Lynne About Loughborough: Loughborough 2014 in pics

I'm still reviewing 2014! Last week I shared the top blogposts and my favourite blogposts with you: This week I'm sharing my favourite pics from 2014! Warning: Lots of pics and I haven't as yet worked out how to make them smaller without loosing quality, so they load more quickly: A job for 2015!

From January 2014 - Warner Street School shortly before demolition. All that now remains is the portion which was the schoolmaster's house, to the right of the main school in this photo. The blogpost this appeared in was a veritable pot pourri and included info about resources in the public library, a bit about Aumbery Gap, mention of a talk on Luddites, a WW1 project, the Leicestershire Green Plaque scheme, and a few other things.

Warner Street School shortly before demolition

From February 2014 - an open day at Unity House led me to the discovery of a rulebook for the Oddfellows, published in 1904. Unity House is a lovely building erected in about 1889, and has an interesting history, described in the blogpost. The Oddfellows had various meeting places in Loughborough, and Unity House was one of them.

Oddfellows rulebook for 1904

From March 2014 - ghost signs of Loughborough produced some really interesting photos of painted signs on the sides of buildings advertising businesses that were no longer there (and a few other carved, embossed, and painted signs that really weren't ghost signs!). I think my favourite is the Wool Shop on Nottingham Road: Someone recently told me that the lady who ran the shop knew exactly where everything was, despite the seeming disorder, and when she eventually shut up shop went on a worldwide cruise!

The Wool Shop on Nottingham Road

From April 2014 - during WW2 Sir Malcolm Sargent toured the country with his orchestra, visiting industrial cities affected by the Blitz. He was supposed to conduct at the Empire Cinema, but was unfortunately indisposed on this particular occasion, his place being taken by Warwick Braithwaite.

The programme for the concert at The Empire Cinema

From May 2014 - a rare guided walk around the Dishley Estate led to some really exciting photo opportunities (although I didn't get into the photograph that appeared in the Echo, because I was too busy looking at the walls of the church!)

All Saints Church, Dishley

From June 2014 - For the last couple of years the Loughborough In Bloom initiative has commissioned sculptures to adorn the pond area of Queen's Park, outside the Charnwood Museum. This year the sculptures were on the theme of remembrance.

From July 2014 - having helped out at the Carillon Museum for a few weeks during the 2014 season, imagine my surprise when I discovered that my uncle in New Jersey was the carilloneur in their carillon!!

The Loughborough Carillon in Queen's Park

From August 2014 - a wonderful event took place in Queen's Park, as a reminder of the start of the First World War. There was a parade from John Storer House, a service at the base of the Carillon, and there were stalls and events in the park.

From September 2014 - the spotlight on ancient Loughborough part 1 as a feature on The Windmill Inn, a regular haunt of mine during the 1980s! One of Loughborough's most historic and characterful pubs.

Possibly the oldest pub in Loughborough!

From October 2014 - following my research into Temperance, and particularly into the Temperance Hotel in Nanpantan, I took a visit to Nanpantan Reservoir - its old workings, its surrounding farms and houses, and its wildlife.

A view of the reservoir at Nanpantan

From November 2014 - the son et lumiere on Loughborough Carillon turned out to be rather controversial - some people objected to such an event, and many others simply didn't know it was happening. I went along and took some rather rubbish photos, but it gives you an idea of the event.

Everyone loves a cat

From December 2014 - December gave me an excuse to focus on Christmas events! The Christmas in Leicestershire blogpost gave me a chance to indulge in Hathern Band (particularly the trombone section) and in Christmas trees (although I was unable to attend the Loughborough Christmas tree festival, so the ones on show here are Melton Mowbray).