Trains rhododendrons and peace!

Another exciting week in the Loughborough area, but one that is tinged with a bit of sadness and regret. Every time I talk to friends, or meet someone new, or happen upon another interesting book, I learn more about our lovely town, and I wish I'd started learning earlier! It doesn't matter how much you know, or how much research you do, there will always be a million and one things you don't know. Sad isn't really the way to describe it, I suppose, but it is sad when each of us knows such a lot, but that knowledge remains implicit, and we take it to the grave with us.

Oh dear, that sounds a bit morbid, but was brought home to me on a trip to Ulverscroft Grange, to donate some "stuff" to the charity shop. The model railway room was open, so I eagerly popped in to have a look and marvel at the workmanship and dedication that went into creating this model. I've mentioned before (although I simply can't find the post at the moment), about David Clarke and the Shuttlewood Clarke Foundation up at Ulverscroft Grange, and the work of his charity. So, talking to one of the volunteers it seems that when the model railway was moved to Ulverscroft, it was expected to take about 3 years to get it back up and running, but, since much of the knowledge associated with it wasn't written down anywhere, but was in the heads of people no longer with us, it actually took 10 years to rebuild. Hmmm ...

A small part of the model train layout

Also whilst I was there I took a buggy ride! Now, I've looked longingly at the buggies before, but had not considered they might be for me. When I pop to Ulverscroft, I walk the footpath until it meets the road, and then I turn round and walk back along the same path. Two, what I would consider to be very good reasons for this: i) I have absolutely no sense of direction, so if I turn a few corners I'm likely to end up lost, so if I'm on my own, I usually go one way and then retrace my steps (I do this in both town and countryside!) and ii) to cross the road would take me to Ulverscroft Manor, and the signs at the beginning of the driveway advise you it's private, so, not being one for trespassing, I'd always assumed you couldn't enter!

The path I normally walk down

Seeing the buggy advertising rides to see the rhododendrons (I absolutely love these flowers), I decided to ask if I could join the trip - and to my joy, it was a yes! Oh, and it was fabulous! The driver didn't think I was mad, and in fact said that he encouraged people to take the buggy ride first, so that when they then went to walk around the grounds they had a good idea of where they were allowed to go and how to get there and what they might see!! He was a kindly soul who also paused the buggy when he saw cameras coming out!! And, he was very knowledgeable, telling us all about the estate, the woods, the wildlife, the events and the house. 

Our knowledgable guide!

The house itself is gorgeous, and was built around 1830 for Thomas Pares of the Leicestershire Banking family, who lived there until his death in around 1867, when the estate was bought by the Lillingston family, who lived there until about 1944. After this the estate passed through a number of owners, being an equestrian centre immediately before being purchased by David Clarke in 1990. 

The house

The lodge

The buggy driver told us that a couple of important stained glass windows had been found and these were now in the Stained Glass Museum in Ely, a museum I tried to visit in March this year, but which was closed on the very day I went along. So, now I know I must re-visit!

When I got home, I had a look for that blog post I thought I'd written about Ulverscroft before, but had no luck finding it. What I did find, however, was a mention of the Lillingston family in a post I wrote about Loughborough's own Dr Eddowes ... !

Anyway, here's a few more pictures of Ulverscroft on what started out as a misty and noisy day, but ended in bright sunshine and peace and tranquillity:

Misty morning

Doing some work on part of the garden

In the woods

In the woods

In the woods

Rhododendrons and the yurt

Through the buggy window

Back at the Grange

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Dyer, Lynne (2018). Trains, rhododendrons and peace. Available from:https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2018/06/trains-rhododendrons-and-peace.html       [Accessed 3 June 2018]

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Lynne