Highfields, Leicestershire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Highfields is an inner city area of Leicester, England. As the name suggests, it is one of the highest areas in the city, on high ground southeast of the city centre. To the west the area is bounded by the Midland Main Line, to the south by London Road, and to the east by East Park Road. To the north is Spinney Hills, though there is no clear boundary between the two areas, and Spinney Hills (which extends northwards to Humberstone Road) is often considered to be part of Highfields.

The area was developed between the late 19th Century and the start of the First World War, and contains many fine Victorian townhouses (now usually subdivided into flats), as well as areas of redbrick terraced housing. There are modern council estates and tower blocks to the east of Leicester railway station, built during the 1970s on the site of cleared slums, but for the most part the area consists of privately owned and rented property, with some housing association properties. The city's workhouse was formerly situated in the area, on the site now occupied by Moat Community College. The South Highfields area, between London Road and Sparkenhoe Street, constitutes a Conservation Area [1].

Highfields has a large ethnic minority population, and has traditionally been an area occupied by recent immigrants to the city - Highfields contains Leicester's synagogue, an African-Caribbean Centre, and many mosques, madrassas and Islamic community centres. Many recent Somali immigrants have settled in the area. The annual Leicester Caribbean Carnival traditionally parades through Highfields to the city centre and back again, terminating at nearby Victoria Park. As a result of a lack of funding, the procession will not go ahead until further sponsors are found.

Highfields has in the past been an area associated with crime - it was known even prior to the Second World War as the city's red light district however this is no longer the case. In recent years some of the establishments associated with criminal activity have been closed, and the police have adopted a hardline policy on properties used for the sale and consumption of drugs, in collaboration with local residents' associations.

The Highfields Community Centre has been recently modernised, and houses facilities where many functions, occasions and events take place regularly.

The suburb is within walking distance from the city centre of Leicester, the railway station, many Mosques (the biggest includes a leisure centre within its grounds), Churches, Temples, a modern health centre, nurseries, schools, local shops, restaurants and banks.

You can see some photographs of the area (the health centre has since been demolished and been rebuilt and play an adventure set in Highfields here. [2]