The Belgrave to the Clock Tower in the centre of Leicester was one of, if not the, first tram routes in Leicester. Originally horse-drawn, the route was converted to electricity in 1904. The first electric tram service from Belgrave first ran on 21st April, 1904. The tram-sheds at Belgrave were just before the bend on Thurcaston Road, opposite Belgrave Hall.
Oil painting of John Ellis (1789-1862), Quaker and liberal reformer.
John Ellis was chairman of the Leicester & Swannington Railway and Midland Railway, and Member of Parliament for Leicester (1848-1852). Ellis instigated the first steam railway in Leicestershire after coal was discovered in the northwest. He asked George Stephenson (1781-1848) to design a line between Swannington and Leicester which opened in July 1832. Leicester prospered from this cheap new method of transporting coal. John Ellis and his family lived at Belgrave Hall and at Cross Corners, the adjacent house.
BBC’s Dave Andrews talks to Nick Fathers about the formation of Belgrave Heritage Trust.
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