It’s the time of year when thoughts turn to ‘ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night.’  Or in other words, to the festival of Halloween, also known as All Saints’ Day. Stories of ghosts abound across the country, with many locations designating themselves ‘the most haunted in England’. […]

The Old Rectory Museum – former rectory for the Parish of Loughborough and once home to Rev. James Bickham and his Library of 700 books – is staging an exhibition this summer which sees reproductions of pages from some of those books on display in the town for the first time in many a year. […]

In this article, Ursula Ackrill discusses the book-collecting habits of the clergyman who became Rector of Loughborough Parish on the death of James Bickham, and the ‘degrees of separation’ which link that clergyman to one of the most famous literary figures of all time. The Reverend Samuel Blackall (1737-1792) succeeded to the rectory of Loughborough […]

Recently a friend and colleague asked me to write about the Brush Works in Loughborough, established by Charles Francis Brush in 1880. (Note: the original name of the factory was Falcon Works). Their question was mainly, ‘what did the company make?’ The quick and easy answer is ‘almost anything!’ The company slogan was – ‘Brush […]

Sitting in my fire place is a brass hand bell with a polished mahogany handle. It originally belonged to the head teacher at St Peters Junior School on Storer Road in Loughborough. On the closure of that school the bell passed to St. Peters Sunday School, as they were using the same premises. The safe […]

In the latest article about Rev. Bickham and his vast collection of books which became the Loughborough Parish Library, Ursula Ackrill discusses the influence of the Puritan Hastings family on worship and education in Leicestershire from the 1500s onwards, the 18th century debate over a curriculum of Latin and the Classics versus ‘new’ practical subjects […]

So, what exactly is a rector? A rector in the Church of England was (and continues to be in parishes such as Loughborough) essentially a parish priest, with the same duties as those carried out by a vicar, a role we’re perhaps more familiar with today. Historically, those duties have included – The difference between […]

Before James Bickham came to Loughborough to take up post as Rector of the parish, he’d been waiting for a living for some time, ‘kicking his heels’ for 20-odd years as a Fellow at Emmanual College, Cambridge, a two-hundred-year-old university established specifically to educate Protestant preachers.[1] As noted in the previous blog, a career in […]

Revd James Bickham arrived in Loughborough in 1761 to take up the ‘living’ as rector of the parish and incumbent[1] of the church of St Peter and St Paul (now known as All Saints with Holy Trinity) – one of the major churches in Leicestershire. Throughout time, to be a clergyman in the Church of […]

His library tells us that the Rector James Bickham earned his learning through hard work. We know he loved books: he bequeathed his library to his successors and left specific books as a gift to a friend in his last will and testament. Bickham also continued to acquire new publications until the end of his […]

It was 1761 when the new Rector James Bickham arrived at Loughborough with his luggage of books, books and more books. His arrival coincided with the passing of Acts of Parliamentary enclosure in Leicestershire.[1] These occurred between 1759 and 1840, with most Acts passed between 1760 and 1790. Loughborough enacted these measures quickly: the open […]

James Bickham (1719-1785) was a Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and clergyman, scholar and fifteenth archdeacon of Leicester. He was presented the rectory of Loughborough by his college in 1761 and became archdeacon of Leicester in 1772. Bickham retained both offices until his death in 1785, whilst residing in the Rectory, a medieval hall-house located […]

A recent discussion about Charnwood Museum’s People at Work exhibition sparked memories for a former Loughborough resident who remembers one of the titles being made. Jane Wellington’s father, Jim Wellington, was Station Commander at Loughborough Fire Station when the Ladybird Book ‘People who help us – The Fire Service’ was put together. In fact, he […]

Letters Home from Quorn to Canada – 1838 to 1857: Pioneers and Hollywood Stars Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers have announced the publication of their latest local history book, based on a collection of letters held in their archive and research they’ve carried out into the people who sent and received them. William and Ann […]

A new book on the tradition of hilltop bonfires, published in June to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, features an image on its cover of a bonfire on High Tor Farm in Whitwick in 1911. ‘Hilltop Bonfires: Marking Royal Events’ by retired Environmental Science Lecturer Tom Welsh, grew out of the author’s interest in Landscape […]

On 26 June 1902, a 40ft high bonfire was built on Beacon Hill to celebrate the Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra. The cost was £80. For the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary on 22 June 1911, the bonfire was guarded the night before by Woodhouse Scouts to ensure that […]

