Thursday Doors on New Walk 1

New Walk is a Georgian promenade, set out by Leicester City Corporation in 1785 to connect Welford Place in the city centre with the racecourse (now Victoria Park) to the south. This walkway follows the Roman road, the Via Devana. Originally, it was called “Queen’s Walk” (after Queen Charlotte) but it is know referred to as “New Walk”. For over 50 years, it has been protected as a conservation area.

This is the beginning of New Walk, close to Victoria Park.

The fine houses of New Walk are now offices occupied by accountants, lawyers, dentists. My own dentist’s premises are just out of shot in the photograph above. However, 200 years ago, rather than working here, professional people had their homes here.

This is the wrought-iron gateway to the car park at the top of New Walk. The red shield displays the city’s coat of arms. There is a Covid-19 testing station at the far end of the car park.

One of the gatehouses is now the premises of the Leicester Counselling Centre.

The charity, Leicester Counselling Centre, has been providing psychological support for the people of Leicester for forty years.

Many years ago, a counsellor asked me to take charge of one of my patients as she was expressing suicidal thoughts during a counselling session. I drove to the centre and as I escorted my patient out of the door, I tripped over a grid (not present in the above picture) and fell. My patient said, “That would be a first, ME taking YOU to the Accident and Emergency Department!”

A pair of fine panelled doors with leadlights and a stone surround, with a Porsche parked outside.

The walkway has several pleasant parks and open squares along its length. The Oval is oval-shaped, popular in the past with children’s nannies. De Montfort Square is larger and has a statue of the Minister, Robert Hall, who supported efforts to improve the working conditions of hosiery workers in Leicester. One of his sermons is entitled, “On the Advantages of Knowledge to the Lower Classes“(1810).

Number 15

Could Abacus House be the premises of a firm of accountants? Excel – ent, but a shame that the door is in the red.

Some of the wooden railings of houses on New Walk have sprouted fungi. As this railing can be replaced, I suppose it is non fungible (apologies for the pun)