Everywhere reminds me of Loughborough

So glad to be back in sunny Loughborough after a couple of weeks away in Cornwall! As ever, things I've spotted in the many places I've visited during the holiday have been constant reminders of our lovely market town. Indeed, there have been so many interesting connections, I could use up a whole year's worth of blog posts sharing my findings with you ... but I won't!!

So, a quick look at the similarities between Launceston - which was where we broke our long journey - and Loughborough. Both were small market towns, both played a part in the Civil War. 

Costume in Launceston Museum

Launceston Museum

Costumed mannequin at one time in the Old Rectory Museum

The War Memorial in Launceston rises up in the centre of the town, unlike ours which is in the beautiful setting of Queen's Park, and is now accompanied by a memorial to Loughborough's war horse, Songster. 

The town hall clock in Loughborough is pretty special: the clock I spotted in Launceston was attached to a bank building, and was rather ornate:

Both towns had a workhouse. Loughborough's first was on the site now occupied by the Royal Mail sorting office. The Union workhouse was situated on what is now Regent Street. I've posted before about Loughborough's Workhouse, so here's some information about Launceston's:

Now, of course, almost everywhere I go I am tuned in to spot bells! Sadly, they're not always the Taylors variety, but I love to have a quiet poke around, just in case! There were two in Launceston Museum, the first of these was used to summon estate workers to meals, and the second one from a local iron foundry:

The cast of the Great Paul Bell in Queen's Park Loughborough

Another formerly Loughborough-based company is always evident, wherever I go, because I spend a lot of time in bookshops, and whether they're selling new or second-hand books, you can guarantee they've got some Ladybird Books!!! At Launceston Museum, they had a ladybird, but no Ladybird Books:

Boundary stones, milestones and fingerposts? Don't get me started on that one - something I've blogged about before!!!! Here's a boundary stone from the Bude Canal:

And ours from the boundary between Loughborough and Woodthorpe, although experts suggest that this one is not in its original location:

Pubs everywhere are of interest!!! Like Loughborough, Launceston has a White Hart pub: I don't know what the Launceston one was like inside, but it differed on the outside from Loughborough's as it actually had a 3D white hart sitting on the front of the building.

Then I thought I'd spotted another local connection, when I saw an old boot hanging from the front of a building. Did Launceston, like Loughborough, used to have an Old Boot pub?

Excitement continued to grow, until I came to the doorway of the shop, and looked at the tiled floor ... 

Ah well, Leicester's quite close!!!

Another area of employment in Loughborough was lacemaking. Local inventor John Heathcoat had a lacemaking factory on Mill Lane (now Market Street) which was attacked in 1816. The building that replaced it has recently been honoured with a Leicestershire Green Plaque. Lacemaking on display in Launceston Museum was of the Bedfordshire pillow lace type.

Another interest of mine is fire insurance plaques. I don't think there are many in Loughborough: I've only found one, on a house in Park Street. Launceston Museum had a few on display:

And finally, when I was training to be a tour guide we were encouraged to look up, in order to learn more about a town's history from its buildings. I've been used to doing this for many years, but I would also encourage you to look down, as there is a huge amount of history hidden in our streets, which we simply walk over and take for granted! Here's an example from Launceston:

And a couple from Loughborough:

Many of the things I've written about also appear in 'Secret Loughborough'.

You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:

Dyer, Lynne (2019). Everywhere reminds me of Loughborough. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/07/everywhere-reminds-me-of-loughborough.html [Accessed 21 July 2019]

Take down policy:

I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.

Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne 

Knocking on the door to the past

I was talking recently with some friends about answering the door or answering the telephone to unexpected callers, and how these days we often choose not to. This set me thinking back to a conversation I had with another friend years ago who said: "if you can't drop in unexpectedly on your parents, then who can you drop in on?" I must have been thinking about this a lot lately because I dreamed one evening that my parents dropped in on me when I was out, but others in my house were in, so when I got home I was horrified - not horrified to see my parents, but horrified because I hadn't vacuumed for 4 days, the place was untidy and the washing basket was overflowing. And as for the dust ... well!

So these days, I wouldn't dream of calling in on anybody without either phoning them, texting them or emailing them to arrange a suitable time for a visit. I might walk past their house on a regular basis, but I certainly wouldn't interrupt their life without due warning. And even if we did arrange something, we'd be more likely to meet for tea in a cafe in town!

But, as we know, this closed door society hasn't always been like this. Years ago people didn't even used to shut their front door, kids played in the street and not only would you pop in and chat with your friends and neighbours, you'd even - horror or horrors - borrow some sugar from them!

This led me to the curious thought of who from Loughborough's past would I call in on if I happened to be around during their lifetime! Here's some of those who are on my list - and it is just some of them, as there are hundreds more!

• In 1891 I'd visit William Clarke, who was part of the Clarke's Dyeworks family, at The Gables on Forest Road. It's student accommodation now, but I wonder what it would have been like inside as a new house around 1891? And what would William and his family have been like? In 1911 I'd have called in on his widow, Laura, who was now living at no.55 Park Road. That house would surely have been magnificent in those days. In early 1953 I'd have visited William's son, also William, at his home at no.3 Park Street, unaware that this was probably the last time I'd see him.

• In 1889 I'd pop in to see Arthur Paget and his wife, Rose, in Radmoor House, to hear how exciting it was to have an invention displayed at the recent Paris Exposition! Arthur died in 1895, and Rose moved away, so, later that year, I'd drop in an Ernest Coltman, son of Huram Coltman, boilermaker, and see how the house and nearby grounds had changed.

• In 1891 I'd mount the steps of no.20 Burton Street to pop in on Thomas Messenger and talk about the old Messenger business he sold to Walter Burder in 1874. In 1911 I'd be calling in two doors down, at no.22, to pass the time of day with Henry Corah, who ran a printing business. 1939 would see me again calling in at no.20 to see what architectural plans Arnold Barrowcliff was currently working on.

• In the meantime, in 1891 I'd pop in to see how Walter Burder was getting on in his new house, Field House, after moving here from Park Road. Then I'd walk over to The Elms, off the Leicester Road and see how his younger brother, Alfred was getting on in his big house.  

• Having visited Edward Middleton, owner of Middleton's Bank in Market Place, at his home in the Grove on Ashby Road (now student halls) in 1871, I'd then walk up to Leicester Road, to visit his son Edward William Craddock Middleton and his wife Augusta Sophia. They're living in Shelthorpe Cottage, a beautiful house in a park setting - lovely and quiet! In 1887 Edward died, and Augusta Sophia continued to live in Shelthorpe House, but eventually moved to Fairfield House, now known as the White House, probably to get away from the steam of the new Great Central Railway, and the constant machinery of the new Tucker's brick works, which both opened around 1898-9. In 1907 I'd pop in to Fairfield House and chat about the recent events Mrs Middleton had been to - she's a very social lady and has numerous friends!

And this would leave me plenty of other folk to visit on other days!

You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follow:

Dyer, Lynne (2019). Knocking on the door to the past. Available from:  [Accessed  14 July 2019]

Take down policy:

I post no pictures that are not my own, unless I have express permission so to do. All text is my own, and not copied from any other information sources, printed or electronic, unless identified and credited as such. If you find I have posted something in contravention of these statements, or if there are photographs of you which you would prefer not to be here, please contact me at the address listed on the About Me page, and I will remove these.

Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne