Bombs Over Highfields

Although Leicester escaped bombing on the terrible scale seen in many other cities in Britain, over 100 people were killed in raids on the city in WW2. In November 1940 there was a raid on Leicester and several bombs fell on the Tichborne Street/Highfields Street, and Sparkenhoe Street areas of Highfields. In the area today the rule of thumb is that if you see a new building it has probably been built on an area cleared by one of these bombs.

The story of the bombing in the city and county is told very well in 'Birds Eye Wartime Leicestershire  1939-1945' by Terence C. Cartwright. The book shows where the explosives landed, using many aerial photos and maps, while the accompanying website Wartime Leicestershire contains a section where people have posted their memories of these events. The East Midlands Oral History Archive holds many recorded memories of WW2, and there are several publications which concentrate on this period, 'Ours to Defend' by the Leicester Oral History Archive for example. For more information about Highfields, have a look at Highfields Remembered.

Follow the links below to see aerial photos of Highfields Street and of Sparkenhoe Street taken by the RAF in 1945 (and copyright the RAF) after the sites had been cleared. Each red dot is a link to a recent photo of the buildings which have filled the gaps left by the bombs.