Sunday 29 September 2019

Secret of Loughborough's newest streets

You may have caught me on BBC Radio Leicester on Wednesday (listen again, available until 25th October 2019)? This was an extract from a podcast recorded by Becca Bryers for her award-winning podcast, Multi Story, which was released on 25th September 2019 (available forever!). Becca and I chatted about some of Loughborough's secrets, and decided we would visit Queen's Park, the former St Peter's Church and Beaumanor Hall. We had a great walk around Loughborough's town centre, and spoke to some really interesting folk at St Peter's and Beaumanor.





One of the reasons we chose to visit Beaumanor was because we knew of the links with Bletchley Park during the Second World War, when Beaumanor was a "Y" listening station. The other reason was because of the naming of the streets on a new estate on the outskirts of Loughborough, off Epinal Way, and close to Beaumanor. I covered these streets, and the background to their names in my book, 'Secret Loughborough'. Sadly, there wasn't enough room in the book to write everything I wanted to, so below is a slightly extended version.







Alongside thematically named groups of streets, like those after trees, or flowers, or stately homes, there are other thematically named groups of streets in Loughborough that are rather more complex than those named after trees, or birds, and an understanding of these really does point to some interesting history. A relatively recent example of one such theme is that to be found on a newish estate, on the edge of Loughborough, close to the hamlet of Woodthorpe and the estate of Beaumanor, where one can find roads names like Hugh Foss Drive, Leslie Yoxall Drive, Peter Twinn Drive, Peter Laslett Close, John Tiltman Drive, which are clearly named after people, and the less obvious ones like Knox Drive, Boyle Drive, Aitken Way, Watkin Drive, Wilson Drive.

The one that really cracks the code, is Alan Turing Road, as these roads are named for people who were associated with the intelligence operations at Bletchley Park during the Second World War. Beaumanor Hall, in Woodhouse close to Loughborough, was a “Y” listening station during that war, and had regular contact with people working in cryptography or cryptanalysis at Bletchley Park, many of whom went on to have distinguished careers.

Peter Laslett lectured at Cambridge University, reaching the position of Reader in Politics and History of Social Structure before retiring in 1983. He was a founder member of the University of the Third Age (U3A) of which there is a branch in Loughborough. Hugh Foss retired from GCHQ in 1953. Leslie Yoxall joined GCHQ, retiring in 1974. Dilly Knox, a graduate of King’s College Cambridge, had been a codebreaker during the First World War, and died in 1943 whilst working at Bletchley Park as chief cryptographer.

Edward Boyle went on to study at Christ Church Oxford, graduating in 1949. When his father died in 1945, Edward inherited the baronetage, becoming Baron Boyle of Handsworth. He later became an MP, and died in 1981.

Peter Twinn was the first person to read a German military Enigma message just before the secret operations moved from London to Bletchley Park in July 1939. He later became associated with institutions like the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Natural Environment Research Council. In 1980 he was appointed a CBE and died in 2004.

John Tiltman, an army officer in the First World War, was wounded and received the Military Cross. At Bletchley Park he was considered to be one of the best at his job, and in 1944 he was promoted to Brigadier, a position from which he earned his nickname – The Brig.. He died in 1982.

One or two of the road names on this estate cause a little consternation.

Was Watkin Drive named for Vernon Watkins, a Welsh poet and friend of Dylan Thomas, who attended Repton School in Derbyshire before going on to Cambridge to study for a degree in modern languages, although he left before he completed this. Whilst working at Bletchley Park Watkins met his future wife, and at the time of his death in 1967 he was seriously in the running to become Poet Laureate. Is it possible that the name Watkin Drive was chosen in order to simplify what would otherwise have been a bit of an awkward name to spell – Watkins’ Drive?

For a similar reason, it could be concluded that Wilson Drive is named for Angus Johnstone-Wilson, rather than Harold Bernard Willson, the former being a graduate of Merton College Oxford, who worked as a code-breaker in the Naval section at Bletchley Park. Harold Bernard Willson graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in modern languages, working at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, being the first person to decrypt the Italian Navy Hagelin C-38 code machine. But why not Johnstone-Wilson, or Willson?

