Sunday, 5 January 2025

Changes in Loughborough 2024 Pt 1

Welcome to 2025! On the blog at the end of last year we looked at some of the history of Shelthorpe House. There's one more post to come on that topic, but since it's the beginning of a new year, I thought we'd have a quick look at things (mostly buildings!) that have changed during the year. As you might imagine, even only looking at the town centre (ish!), there's more than enough for two blog posts!!

Firstly, here are a few of the pubs that have changed or have had work done to them in 2024, and might still be having work done in 2025!

The former Barley Mow on Market Street, seen below in 2022 as the Cask Bah, and in October 2024 as the Mini Monocle!





Next comes the Blacksmiths, or the Blacksmith's Arms, on Ward's End

January 2024
March 2024


May 2024


May 2024

September 2024

Champs had a bit of work done on it in 2024, too. First pics are from 2022, second pics from 2024






Kelso, next to the Jam Garden, re-opened during 2024. Pictured firstly in 2022, then in 2024





The Paget Arms over on the corner of Oxford and Paget streets was surrounded by scaffolding in 2024. First picture is from 2019, second from 2024





The Phantom (originally the Cross Keys, then the Phantom and Firkin) has been repainted during 2024. Pictured firstly in 2018, and then in 2024





Next, let's have a look at some banks and building societies that have changed during the previous year.

The HSBC, which caught fire in March 2022, is still under wraps (first pic), but after a period of service inside the Town Hall, the bank has now opened in the former Farm Foods building on Cattle Market (picture 2, taken in August 2024, just before the refurbishment was completed)





Loughborough Building Society (The Loughborough) moved its head office from High Street, to a building on Wood Gate that had previously been an NHS building. The Wood Gate building is pictured firstly in April 2024 during works, and secondly in September 2024, after staff had moved in.





Santander, on Market Street, also had a bit of a facelift during 2024 



Following on from banks we have a few shops that have changed during 2024. Firstly, Carillon Court (Charnwood Precinct as it used to be!) - all change in there, but let's just look at a sign that was revealed during a change of shop (March 2024)



Both Grape Tree and Vision Express moved out of the shopping centre and into the town streets. Pictured below is the new Grape Tree, May 2024



We had a new coffee shop open on Cattle Market, pictured in March 2024



The colour of Devonshire changed - Armstrong the estate agent, who had been there for rather a long time, went solely online, and were replaced by Smiths (not sure, but think they moved from Fennel Street, in what was the old sports shop (Prince's, possibly). Lots of estate agents have now moved into Bedford Square - Germans did a little while ago, and now Andrew Granger have moved from Forest Road, and there are a couple of others, too. Pics are Armstrongs and Smiths, February 2024.



The market also changed fairly recently, with new stalls, that are sturdier, and expected to withstand diverse weather conditions




Out of the town centre, the former Co-op No.1 on Derby Road, has now been converted into flats, I believe. There is extensive coverage of this building on the blog, as it's a 1920s, Art Deco building, clad in Hathernware tiles, and has been a long-running renovation. Pictured first in 2019, and second in July 2024





Also on the outskirts of town, Cobden School has been having a new roof, pictured in May 2024


The Generator Building, on Packe Street, has also been undergoing some major renovation work (and has been featured on this blog many times before). Pictured here in May 2024, just after the scaffolding was put up!



And finally, in this Part 1 of Changes in 2024, we have seen scaffolding on the Carnegie Library building, which in 2025 celebrates its 120th birthday!! Pictured below in May 2024.



And that's all for Part 1!!! Check back next week for another instalment of building changes - there are plenty!!

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2025). Changes in Loughborough 2024, Pt 1. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2025/01/changes-in-loughborough-2024-pt-1.html [Accessed 5 January 2025]

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.

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Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

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You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

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Lynne

Sunday, 29 December 2024

Ruddington Fields to the Bridge to the Future - the Betwixtmus Train!

Ruddington Fields almost to the Bridge to the Future - the Betwixtmus Train!

Well, I thought I was in for a quiet Christmas, but no, actually it's been incredibly busy!

Today is my usual day for sharing something about Loughborough with you, so how opportune that I happened to have travelled on the Great Central Railway this morning! Not the usual trip from Loughborough Central to Leicester North, via Quron & Woodhouse, and Rothley, but rather from Ruddington Fields, in the Rushcliffe Country Park, through Rushcliffe Halt at the Nottingham end of East Leake, all the way to what the heightened railway bridge over the A60 by The Brush in Loughborough - not quite as far as what I still call the Bridge to the Future, which is closer to the civic amenity site!

I can't wait for the day when the line is totally joined up, and the journey will run all the way from Rushcliffe to Leicester North!!

I've been to Rushcliffe Country Park many times before, mostly for children to play in the park, or to wander around the lake. I was also there on Christmas Day this year, for the parkrun - no, I didn't run, I was there to support those who were running!!! I have stood on the bridge over the railway many times before, also, but had not realised that actually down in the station there was also a collection of old buses, a model railway, a miniature railway, and a very miniature railway, and a cafe!!! I can see I will have difficulty staying away now!!!!

Here's a few photos of my journey. Some pictures didn't come out well, as they were taken from the train, through the windows!

The start of the journey, at Ruddington Fields






Rushcliffe Halt at East Leake, next to British Gypsum


Arriving at the recently heightened bridge over the A60




The return journey





Back at Ruddington Fields









 

      

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2024). Ruddington Fields almost to the Bridge to the Future - the Betwixtmus Train! Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/12/ruddington-fields-to-br  [Accessed 29 December 2024]

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.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne