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th 175 ANNIVERSARY

INTRODUCTION HERITAGE PANELS

Whilst you are exploring, look out for the heritage interpretation panels that tell the story of Leicester. This trail is linked to the Thomas Cook’s Victorian Leicester series but there are ten others that explore LEICESTER s themes like the city’s connection with King Richard III, e v i

h its Roman origins or its industrial heritage. The Modern c r WALKING TRAIL

A Leicester series also celebrates some of Leicester’s k

o famous sons and daughters like Richard Attenborough o C

and Sue Townsend.

s k a o m o o C h

T s

: a t i m d o e r h T C

On 5th July 1841, Thomas Cook arranged to take a party of around 500 temperance (anti-alcohol) campaigners from Leicester’s Campbell Street railway station to a temperance rally in Loughborough. The fee for the excursion (one shilling) covered return rail travel. The success of this and later excursions led Thomas Cook to set up his own travel agency business.

Thomas Cook is credited as being one of the world’s first travel agents and a pioneer of popular tourism, earning Leicester the title of the “birthplace of tourism”.

This walking trail will take you around the sites that are connected with the Thomas Cook story in Leicester. The trail includes the site of the Campbell Street Station, the Thomas Cook Building from where excursions were sold, the coffee houses Cook set up in the town For more information go to visitleicester.info/heritagepanels to provide a non-alcoholic alternative to pubs, the and like our facebook page for the latest news on more chapels he visited and the museum where his son heritage panels and events in Leicester: donated material collected from his world travels. facebook.com/storyofleicester

Start your walk on London Road outside the railway station. The walk will take approximately one hour.

storyofleicester.info/thomascook th 175 ANNIVERSARY LONDON ROAD OTHER PLACES OF INTEREST TO VISIT INCLUDE: 1. Thomas Cook Statue The statue of Thomas Cook by James 10. Charles Street Chapel Butler outside London Road Railway This Baptist chapel (now Station was unveiled in 1994. It celebrates Central Baptist Church) was the historic Leicester to Loughborough built in 1830. In his Guide excursion which set off from Campbell to Leicester, Thomas Cook Street Station on 5th July 1841. LEICESTER wrote: “Charles Street Chapel is a neat edifice l s e e l p

seating about 700 people. The congregation r a a

WALKING TRAIL h h C

includes several very influential families and C

t , r

Temperance Hall & Hotel e o e i r

the senior MP of the Borough. The Sunday r Credit: Thomas Cook Archives t e S t n school contains about 260 scholars and I GRANBY STREET 26 teachers”. As a Baptist himself, Thomas Cook would have visited this chapel. 3. 121 Granby Street was built as Thomas 11. High Cross Coffee House at 105 High Cook’s Temperance Hotel. He moved Belvoir Street Chapel Credit: Special Collections of the University of Leicester Street (now the High Cross pub) was another there in 1853. It was managed by of Thomas Cook’s coffee houses. Cook’s wife Marianne. The Temperance Hall (now demolished) stood next to it BELVOIR STREET and was the largest concert hall in the Thomas Cook Building LONDON ROAD city until the opening of De Montfort 8. Belvoir Street Chapel, 54 Belvoir Street 12. 244 London Road Hall in 1913. GALLOWTREE GATE/ Belvoir Street Chapel was built in 1845 was built in 1878-9 EAST GATES to accommodate a growing Baptist for Thomas Cook as a home to retire in. Sadly in 1880 his daughter Annie Elizabeth 2. Campbell Street and London Road congregation. Baptists were a large and died here in the bath as a result of Railway Stations 6. Thomas Cook Building, 5 Gallowtree Gate influential group of non-conformists (who were not part of the Church of toxic fumes from a faulty hot water Leicester’s first mainline station, Campbell The Thomas Cook Building, built in 1894 England) and included businessmen, appliance. Thomas himself died in 1892. Street, was built in 1840 behind London as offices, was commissioned by Thomas prominent manufacturers and civic Road. It was from there that Thomas Cook´s son, John Mason Cook. The ground dignitaries. As a Baptist, Thomas Cook Cook ran his first railway excursion in floor housed the excursion, tourist and would have visited this chapel. 1841. The station was replaced by London shipping office alongside the foreign Former Victoria Coffee House Road Station in 1892. The two stone banking and exchange department. Look up at the tile friezes on the building pillars that mark the entrance to Campbell 4. 38 Granby Street was previously the which tell the story of the first 50 years Yard on Station Street are from the Victoria Coffee House . Thomas Cook was of Thomas Cook & Son. original station. The story of the two a lifelong supporter of the temperance stations is told on panels inside the movement that encouraged people to 7. East Gates Coffee House, 12-14 East Gates covered area outside the booking hall. give up drinking alcohol, believing New Walk Another example of Thomas Cook’s Museum & Thomas Cook’s grave drunkenness was the cause of many Art Gallery Campbell Street 13. Welford Road Cemetery problems. He was a founder member coffee houses, the heritage panel Station c. 1885 Welford Road, Leicester LE2 6BF Credit: in 1877 of the Leicester Coffee and nearby tells you more about its Leicestershire history. NEW WALK Record Office Cocoa Company Ltd., which set up 14 Following his death, Thomas Cook was coffee and cocoa houses in the town interred in Welford Road Cemetery. East Gates Coffee 9. The Town Museum to provide alternatives to pubs. Victoria House 1885 He is buried with his wife Marianne House is the finest example. Credit: Reproduced Now known as New Walk Museum & and daughter Annie Elizabeth. His only by kind permission of English Heritage Art Gallery, the Town Museum opened son, John Mason Cook, is also buried 5. 26-28 Granby Street were known as in 1849. When it opened, Thomas Cook there in a separate plot. This fascinating Cook’s Rooms. This was where thought it would become “an instructive Victorian cemetery is open daily and has a Visitor Centre open Friday Entrance to Thomas Cook lived between 1843 and lounge for the lovers of science”. His son, Campbell Yard 1853. He used it as a hotel, reading John Mason Cook, donated objects 10am - 4pm; Saturday and Sunday Credit: John Brown room, printworks and also as a from his travels, some of which are on 10am - 1pm. For more information booking office for excursions. display in the Ancient Egypt Gallery. visit www.fowrcl.org.uk