Aitken Way could refer to either: James Macrae Aitken, a Scottish chess player, who worked at solving German Enigma machines, from Hut 6 at Bletchley Park, and seems to have spent much of his life playing (and winning) championship chess; or to the New Zealand mathematician, Alexander Craig Aitken, who also worked from Hut 6 during the Second World War, also decrypting the Enigma code.
  
Finally, perhaps the most well-known of the Bletchley staff is Alan Turing, whose story was told in the recent film, ‘The Imitation Game’. He is perhaps best known for being a cryptanalyst and designer of the Bombe (a mechanical device to help decipher Enigma messages) as well as being the head of Hut 8. Turing died a few days before his forty-second birthday.


You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:

Dyer, Lynne (2019). Secret of Loughborough's newest streets. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/09/secret-of-loughboroughs-newest-streets.html  Accessed 26 September 2019]

Take down policy:
I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.
Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne     


    

Sunday 22 September 2019

Iron foundries Battle of Cotes and Freemasonry

Yet again, another week of astonishing moments and visits. So many, in fact that this week I am not going to wax lyrical about iron foundries I've visited, the Civil War Walk focussing on the Battle of Cotes that I went on, nor on the visit to the meeting house of the local freemasons. Instead, I've written up last week's walk - a circular walk from the Carillon to the bellfoundry and back, via some interesting history and heritage. Here's a link to The Three Towers Trail over on the blog pages. Enjoy!    

Sunday 15 September 2019

Carillon and bellfoundry on Heritage Open Days

I have to offer you many sincere apologies for the radio silence last week. Life has been particularly hectic over the last couple of weeks. Read on to find out more!

On a visit to Oakham last weekend to listen to the Hathern Band performing at Oakham's Party in the Park. As you'd expect, there were several things that reminded me of Loughborough, aside from Party in the Park! The display of bikes in the park reminded me of the bike show in Loughborough Market Place that takes place in June each year. The band, of course, is the main connection, with many of the players being from Loughborough. 

The bandstand in Cutts Park, behind the castle in Oakham was an interesting one, too. So, Loughborough's was created by Hill and Smith of Brierley Hill, West Midlands in 1902, although it was moved from its original position, close to Granby Street, to its present position in about 1914, this because the ground can get (and still does get) rather soggy. The roof and columns have since been replaced, but the balustrade is the original. Other nearby bandstands created by this company include those at Church Gresley, Swadlincote, and Alton Towers. 

The bandstand at Oakham was created by the Lion Foundry in Kirkintilloch and placed in the park in 1948. There are no nearby bandstands created by that company, the nearest probably are in Birmingham. The bandstand was apparently the subject of an expensive makeover in 2012, and this prompted its renaming to the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Bandstand. 


Loughborough's bandstand

Loughborough's bandstand

Oakham's bandstand showing dedication

Oakham's bandstand

Some of the bikes on display in Oakham park

Lord Lieutenant of the county and the High Sherrif of the county


While we're on the topic of bandstands, this weekend I was in Nottingham Arboretum where there was a green festival happening. The bandstand was alive with fabulous music and there were loads of people enjoying the event. The opening ceremony for the bandstand was on Thursday 16th May, 1907, although as yet the maker has not been identified.

Nottingham Arboretum bandstand

My next visit this last week was to St Peter's church as part of a podcast for local radio. I went along to look at the items that had been found hidden behind a wall during the renovation work way back in 2013. This was so fascinating, so much social history hidden in a glass container, and now stored in a box file in an office! I am still fascinated by the bell rope on the stairs, the First World War memorial on the ground floor and the amazing copper font.


The glass container

The bell pull on the stairs

The First World War memorial

The copper font

The visit to St Peter's was followed by a visit to Beaumanor Hall where I was lucky enough to be shown around the attic rooms, the cellars, and some of the huts associated with the work of the women who were involved in transcribing encrypted messages received via morse code during the Second World War when Beaumanor was a Y listening station. I don't have any photos of the inside of Beaumanor, but here's what I do have!


