Three Towers Trail

The Three Towers Trail

Devised and written by Lynne Dyer, August 2019

Key
Ⓘ Information

👣  Walking directions

❗ ALERT: ❗ Alert to a potential danger

⏩ Route 1: Possible different route to the next destination

NOTE: These symbols display fine on my pc, but I appreciate they might not display properly on your device. I'm assuming that even if, for example, the footsteps don't display as footsteps, they will consistently display something you will recognise each time it appears!

START: Begin at the foot of the Carillon

This walk has been specifically designed to link together places that are significant in relation to the bellfounding family of Taylors. If you stop to read all the info and look at all the information boards and take in all the buildings, this mile-long walk should take you about an hour. This walk has also knowingly avoided the busy Market Place (because it was created for a Saturday afternoon walk).

Ⓘ  General introduction to Loughborough

Loughborough, known as Lucteburne in the Domesday Book of 1086, is a market and university town, the largest in Leicestershire after the county town of Leicester. We have regular markets in Market Place, an annual fair in November that fills the town’s streets, and a world-class university. We have been, and still are, home to some of the country’s most well-known companies – Ladybird Books, The Brush, Herbert Morris, and so on. One of these companies, Taylors Bellfoundry, is the last remaining bellfoundry in the UK following the closure of the Whitechapel Bellfoundry in 2017.

Ⓘ  General introduction to Queen’s Park

During the Victorian era, when the issues of public health were beginning to be addressed, many towns created public parks so that people might get a bit of exercise and fresh air, particularly after being cooped up in the unhealthy atmosphere of factories. Our very own Queen’s Park is one of these parks and was created in celebration of Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, in 1897, and was opened in 1899. The bandstand was added in 1902, and the layout has since changed and evolved over the years into what we see today.   

        

Ⓘ Brief introduction to the Carillon

Following the end of the First World War, like other towns, there was a desire to commemorate so many people who died during that war, and the Carillon was built in response to a public consultation in 1919 which included suggestions such as a memorial hospital, a bronze statue, or the provision of almshouses. The idea of the Carillon won favour and so in January 1922 the foundation stone was laid, and the Carillon was unveiled, opened and dedicated in July 1923.  The stone balustrade was given in 1928, and the lighting in 1981, the memorial hedge in 2002, and the whole building has been subject to renovation work these last 2 years. It will, therefore, be celebrating its centenary in 2023, and plans are already underway.

The construction of the tower was a most local affair: built by Moss, of bricks by Tuckers; steelwork by Herbert Morris, and the bells of the carillon made by Taylors Bellfounders.

A Portland stone base and window dressing, with pointing of Portland cement complement the local materials. At 151 feet tall, the Tower weighs a total of 1,300 tons. The main gallery projecting from the body of the tower, is surrounded by sixteen columns which support the roof, and an octagonal gallery with a turret, topped by a cupola roof, rise from this gallery. Access is through the large wooden doors at ground level, and then via the spiral stone stairs, of which there are 138 to reach the top.

The 47 bells were created by Taylors and are inscribed with dedications to the memory of people who died during the First World War: some bells were presented by friends and relatives, others by local companies. The Taylor family dedicated the largest bell to their family members who died.

In short:

⬬    151 ft tall

⬬    138 steps to the top

⬬    47 bells

⬬    1,300 tons

👣  Walk to the Songster armature which you will find just in front of the Carillon   

Ⓘ The horse, Songster, was working at a farm near Woodhouse Eaves, when he was called up to join other horses and soldiers at the beginning of the First World War, and despite his age, he was mobilised in the Market Place. He spent most of the war with Trooper Bert Main and the two became great friends. Songster survived the war, and Bert purchased Songster at an auction so Songster spent the rest of his life back in that Woodhouse Eaves farm.

At the last Armistice Day commemoration in Loughborough in November 2018, an armature representing Songster was decorated with poppies made by local school children and groups, which spent a short time in Queen’s Park, in the Market Place, and a week or so in the Town Hall. In June this year, the armature was placed in a permanent spot in Queen’s Park, at a ceremony attended by relatives of Bert Main, and of the farm owners. In some respects, the armature appears similar to the ‘there but not there’ figures which were created to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War.

Songster in the Town Hall

Unveiling of the Songster armature

👣  Walk up towards the New Street entrance to Queen’s Park and the bell clapper

Ⓘ In support of Loughborough’s ‘In Bloom’ submission, Loughborough University students have been commissioned to create a series of sculptures to grace Queen’s Park. In 2012 the successful student entries reflected the 2012 Olympics, with several pairs of synchronised swimmers’ legs created and placed in the ponds in front of the Charnwood Museum. 

The following year, 2013, Ian Tricker created a number of bell-related sculptures, called ‘The Sound of Time’ which were influenced by Taylors and in particular, the Great Paul bell made by Taylors that was installed in St Paul’s Cathedral, and the bell case of which was installed in Queen’s Park shortly before Tricker’s work. Tricker created three sculptures, of which this cross-section of a bell clapper, engraved with bell-themed poems is one. The two others were a trio of 6-foot tuning forks, and a stack of four bells. Occasionally there are Ladybird book benches in the park, part of the annual Loogabarooga Festival of Illustrated Children’s Literature.

❗ ALERT: the paths through the park could be very wet with lots of puddles if it’s recently rained ❗

👣  Walk back down towards the Carillon

⏩ Route 1: If the ground is dry, cross over the stone bridge and walk along the path on the right.

⏩ Route 2: If ground is wet, take the right-hand path before the bridge.

❗Alert: uneven path at junction once paths converge❗

⏩ Either way, end up at the Great Paul bell casing. 

Ⓘ The Great Paul bell was cast by Taylors in 1881 and transported to London to take its place in St Paul’s Cathedral. As a way of commemorating Loughborough’s rich industrial heritage, the bell casing was placed in Queen’s Park in 2013, where it remains today.

In late 2018 the bells of St Paul’s cathedral, with the exception of the Great Paul bell, were removed from the cathedral through the circular belfry window and were sent to Taylors for restoration and repair. By September the work had been completed and they were back in the cathedral. There are pictures on the bellfoundry website of the Great Paul Bell being transported to London in 1881, and of the circular belfry window used in 2018 (you may have to scroll down and across a bit to find them!). 

However, the work undertaken at Taylors is not all about renovation and restoration though, as in the summer of 2017 Taylors created a new peal of 8 bells for St George’s Memorial Church in Ypres. On leaving the bellfoundry, the bells stopped off at Queen’s Park, and then visited the Dorset steam fair before making their way to St George’s church where a service of dedication was held on 30/31 August, 2017.

❗ ALERT: bumpy path in Granby Street/Frederick Street area due to tree roots ❗

👣  Use path in front of the museum and exit Queen’s Park onto Granby Street. Immediately cross the road at the drop kerb, or if you are with a wheelchair user, walk along Granby Street and use drop kerb just beyond the back entrance to the museum. Walk to the top of  Granby Street, then turn right into Frederick Street. Walk along Frederick Street to its junction with Ashby Square, crossing Packe Street at the drop kerb outside ‘Sprint’ *which is now shuttered up) then turn right into Ashby Square, continuing down slightly around the tree in front of the Griffin, to the entrance to Market Street, but don’t go down Market Street, rather, continue along Ashby Square by crossing Market Street at the drop kerb opposite Loc8 Me.

❗ ALERT: narrow path ❗

Ⓘ There’s a group called the Ladybird Collective which has embarked on an ambitious plan to create an art trail in Loughborough, aiming to create 22 murals in all. Not all the painting we pass is from the Collective, but there is much decoration along our route: ‘Loc8me’, ‘Peter’s’, car park exit, and hoardings around the back of Carillon Court.

