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

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

crocroche · Sep 19, 2007

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

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

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!!!

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.

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.

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!

King Al · Jan 3, 2008

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

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 :lol:

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

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:

prestwick pioneer · Jan 3, 2008

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

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...

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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!!! :neutral:

Oh well we will not give up :mrgreen:

Leicester City Bus Depot

Help Support Derelict Places:

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Active member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Regal Moderator

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Active member

Active member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Well-known member

Veteran Member

Veteran Member

Similar threads

Join the conversation!

Join today and get all the highlights of this community direct to your inbox. It's FREE!