In celebration of the Co-op …… London Road ….. and a little bit more

I doubt many of the customers of the London Road Co-op in Leicester give much thought to the history of the building.

It is pretty much what you would expect of one of their shops, with its corporate blue logo, and grey paintwork.

What marks it out as slightly different is that it is not a new build, and appears to have a bit of a history.

That history includes a hotel which closed sometime in 2008 if not earlier.

It was called the Gable Hotel, and part of it is now the Flexistay Leicester Gables Aparthotel, whose website announces that “The former Gables Hotel is now the Flexistay Gables Aparthotel Leicester, offering you flexible long or short-term accommodation at an affordable price.

The aparthotel is designed to give you a comfortable and convenient stay. Every room is well appointed with a large en-suite, tea and coffee making facilities, flat screen Freeview TV and hairdryer”.*

And as you do I wonder what Mr. and Mrs Cadell or their immediate neighbour,  the Wooley’s would have thought of their two fine homes being transformed into a hotel and Co-op store.

The two fine homes were called Glenwood and Holmdate and both contained eleven rooms with extensive rear gardens. 

On one level I suppose both families might have seen the logic of a commercial use for their homes.  

In 1911 Mr. Cadell described himself as a draper with premises at 17 High Street in the centre of Leicester, while Mr. Wooley was a “Chemist and Dentist”.

As you would expect from their occupations andstatus, both families employed a servant, one of whom was local while the cook and housemaid who worked for the Wooleys’ came from Warrington and Batley.

In time I will explore the history of those two properties, seeking to uncover the date of their construction and that moment when they became a hotel.

And once that has been done I might explore the stories of some of their close neighbours who included The Independent Order of Rechabites, and the Leicester Citizens Social Reform and Vigilance Association.

For now, I know that The Independent Order of Rechabites also known as the Sons and Daughters of Rechab, is a fraternal organisation and friendly society founded in England in 1835 as part of the wider temperance movement to promote total abstinence from alcoholic beverages”.**

Pictures; London Road Co-op, Leicester, 2021, Leicester, from the collection of Andrew Simpson, and a postcard of The Independent Order of Rechabites, 1910, from Independent Order of Rechabites, wikipedia

* Flexistay Leicester Gables Aparthotel, https://www.flexistay.com/H-1063-Flexistay-Leicester-Gables-Aparthotel.aspx

** Independent Order of Rechabites, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Order_of_Rechabites