Newfoundpool
Encyclopedia
Newfoundpool is an area of Leicester
lying south of the former Leicester-Swannington railway. The land was purchased by Isaac Harrison in 1830. Harrison intended to develop the area as a spa
, using a spring
as the source of water for a bathing establishment. Later the building was converted into a residence, Newfoundpool House, in which successive members of the Harrison family lived until 1885. The house became the Empire Hotel on Fosse Road North.
A Leicester builder, Orson Wright, purchased the land in 1885. Wright laid out roads across the area and sold off the land as building plots. The majority of houses built were of the two-storey terraced type, brick-built, with the corner sites constructed as shops. Along Fosse Road North a number of three- and four-storey red-brick villas were built. Until 1891 Newfoundpool was outside the Borough of Leicester, the border running along Fosse Road North. On the same road the parish church
of St. Augustine
was built over the period 1900 to 1912. The church itself has been abandoned since 2000 and was severely damaged by an arson attack in 2004.
The Newfoundpool School Board was established in 1889 to address the shortage of school places in the area. It estimated that there were 500 children of school age living in Newfoundpool in 1889 and supervised the construction of the Ingle Street Board School (now the building of Inglehurst Junior School) on land purchased on favourable terms from Orson Wright. The Newfoundpool School Board was dissolved in 1891 and incorporated into the Leicester School Board when the Borough boundaries were extended.
The Fosse Cinema on Fosse Road North later became a bingo hall but was demolished to make way for a Tesco Express shop and filling station.
The area's connection with the Harrison family is commemorated by an acrostic
, "IHARRISON", formed by the initial letters of the street names between Pool Road and Beatrice Road.
Councillor Colin Hall, the Lord Mayor
of Leicester
during 2010-11, lived on Beatrice Road from 1965 to 1968 and spent four terms as a pupil of Inglehurst Infant School.
Newfoundpool is part of Fosse Ward and the Leicester West parliamentary constituency.
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
lying south of the former Leicester-Swannington railway. The land was purchased by Isaac Harrison in 1830. Harrison intended to develop the area as a spa
Spa
The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are...
, using a spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
as the source of water for a bathing establishment. Later the building was converted into a residence, Newfoundpool House, in which successive members of the Harrison family lived until 1885. The house became the Empire Hotel on Fosse Road North.
A Leicester builder, Orson Wright, purchased the land in 1885. Wright laid out roads across the area and sold off the land as building plots. The majority of houses built were of the two-storey terraced type, brick-built, with the corner sites constructed as shops. Along Fosse Road North a number of three- and four-storey red-brick villas were built. Until 1891 Newfoundpool was outside the Borough of Leicester, the border running along Fosse Road North. On the same road the parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
of St. Augustine
St. Augustine
-People:* Augustine of Hippo or Augustine of Hippo , father of the Latin church* Augustine of Canterbury , first Archbishop of Canterbury* Augustine Webster, an English Catholic martyr.-Places:*St. Augustine, Florida, United States...
was built over the period 1900 to 1912. The church itself has been abandoned since 2000 and was severely damaged by an arson attack in 2004.
The Newfoundpool School Board was established in 1889 to address the shortage of school places in the area. It estimated that there were 500 children of school age living in Newfoundpool in 1889 and supervised the construction of the Ingle Street Board School (now the building of Inglehurst Junior School) on land purchased on favourable terms from Orson Wright. The Newfoundpool School Board was dissolved in 1891 and incorporated into the Leicester School Board when the Borough boundaries were extended.
The Fosse Cinema on Fosse Road North later became a bingo hall but was demolished to make way for a Tesco Express shop and filling station.
The area's connection with the Harrison family is commemorated by an acrostic
Acrostic
An acrostic is a poem or other form of writing in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out a word or a message. As a form of constrained writing, an acrostic can be used as a mnemonic device to aid memory retrieval. A famous...
, "IHARRISON", formed by the initial letters of the street names between Pool Road and Beatrice Road.
Councillor Colin Hall, the Lord Mayor
Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.-Commonwealth of Nations:* In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong...
of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
during 2010-11, lived on Beatrice Road from 1965 to 1968 and spent four terms as a pupil of Inglehurst Infant School.
Newfoundpool is part of Fosse Ward and the Leicester West parliamentary constituency.