Market Place sale

Particulars and plan of an important freehold property suitable for redevelopment ...

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you may remember a while ago I wrote a short article about the Drs Eddowes, who ran a practice in Market Place?

A recent chance find when I was rummaging around at a postcard fair were some sales particulars for a short row of shops in Market Place These shops were up for auction in April 1961, and the auctioneers in question were Messrs Garton (who appear in several of my earlier blogposts – Loughborough and the opening of the Temperance Hall, Spotlight on: 54 Baxter Gate, and rather tenuously on Ghost signs of Loughborough Part 2).    




 

The solicitors concerned with the sale of these properties were Moss, Toone and Deane (the only connections on this blog so far, is that Henry John Deane used to live at 145 Ashby Road ) who were based in 80-82 Woodgate. Although this solicitor’s practice has been through various partnerships and are now known simply as Moss Solicitors, they are still based in 80-82 Woodgate.

The shops in question were numbers 5, 6 and 6a Market Place, and were Easiephit (men’s shoes and fashion shoes), Maypole (which looks like a grocers, and is advertising butter and tea, and is listed inside the particulars as Maypole Dairy Co Ltd.), and The Home and Colonial Stores (again selling tea). Just to the left of Easiephit, was Melia’s (possibly number 4), and to the right was Charnwood Chambers (possibly number 7, or 7a).

As early as 1828, and for many years after that, the Eddowes doctors lived and worked in number 6 Market Place. What I’m not sure about is whether the building shown in the sales particulars is as old as 1828, or whether the surgeons would have lived in an older property on the same plot. I do know that William Godber, who was killed in action during WW1, worked as a grocer’s assistant at the Maypole Dairy in Market Place, so I’m sure the building is pre-WW1, but not sure it’s as old as 1828.  

Of course, numbers 5, 6 and 6a Market Place are no longer there, having been demolished around 1975 when what was then the Charnwood Precinct (now Carillon Court) was built. Charnwood Chambers, however, which is next to number 6, is still standing and whilst once it was MacFisheries, it now houses Café Nero. Melia’s, next to number 5, was demolished and replaced by the building that is now TopShop. 

 

 

 

 

What’s also interesting about these particular shops is that the sales brochure includes a rough plan of the shops that were in existence in 1961. This makes for interesting reading, and surprisingly, some of these shops were still in the same location in 1981 when I came to Loughborough. And, as if that wasn’t enough, the brochure comes with a pull out plan of the exact properties and outbuildings that are for sale. So, as well as the ground floor shops, there is also upstairs accommodation which, at the time, was let to Loughborough Club Co Ltd. and also over Melia’s. And, there was a workshop, occupied by Metalcraft Ltd., which was approached from Angel Yard. And, there was also a store and a garage in Angel Yard which were occupied by Messers. Wills & Hepworth Ltd. (of which more in a future post!).

From the page headed “Contract” it would appear that the owner of the shops was Arnold Montague Barrowcliff, a retired architect, and receiver of the Military Cross for his part in WW1. Arnold, who was living on Burton Street at the time of this sale, was the son of George Harry Barrowcliff of the architectural partnership, Barrowcliff and Allcock, who, amongst other things, in 1903-5 designed the public library in Granby Street.

 

Arnold Montague Barrowcliff's House today

The auction for these shops was held at the King’s Head Hotel, on Thursday 27^th April, 1961, at 3pm. I have no idea who the buyer was, but when I find out I will be sure to share this with you!