LCB Depot

On the Buses

The Leicester City Transport Operating Centre in Rutland Street opened in 1969. Its concrete construction, LCT cube and bright white tiles were a startling contrast with the surrounding Victorian architecture. The Depot became the central hub for Leicester City Transport, replacing older offices in Humberstone Gate. Buses drove through a narrow entrance at the front into a yard at the back and drivers then had to reverse into a very tight space.

CCTV and entertainment facilities

Customer Enquiries, Lost Property and the Duty Office were located on the ground floor as well as a state of the art Control Room that used radio and the new technology of CCTV to monitor road conditions across the city. The first floor housed administrative offices and the second a staff canteen. The top floor housed the Transport Club with bars, a dance hall and concert stage.

Leicester City Transport Operating Centre 1969. Leicester Transport Heritage Trust, Rob Haywood and Keith Wood

The last bus

The bus company was rebranded Leicester CityBus (LCB) in 1984 and the letters in the cubes changed. Municipal bus operations in Leicester ended in 1986 when bus services were deregulated. By 1987 the Depot was no longer being used. For the next 15 years the site lay empty, but in 2002 it became the Council´s first major regeneration project for the proposed Cultural Quarter.

The birth of a creative hub

Retaining the LCB Depot abbreviation, though now standing for Leicester Creative Business, it opened in 2004, providing 50 studios for artists and creative businesses, as well as exhibition spaces and a public café. As part of the project many of the original bus depot features were retained and restored.

The heart of the Cultural Quarter

The aim of the LCB Depot is to support, develop and stimulate the city's creative businesses. Since opening in 2004 it has gone from strength to strength and has now become home to a thriving community of creatives that support the local economy.

The depot provides work-spaces and studios for creatives to rent as well as hosting exhibitions and related arts events in the on-site gallery. Grays coffee shop and kitchen, within LCB Depot, serves up a variety of fresh, seasonal food and award-winning coffee and is open to the public. Regular family events and creative business networking meeting are held at LCB alongside a programme of publicly accessible exhibitions, find out how to visit.

With thanks to the Leicester Transport Heritage Trust, Rob Haywood and Keith Wood.