The Development of Highfields

An area on the edge of town

In the early 1800s Leicester’s ‘high fields’ was a rural area on the edge of town. It was known for its good drinking water and was dotted with windmills. There were a few houses on London Road, Conduit Street, Glebe Street and Prebend Street. By 1881 there were 15,000 people living here. New streets were laid out and more properties built. Highfields had a mix of big houses, smaller properties for working class people, factories and places of worship.

A shop in Highfields, 1983

Houses, schools and churches

By the end of the 1800s roads like College Avenue were being developed which allowed more houses to fit into a small area. Rental properties became available and larger houses were beginning to be split into apartments. The area had several schools for the growing population. The first was the Collegiate School in 1836 then schools were opened on Charnwood Street, Medway Street and Melbourne Road. There were also many places of worship including a Quaker Meeting House, Synagogue, Roman Catholic Church and mission halls.

A diverse area of Leicester

Its location near the railway station, and plenty of housing, meant that people from many countries settled in Highfields. Around World War II many Jewish people came to live here. The 1950s welcomed people from Africa and the Caribbean. Later, in the 1960s and 70s people from India and East Africa arrived. All came to call Highfields their home. In 2012, twenty-five countries were represented in Highfields, making it one of the most diverse areas of the City.