Introduction
Serendipity Institute for Black Arts and Heritage became the latest custodians of 8 Bowling Green Street in September 2024. During this time, Serendipity has invested in restoring the heritage of the building, while giving the building a new life as a hub for Black arts, heritage and culture. 2025 marked the 160th anniversary of the building, which dates to 1865. to celebrate the anniversary, the Serendipity team researched the history of the building and the role it played in Leicester and Leicestershire. The team will continue to research the building’s history and add new information to this page continually.
Timeline of 8 Bowling Green Street
Nineteenth Century Leicester
The nineteenth century saw the population in Leicester grow by more than ten times. This led to the development of housing, industry, commerce, schools, churches, civic government and utilities. However, as the population grew there were growing problems with sanitation and public health, an issue that existed throughout the country.
Leicester needs clean and accessible water
Population growth presented challenges in the sanitation of the city. A report was published in 1845 about how sanitation in Leicester can be improved through establishing The Leicester Water, Drainage and Irrigation Company. As a part of the evidence for making the case for creating the company and investing in water provision and sewage, the report outlined how mortality rates in the city were high, especially when compared to areas in the wider county. The report stated that an analysis of the wells in the city found that there was a high amount of sulphate of lime, known today as gypsum, and the drainage from cesspools and cemeteries were also compromising the quality of the water.
The report outlined concerns that a publicly owned company would exclude the working class from access to clean water, which is why the case was made for the establishment of a private company.
The Improvement of Leicester: A Report can be found here.
Leicester Waterworks Act 1847
As a result of the report written in 1845, an Act of Parliament was passed in 1847 and The Leicester Water Works was created. The act ensured that there would be dedicated improvements to the supply of water in the city.
The Leicester Water Works Company is responsible for a large number of improvements to the supply of water in the county. To improve the water provision in Leicester and Leicestershire, The Leicester Water Works implemented a number of measures, such as creating Thornton Reservoir alongside a water treatment facility to supply water by 1854.
The complete Leicester Waterworks Act 1847 can be found here.
Bowling Green Street
Bowling Green Street, Bishop Street and Belvoir Street were all laid out between 1806 and 1812 and the Leicester Corporation had sold most of the plots by 1810.
The name Bowling Green Street originated from the fact that bowls was a popular sport in Leicester and the earliest bowls green was located at its namesake, Bowling Green Street.
In 1865, 8 Bowling Green Street opened as the offices of The Leicester Water Works. The building was extended in 1910 to what was known as 45-49 Belvoir Street. The building was one of many civic buildings built on Bowling Green Street and nearby Pocklingtons Walk.
Shenton & Baker
Shenton & Baker, a well-known architecture firm nationally, designed 8 Bowling Green Street.
Henry Shenton became the partner of William Flint in 1854. Flint was a surveyor, estate agent and architect who was responsible for the design of a number of buildings across Leicestershire. After Flint passed away in 1864, Shenton continued the practice with Charles Baker, who was a pupil of Flint’s.
Shenton & Baker are responsible for the design of many buildings across Leicester city centre.
As a part of the evolution of Leicester Museum & Art Gallery, Shenton & Baker’s design was selected for the Lecture Hall and School of Art that was a separate building to the original museum building. More information about Shenton & Baker’s involvement in the architecture of Leicester Museum & Art Gallery can be found here.
Located on Aylestone Road are the gas worker cottages, which were built in 1878 for the convenience of the workers because The Gas Works operated 24 hours a day. Shenton & Baker designed the cottages and the cottages were built by Henry Howitt. More information about the cottages for the gas workers can be found here.
The designs from Shenton & Baker also featured in the industrialisation of Leicester. On 31 Lower Brown Street is the hosiery factory they designed, which dates to 1871. They also built the J.E. Pickard Wool Spinning Mill in 1873 on Oxford Street. The vehicular entrance to the spinning mill still stands today. It is the only part of the spinning mill that remains after the building was demolished.
Architecture of 8 Bowling Green Street
Architects Shenton & Baker designed the building in the Gothic Revival style. It is considered unusual that they designed a civic building in this way. However, the nineteenth century was an experimental time for architecture, therefore there was no stable tradition for architects to necessarily follow.
In fact, the building has been designed with three different period designs for gothic architecture: Early English, Decorated and Perpendicular.
Early English: Pointed arches, lancet windows, quadripartite ribbed vaults, clustered shafts of tall narrow piers
Decorated: Dividing windows into sections using thin stone bars and bar tracery
Perpendicular: Highly decorative form of window tracery extending onto the walls
Leicester Corporation
The Leicester Corporation (sometimes referred to as the Corporation of Leicester) was formed in 1589, which replaced the Merchant Gild and Portmanmoot. The corporation consisted of aldermen and burgesses and it was an early form of governance for the city.
In 1836, Leicester became a municipal borough under the Municipal Corporations Act and this standardised how boroughs across the country were governed.
The nineteenth century saw the Leicester Corporation introduce a number of changes in the city and they brought a number of public services under their control through a series of Acts of Parliament. This included gas, water, tramways, sewage, cemeteries and asylums and more.
In 1878, as a result of The Leicester Corporation Gas and Water Transfer Act 1878, The Leicester Water Works Company was no longer a private company and the county’s water provision became the responsibility of the Leicester Corporation. The act outlines the process for transferring the company to the Leicester Corporation and the Water Works’ responsibilities until the company was officially transferred to the Leicester Corporation on 1 September 1878.
The Leicester Corporation Gas and Water Transfer Act 1878 can be found here.
Leicester Coat of Arms
One of the features of 8 Bowling Green Street is the stained glass windows located on the staircase, which depicts a simplified design of the Leicester coat of arms. It is most likely that the stained glass window was installed when the Leicester Corporation took ownership of the building.
The coat of arms display the cinquefoil (a five-petalled rose). The cinquefoil dates back to the Norman Earl of Leicester., Robert de Bellmonte. which was the badge of Robert Fitz-Parnel, the last of the de Beaumont Earls. The Wyvern was incorporated into the coat of arms of Leicester City in 1619, which was the crest of Thomas Crouchback, second Earl of Lancaster. He was a powerful earl of a number of cities which included Leicester.
The Wyvern is a creature that looks like a dragon and has two forelegs but no back legs. It represents bravery, strength and power. The Wyvern is a common symbol found on buildings across Leicester city centre.
