LRSA City Trail Pt.2 - Zorki 4K

Kicking off a photographic project like this with a cheap, untested, mass-produced Soviet-era camera was perhaps not one of my better ideas. Which is why I’ve upgraded to a slightly more expensive mass-produced Soviet camera for this second instalment, in the hope of better quality, or at the very least better framed photographs.

The Zorki 4K has already proved itself at the very highest level of my, admittedly limited photographic abilities. Capturing all the Henry Moore curves at Kew Gardens with aplomb in what now seems like something of a fever dream, the endless hot Summer of 2026 (now ended). It’s a nice solid camera in the hand, and with a pretty decent lens, although the fiddly, slightly out of alignment Shutter Speed Dial makes selecting the fastest speeds difficult (now adjusted, though still fiddly).

It was whilst I was fiddling inexpertly with the Zorki that I had one of those totally random human encounters that in a strange way acted as confirmation of this project. There I was, searching in entirely the wrong place for one of the Terracotta Plaques, when a kindly Leicester local stopped to ask me if I was lost. Entirely understandable of course, I often look lost, aimlessly searching for an item of obscure Street Furniture or obsolete signage. On this occasion I wasn't lost of course, merely looking for one of those... things, which as it turned out was quite the coincidence because this was none other than the wife of Nils Feldmann, chief architect of the relaunched LRSA City Trail I was attempting to follow. A very happy coincidence then, and I had the chance to complete this virtuous loop by meeting Nils himself on a guided tour of the Trail later that month. There he is (above), outside the Foresters Institute building, and with his precious copy of the original Heritage Trail leaflet from the 80's, of which I'm quite envious, natch'...

On we go with the Trail from Plaque No.11, newly located on the front of St Martin's Lodge on Peacock Lane, and almost opposite the recently spruced-up Cathedral. I'd already photographed the new Heritage & Learning Centre with the Baldessa earlier this year and was pretty pleased with the results, so I thought I'd give it another go with the Zorki. It's a great photographic subject with it's vibrant coloured tiles, strong geometric lines, and of course a huge contrast to the Cathedral proper. In fact the whole of the Cathedral Gardens on the sunny south side are a happy hunting ground for photography.

If you stand in front of Plaque No.12 and look to the right you'll see two of the city's most important tourist attractions. The North side of the aforementioned Cathedral of course, but also the historic timber framed Guildhall. Both eminently photographable of course, the Guildhall in particular taking pride of place on many a vintage postcard sent from the city. Look to the left though, and you'll see the slightly grubby dead-end of the grandly named Coronation Place. The colourful array of bins and a chap washing his car was my choice of photograph on this occasion, like something out of gritty New York cop drama. You of course may choose to look the other way...

Plaque No.13 is just a stone's throw from Coronation Place on St Martins East, a narrow cobbled alleyway that runs along the East side of the Cathedral. An interesting view for sure, and great for Street Photography I'd imagine, but it's this seriously attractive gate that's been catching my eye for a while now. Whilst this is certainly not the best photo I've taken of it, I like the way the shading reduces the impact of the signs at that time of day.

There's an absolute rash of Terracotta Plaques at this point in the city, presumably designed to encourage an appreciation of Leicester's historic commercial centre (the bit that didn't get demolished when the Haymarket Shopping Centre was built in the 70's and The Shires in the 90's!). From Plaque No.14 we can see in all four directions at the corner of Silver Street and Loseby Lane, and this view will always take me back to the many hours spent rummaging through the second-hand vinyl records in the basement of The Very Bazaar, an esoteric emporium of all things exotic that despite all the odds, is still going strong at 37a Silver Street (though without the records sadly). I like to think I've caught something of the exotic in this image.

The behemoth of the Highcross Shopping Centre is pretty much unavoidable at this stage, slightly problematic as it's seriously lacking in photographic interest to my eyes. We press on though, so here's the recently restyled High Street entrance with its bold columns and muted colour scheme, directly opposite Plaque No. 15 and a vast improvement on the previous appearance believe it or not. On no account attempt to use a 'professional' camera within the environs of the Highcross though, the security guards don't like it and will ask you to stop and/or leave!

I'll admit to rushing Plaque No.16, located at the entrance to the Royal Arcade on High Street. I wanted to get right down on the floor and literally fill the frame with these glass tiles, but not only was it busy, I was also within clear view of the ever-vigilant Highcross security cameras. I really didn't fancy answering questions about what would almost certainly appear strange and/or suspicious behaviour! What can I say, I'll try again on the other side (plaque No.29).

On the face of it, this may appear to be what's known as ‘Street Photography’, but what I’m actually doing here is capturing yet another of those ‘hidden in clear view’ curiosities that Leicester excels at. To cut a long story short, the old Gaol House that used to occupy this site carried a very early Ordnance Survey Benchmark, yet another minor obsession of mine, and it was whilst looking for this that I noticed a curious remnant of stone wall sandwiched between these modern shops. There's a handy information board that tells you all about this wall, one of the last visible remains of the old Borough Gaol, a prison where Leicester legend Daniel Lambert once served as a Gaoler. All this fascinating local history can be viewed from Plaque No.17 on the Cosy Club opposite.

Plaque No.18 can be found at No.1 Highcross Street, aka. Nando's! There's little doubt that this whole area is likely to divide opinion, a tall corridor of shiny new buildings along the busy Ring Road with very little to please the eye of an aesthete like myself. Though of course shiny modern buildings like this make great subjects for the photographer. If you asked me what I thought of this Casino building I'd probably describe it as vulgar, an exterior more in keeping with a Distribution Centre than a Town Centre. But my word, it certainly makes for a good photograph.

So we finish this leg of the trail with a bit of modern sculpture... or at least I think that's what it is. Deep within the window shopping zone between the Highcross and Mrs Fed Kandi's favourite retail store, John Lewis, Plaque No.19 offers us a view of these enigmatic columns. Other than the reflections in the polished exterior of John Lewis, I really couldn't think of anything better, and I'm not entirely sure whether I was about to be accosted by the security again so wasn't keen to hang around...

Next: LRSA City Trail Pt.3 - The Yashica minister-D