When Granby Street and Humberstone Gate offer up a heap of surprises …

In Leicester we are tourists.

Granby Street and the Grand Hotel, 1926

We started going about four years ago to see the kids and now we have added the grandchildren to the reason we travel down from Manchester to Knighton.

But when they are at work and school we revert to being tourists, which is how we got to properly explore the city centre last January.

The Airbnb on Charles Street was perfect for forays out to see the sights, take in a meal, and discover Richard 111, the old Town Hall, and the museum.

In between there were all those tiny little streets which offer up a heap of surprises.

Reverse of Granby Street card, 1926

Not that Granby Street or Humberstone Gate can be said to be little, although they did both yield up some surprises.

The first was that the Grand Hotel was still there and still impossible to photograph, for which I took a tad bit of pleasure given that the photographer for Tuck and Son’s postcard did no better than me.

It is of course a big building, and the street is quite narrow making a decent shot which gets in all the detail a challenge.  At which point I am aware someone will contradict me and send one over.

And that is the challenge should anyone choose to attempt to pull off a photographic coup.

Knowing we were going to do the city centre tourist adventure I had brought along a selection of my Tuck picture postcards.  

Tuck and Son were a major postcard company with offices across the world and a huge catalogue of British and international locations.

Humberstone Gate and Bell Hotel, 1943

And amongst their Leicester collection are a series which appear to date from 1926, although the actual photograph might be older, and the usage date might stretch way beyond their first issue.

So, in the case of the Humberstone Gate card, it was posted in 1943, and was sent from the Bell Hotel which was located at number 26 Humberstone Gate.

Part of the surprise for this one was that the message records a Mr and Mrs Clayton were spending part of their honeymoon at the Bell, and “were having a grand old time there”.

Alas, the hotel and the rest of the buildings are now under the Haymarket.  Well I say so, but I am but a tourist so I shall wait confirmation.

Reverse of Humberstone Gate card, 1943

Location; Granby Street or Humberstone Gate, Leicester

Picture;  Granby Street or Humberstone Gate, Leicester, 1926, from Tuck and Sons, courtesy of Tuck DB, https://tuckdbpostcards.org/