бұрын
Tell us again why the Ivanhoe line is so called please.
@MiddyExplores
2 жыл бұрын
It was nicknamed the 'ivanhoe line' as it travels through the countryside where the novel 'ivanhoe' by Sir Walter Scott was set. Sounds nicer than Leicester to Burton line! If it reopens (if) then it will now take passengers right through the heart of the national forest.
@andrewmarch7891
2 жыл бұрын
@@MiddyExplores Many thanks.
@wayneryan326
2 жыл бұрын
What a waste we should be keeping our heritage mr beeching got a lot to answer for!!!
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