Sunday 27 December 2020

Bellfoundry and church bells

Taylors Bellfoundry and the bells of the Loughborough parish church

One of the sounds that one can’t fail to have missed during the past 9 months is that of church bells ringing out – for all sorts of occasions, as well as calling people to a regular service. Whether or not you are a member of a church, whether or not this is your religion, the ringing of church bells is something that would normally permeate every village, town and city in the country. This is the first time since the Second World War that church bells have fallen silent.

In Loughborough, the irony of the silence of the church bells is that the town is home to the country’s last remaining bellfoundry, Taylors, as the Whitechapel bellfoundry closed in May 2017. Taylors has been an integral part of Loughborough’s industrial history since 1839, when the foundry moved here. Initially, the yard behind the Packhorse pub (now the Organ Grinder) served the bellfounders well, when they arrived in the town to re-cast the bells of the parish church, but by 1859, a larger, purpose-built factory had been created in the area around Freehold and Cobden Streets.

Bellfoundry buildings

Bellfoundry buildings


As a working factory, the bellfoundry has an extensive private archive and some of the history of the bellfoundry is shared on the internet, via the bellfoundry website, and that of the Loughborough Bellfoundry Trust. The trust has been in existence since about 2016 and was created to protect the buildings, the archives, and the museum within the bellfoundry for future generations.

A visit to the museum is a real treat as the work of the bellfoundry is showcased not only in a dedicated museum space, but also through an organised tour of the actual foundry where on casting days it’s possible to observe bells being made.

Bells


Although church bells may have fallen silent during this pandemic, work at the foundry has continued, and work to create a new museum for the 21st century has also forged ahead, with the appointment of a new museum director:

The new Museum Director for the Bellfoundry Trust, courtesy of Twitter

Also during the pandemic, the bell foundry has been in receipt of grants from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund, and, just before Christmas it was announced that the bellfoundry’s application to the Heritage Lottery Fund for a substantial grant had finally been approved. This success made the national news, and was reported on the BBC website, as well as being featured on the Heritage Fund websiteand on the website of Ingham Pinnock the economic and regeneration consultants who have been working with the bellfoundry since about 2014.  

The last time I visited Loughborough parish church, in February 2020, was to assist with keeping the church open whilst a ringing event took place, from 2pm, with an expected completion time of 5.45pm. This was a successful challenge - for the bellringers and myself!

Church belltower
Loughborough parish church tower


Inside the parish church Feb 2020


Inside the parish church, Feb 2020

Inside the parish church, Feb 2020

 

More recently, on Christmas Day, 2020, a small band of bellringers were able to ring the bells of the parish church. This was a momentous occasion as it was the first time the bells had been rung since 15th March 2020, just before the national lockdown. Several important safety inspections were carried out before this COVID-safe peal was allowed to go ahead, but those involved were absolutely thrilled to be able to ring, and people in the neighbourhood were thrilled to hear that iconic sound of church bells.

Let’s hope 2021 brings more opportunities for bellringers to ring, for townsfolk to hear the familiar sounds, for the bellfoundry works to flourish, and the bellfoundry's museum plans to develop.  

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough 27 December 2020

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

Dyer, Lynne (2020). Bellfoundry and church bells. Available fromhttps://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/12/bellfoundry-and-church-bells.html [Accessed 27 December 2020]

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.
You can leave comments below, but do check back as my reply will appear here, below your comment.

Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne        

Sunday 20 December 2020

Spotlight on Glebe House Part 2

History of Glebe House part 2



In the previous post about Glebe House, we looked at the period during which it acted as the rectory associated with the Emmanuel Church, before moving on to look at who the rectors of Emmanuel were. In this post, let’s look at how Glebe House was used after the rector from 1904-1923, Richard H. Fuller, completed his incumbency.


In 1923 Rev. Douglas R. Robson accepted the position of Rector of Loughborough, and came from the small parish of Par, in Cornwall, but rather than coming to live at the impressive Glebe House, Rev. Robson moved into no.57 Forest Road, where in June 1923 Mrs Robson was advertising for the services of a cook / general servant.


So, who was now living at the beautiful Glebe House, in its lovely setting?

Prior to moving to Glebe House, William Shirley Northcote Toller, known to his family as Shirley lived in Stafford Lodge, Quorn. Toller had taken part in the First World War, and in March 1918, at the age of 40, he was taken prisoner of war: shortly after the Armistice was declared, he returned to England. From 1921 to 1926, he was Lt. Colonel of the 1/5th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment and it was during this period that he moved from Quorn to Glebe House, where he continued to live until around 1930, when he moved to Quorn Court.


The family that moved into Glebe House following Toller, were the Barthels. Albert Gustave Vincent Barthel was born the year before Toller, in 1887, to parents Louis and Edla [sic], in London. Barthel started his career as a bank clerk, but at the time of his marriage in 1917 to Eva Bigwood, he was an export manager. The couple continued to live in London, sharing the home of Eva’s parents in Battersea. However, in 1920 they registered the birth of their daughter, Joan, in Chepstow. By 1925, the family had moved to 31 Park Road, in Loughborough for a few years, before taking up residence in Glebe House.

On the 1939 register, Barthel is described as the managing director of a public limited company. A newspaper report from June 1940 describes the plight of the couple’s twin sons, Paul and Peter, the outcome of which was that Peter Vincent died in 1942. At the time, father Gilbert was the managing director of Genatosan, a firm which was begun in 1906 in London, as part of Sanatogen, and which in 1937 was taken over by Fisons.