👣 Cross car park exit and entrance using drop kerb. Be aware of traffic coming from Orchard Street, as well as those turning left into the car park entrance.

👣 Cross Swan Street where the pedestrianisation begins, outside Tylers, heading to Three Monkeys cafe. Be aware of parked cars in the layby.

❗ ALERT: watch out for bicycles using this route ❗

👣 Turn slightly left then and enter Clay Pipe Jitty on your right, with the tower of the parish church ahead.

Ⓘ Clay Pipe Jitty is so known because during the demolition of the Nag’s Head pub, and the building of the Co-op supermarket in the 1960s, bowls and stems of clay pipes, as well as the remains of a kiln and discarded clay were found.

👣 Continue along Clay Pipe Jitty to the parish church, cross Biggin Street using drop kerb outside Bonkers, or if you with a wheelchair user cross at the top end of that drop kerb to end up on drop kerb directly at Warner’s Lane. Continue along Warner’s Lane, then left into Church Gate. Use the path outside the opticians.

❗ ALERT: watch out for lots of people and cars by the back of Wilkinsons ❗

Ⓘ Towards the end of the 1920s and the beginning of the 1930s Loughborough was a prosperous town, and embarked on a series of improvements to the town centre, which included widening many of the streets, like Baxter Gate and High Street. One street that was not widened was Church Gate, so this retains its medieval width. Church Gate was the first street in Loughborough to be paved, and in 1980 it was the first to be pedestrianised. I like to say that Church Gate is to Loughborough what the Shambles is to York, the Rows are to Chester, and the Lanes are to Leicester! And, yes, there were butchers up here at one time.

❗ ALERT: be aware of narrow path outside The Three Nuns, and bumpy path ❗

👣  At the top of Church Gate cross at the pedestrian crossing, walk past the Three Nuns, turn into Steeple Row and cross at Church Gate end of Steeple Row, turn left along Steeple Row and then turn right into the churchyard. Pause outside the bell tower.   

Ⓘ This is the reason that Taylors Bellfoundry is in Loughborough. This is an active church, where regular services and other events, like the Christmas Tree Festival, music concerts etc. are held. The church is usually open for visitors from 10 until 12 each Saturday morning, when the knowledgeable volunteers are on hand and can tell you about the history of the church. So, we can’t go in today, but standing outside we can see the bell tower, which now houses a peal of 10 bells, but this wasn’t always the case … Records show that in 1552 there were 5 bells, and in 1616 another was added. These 6 bells were recast by Eayre of Kettering. In 1839 John Taylor came to Loughborough from the family bellfounding firm in Oxford, specifically to recast the 6 bells again, and at the same time he added another 2, making a peal of 8. Originally, he may have worked from the yard at the back of the Pack Horse pub (now the Organ Grinder), and moved to Freehold Street in around 1858, when the firm decided to remain permanently in Loughborough. In 1889 Taylors cast a further 2 bells, making the ring of 10 we know today.

Inside, the bell tower is a dedication to the Taylor family, who lost 4 sons in the First World War, and their daughter injured. The memorial plaques are inset in the floor. The inscription on the middle plaque says “Their sound is gone out into all lands.” Portraits of three members of the bellfounding dynasty hang on the walls. A nearby book of remembrance dedicated to Pryce Taylor who died in 1931 states that his widow, Kathleen, gave the elaborate iron screen and gates that open into the tower.    

The following quote is from ‘For the Fallen’ based on the Book of Remembrance held in the church, and produced as part of the Charnwood Great War Centenary Project to re-site the memorial and produce the book of remembrance:

“All four sons were eventually sacrificed and their sister, Josephine, a Red Cross nurse, invalided home. The family laid a massive cast bell-metal memorial to them on the floor of the All Saints bell tower.”

Within the church there is also a memorial to the men of the parish who gave their lives in the Great War 1914-1918. This has been renovated and is now placed in a prominent position on the north wall. 

