Leigh984, The creative portfolio of Leigh Spencer

    I was given the chance to take a look inside a red brick water tower in Countesthorpe, Leicestershire . The tower, built in 1884 by the Leicester Poor Law Union , was part of the Countesthorpe Cottage Homes complex , which was an attempt by the Poor Law Union to place impoverished and orphaned children into model "cottage homes" rather than large central workhouses and foster a family-style environment. The tower housed the main water supply tank for the complex, and the adjoining building, the site’s central boiler house and coal store, provided heating and hot water to the cottages. The tower’s design was created by prominent local architect Isaac Barradale , using red brick with stone corbels and brick machicolations around the upper gallery and a steep pyramid-shaped roof. The building is currently Grade II listed (as of 1981). The building was converted into a private residence after the cottage homes closed in 1972. My visit was part of a fundraising event ...

A village through time, Visitors to Desford in Leicestershire had no need for a blue police box or a modified delorean when the village traveled back to various time periods for the first Desford Heritage Festival. Streets and areas of the village where separated into "time zones" from medieval era though civil war, World Wars 1&2, victorian era and more, as visitors walked around the village they would come across wartime soldiers meeting with Tudor Queens and men on penny farthing bikes, Civil War sword fights took place at the side of the road, whilst a steam powered roller caused the most unlikeliest of traffic jams on the Manor Road !. the weekend also saw action in the skies with 6 tiger moth planes performing a fly past and with its links to the village a appearance by a spitfire and hurricane to bring the weekend to a close.

Join us on a tour of the Ice House built in 1843 in Bouskell Park Blaby. Once the site of a medieval village and later parkland for Blaby Hall, a Manor House built in 1837. The Ice House itself is now a Grade II Listed Building and was restored by the 'Buried Bouskell' project In December 2019, when £156,000 was awarded to Blaby District Council by The National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of a £173,000 project which will help preserve its structure and heritage for the future. Tours of the Blaby Ice House are now available to book online on the "Visit Blaby" website at www.visitblaby.org.uk/heritage/bouskell-park-ice-house

 (This film does not feature the entire service.) I was invited to attend a special service at Newbold Verdon Methodist Church led by Revd. Dave Hasledine with John Finney a member of the Magic Lantern Society of Great Britain who brought along his 100+ year old Magic Lantern and collection of original glass worship slides. The Revd. Hasledine and Mr Finney created and led a service that closely resembled the ones experienced by Victorian churchgoers with the lanterns only modification being to use modern LED illumination rather than the more risky paraffin lamps used in the past. After an introduction from Revd. Hasledine Mr Finney spoke of the history of his Magic Lantern before projecting hymns for the congregation to sing in worship accompanied by church Organist Janet James. During the hymns we see a selection of the intricately beautiful hand drawn slides many not used in worship for over 100 years.

  I visited the Abbey Pumping Station to see the working Beam Engines which are housed inside a grand Victorian building designed by Stockdale Harrison. The beautifully painted engines are a spectacular sight and can be seen working in the way they where designed and built to be in Leicester by Gimson and Company, today they are rare examples of Woolf compound rotative beam engines in fact it is the only engine house in the world where you can see four working examples of the same beam engine in one building. My film looks at the various dials switches and mechanical parts of the engine in motion as they spin, turn, rise up and down and emit steam making for a warm and humid atmosphere inside the building. Images follow

On 13th January 2013, to Celebrate the networks 150 year anniversary, steam returned to the London Underground. The 1898 built steam engine known as Met Locomotive No 1 travelled to and from Moorgate station taking in part of the original Metropolitan Line - now the Hammersmith & City Line. Stations packed with spectators and photographers greeted the special train along its historic journey below the capitals streets. My video features the train on its various trips the coaches being pulled by both Met 1 and Electric Locomotive No.12 Sarah Siddons. Below are a few photos taken on the same day as above. Panoramic Photo showing the platform at Baker Street Station Panoramic Photo showing a modern underground train parked at Baker Street Station