According to the Domesday book of 1086, the West End formed part of what was known as Bromkinsthorpe. The land was then divided into two areas under the Enclosure Acts during the reign of Charles I in 1626. In the early 1780s, some Roman mosaics were found amongst the cherry tree roots at Danet’s Hall, located "between Bow Bridge and Fosse Road on a wooded lane known as Watt’s Causeway, later to become King Richards Road". In 1850, the owner (Dr Noble), on finding the possibility that there may be Roman remains on his property, gifted any finds to the Town Hall and a dig was commenced. Finds can now be seen at the
Jewry Wall Museum.
As the Leicester Improvement Act of 1881 was passed in Parliament, a long straight cut was made from the Burton Railway Bridge north to the King Richards Road. This allowed the canalisation of the River Soar into the "Mile Straight" and allowed the draining of the marshy land to the west of the river. This allowed the development of more land to the west of the river. As Jordan (2003) confirms, "...more new streets were laid out towards the end of the 19th Century and much of the area to the east was built up by 1900. In the next 40 years the area was to become completely built up". The street pattern laid down in these times remains to this day.
References:
- The Illustrated History of Leicester’s Suburbs: Christine Jordan (Breedon Books, 2003)
- Leicester in Parliament: Phipps (LCC, 1988)
