Historic England has made available a fascinating aerial photograph taken in January 1923, offering a unique view of Leicester City’s Filbert Street ground. This image captures the stadium before significant changes were made: the main stand had not yet received its ‘wings,’ and the double-decker structure was still to be built. Notably, the Spion Kop roof seen in the photograph was moved to the Filbert Street end when the Double Decker stand was constructed in 1927.
Crucially, a match was in progress when this picture was taken. Leicester played three home games that month: two in the League against Barnsley (D: 2-2) and Notts County (W: 2-1), and one in the FA Cup against Fulham (W:4-0). Observing the white shirts worn by one of the teams, it is highly likely that Leicester was playing Fulham in that FA Cup tie. This photograph provides a rare, elevated perspective of the ground during an active match from more than a century ago.