The front entrance to Beaumanor Hall

The Beaumanor tour guides being photographed

The next day saw me lunching in town before wandering over to the public library where there is currently a display of all the libraries in the countries that Andrew Carnegie donated to in the main body of the library, and an exhibition of Victorian Loughborough in the Local and Family History Centre. 

Yesterday saw me leading a walk from the Carillon to Taylor's Bellfoundry via the parish church as part of the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the Heritage Open Day initiative. Both the Carillon and the bellfoundry were open to visitors and both were jam-packed as those visitors took the opportunity to experience the unique war memorial and the workings of a Victorian factory. The route we walked took us through the park, out onto Granby Street, to Frederick Street, along Derby Square where we saw some of the Ladybird Collective artwork, through Clay Pipe Jitty, up Church Gate, across to the parish church, into Sparrow Hill and through the Chapman Street housing estate into the bellfoundry, passing the bellfoundry's own carillon. Here's some pictures inside the bellfoundry works. 


A beautiful mode of transport!

Bells destined for Zennor in Cornwall
In between all this busy-ness, I managed a relaxing trip to Thornton Reservoir, where I chilled, breathed in some fresh air, got up close to a cow, and marvelled at the trees!








And now, I'm off for a bit of a rest!!!


You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:

Dyer, Lynne (2019). Carillon and bellfoundry on Heritage Open Days. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/09/carillon-and-bellfoundry-on-heritage.html   [Accessed 15 September 2019]

Take down policy:
I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.
Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne     

    

Sunday 1 September 2019

Secret Loughborough Harrogate connection

A question over on Facebook reminded me about something I wrote that appeared in a shorted form in 'Secret Loughborough', so I thought I'd share the fuller text here.

Over the years, the title of Baron Loughborough of Loughborough has existed and become extinct and then been re-created. Between 1761 and 1780, the Scottish politician and lawyer, Alexander Wedderburn, sat in the House of Commons. In 1780 he was raised to the peerage and created Baron Loughborough.

The designation of the title was changed in 1795 from Loughborough, Leicestershire, to Loughborough, Surrey, making the Leicestershire title extinct. From 1793 until 1801 Wedderburn was the Lord Chancellor of Great Britain, being created First Earl of Rosslyn in April 1801, after being replaced in the position of Lord Chancellor by John Scott, the Lord Eldon. 

In 1786 Wedderburn bought land facing The Stray, in Harrogate, this being a picturesque 200-acre area of open grassland which linked the springs and wells that contributed to the town becoming a spa town. The expanse of the Stray is now protected by an Act of Parliament – The Stray Act 1985 – which safeguards and preserves the area.

It was on this land that Wedderburn built Wedderburn House, possibly incorporating part of an earlier house that had been on the site. Harrogate is well-known for being a spa town, and Wedderburn is also credited with erecting the first pump room there in 1786. This pump room was associated with the St John’s Well, a chalybeate spring (that is, a source of spring water containing much iron and salt) which was originally discovered by Dr Stanhope in the early seventeenth century.

Alexander Wedderburn died in 1805, without issue, and the title of Baron Loughborough, Surrey, has been passed down through his nephew: Peter St Clair-Erskine, 7th Earl of Rosslyn uses the name Peter Loughborough, the latter coming from his subsidiary title of Lord Loughborough. Loughborough’s son, Jamie William St Clair-Erskine has the title of Lord Loughborough. 

Both Wedderburn House, and the second St John’s Well covering are honoured with a Harrogate brown heritage plaque, two of over eighty in the town! Others include the Odeon Cinema, the Granby Hotel and Grove House.






You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:

Dyer, Lynne (2019). Burleigh Hall. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/09/secret-loughborough-harrogate-connection.html [Accessed 1 September 2019]

Take down policy:
I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.
Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne