Bradgate Road – circa 1950

The photograph is looking down Bradgate Road to The Nook.
In the distance, on the left is the Methodist Church that was demolished in 1973.
The ‘roundabout’ in The Nook has a fence around it and is not completely round as today.
There are a few cars parked near the church, but otherwise the only vehicles are a bike and the milk cart.

On the righthand side the corrugated houses were originally thatched and timber framed cottages known as ‘The Bank’.

Further down, you can just see The Old Ship. This was built around 1450 and was regarded as one of the best timber framed medieval cottages in the county. It is believed it was built by a prominent Abbey Tennant as Anstey was, at that time, under the jurisdiction of Leicester Abbey and there is evidence that this was probably the Martin Family, who lived here prior to their family home The Pastures being built in 1833.

It was demolished in 1955 at the same time as The Bank cottages. The building that replaced it, incorporated some nautical features in its construction in memory of its predecessor’s name.