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Lee Street, LEICESTER, LE1 3AU

"An imposing early 1960s multi-storey car park built in an American-style, it was one of the first multi-storey car parks to be constructed in the UK and is also believed to have been the first automated car park in Europe. Built in 1961 to the designs of the nationally recognised architectural firm Fitzroy Robinson & Partners of London, the building when first constructed also had the first Tesco supermarket outside of London and shows the growing impact of the car in town planning during the mid-20th century." (Local Heritage Asset Register, Leicester city Council). In a city with many post-war 'carbuncles', this is a prize.

Lee Circle does afford some fine views across Leicester.

A view of the former Three Cranes Hotel now renamed The Cork and Bottle. This pub stands at the corner of Humberstone Gate & Wharf Street South.

Near the top of this enormous ramped car park, probably dating from the late 1960s or early 1970s. In plan it is a long rectangle combined with a semi-circle at each end. The only sign of life in these upper floors was a group of teenagers practising their rapping. They were nonplussed by my appearance. Apparently, contributions from (early) middle-aged men brandishing cameras are not appreciated.

A GPO architects' job, 1958-60, and not a bad one at that. Long and low (twenty-seven bays by five storeys), with distinctive fenestration and rounded ground-floor projections at each end which follow the curve of the road in front. Unusually for such a building it has been converted to flats.

To me this has the look of a 1960s/1970s office block - it doesn't have the frills or jaunty angles of a new-build - but I can find no evidence for this and it is now flats, or in the modern parlance, apartments. For the last 10-20 years, most, if not all, British cities have pushed city-centre living, mostly targeted at young professional types, in an attempt to reverse their depopulation during non-working hours.

Rumour has it, and I'm regrettably, at this stage, unable to confirm, that this was the first Multi Storey Car Park in the UK. Can anyone shed any light? I do know that the interior is a spiral rather than ramps on to each floor and it was originally called 'Automagic' and affiliated to Tesco, that was on the ground floor part of the structure at that time, c 1965.

Picture includes the notorious Lee Circle Trading Post on the ground floor, where Tesco once was.