The Leicester Canal through the City to where it meets the River Soar.

The Leicester Section has now managed to get itself well into the City of Leicester however you would hardly know this as there is a great deal of parkland around. The canal has quite a few trees and so on and the whole stretch is a pleasure to walk through as it's generally very peaceful with little traffic noise etc. On one side of the canal you do find quite a few old buildings and warehouses etc. which have been re-furbished i.e. converted into flats and so on - also there are one or two old brick chimneys still in existence. Leicester City authorities have gone to some trouble to keep the canal looking like a canal - an example of this is where they have had to put strong concrete bridges over the canal for traffic reasons yet they have adorned and painted up these bridges with nice ornamental metal work. West Bridge is dual numbered - with the canal's sequence ending at 112 and the other side of the bridge numbered as Bridge 1 i.e. starting off the River Soar's sequence. Despite this numbering this is not in reality the end of the Leicester Section since at Evan's Weir the River Soar goes off to the left and the canal continues bearing right between old warehouses. This diversion was built in the late 1800s as part of flood prevention schemes.
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Leicester Canal footbridge no 111a
foot bridge 111a
Footbridge no 111a over The Leicester Canal, England.
foot bridge 111a
Colourful West Bridge 112 crossing The Leicester Canal.
West
Bridge 112
Leicester Canal and West Bridge 112
West Bridge 112
Leicester Canal's West Bridge is numbered 1 this side
West Bridge
Leicester Canal in Leicester - canal sidebridge
side bridge
View of Evan's Weir at Leicester (Canal).
Evans Weir
Leicester Canal old sluice control gates at Evan's Weir
Evan's weir
River Soar Bridge, The Leicester Canal, England.
River Soar Bridge
Evan's Weir, Leicester Canal, England.
Evan's Weir
Leicester Canal goes under Soar Lane Bridge 3
Soar Lane Bridge 3
Soar Lane Bridge 3 crosses The Leicester Canal in Leicester.
Soar Lane Bridge
Hitchock's Weir Bridges - no:4, Leicester Canal.
Hitchock's Weir
Bridge 4
View of the River Soar from the canal in Leicester.
The River Soar
Leicester
Leicester Canal sidebridge in Leicester City.
Canal sidebridge,
side bridge
Hitchcock's Weir and Bridge 4, Leicester Canal.
Hitchcocks Weir
Bridge 4
View into Leicester Canal's North Lock 42
North Lock 42
North Lock 42 lock gates, Leicester Canal, England.
North Lock 42
Leicester Canal going under - North Bridge 5, next to the lock.
North Bridge 5
North Bridge 5 going across The Leicester Canal in Leicester.
North Bridge 5

There are several weirs and ornamental side bridges along this stretch where the Leicester Canal Section and the River Soar keep briefly meeting - Hitchcock's Weir is particularly interesting and full of resident wildlife such as swans, herons and the flash of a high speed kingfisher or two - and of course plump eternally hungry ducks.

Leicester Canal being crossed by Abbey lane Bridge 6 in Leicester.
Abbey Lane Bridge 6
Abbey Lane Bridge going over The Leicester Canal, England.
Abbey Lane Bridge
The Leicester Canal goes under Friday Street Bridge 7
Friday Street Bridge
Friday Street Bridge over The Leicester Canal, England.
Friday Street Bridge
Chimneys and warehouses alongside the canal at Leicester, Leicester Canal, England.
Chimneys + ware houses
Leicester Section Canal Pipebridge in the City.
pipe bridge
Pipe Bridge over The Leicester Canal, England.
Pipe
bridge
Memory Lane Wharf, Leicester Canal in Leicester, England.
Memory Lane Wharf
Lime Kiln Lock 43, Leicester Canal, England.
Lime Kiln Lock
Lock Gates at Leicester's Lime Kiln Lock, Leicester Canal.
Lime Kiln Lock 43
Leicester Canal wharf near to Abbey Park - Leicester
Abbey Park Wharf
Leicester Canal goes under Abbey Road roadbridge 9
Abbey Park Bridge
Abbey Park Road Bridge crossing The Leicester Canal, England.
Abbey Park Bridge
Pipe bridge towards the end of the Leicester Canal, England.
Pipe bridge
Leicester Section and a nice canal pipebridge
Nice pipe bridge
Swan's Nest Bridge 10, Leicester Canal, England.
Swan's Nest Bridge 10
The Leicester Canal goes under Swan's Nest Bridge
Swan's Nest Bridge
Belgrave Lock no 44, Leicester Canal, England.
Belgrave Lock
Belgrave Lock lock gates - Leicester Canal.
Belgrave Lock 44
Swan's Nest Weir - canal and River Soar mingle together again
Swans Nest Weir

Holden St. Bridge over The Leicester Canal in England. North Leicester City and Holden St Bridge. As the Leicester canal reaches it's end there are still quite a few semi-derelict warehouses and mills on one side of it - they look really nice with their old battered brickwork, windows and the occasional mill or factory chimney. On the left of the canal there are extensive garden and public areas which comprises Leicester City's Abbey Park. The canal and River Soar then re-join at Swan's Nest Weir and Belgrave Lock - from here onwards the navigation is the River Soar. Ultimately the River Soar (now known as The Grand Union - River Soar) ends up at a "canal crossroads" - meeting the Erewash Canal, The River Trent itself and the Trent and Mersey Canal at Trent Lock which is located south of Long Eaton, Derbyshire.

The section of the Canal preceding the above can be found on our
The Leicester Canal Section - Aylestone Pack Horse Bridge into Leicester
All of our items about The Leicester Canal Section (including Foxton Locks) as well as The Grand Union Canal and it's Arms can be found on our Grand Union Canal in England Home Page. Also find on the Home Page links to our topics on other Canals and Rivers in England i.e. The Stratford-on-Avon Canal, The Kennet and Avon Canal, The River Thames and Thames Path, The Regents Canal, River Stort and River Lee.
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