Guild Hall Colton Street

Opened in 1909 as a social centre for people with disabilities, an early example of an accessible building
Activities at the Guild Hall included concerts, magic lantern shows, craft work and excursions
Medical services were provided free of charge at the Guild Hall, long before the NHS was established (1948)

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Guild Hall Colton Street

Both beautiful and practical

The Guild Hall was opened in 1909 by the Leicester Guild of the Crippled to provide a social centre for people with physical disabilities. As well as being “beautiful and commodious”, this Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau style building was very practical, being an early example of a structure that had been purposely designed to be fully accessible. Local architects A.& T.E. Sawday ensured the building was all on one level and included wide exterior and interior doors for spinal carriages and wheelchairs.

What was the Guild of the Crippled?

The Guild was formed in 1898 by Arthur Isaac Groves, a hosiery manufacturer, and his business partner Thomas E. Meakin, at the suggestion of Sister Carroll Hogbin. Through her work with the poor of Leicester she realised that many disabled people were isolated and needed social contact. The Guild Hall provided a centre where the Guild of the Crippled could expand their work and provide activities. These included concerts, magic lantern evenings, craft classes, excursions and a library.

Basket making class. Mosaic 1898

What else did the Guild provide?

An industrial training hall was added in 1914 to help address the problems disabled people had in getting employment. Medical services were also provided free of charge including surgery, prosthetic limbs and wheelchairs. The organisation, which still supports disability services from different premises, is now called ‘Mosaic 1898’, reflecting changing attitudes to disability since it was first established.

The Guild Hall today

The Guild Hall is currently used as a temple by the Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Association of London (a Hindu organisation). The area around the Guild Hall has undergone a lot of regeneration in recent times with the building of new residential and office space breathing new life into the area.

Timeline

Edwardian Leicester

Visitor information

Can be seen from the street

Gallery

Disabled veterans of World War I
Mosaic 1898

Excursion for disabled children, arranged by the Leicestershire Automobile Club, 1905
Mosaic 1898

Arthur Isaac Groves, Founder and first President (1898 to 1928)
Mosaic 1898

'Returning home from the Guild'
Mosaic 1898

The Guild Hall on Colton Street today

Basket making class
Mosaic 1898

An advertisement showing the Guild Hall and surrounding buildings
Mosaic 1898

Roman Leicester

(47- 500) A military fort was erected, attracting traders and a growing civilian community to Leicester (known as Ratae Corieltauvorum to the Romans). The town steadily grew throughout the reign of the Romans.

Medieval Leicester

(500 – 1500) The early years of this period was one of unrest with Saxon, Danes and Norman invaders having their influences over the town. Later, of course, came Richard III and the final battle of the Wars of the Roses was fought on Leicester’s doorstep.

Tudor & Stuart Leicester

(1500 – 1700) The wool trade flourished in Leicester with one local, a former mayor named William Wigston, making his fortune. During the English Civil War a bloody battle was fought as the forces of King Charles I laid siege to the town.

Georgian Leicester

(1700 – 1837) The knitting industry had really stared to take hold and Leicester was fast becoming the main centre of hosiery manufacture in Britain. This new prosperity was reflected throughout the town with broader, paved streets lined with elegant brick buildings and genteel residences.

Victorian Leicester

(1837 – 1901) The industrial revolution had a huge effect on Leicester resulting in the population growing from 40,000 to 212,000 during this period. Many of Leicester's most iconic buildings were erected during this time as wealthy Victorians made their mark on the town.

Edwardian Leicester

(1901 – 1910) Electric trams came to the streets of Leicester and increased literacy among the citizens led to many becoming politicised. The famous 1905 ‘March of the Unemployed to London’ left from Leicester market when 30,000 people came to witness the historic event.

Early 20th Century Leicester

(1910 – 1973) The diverse industrial base meant Leicester was able to cope with the economic challenges of the 1920s and 1930s. New light engineering businesses, such as typewriter and scientific instrument making, complemented the more traditional industries of hosiery and footwear manufacturing.

Modern Leicester

(1973 – present day) Industry was still thriving in the city during the 1970s, with the work opportunities attracting many immigrants from all over the world. While industry has declined in recent years, excellent transport links have made Leicester an attractive centre for many businesses. The City now has much to be proud of including its sporting achievements and the richness of its cultural heritage and diversity.

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Roman Leicester
Medieval Leicester
Tudor & Stuart Leicester
Georgian Leicester
Victorian Leicester
Edwardian Leicester
Early 20th Century Leicester
Modern Leicester

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Leisure & Entertainment

Haymarket Theatre

Built as part of the wider Haymarket Shopping Centre scheme, the Haymarket Theatre was the home for professional theatre in Leicester from 1973 until it closed in 2007. Located opposite the site of the old Victorian Palace Theatre on Belgrave Gate, it has built a fine legacy of productions, directors and performers over the years.

Thomas Cook Building

This Grade II listed building in Gallowtree Gate was commissioned by his son, John Mason Cook, and opened in 1894 next to the company’s existing offices. It was both a memorial to Cook himself, who died two years earlier, and a more suitable base for the business.

Silver Street and The Lanes

The area known as ‘The Lanes’ dates back to medieval Leicester with the street pattern remaining much the same for many centuries. Roughly following the ancient Roman road that connected the west and east gates of the town the street has had various names over the years but by 1587 it was known as Silver Street.

Athena - The Odeon Cinema

The Odeon was built during the “Golden Age of Hollywood” when actors like Clark Gable, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and Greta Garbo were popular with cinema audiences. In the 1930s there were over 25 cinemas in Leicester and probably this one, built in 1938 by the Odeon organisation, was the grandest.

Cook’s Temperance Hall & Hotel

In 1853 Thomas Cook built an impressive Temperance Hall and adjoining Temperance Hotel on Granby Street. The Temperance Hall was demolished in 1961, but the Hotel frontage (now 121 Granby Street) has survived, the upper two storeys retaining much of their original appearance.

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