Wednesday, October 20, 2010

The Imperial Hotel, Mere Road, Leicester








Just up the road from the derelict St Saviour's Church stands this distinctive building. Latterly known as the Imperial Hotel, it was built by Arthur Wakerley as a Temperance hotel for his model Leicester suburb North Evington. Today it seems to be in the hands of the YMCA, but looks empty.

Arthur Wakerley was a Liberal, Leicester's youngest ever mayor and an unsuccessful parliamentary candidate. Much more about him and North Evington will follow, I suspect, if only because I know his great granddaughter through Leicester Friends of the Earth.

6 comments:

Charlieman said...

Thanks for that, Jonathan. At lunch time, a bunch of colleagues at UoL go for a walk which typically means a quick circle around Victoria Park. I'll suggest that we are a bit more adventurous and take a gawp at some of the buildings in the Clarendon Park preservation area instead.

The Imperial Hotel is far too distant, alas.

dreamingspire said...

On your bikes, Phil.

Hannah Wakley said...

I don't think I am his great granddaughter sadly - my Grandpa tells me our surname was once spelt like that but I've never heard of a mayor in the family. I come from a good solid line of bakers and farmers :-)

Jonathan Calder said...

Hannah

Thanks for the comment, but it was not you I was thinking of here.

I know an FoE member in the city who really is Arthur Wakerly's great grandauther.

Hannah Wakley said...

Ah, that makes more sense :-) A friend sent this to me saying I'd been mentioned but it's obviously just a weird coincidence!

Unknown said...

My Father contracted TB while working in that pub in the late '50's.

No hard feelings though, just part of my history.....