2a Lee Street in Leicester.

[Steve C]

Trying to find my Great Grandfather ( recently also posted this https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=840027.0 ).

During my research I`ve trawled through endless online pages of information. A recent search of the electoral register for Leicester in 1921 has thrown up a John Hall living at 2a Lee Street in Leicester. This dwelling appears to have around 30 individuals living there. Although this is total speculation on my behalf at this stage as to whether this could be my Grandfather, I am however curious to know more about 2a Lee Street.

Any information or detail may help eliminate him from my research. Does anyone know anything about this address please?

Many thanks in anticipation 

Steve

[softly softly]

2A Central Home For Men Lee Street, Leicester taken from 1939 war register.

John

[Steve C]

Thanks very much for your reply John.

Dont really know what Central Home for men means, perhaps someone more local might be able to elaborate further 

Steve 

[chempat]

There are several groups on facebook, such as
https://www.facebook.com/storyofleicester
that will have lots of local knowledge of the town

If you do not use facebook there will be similar internet sites
e.g. https://www.familyhistory.co.uk/leicestershire-family-history/

[DCB]

An extract from - https://fet.uwe.ac.uk/conweb/house_ages/council_housing/print.htm

"Government begun to pass various Acts mainly aimed to address the worst areas of housing unfit for habitation or to improve or demolish existing houses. The most important Act came in 1890: the ‘Housing for the Working Classes Act’. Efforts was made to build and regulate private Common Lodging Houses that catered for those in the most need, like the one purpose built in Bristol illustrated on the right. They provided accommodation mostly for single men in little dormitories as seen left. Other private Lodging Houses like the 'Britts Central Home for Men Only' (below) opened up providing basic beds for some of the poorest people in society and were mostly run by charitable trusts or voluntary organisations. There was also a movement for improved housing from some independent organisations such as the Bristol Industrial Dwellings Company who pioneered for housing the poorer people in Bristol and succeeded in erecting three blocks of flats containing 80 tenements in the area of Jacob’s Wells."

David

[Steve C]

There are several groups on facebook, such as
https://www.facebook.com/storyofleicester
that will have lots of local knowledge of the town

If you do not use facebook there will be similar internet sites
e.g. https://www.familyhistory.co.uk/leicestershire-family-history/

Thanks very much chempat for your reply and the links. Greatly appreciated.

An extract from - https://fet.uwe.ac.uk/conweb/house_ages/council_housing/print.htm

"Government begun to pass various Acts mainly aimed to address the worst areas of housing unfit for habitation or to improve or demolish existing houses. The most important Act came in 1890: the ‘Housing for the Working Classes Act’. Efforts was made to build and regulate private Common Lodging Houses that catered for those in the most need, like the one purpose built in Bristol illustrated on the right. They provided accommodation mostly for single men in little dormitories as seen left. Other private Lodging Houses like the 'Britts Central Home for Men Only' (below) opened up providing basic beds for some of the poorest people in society and were mostly run by charitable trusts or voluntary organisations. There was also a movement for improved housing from some independent organisations such as the Bristol Industrial Dwellings Company who pioneered for housing the poorer people in Bristol and succeeded in erecting three blocks of flats containing 80 tenements in the area of Jacob’s Wells."

David

Hi David,

Thank you very much for your reply together with the link and excerpt. It makes intruguing reading giving a very realistic appraisal of mens living conditions in days gone by.

Regards Steve 

[Jaxyfone]

For what it's worth, the whole area was part of the post-war/1960s slum clearances. Part of Lee Street still exists but it leads into Lee Circle, which is now mostly a multi-storey car park. I believe there were a number of lodging houses in the surrounding streets.
John Merrick, aka the Elephant Man was born in Lee Street.

[Steve C]

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply.

I am really happy and pleased when people respond with replies like yours. Although I have visited Leicester many times over the years this would have been when I was a child visiting relations. It is in excess of 35 years since I last visited Leicester City itself. So I appreciate when people with local knowledge explain and inform me of how the landscape has changed.

Steve 

[barryd]

https://www.streetcheck.co.uk/postcode/le13ah

Map of Lee Street, Leicester