Severe Thunder Storm 25th June 1891 A severe thunderstorm  broke over Loughborough on Thursday Evening 25th June.  Throughout the day the atmosphere had been sultry, and rain fell at intervels; shortly before 5 o’clock a storm was heard towards the south west which gradually came nearer the town, causing the people to seek shelter.  There […]

This week I nipped along to check out the ‘People at Work – Earning a Living in a Ladybird World’ exhibition at Charnwood Museum. The Museum already commemorates Loughborough’s link to Ladybird – the famous children’s publishers which originated in the town – with a permanent display of books which can be read and enjoyed […]

Royalty first came into my life during 1953, when I was a small boy at Cobden School in Loughborough. Much was being made of the fact that the nation was to have a new queen, named Elizabeth II.  Every member of our class was presented with a glass tumbler, furnished with a portrait of the […]

The Golden Years of the Great Central Railway’s London Extension (1899 to 1957) are to be celebrated this summer with a new exhibition in the Local and Family History Centre at Loughborough Library. Opening on 30th June 2022 and on display until 23rd September, the exhibition is free to view during the Library’s staffed hours.  […]

Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group have published a new book commemorating last year’s 800th anniversary of Loughborough’s legal right to hold markets and fairs in the town. Compiled by a number of members, each concentrating on a different aspect or historical period, the book contains research carried out by the group for the ‘Markets […]

The following encounter took place in the gymnasium at Garendon Secondary Modern School Loughborough in 1957. The class designated 3B1 consisted of about 34 boys in their third year at the school. It had a bit of a reputation, as they say! The master in charge of the P.E. lesson explained that school policy had […]

I was nine years of age in 1952 when the late King George VI passed away and the whole nation was in mourning and shock.   At the time, I was living with my parents in a Victorian house on Queens Road, Loughborough.  I remember very well a cold evening shortly after the King’s death […]

18th December 1873  Sarah Gutteridge, a girl of 17 of Sutton Bonington, was fined 5/- for being drunk and incapable in North Street on 15th. Snippets from the Loughborough Advertiser, Loughborough Herald and Loughborough Monitor. Collated by Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers. Source: Matthew’s Local Newspaper Extracts Vol. 1 Additional material sourced by Alison Mott.

‘Herbert Morris, the founder of the Empress works, used to come at Christmas time and he would throw pennies and apples and oranges to the children. He came in a big open car. He was a little man, very dark with a large moustache.’ ‘The drays that brought the steel to build the cranes were […]

12th December 1924

Plans approved for construction of Taylors’ Bell Foundry, 7th November 1859.

The title of ‘Baron Charnwood’ first appeared a hundred and ten years ago in 1911, but the peerage was extinct by 1955. Godfrey Rathbone Benson was the first holder of the title. He was born on 6th November 1864 at Alresford in Hampshire. He lectured at Balliol and later married Dorothea Roby in 1897. Dorothea […]

‘I’ve discovered a report in the Leicester Chronicle of Saturday 28th October 1899 about a request to the Board of Guardians – at a meeting that took place on Tuesday the 24th of October 1899 – from the inmates of Loughborough workhouse asking to be allowed to see the procession of Barnum and Bailey’s circus […]

Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show on Earth!James A. Bailey, ProprietorReported in the Loughborough Echo on Thursday 2nd November 1899 Even on the busiest day of the November Fair, the streets of Loughborough have not been as thronged as they were on Thursday last (Thursday 26th October 1899) when the visit of Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest […]

A Guild One Name Study About 40 years ago my uncle asked me to look up some records for him at the Local Studies Department at Nottingham Library. This started me on my genealogical journey. My maternal grandmother’s surname was Jex. This name conjured up many suggestions about its origins – the foremost thought is […]

Who lived on Ashby Road in 1878? Does your surname appear?  1 & 2 Sutton, Mrs. Confectioner  3 Fisher, J  4 Bassford,  A  5 Clarke, H     Bennett, H., The Hill  6 Bassford, G  7 Hitchcock, T  8 Andrews, I  9 Bent, G10 Swann, J11 Hull, E12 Astill, W13 Chester, Mrs14 Barrat, J., Glazier15 Gibbins, –16 […]

July 1st 1916 Pte. W A Deakin* saw services in the trenches in France and Belgium and took part in the Battle of the Somme on July 1st 1916.  He wrote home to the Echo after the battle, which published his account. Here it is in full. ONE of the Loughborough boys, Pte. W. A. […]

