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Leicester City Police Headquarters

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Former police headquarters in Leicester, England

Leicester City Police Headquarters
Photograph of Charles StreetView of Charles Street with the former police headquarters on the right
Alternative namesCharles Street Police Station
General information
StatusClosed
TypePolice station
Architectural stylePalladian
AddressCharles Street, Leicester, England
Town or cityLeicester
CountryUnited Kingdom
Coordinates52°38′00″N 1°07′35″W / 52.63340°N 1.12644°W / 52.63340; -1.12644
Year(s) built1931–1933
Construction started1931
Completed1933
Opened1933
Relocated2004
ClientCity of Leicester
OwnerLeicester City Police, Leicester City Council
Technical details
MaterialPortland stone facade
Floor count2 (3 in the centre)
Design and construction
Architect(s)G. Noel Hill and A.T. Gooseman
Architecture firmLeicester City Architects' Department
Awards and prizesGrade II listed (1999)

The Leicester City Police Headquarters (aka the Charles Street Police Station) is a historic building located in Leicester, England. It was built during 1931–33 as the headquarters of the Leicester City Police.

Description and history

The building has been described by Historic England as "a distinguished example of civic architecture". It is surrounded by Charles Street (southwest) and Church Street (northwest), Colton Street and Orton Square (northeast), and St George's Way, designated the A594, Leicester's inner ring road (southeast). The main entrance is to the south.

The first headquarters of the Leicester Borough Police from 1836 was in the medieval Leicester Guildhall. In 1875, the headquarters moved to the Leicester Town Hall. In 1933, the City Police moved into its own new purpose-built Leicester City Police Headquarters.

The building was designed by G. Noel Hill (later the Manchester City Architect) and A.T. Gooseman in the Leicester City Architects' Department, and constructed during 1931–33. The facade is faced with Portland stone. The central archway gate gave access to the main drill yard. The public enquiry office was to the right of the archway. The charge office and cell block were to the rear. There were two cottages at the back of the building that were converted into a garage and a gymnasium. A new telephone switchboard was installed in 1936.

During World War II, the Leicester City Police Headquarters was used as an Aliens Registration Office for Germans and Austrians in the area. The building was decorated for the Coronation of Elizabeth II. In August 1963, Gordon Goody was arrested in connection with the Great Train Robbery and taken to the Leicester City Police Headquarters for questioning by Detective Chief Inspector Peter Vibart of the Flying Squad.

Later developments

Buses at the Northampton Square terminus opposite the police station to the left in 1976

The city of Leicester was policed independently from this headquarters until 1967, when the city's police force was merged with the Leicestershire and Rutland Constabulary to form the Leicester and Rutland Constabulary. In 1974, the force was renamed as the Leicestershire Constabulary. The building was Grade II listed in 1999. In 2004, the building closed as a police station and the headquarters was moved to Enderby, a village in Leicestershire on the southwest outskirts of the city. In 2012, the police force's name changed to the Leicestershire Police. The 1933 building still exists and has been converted into offices and flats.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Former Charles Street Police Station". historicengland.org.uk. UK: Historic England. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  2. ^ "Charles Street Police, Charles Street, Leicester". historicengland.org.uk. UK: Historic England. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  3. ^ "A new home for the City Police". storyofleicester.info. Story of Leicester. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  4. ^ "End of road for ring road revamp". BBC News. UK: BBC. 30 August 2005. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  5. "Police". Archives and Special Collections Exhibitions – Leicester 1918–1939. University of Leicester. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  6. Darlington, Neil (2024). "Central Police Headquarters Leicester". A Biographical Dictionary of the Architects of Greater Manchester, 1800–1940. The Victorian Society. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
  7. Holyoak, Vincent (2014). But for These Things: Leicester and Its People in WWII. Troubadour Publishing. p. 46. ISBN 978-1783064021.
  8. ^ "Policing then and now – changes over the 70 years of The Queen's reign". News. Leicestershire Police. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
  9. Platt, Geoff (2015). "Gordon Goody". The Great Train Robbery and the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad. Pen & Sword Books. ISBN 978-1473857469.
  10. "Our Headquarters". UK: Leicestershire Police. Retrieved 11 January 2024.

External links

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