Walking the plaques

List of plaques in Loughborough

The following is a list of plaques (Blue, Green, White, and Other) of which I'm aware (not exhaustive - I'm bound to have forgotten some). They have been installed by various bodies, and where I know what this was, I've included this. The Leicestershire County Council Green Plaque Scheme is a relatively new initiative which sees the public nominate and vote for commemorative plaques they would like to see throughout Leicestershire. As you'll see from the list below, Loughborough has a number of these plaques, and its latest winner (of the 2017 voting round) will be installed shortly.

Where possible I've included a photo of the actual plaque in question and a photo to show it in context.

I will try and make this into a walk and put on a dedicated page at some point, but if in the meantime you want to find out more about Heathcoat and the Luddites, pop over to this walk, and if you want to follow the Zeppelin trail pop over to this walk.  

The List

Blue ones

1

Location – John Heathcoat’s House, Leicester Road

Detail – commemorating the lace-manufacturer John Heathcoat who was living in this property at the time the Luddites attacked his factory on Mill Street (now Market Street) in 1816. Installed by Charnwood Borough Council

What else to see in the general area – white plaque on gates to Southfield Park, just down Leicester Road - Green Plaque further up Leicester Road and off to the left down Factory Street

John Heathcoat's abode on Leicester Road

Blue plaque

2

Location – a wall on Warner’s Lane, off Church Gate

Detail – commemorating the former Non-Conformist (Unitarian) Church which used to be in this area. Robert Bakewell, prominent local agricultural pioneer attended this church. Installed by Charnwood Borough Council

What else to see in the general area – white plaque at bottom of Church Gate at its junction with Biggin Street

A plaque between Smith & Smith and Sue Ryder commemorating the Unitarian Chapel and Robert Bakewell

Blue plaque

3

Location – entrance to the Masonic Hall (formerly the Carillon Rooms, and Independent Congregational Chapel) on Orchard Street

Detail – commemorating 200 years of Freemasonry, and 129 years of meetings in Loughborough. Installed by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Leicestershire and Rutland.

What else to see in the general area – along Swan Street, a granite cross in the middle of the road, and a commemorative plaque under the canopy of the stairs to The Rushes shopping centre 

The Masonic Hall

Blue plaque

Green ones

1

Location – Factory Street, off Leicester Road on house next door to the Peacock

Detail – commemorating the innovative textile manufacturer William Cotton who lived in this property. Installed by Leicestershire County Council  

What else to see in the general area – a blue plaque back down Leicester Road – white plaque on the gates to Southfield Park

The Peacock and the house on Factory Street commemorating the life of William Cotton

Unveiling the plaque

Green plaque

2

Location – Gainsborough House on Nottingham Road

Detail – Gainsborough House was the home of Thomas Tyler who trained Sunloch, a horse which won the Grand National in 1914. Installed by Leicestershire County Council

What else to see in the general area – a white plaque on the railway station building – plaque commemorating the 50^th anniversary of the creation of the British Junior Chamber – artwork on the flats on Station Boulevard

Gainsborough House on Nottingham Road

Green plaque

3

Location – entrance to Carillon Centre from Market Street

Detail – commemorating Angel Yard, the former home of the publishers of Ladybird Books, before it moved to Beeches Road. Installed by Leicestershire County Council

What else to see in the general area – an artwork showing a boy lying down reading, situated in the Carillon Centre

Angel Yard at the entrance to Carillon Centre

Green plaque

Boy reading in Carillon Court

Blue and green ones

Pair

Location – a pair of plaques on part of the Taylor Bellfounders factory on Freehold Street

Detail – blue plaque commemorating the life of John William Taylor I who worked and lived on the factory site, 1859-1906. Green plaque commemorating the work of the Bellfoundry at this site since 1859, installed by Leicestershire County Council

What else to see in the general area – brass plaque on Empress Road  

Taylors Bellfounders with plaques on the tower

Blue and green plaques

White ones

1

Location - Thomas Cook at the railway station

Detail – commemorating the first “package tour” from Leicester to Loughborough, a Temperance Society outing, including fun and games on Southfields Park

What else to see in the general area – Loughborough Junior Chamber plaque also commemorating the outing on the 50^th anniversary of the British Junior Chamber – a red telephone box – a VR wall inset post-box – the GCR bridge over the mainline – the artwork on the flats on Station Boulevard – a green plaque on a farmhouse on Nottingham Road

The railway station

White plaque

Junior Chamber plaque at the railway station

Plaque detail

The telephone box

The Victorian post-box

The flats on Station Boulevard

Detail of the artwork

Bridge to the Future

2

Location - Thomas Cook at Southfields Park, Leicester Road

Detail – commemorating the first “package tour” from Leicester to Loughborough, a Temperance Society outing, including fun and games on Southfields Park

What else to see in the general area – Blue Plaque a little way down Leicester Road – a Green Plaque further down Leicester Road and off to the left down Factory Street

The gates to Southfield Park

White plaque 

3

Location – Bottom end of Church Gate at its junction with Biggin Street

Detail – commemorating the pedestrianisation of Church Gate in 1980 and installed by Loughborough and District Civic Trust

What else to see in the general area – Blue Plaque a little way up Church Gate and off to the left down Warners Lane

The bottom of Church Gate at its junction with Biggin Street

White plaque

  

Other

1

Location – archway at the bottom of the Shelthorpe Estate at its junction with Leicester Road

Detail – coat of arms and plaque commemorating the award-winning design that is the Shelthorpe Estate

What else to see in the general area – the cemetery chapels further up Leicester Road – the Loughborough Endowed Schools buildings further down Leicester Road – the Lodge to Aingarth (formerly Elms Lodge) also further down Leicester Road

The arch at the bottom of the Shelthorpe Estate

Plaques

2

Location – Swan Street a commemorative plaque under the canopy of the stairs to The Rushes shopping centre

Detail – commemorating the site of the falling of Zeppelin bombs on Swan Street, and those who were killed in the five attacks. Paid for by public subscription

What else to see in the general area – plaque on the Masonic Hall, Orchard Street

The Zeppelin memorial installed on the 100th anniversary of the falling of Zeppelin bombs

3

Location – Empress Road on the side of a house near the Herbert Morris factory

Detail – brass plaque commemorating the site of the falling of Zeppelin bombs, and those who were killed in the five attacks.

What else to see in the general area – granite cross in the road opposite this plaque – blue and green plaques on Freehold Street 

Brass plaque

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Dyer, Lynne (2018). Walking the plaques. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2018/03/walking-plaques.html [Accessed 24 March 2018]

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Lynne