👣 Walk through the churchyard towards the exit onto Church Gate opposite Lowes.

Ⓘ Lowes occupies the building that is thought to be the original Guildhall, where merchants would meet, and Caravelli’s now occupies the Manor House, which at one time was owned by the Lord of the Manor. Both buildings were constructed around 1477.

❗ ALERT: narrow path with lots of dips but no drop kerbs ❗

👣  Cross Church Gate at Lowe’s corner shop, and walk towards The Coneries. Cross Sparrow Hill at the pedestrian crossing and then cross The Coneries at the pedestrian crossing, past the former post office. 

Ⓘ The international supermarket was a purpose-built theatre, constructed in 1823, and was later used as a meeting place by the Oddfellows, hence the badge on the front of the building. 


















Ⓘ The flats with the iron railings on the corner of Sparrow Hill and The Coneries show a maunche and a lion which are symbols from the Hastings family coat of arms, the Hastings being former Lords of the Manor. More recently this was the site of a Maserati/Ferrari dealers, owned by the late David Clark, a benefactor to the GCR and who created the Shuttlewood Clark Foundation a charity based in Ulverscroft that supports people with disabilities.

👣  Turn left into Cradock Street, immediately cross, to take the first right turn into Chapman Street.

The bell wheel heralds the entrance to the housing estate which borders the bellfoundry.

👣  Turn left into the bit that takes you to the tuning fork and the nested bell sculpture, then follow the route to the Bellfoundry.

Ⓘ Remember that stack of bells and the tuning forks I mentioned when we were in Queen’s Park looking at the bell clapper? Well, these now have a permanent home on this little housing estate, very close to the bellfoundry.

👣  You will come out of the estate onto the grass. Follow the path leftwards to its edge and look back to the carillon on the bellfoundry site: 

Ⓘ The bellfoundry buildings were constructed and opened in 1858/9, and extended after the Great Paul bell was cast. As well as the actual foundry works, there is a carillon built in 1904 and latterly housing 49 bells. 

👣  Follow the pavement down to the right, past the Bellfoundry Reception Office. Pause at the corner of the tower, on Freehold Street:

Ⓘ The tower, which is more visible on entry from Queen’s Road or on the other side of Freehold Street, is the campanile which houses a ring of 12 bells. On the wall underneath the belltower, there is a street sign for Freehold Street. If you look closely at the sign you will see that it bears the marks of iron foundry that was responsible for making it - the John Jones iron foundry in 1902.

👣  Walk along Freehold Street and turn right at the end to see the dated building. From here you can either retrace your steps and exit through the housing estate onto Cradock Street, or you can continue past the dated building and follow this route to exit the housing estate.

👣  Walk You are now standing at the entrance to Cradock Street. Walk to the former post office and cross Sparrow Hill to enter into Baxter Gate. Cross Jubilee Way and continue down Baxter Gate. Where Baxter Gate ends and meets High Street, cross the start of the pedestriansied Market Place, but turn left into High Street by Lloyds Bank. Continue along High Street until you reach its junction with Wood Gate, and turn right into Wood Gate. Walk along here and you will see the Organ Grinder pub on the corner of Pack Horse Lane. It was in the yard on the left along Pack Horse Lane that John Taylor may have had his first foundry.

The milestone outside the Organ Grinder

👣  To return to the Carillon in Queen's Park, continue along Wood Gate until you reach Town Hall Passage on your right. Turn into the passage, and you will come out into Market Place, so turn left and keep to the right, passing a row of shops, and then turn right into Granby Street. Cross whereever it's safe to do so, and enter the park through the gates on the lefthand side of Granby Street.

This is the end of the walk, and this is where I leave you! Thank you so much for coming: I hope you enjoyed the journey and have a great time in the bellfoundry.

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). The Three Towers Trail. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/p/three-towers-trail.html [Accessed 22 September 2019]

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Lynne