# Leicester City Bus Depot



## Goldie87 (Sep 19, 2007)

The old Leicester city bus depot (and tram depot before that) closed earlier this year after the company moved to a new location. These pics are from a few explores at different times, but there is lots of this site we still have not seen. They seem to have put a new CCTV system in so we have not been for a while. There are plans to demolish the whole site and build yet more apartments 







Finance office





Document store





Main garage















Inspection pit





Workshop


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## Foxylady (Sep 19, 2007)

Love those roof supports in the garage. Nice pics, Goldie. 
It never ceases to amaze me how many documents are left behind in a lot of places...and were those reams of copier paper?  

Cheers


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## crocroche (Sep 19, 2007)

wow i like that ye olde laminator!
nice report and pics


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## Goldie87 (Sep 19, 2007)

Just nice to see a place with stuff left untouched, makes it more interesting to explore. There is so much stuff left behind in this place, unopened rolls of tickets from various eras, various retro adding machines, huge maps, various company promotional items, old communication devices, badges, books, tools, records of bookings on coach trips, company clothing, plus tons of other stuff. All that and we never even made it into any of the main offices!

Oh and not forgetting that laminator EVERYONE seems to have a fascination with lol


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## Mr Sam (Jan 2, 2008)

to save starting a new thread here are a few i took last night on an explore with goldie87

security has nopw left the site so we were left to pretty much walk where we wanted abart from in the main sheds.....alarmed 


























jeesy peeps mu car!!!


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## Richard Davies (Jan 2, 2008)

Is this anywhere near the main bus station in Leicester?

It's just that about 30 years ago my Gran was one a National Express coach to Leicester from Devon, & was surprised that it terminated long before getting to the bus station, especially as she was supposed to be picked up my one of my Aunts.

Aparrently an escaped prisoner was on board another coach heading for Leicester, & the police had found this out & had evacuated the whole bus station.

The idea was when this coach arrived in the prisoner got off the police would spring a trap.

I'm not too sure if this worked, or how my Gran was eventually picked up by my Aunt, but it seemed interesting enough to mention, if it's not really relevent.


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## Goldie87 (Jan 2, 2008)

Some of my pics from yesterday evening:





Main Entrance





Staff gym





Office





Signs





The depot in the early 20th century




Richard Davies said:


> Is this anywhere near the main bus station in Leicester?



Its not too far away, but not actually associated with it.


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## Foxylady (Jan 2, 2008)

Richard Davies said:


> I'm not too sure if this worked, or how my Gran was eventually picked up by my Aunt, but it seemed interesting enough to mention, if it's not really relevent.



Great story, RD. 

Good to see some more pics of the depot guys. Love the photos of the photos. Good stuff!


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## King Al (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice story RD nice pics gold + sam that place looks great, shame its so far from me


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## Simon-G (Jan 3, 2008)

Interesting story and pics, like the old pic of the trams, as has been said it it good that all the stuff left behind is untouched, how long that wil stay like that is anyones quess. surely some of the stuff left behind would make a few bob at an auction or such like, makes you wonder why it is disgarded. My quess is when they move to a new location all the stuff that is needed for daily use is taken first then by the time that is done the opperation is up and running in the new place and the old stuff just gets forgotten. Or the management has the attitude of it wasn't my money that bought the stuff we don't need it so who cares. Sorry for my rambling it just annoys me to see goods of value discarded when if even one person in the company took a small bit of action the goods could be sold and go towards a needy cause. Like getting the busses to run on time 

Liked the story of your gran richard, it is all relevant in the history of the place, good story mate. Would be interesting to find out if the prisoner got caught. 


Simon-g


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## Goldie87 (Jan 3, 2008)

I would say they definitely had time to move everything if they wanted to. I kept a close eye on the place when they first moved to the new depot, and there were staff coming and going for at least a few weeks after. First are an appalling bus operator and as far as I can see don't care much about people or the city they serve, so I guess its no big deal leaving all that history and memories behind. It seems that now the security has gone people have been going in there and rescuing a lot of things. The old photo is from a book I found there, in fact there were loads of them.

Unfortunately these huge old maps, of which there were a few, appear to have been ruined by water ingress. This picture was taken at the beginning of June last year:


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## prestwick pioneer (Jan 3, 2008)

Awesome pics again G87. is there anything left of the Auster/Beagle factory at Rearsby?


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## Rotax (Jan 3, 2008)

Vast explore chaps,
Must have been good to be first in?

I wonder if there will be any more tram or early bus pics in the main office??
Well done Rotax...


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## Mr Sam (Jan 3, 2008)

prestwick pioneer said:


> is there anything left of the Auster/Beagle factory at Rearsby?



thats about 2 miles from me all re-developed kitchen building something else and a new unit going up as we speak, the logo still has an auster on it








my car on one of the gates


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## Richard Davies (Jan 3, 2008)

Thanks everyone who like my story.

As I mentioned I don't know the outcome of the stakeout, but it sounded like something out of The Sweeny, especially as it would have happened when that show was still on air.


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## Mr Sam (Jan 6, 2008)

another re-visit and failure with Goldie87 & The Blue Fox

thought we would go in daylight hours so we could see the sensors someone let us know last night security was in the hut so i popped down and nothing so we still gave it the go ahead with the aim of spotting the sensors, anyway in the inspection pits Goldie spotted a guard walk in a door at the opposite end of the sheds so we stealthaly made and exit with a last 20m sprint yet again slightly busted

there must be a pot of gold at the front of the sheds 
















still..........weel be back


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## Goldie87 (Jan 6, 2008)

Returned today only to get disturbed by random guy walking in front door 





A rather bleak view of the site, the garages used to extend towards the camera but were damaged by fire and demolished.


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## stellauk (Jan 6, 2008)

the irony of the office pic with the sign Keep Clear the irony lol i go by this place like all the time and think what its like inside and these pics help thanks poeple


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## Lightbuoy (Jan 6, 2008)

Top report chaps! 
Been following this one and what stands out for me (as Goldie rightly says) is that the Bus Company has no interest is preserving even part of the history of this place 
Well done for at least getting some pics for the future (seems crazy that Security seem to be on the ball and protecting a building / contents that's likely to all be destroyed for re-development!) 
Love that archy window in the middle of the gable wall.

Lb


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## Goldie87 (Jan 7, 2008)

I always thought the big garages shown in the pics would make an excellent transport museum or something, plenty of space under there and it would look well cool. The security issue is ridiculous. Quite some time ago a fellow explorer asked if he could go and take some pictures of the frontage, from what i gather the security guy was quite rude to him. Then there was the time the place was stormed by security and police!!! 

Oh well we will not give up


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## Lightbuoy (Jan 7, 2008)

Goldie87 said:


> .......Oh well we will not give up



That's the spirit ol' chap!


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## Goldie87 (Feb 17, 2008)

Since our last posts we have gone back with various people quite a few times, at night mostly. Today I returned with mattdonut and took a look round some of the offices. Wont bother posting my internal pics, but as it was a brilliant sunny day i also took a few external shots...






This is the very grand main offices on the main road (which we have never gained access to) If it had the nasty replacement windows replaced with something resembling the originals it would look great, however they will be tearing it down with the rest of the site 





Detail of the city arms.





Lion detail





Main garages





To the right is what remains of the original tram garages. 
Unfortunately most of this part was destroyed by arson a few years ago

And what they are planning to build there...
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?p=17861287


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## Foxylady (Feb 17, 2008)

I do like those details on the brickwork. Really nice. It's always good to see external pics too imo, as it rounds out what the whole building looks like.
Good stuff.


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## Goldie87 (Mar 4, 2008)

A couple of new pics for those of you who have been following this lol. 
Found an easy way into the older garages where we have not been before.
They used to extend for some distance off to the left of where the pics were taken, 
but that part was destroyed by arson some years ago 





Bus wash





The rest of the garages


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## MD (Mar 4, 2008)

nice one goldie i knew you would get in there!!!
find anything good?


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## Goldie87 (Mar 4, 2008)

mattdonut said:


> nice one goldie i knew you would get in there!!!
> find anything good?



Didn't really have a proper look, just looked in quickly then went back to the cars, our main reason for being there was to look at the demolition at wolsey.


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## Lightbuoy (Mar 4, 2008)

Good stuff matey -enjoying the updates on this here thread! 

Lb


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## waynezbitz1 (Feb 14, 2010)

just a little update on this site. the site itself hasnt really changed much and hasnt really been trashed like other buildings around considering its length of time closed.

the porta cabins have now arrived on the site with one or two small peices of acsses equipment so i dont think its going to be many more weeks beofre total demolition finaly get around to pulling the place down.
now is a good time to explore as it seems its all open and acsessable with the security long since gone, but i have still heard rumours of alarms still in use.


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## losttom (Feb 15, 2010)

waynezbitz1 said:


> just a little update on this site. the site itself hasnt really changed much and hasnt really been trashed like other buildings around considering its length of time closed.
> 
> the porta cabins have now arrived on the site with one or two small peices of acsses equipment so i dont think its going to be many more weeks beofre total demolition finaly get around to pulling the place down.
> now is a good time to explore as it seems its all open and acsessable with the security long since gone, but i have still heard rumours of alarms still in use.



Me, MD, and Goldie went back and did the whole site. 
There are now diggers etc in the garages so i think your right that its going soon


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## Mr Sam (Feb 19, 2010)




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## waynezbitz1 (Mar 4, 2010)

well i did say it wouldnt be long and ive just received a txt to say that most of the old tram sheds are now down today and also one of the smaller office blocks so if anybody wants to see this site for themselves i would say to get down there in the next few days as it will be too late after that


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## Goldie87 (Mar 12, 2010)

Went to get some final pics at the depot recently as its gradually being torn apart. For some reason they are demolishing it with most of the contents still inside. Made a few visits recently with Mr Sam, MD, Waynezbitz1, Boothy, Lost Explorer, and a few other people.


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## Mr Sam (Mar 13, 2010)

thats a crackin shot of the light coming through the main door


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## MD (Mar 13, 2010)

under the now demo,d tram sheds  camera phone


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## Lightbuoy (Mar 14, 2010)

That's a real crying shame to see it's being demo'd. Very surprising that they've not done any salvaging / reclamation. Wonder if it's too late for a local Museum (or maybe even a National Transport Museum) to save some of the contents of merit? -that logo can & must surely be saved!

Thanks for the update Golds and well done chaps for documenting it


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## Goldie87 (Mar 14, 2010)

Lightbuoy said:


> Wonder if it's too late for a local Museum (or maybe even a National Transport Museum) to save some of the contents of merit? -that logo can & must surely be saved!)



Thanks mate. I know some people from the museums were going to try and get permission to rescue one of the crests, but I dunno if anyone will be going back there now. Unfortunately things kicked off in Leicester big time the other week, and its messed a lot of things up now


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## waynezbitz1 (Mar 19, 2010)

im a comittee member at one of the local museums (very local to the site in fact lol) and i know they are trying to get hold of one or two peices for the museum as at present they do have quite a large area dedicated to the tram movements in leicester. waether anything has come of any of it, im not sure, but i will ask the question and keep you posted.


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## Goldie87 (Mar 19, 2010)

waynezbitz1 said:


> im a comittee member at one of the local museums (very local to the site in fact lol) and i know they are trying to get hold of one or two peices for the museum as at present they do have quite a large area dedicated to the tram movements in leicester. waether anything has come of any of it, im not sure, but i will ask the question and keep you posted.



Its going fast now so theres little time left. More of the windows are broken, and it looks like they have been throwing stuff out of the computer room window. Think Nick was trying to get EH to look at the head office building as well.


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## Mr Sam (Mar 19, 2010)




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## shakey (Mar 22, 2010)

wow!! that place looks incredible!! It looks so much like an old railway locomotive depot (heritage one of course not the box on wheels crap stuff  )

I really think that a transport/bus museum would have been called for. If I had the money, I would not hesitate in buying it and some thing to fill it with   but now its too late.

some people have no idea of local/national heritage.

a few words spring to mind of what to call them.......


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## MD (Mar 22, 2010)

cant believe there is only one left!
meant to swing by yesterday 

zero chance of finding the shelter now


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## waynezbitz1 (Mar 24, 2010)

A freind of mine is involved with the transport heritage trust and they have been in contact with the demo company for the last few weeks and they gave a large shopping list of items that they wanted to recover before demolition and i beleive the demo company have been working closley to recover vairious itmes from the site including several round windows and many other items. the only thing that they didnt get from their shopping list were the date stones from the buildings as 1 is still standing and the other broke into peices after it fell during recovery of it.

so although another lovely old building is gone from leicester many of the important artifacts have or will be saved


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