On 28th June 1996, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited Loughborough to open the new English and Drama building at Loughborough Grammar School. At the request of Her Majesty, an anthem specially-written for the school’s quincentenary in 1995 by Sir Andrew Carter – was played for the Queen in the drama studio of the building, which was […]

Remember Loughborough Facebook Group member Dusty Miller knew Charles Matthews, who was a neighbour and friend of his father’s. Here, Dusty shares his memories of Charles and his passion for saving old photographs. Charles was a close neighbour of ours, he lived on New Ashby Road, we lived behind him on Blackbrook Road.  My father […]

The Founders and Notable Contributors to the Loughborough LibraryLocal History Collection Mr. Charles Matthews, a local historian and amateur photographer, salvaged a number of glass plate negatives of Victorian scenes of Loughborough that otherwise would have been lost. These are still in existence and held in the Loughborough Library archives. Alongside many items from his […]

Loughborough Library in Granby Street are celebrating the publication of a new edition of local historian Brian William’s book ‘The Forest Line’ with an exhibition about the former Charnwood Forest Railway in the local studies area. The exhibition sees a welcome return to visitors to the Library, with the Local Studies Volunteers who put it […]

The Will of Ralph Lemyngton a Rich Wool Merchant residing in Loughborough Merchant of the Staple of Calais, dwelling in LoughboroughAbstract of Will dated 4th May 1521. English. Probate 1521 Soul to almighty God, our blessed Lady St Mary and all the holy company of heaven beseeching them all to pray for him that he […]

17th April 1873 Mr John Wyatts begs most respectfully to inform the inhabitants of Loughborough and it’s vicinity that he has recently purchased two SHILLIBEERS (horse drawn hearses with room for mourners).  NB coffins supplied on reasonable terms. Snippets from the Loughborough Advertiser, Loughborough Herald and Loughborough Monitor. Collated by Loughborough Library Local Studies VolunteersSource: […]

‘I was born and bred in the town and very well remember on Good Fridays around 6:30 am, the baker’s boy coming down our street – Albert Promenade – with a tray-load of hot cross buns on his head, waking the residents with his loud cry of his wares and price of a few coppers.’ […]

30th March 1899 ‘Councillor Geo. Adcock having laid out a park near Burleigh Brook, Ashby Road, at great expense to himself, announces a preliminary opening on 3rd April 1899.  The park is designed principally for the rational enjoyment and recreation of the people.  A good sized lake has been formed, and the park is about […]

In 1643 the English Civil War had gone against the parliamentarians, who were commanded in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire by Lord Grey of Groby. The royalists were under the command of Lieutenant General Henry Hastings, Lord Loughborough. The following year parliament besieged Newark (February to March) and the royalist garrison there needed to be relieved. […]

12 February 1971

‘All Men are Brethren’ ‘For both he that sanctifies and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brothers.’ Hebrews 2:11-13 In June 2014, the Loughborough Archaeological and Historical Society (LAHS) Committee received a photocopy of an old black and white postcard from Heather Copley, […]

In 1840, T R Potter published a collection of essays entitled ‘Walks Round Loughborough.’ Amongst these was a description of Burleigh Hall. Demolished in 1961, it was replaced by the Edward Herbert Building and part of Administration Building I of Loughborough University. A remnant of the former walled vegetable garden survives adjacent to Administration Building […]

I remember enjoying Boxing Day as much as Christmas Day. First stop was to see the Quorn hunt in the marketplace. A fine spectacle they were too, resplendent in their scarlet jackets. This meet was well supported by the people of Loughborough. Then on to the drill hall in Granby Street to meet my grandparents, […]

William George Dimock Fletcher was born on 4th January 1851 in Handsworth, Staffordshire, the eldest child of John Waltham Fletcher and his wife, Elizabeth.  At the time of William’s birth John Fletcher was curate of St James’ Church, Handsworth, but his career would see him and his growing family moving on to Coventry and then […]

‘In an address given before the Wood Gate Young People’s Society, on the 1st January 1900, Mr Henry Godkin said ‘my mother[1] was born on Plough Monday in January, with snow and frost outside, and she has told me what fearful condition her mother was in that day.’ ‘On Plough Monday, boys and men used […]

‘The cinema has always been a big attraction to the British public and nowhere more so than in Loughborough, where at different times we had one, two, three and four different cinemas operating. My first visit was with my mother in the early twenties. This was the new Victory Cinema, where I saw Charlie Chaplin […]

Read the poem ‘Christmas Day in the Workhouse’ by George R Sims here. Read articles by Lynne Dyer about Loughborough’s workhouses here.

