This photo will surely bring back memories for anyone who enjoyed a night out in Leicester in the 1970s and 80s, when your taste buds were assaulted by the likes of Double Diamond, plus chicken or scampi in a basket.
Taken in April 1980, we see here a short stretch of the 1960s Haymarket development, showing the hugely popular Baileys nightspot, along with Littlewoods, the George and Curry’s electrical goods shop.
The George replaced a fine Victorian hotel of the same name which stood on the same spot and Baileys was the successor to the equally popular Top Rank Suite.
When this photo was taken, the Grumbleweeds, the Four Tops and Ken Dodd were all appearing at Baileys – although not on the same night!
Looking back at Leicester's past
Other stars to grace the stage at the nightspot included legendary US singer Gene Pitney, home-grown group Showaddywaddy, glam rock band Mud and comedian Norman Wisdom.
Curry’s, now a national chain, began life in a Victorian shop on Belgrave Gate, not far from the site they occupied here and Littlewoods was the first occupant of the new Haymarket development which is already looking rather tired and grubby in this photo from our archive.
Fords dominate the scene from a vehicle point of view. They are, from the right, half a Ford Fiesta, a Hillman Avenger estate, Ford Escort and a Ford Cortina estate.
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In a remarkable coincidence, the bus carries an advert for Leslie Bailey’s furniture store — for many years a popular local business, with premises on Humberstone Road and nothing to do with the nightclub of the same name!
