Former Charles Street Police Station
FORMER CHARLES STREET POLICE STATION, CHARLES STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1387726
- Date first listed:
- 27-Jul-1999
- List Entry Name:
- Former Charles Street Police Station
- Statutory Address:
- FORMER CHARLES STREET POLICE STATION, CHARLES STREET
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2004-06-27
- Reference:
- IOE01/12692/07
- Rights:
- © Mr Peter M Small. Source: Historic England Archive
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1387726
- Date first listed:
- 27-Jul-1999
- List Entry Name:
- Former Charles Street Police Station
- Statutory Address 1:
- FORMER CHARLES STREET POLICE STATION, CHARLES STREET
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- FORMER CHARLES STREET POLICE STATION, CHARLES STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- City of Leicester (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- Non Civil Parish
- National Grid Reference:
- SK 59213 04304
Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 17/11/2015
SK 5804
718/8/10133
LEICESTER
CHARLES STREET (North East side)
Former Charles Street Police Station
(Formerly listed as Charles Street Police Station)
II
Police station. 1933, by G Noel Hill and AT Gooseman of Leicester City Architects' Department. Additions and alterations, c1970 and later C20, are not of special interest.
Portland stone ashlar and grey brick, with ashlar and concrete dressings and flat asphalt roofs. Palladian style. Rusticated ground floor with plinth and sill band below intermediate cornice. Central range has full entablature with panelled frieze and dentillation; side ranges have cornices and blocking course. Keystone cartouches with the City's cinquefoil badge. Windows are original steel casements with glazing bars, those to the ground floor round arched.
Polygonal layout on corner site, with central range and splayed side ranges each treated as a separate composition. Central range, 3 storeys, 4/2/4 windows. Lower side ranges, 2 storeys plus attics, 5 windows.
Central range has a raised centre with swagged frieze and modillion cornice, topped with a flagpole. In the centre a round arched recess with rusticated head, and cartouche with stylised scroll. Within the recess, a carriage entrance with original wrought iron gates, rusticated surround and keystone. Above, a Diocletian window. Above the recess, a balustraded balcony to a French window with moulded surround and pediment on brackets.
Flanking the central recess, recessed panelled double doors with overlights and above, larger square stair lights, all with decorative grilles.
Side bays have ground floor windows with keystones, first floor windows with raised surrounds on a sill band, and plain second floor windows. At each end, a single setback bay of the side ranges.
Right side range, fronting St George Street, has a central recessed doorway with overlight and grille, flanked by 2 windows. Above, 5 window with projecting sills. Cartouche above the centre window. Attic has 5 blanks. Left return has single windows with keystones, and blank attic. Right return blank, with 3 small square lights under the cornice.
Left side range, fronting Charles Street, has 7 ground floor windows. Above, windows arranged 1/3/1. The central group has a sham balcony on brackets, and a sill band. Attic has 5 blanks. Right return has single windows with keystones, and blank attic. Left return, fronting Church Street, 3 windows, has a central recessed doorway with overlight and grille, flanked by single small flat headed windows. Beyond, single round headed windows. Above, 3 windows with projecting sills, and a cartouche above the centre window. Attic has 3 blanks.
Brick rear elevations are plain. Canted ground floor projection to right. To left, stub wing, 2 storeys, linked to rebuilt cell block.
INTERIOR: Open-well principal staircase has scrolled wrought iron balustrade with ramped hardwood handrail. Plain stairwell with round skylight. Rear staircase has wrought iron stick balustrade and handrail. Chief Constable's office has original fittings including half-height framed panelling, 5-panel doors and cornice. Plain ashlar fireplace with square clock inset in overmantel. Adjoining ante room and toilet in plainer style. Former committee room, and major rooms and corridors on each floor, have slightly moulded cornices. Former mess room has canted ends. Attics contain tank room and former recreation rooms.
Charles Street police station is a distinguished example of civic architecture, and forms a major architectural element in the inter-war replanning of the city, which aimed to divert road traffic away from the historic city centre.
Listing NGR: SK5921304304
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 475713
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 10-Jun-2026 at 13:01:31.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.