On a snowy day in early December 2017, I nipped down to the Old Rectory Museum in Rectory Place to meet a friend of mine, Dr Sara Read of Loughborough University. Sara is a specialist in early modern culture, literature, and medicine, (with a particular interest in women’s reproductive health) and had asked if she […]

‘The winters seemed terrible. I can remember the canal freezing solid and the ice breaker would come down with seven or eight horses pulling it. In 1914 we had terrible snowstorms and the telegraph poles were lying flat on the railway. They were blown down in the blizzard.’ ‘In the winter after a hard frost, […]

The Nineteenth Century Loughborough Rugby Football Club (L.R.F.C.) was founded in about 1882 by C.D. Woolley, A. Thompson and William Webster. They played in a field in Moor Lane at the back of The Elms, the mansion and park of Mr. Henry Warner, hosiery manufacturer. Mr. Woolley was a mainstay of the club until he […]

Wishing you all a happy, safe and hopeful Christmas. If history teaches us anything, it’s that all things – even bad times – will pass and happy days will return again. Many thanks to everyone who’s sent me snippets of local history to post on the site since May, especially Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers. […]

During the Second World war we celebrated Christmas even though Britain’s future was uncertain.  Despite food being rationed, many of us living in a village[1] had our own garden or allotments where our parents ‘dug for victory.’ We were able to produce fruit and vegetables and various herbs. This state of affairs was taken as […]

In an article entitled ‘Out of the World,’ which appeared in ‘All the Year Round’ in 1859, Charles Dickens describes a visit to St. Bernard’s Monastery one Christmas Eve, nearly 90 years ago.* Travelling by train from Euston he eventually arrived at ‘Buffborough,’ where he was met by an unnamed sombre individual who advised dining […]

23rd December 1869 James Shaw, Town Hall Yard Photographic Rooms, still continues to execute Carte-de-Visite Portraits in the best style at 5/0 d per dozen. Snippets of history from the Loughborough Advertiser, Loughborough Herald and Loughborough Monitor, collated by Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers. Source: Matthew’s Local Newspaper Extracts Vol. 1

‘At Christmas it was a joy to go round and look at all that meat. The sides, all hanging up in the shop. It was mostly local meat. Farmers used to come on certain days to the Cattle Market which stood where the car park is now in Granby street.’Contributor unknown ‘Frederick Hasenfuss, a celebrated […]

This year sees the tenth annual Christmas Tree Festival staged at All Saints’ Parish Church.  It’s fantastic that it’s gone ahead, albeit in a reduced ‘Covid safe’ fashion. The trees were put up last week, spaced at the end of alternate pews to maintain social distance for those looking at them, and with larger trees […]

What’s your favourite Christmas carol? (And is there one you really really hate when you hear it on repeat in a shop?) I don’t know if it’s just me but I still remember how cross Miss Roberts the Limehurst music teacher used to get when we took a breath in the wrong places: ‘Born the […]

Fire at Messengers, 1872

Friday 18th December 1942

‘There was a brewer’s dray man and he used to distribute the barrels of beer from the Midland Brewery with a shire horse and day. He drank that much that he would fall asleep with the reins in his hand. The horse would take him down to the brewery. Of course, there wasn’t much traffic […]

‘Question raised as to Market at Christmas. Resolved to hold a Market on Christmas Eve 24th December closing at 11 pm and there be no Market on Sat 26th December.’Minutes of Estates Committee, 11th November 1914 ‘The Town Clerk submitted a letter from Councillor Stenson stating that several stallholders desired the Market to be held […]

23rd December 1897‘The first distribution of prizes of this school took place this morning. The children sang appropriate songs and a Christmas Carol. This was followed by excellent advice to the children from Dr Corcoran and Mr Peer, who complimented the scholars and staff on the fact that with the exception of Nanpantan, which had […]

‘In Factory Street there was a model and doll factory. Lots of us had dolls for Christmas. They would be collectors’ items today.’1 With many thanks to John Toon, who sent in photos of two ‘Little Bear’ albums from the 1920s which had belonged to his late father Thomas of Sutton Bonington, as well as […]

