Walking the university

When I first arrived in Loughborough all those years ago, it was to attend an interview at the university for a place on a course. Arriving by train was an experience: all that derelict land between Burder Street and the railway station, and the long, long walk up Nottingham Road and on to the university campus.

Although I continued to live in Loughborough after graduating, I never went back onto campus, but read in the local paper, and heard about many of the changes happening on the campus as the university grew in size and reputation. However, more recently I have started to visit the campus, initially to attend meetings of the Loughborough Archaeological and Historical Society (ironically, who now meet at Knightthorpe Methodist Church), and then to attend my daughter's postgraduate award ceremony.

Hunting around on the internet, and talking to a friend, led me to a series of walk leaflets that the university produced (written, I believe, by my friend) to encourage folk to discover the campus and its buildings. Although there is no public right of way across the campus, the university is used by many local people taking a stroll, and including school children as a shortcut, so how nice to be able to do this and learn something about the university at the same time.

I recently had occasion to visit the Brockington Building as this is where my daughter is based whilst she furthers her studies. When I was a student, I didn't use Brockington, but we also walked through Schofield, and that brought back loads of memories of my interview, and the old library journals reserve stack that used to be there.

Today, a beautifully sunny day, my youngest and I took one of the walk leaflets onto campus and had an interesting and informative time following it. We chose Walk Five: The Village Walk, which took us past the Pilkington Library (which was where I was taught in my final year as a student, and which was named after one of the Chairmen of Pilkington Glass, whose factory in New Inn I remember very well, as it was on our route from our home to my grandparents, was close to where my father worked, and even closer to where my cousin lived - knocked down and now a housing development). 

We also saw the Elvyn Richards halls, which was where I spent my interview night, and where my best friend at uni lived, along with Cayley, Royce, Rutherford, Telford, Faraday and Whitworth, which were started to be built around 1959. These halls have been joined by some newer ones - Robert Bakewell, John Phillips and the new Hazlerigg and Rutland halls. 

So pleased to see that the Purple Onion shop is still there, but looks a lot bigger than I remember it!! Along Margaret Keay Road, we also spotted the Medical Centre where I spent a week in my second year. From here we glanced over towards Ashby Road where they appear to be doing some work; across the football pitch to the Hazlegrave Building, and up the road to the back of the old library and the EHB. 

Taking University Road, we immediately turned and walked towards the old gardener's cottage and the Garden of Remembrance, before walking back to where we started at the Pilkington Library.

Here's some links to the walk leaflets, so you can have a go yourself:

Walk One: The Fountain Walk

Walk Two: The Towers Walk

Walk Three: The Walled Garden Walk

Walk Four: Paddock Walk

Walk Five: The Village Walk

Walk Six: The Holywell Walk

Walk Seven: The Olympic Torch Walk     

And here are some photos from our lovely walk:

  

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Dyer, Lynne (2017). Walking the university. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2018/01/walking-university.html [Accessed 7 January 2018]

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Lynne