The Midland Railway Society were honoured to be present at a ceremony on Saturday, 25 April 2026 where the Leicester City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsbury officially opened The Soar Lane Wharf Lifting Bridge. Built in 1834 for the Leicester and Swannington Railway, to a design by Robert Stephenson this historic structure has been re-erected at the Mountsorrel Railway, located within the Rothley Community Heritage Centre.
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UPDATE Thursday, 30 April 2026
The good people at the Great Central Railway have posted
a lovely video about the event on their YouTube channel.
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The Drawbridge, as some Midland Railway documentation refers to it as, was required to access sidings close to Leicester City centre from the West Bridge Branch, where a constricted site wouldn’t otherwise accommodate sufficient headroom over the Leicester Canal – or more specifically, its towpath. The bridge lifted just enough for horses to pass under it, albeit with their heads lowered!
As well as having been restored to full working order – a fact amply demonstrated by its frequent Lifting on Opening Day and even the running of a goods train across it — extensive interpretation has been provided in the reproduction winding shelter. This includes a highly detailed scale model by Midland Railway Society member, Graham Speechley, which utilised the resources of the Midland Railway Study Centre, Leicestershire Industrial History Society (who were also present) and Leicester Museums.
It was a beautiful day and the attraction was well attended with a wide range of visitors, many of whom were suitably impressed with our offering of secondhand books! It was also good to discuss Leicester’s railway history with Sir Peter, who is clearly very well informed and, indeed, passionate about ensuring the bicentenary of the Leicester & Swannington Railway will be celebrated appropriately.
To mark today’s event, and to assist in promoting this wonderfully rejuvenated piece of railway history, as well as the fantastic site at which it is located, the Midland Railway Study Centre website now shares some of the documentary resources used in its restoration, and for Graham’s model.