‘When leaving school my first working days were at the famous Zenobia which was owned by Mr W F Charles.  Two of the other co-directors were Capt. Huston, son-in-law to Mr Charles, and Mr Lax.  It was like belonging to one big happy family.’ ‘I myself worked in the packing department and the other different […]

Christmas Event at the Old Rectory Museum. December 11th 2010 ‘This is the second year that the Museum has opened its doors for a special Victorian Christmas.  There were lots of activities for the visitors, with traditional games kindly supplied by Ernie and Sheila Miller proving popular, as always.‘ ‘It was a real treat for […]

In their collection of their grandfather’s memories, Joy Cross and Margaret Staple give a wonderful insight into the momentous task that local businessman A E Shepherd took on in running the annual ‘Robins’ Breakfasts,’ an exercise supported by townsfolk to ensure that the poorest children of Loughborough had a good meal on Christmas Day. In 1913, […]

11th December 1873 The practice of boys playing Whip and Top on public thoroughfares has become prevalent and when remonstrated with they become abusive and violent.  The police have therefore seized a large number of whips and tops. ‘In my young days, we mostly made our own entertainment. We had our own gang, made up […]

10th December 1874  Horse Race in Loughborough Meadow between Sam Dakin’s brown mare and Charles Fisher’s mare for £5 a side. Distance one and half miles.  Mr Fisher’s mare won by 40 yards even though Mr Dakin’s mare was favourite. Snippets from the Loughborough Advertiser, Loughborough Herald and Loughborough Monitor. Collated by Loughborough Library Local […]

With many thanks to Karen Ette* for sharing these pictures of Christmas cards from her own personal collection. ‘The various Christmas cards are mostly early 20th century, and I think the ‘sister’ one might be late 19th century. The two embroidered ones were sent to my maternal grandmother in Seagrave and the three others to […]

People have been sending Christmas cards to friends and family for over a hundred and eighty years. Early Christmas cards were hand painted with scenes from nature to remind everyone that plants, animals and birds would come back again at the end of the dark, cold winter. The first ever printed Christmas card was made […]

A kissing bough made of twigs, evergreens and fruit which was hung from the ceiling was traditionally the centre-piece of Christmas decorations in the UK before Christmas trees were introduced.  Later, mistletoe was used instead, a tradition we’re more familiar with today. Apparently, the custom of kissing under mistletoe started in ancient Greece, where the […]

I know very little about Loughborough’s bands, not being from a musical family and therefore never having followed them. My experience is confined to hearing my dad’s memories of the brass bands he heard in childhood in Barnsley Park, the concert I went to in the ’80s where the William Davis band played, (Roy Castle […]

By my reckoning, last Sunday in a non-Covid-world would’ve seen Loughborough’s annual Christmas light-switch-on event, with some celebrity or important local person standing on the Town Hall balcony (do they still stand on the balcony?) and flicking the switch. Do you know, I’ve only witnessed it once, and can remember next to nothing about it […]

I’m unashamedly making use of stories from my own family to help with these December diaries, but hope you enjoy them and that they spark memories for you, too. If they do, feel free to send them to me at lboro.history.heritage@gmail.com and maybe I can put them in a later post! The first is by […]

As December thoughts turn to shopping for Christmas presents, Jenny Clark reminds us of the longstanding link between ‘town and gown’ in Loughborough and tells the story of the part townspeople played in establishing ‘the Grove’ as a hall of residence. By 1922 Loughborough College had developed from a tiny pre-war Technical Institute providing classes […]

2nd December 1869 ‘Mad-dog-at-large bites several people, including the assistant to Mr. Garton, Draper, of the Market Place.‘ There’s lots to be interested in in this short snippet of story, not least that the journalist who wrote it didn’t think it worth noting the name of the man who’d been bitten, just his ‘employer’ – […]

Decorating homes with evergreens in mid-winter has been a part of life in Northern Europe for thousands of years, long before the arrival of Christianity. The Druids, the Romans and the Vikings all took greenery into their homes during the darkest part of the winter – as a symbol of everlasting life and a part […]

Monday 30th November 1874 – (published 3rd December 1874) ‘On Monday last Loughborough was visited by one of the densest fogs remembered. Candles and lanterns were resorted to to get around, horses were led by their drivers carrying lanterns.’ Snippets of history from the Loughborough Advertiser, Loughborough Herald and Loughborough Monitor, collated by Loughborough Library […]

