Tag: Spinney Hills

May22nd – I left Leicester early in the afternoon, when it was still a pleasant day; I’d set off in light morning rain, which had cleared. I did what I had to, then nipped over to Spinney Hills to pick up Indian snacks, and headed home. As the train pulled from Leicester, the rains came. 

I had an inkling from passenger information that there was disruption to northbound local services out of Brum, and changed trains at Nuneaton for a service to Lichfield Trent Valley, which was also heavily delayed. It was the right decision though, which was a relief.

I alighted at Lichfield in a thunderstorm and torrential rain. Waiting it out, I gave up, and cut a run for it.

I got soaked. The roads home were like rivers, and progress was slow. I hadn’t been that glad to get in, and have a hot shower for a very long time.

September 18th – I spent a good 45 minutes spinning around the backstreets, just taking in the architecture. I’ve never really seen a place as wonderfully diverse as this. Buildings here variously remind me of Leeds, Clifton, Brighton and Cheltenham. The area seems to have a genuine air of community, too. Leicester is great, and very underrated. 

September 18th – Today, I visited Leicester. Not my usual haunt, I was up in a different part of the city. On my way, I passed through the melting pot that in North Everington and Spinney Hills. Here, there are folk of every culture and ethnicity imaginable. Asians, South East Asians, Africans, Arabs, Europeans. I saw cars with not just UK number plates, but Polish, Latvian, Irish and Lithuanian. The streets are busy with shoppers, students, kids, folk going about their everyday business. This place is buzzing, and has the frantic air of commerce one gets in all such places – the Edgware Road in London, say, or the Soho Road in Brum. What makes this spot different is the architecture. From factories to churches, mosques to terraces, there exists an incredible diversity of styles and adornments. Towers, bays, pediments and porches. All overlooked by the hillside park. Beautiful.