27th November 1873 Thomas Griffin farmer of Sheepshead and Wm Adkin a labourer, were charged by Mr Riley, Sanitary Inspector, with depositing night soil on the highway. From the evidence it appears that several persons had accidentally fallen into it. They were fined 40/- with costs. Article provided by Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers.Source: Matthew’s […]

Old film negatives found in a basement in Blackburn proved to be a ‘treasure trove of history’ which included footage of workers leaving Brush Electric Company’s Falcon works site in 1900. The ‘factory gate’ film was made by Sagar Mitchell and James Kenyon, two of the earliest in the UK to take advantage of the commercial […]

by John Gibson Disastrous Fires From the mid-1500’s onwards, with the town being built predominately of timber, all writers mentioning Loughborough speak of it as having suffered much from fire. Amongst others, the editor of the ‘Magna Britannia’ in 1720 says:- ‘Of late years it hath undergone many calamities by fire, insomuch that it hath […]

by Tony Jarram This article is a precis of a study taken during the official centenary year of the Brush Electrical Engineering Company Ltd in 1979. This was followed by additional research by the writer to support the 1982 Centenary of the Brighton Electricity Scheme. The Brighton Scheme 1982 marked an important centenary in the […]

The February 1915 Parish Magazine of St Peter and St Paul, Syston, contains a letter from local boy Percy Pollard, written to his mother on Christmas Eve 1914: ‘We saw an Indian soldier do a brave deed. He went right out in front of our trenches to get one of our wounded in. He carried […]

October is Black History month and to mark this, we asked Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers for stories from their archives which document the lives of Black and Minority Ethnic communities in Loughborough and the Charnwood Area. Sadly, current restrictions have limited the group’s access to their actual resources in the local studies room at […]

‘True Patriots Who Did Their Duty’* Yusef and Benyam Workinah Martin were the sons of Hakim** Workinah Eshete, known to the English by his adoptive name of Charles Workneh Martin. Their father had been found abandoned on an Ethiopian battlefield as a small child and taken by a British army officer to India, where he […]

Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and business magnate. He led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and is often identified as having been one of the richest people in history. During the last 18 years of his life, Carnegie gave away some $350 million (estimated as equivalent […]

26th September 1872 It was very cold in Loughborough, with falls of snow, rain and hail, accompanied with thunder and lightning. At Shepshed, the ground was covered in snow. On 22nd September the temperature fell below freezing. Snippets from the Loughborough Advertiser, Loughborough Herald and Loughborough Monitor. Collated by Loughborough Library Local Studies VolunteersSource: Matthew’s […]

Letter writing was the main form of communication between soldiers and their loved ones in World War One, boosting morale and filling up long hours spent in the trenches waiting for the next conflict to begin. It’s not surprising to learn, then, that the British Army Postal Service delivered around 2 billion letters and postcards […]

Standing on high ground to the south of Woodhouse Eaves is the imposing church of St Pauls. This church is much altered from the simple chapel, as originally built, to the design of the London architect William Railton. Railton was no stranger to Leicestershire having designed Grace Dieu Manor and three lodges for the Garendon […]

The year 2020 marks the 400th anniversary of the voyage of the ship Mayflower from Plymouth to America. A significant number of the Pilgrims who boarded the Mayflower came from the religious congregations of Separatist Puritans. Fleeing from religious persecution in England, they had settled in Leiden in liberal 17th century Holland. They held Puritan […]

The Friends of Charnwood Museum are staging monthly talks on a variety of historical subjects, each with a local flavour. Talks take place on Wednesdays at 7.30 pm and will be held virtually via Zoom.  They are Free to view at present. Call Charnwood Museum on 01509 233754 or email museum@charnwood.gov.uk  for the secure link to […]

This month sees the publication of a new local history book by the Wolds Historical Organisation, an active group of enthusiasts who research and share the history of the villages of Burton on the Wolds, Cotes, Hoton, Prestwold, Walton on the Wolds and Wymeswold. Produced by a group of writers, this collection of essays and […]

Nanpantan Reservoir was completed in 1870, to much celebration. As well as providing filtered water to Loughborough’s inhabitants, one bonus of the new reservoir was that for the most part, it eased the regular flooding of the town and made a huge difference to areas such as the Rushes and the streets around the Tatmarsh, […]

Loughborough’s Local Health Board may have given in to pressure and sorted out the sewage problem in the town, but that was all they were prepared to action from William Lee’s recommendations to the General Board of Health in 1849.  Despite regular water shortages in dry spells, inhabitants had to make do with obtaining water […]