Although there is no information on when Barthel retired, he and his family continued to live at Glebe House until about 1952, after which they moved to Storrington near Horsham in West Sussex, where Albert died in 1982.

Meanwhile, back in Loughborough, William Davis moved into Glebe House in around 1962. Prior to this, he and his wife Kathleen had been living at 24 William Street since at least as early as 1939. In 1935, William Davis had established his house-building company, who built their first houses on Edelin Road, the year the couple’s first child, Edelin was born. By the time of the move to Glebe House, the company was extremely successful.


Sadly, resources beyond 1962 are not available to me at the moment, so I am not sure when the Leicestershire County Council bought Glebe House, but I do know that the project known as Glebe House rented Glebe House from the council in 1982, and opened the building in 1983, offering a pre-school playgroup, and a holiday playscheme, amongst other things. In 1992, the project became a charity in its own right.

In 2004 Glebe House was added to Charnwood Borough Council’s register of locally listed buildings. The Glebe House charity continued to operate from Glebe House until 2010, when it moved to the former Magistrate’s Court on Wood Gate. In 2013 the Hardwick House School moved into Glebe House, and opened in 2014, and remains there to this day. Hardwick House School offers a curriculum that is rich and inspiring, and aims to provide an enjoyable learning experience for children and young people. It is a specialist independent school which is part of the group known as Cavendish Education.

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough 20 December 2020

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

Dyer, Lynne (2020). Spotlight on Glebe House Part 2. Available from:https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/12/spotlight-on-glebe-house-part-2.html [Accessed 20 December 2020]

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.
You can leave comments below, but do check back as my reply will appear here, below your comment.

Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne        

Sunday 13 December 2020

Winter Wonderland on the GCR

Been rather a busy week, so the concluding part of Glebe House will be published here next week. In the meantime, some of my very recent evening walks have obviously taken place in the dark, so I've managed to take some slightly different pictures.

First some photos of Christmas lights around Loughborough








 And some photos of the Winter Wonderland GCR event











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

Dyer, Lynne (2020). Winter Wonderland on the GCR. Available from:https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/12/winter-wonderland-on-gcr.html [Accessed 13 December 2020]

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.
You can leave comments below, but do check back as my reply will appear here, below your comment.

Thank you for reading this blog. 
Lynne                                  

Friday 4 December 2020

Spotlight on Glebe House

Nestled between a primary school, the former home of Loughborough’s first mayor, and close to a university hall of residence, on what is affectionately known as the Forest Green Belt, Glebe House will be a name well known to those who are familiar with Loughborough. For many years the property was home to the Glebe House project, being used by Loughborough MENCAP from about 1982 until 2010. 

Glebe House

But what of the building before this, and what afterwards? And what exactly does this have to do with no.57 Forest Road - now part of a student property, but once part of the Forest Rise Hotel - and an unassuming mid-twentieth century property, no.47 Forest Road?

Rev. William Holme, who was Rector of Loughborough, initiated the dividing of Loughborough from one large parish, served by the church of All Saints, into two parishes. As a result of this, the building of Emmanuel church began in 1835, and was completed by 1837, with the service of dedication being held on 4 September 1837. At this time (and until 1839) Loughborough was in the diocese of Lincoln.

As Rev. Holme was the rector of the whole of Loughborough, he resided at the Rectory in Rectory Road, practically adjacent to the church of All Saints. When the reverend died in 1848, a new rector for Loughborough (i.e. the parish of All Saints) was appointed, as was a rector for the relatively new parish of Emmanuel.

The Old Rectory on Rectory Road, home to the Rector of All Saints


Rev. Robert James Bunch arrived in Loughborough in 1848, and in June of that year Rev. Bunch married Mary Anne Cooper, daughter of the Rev. B. Cooper, Rector of Lewcombe in Dorset, at Christ Church, St Pancras.

On the 1851 census, Rev. Bunch and his wife are listed at The Grove on Ashby Road, the family home of the banking dynasty of Middleton. 

The Grove, Ashby Road

However, also in 1851 the new rectory for the Emmanuel church was completed at a cost of around £2,000 to build. Apparently this new rectory was designed to be similar to the vicarage in Yetminster, Dorset, as both Mrs Bunch’s grandfather and father had been the vicar there. What emerged was a beautiful red-brick Victorian Gothic rectory, which today appears on the register of Locally Listed Buildings.  

During the time that Rev. Bunch and his family were living at the rectory, in October 1869 there were a series of about nine fires, deliberately set alight, all in a straight line and within a quarter of a mile of each other. According to a newspaper report, “On the right, and very near to Emmanuel Rectory, the residence of the Rev. R.J. Bunch, a haystack, the produce of six acres, belonging to Mr Robert Handley, was being consumed.” The perpetrator of the crime had given himself up and confessed to the police.

On 19 June 1870, Rev. Bunch died, and in August 1870 the auction house on Baxter Gate were auctioning valuable furniture and contents from the rectory, including 700-800 volumes of books. Bunch’s position as rector was filled by Rev. Octavius Glover, a bachelor who lived in the rectory with his four servants. Rev. Glover retired from his position as rector of Emmanuel in 1904, and died in Torquay the following year. Oddly, in August of 1904 the auction house of Garton and Amatt on Baxter Gate was again auctioning furniture etc. from the Emmanuel Rectory.

The former offices of auctioneers, Garton and Amatt

It was in September of 1904, following the retirement of Rev. Glover, that the Rev. Richard H. Fuller first appeared to preach at Emmanuel church. He and his family lived at the Rectory, but there were a number of things about the building which worried him: the house wasn’t connected to the local water supply, instead relying on water drawn from a well, and the sewerage system was not up to scratch either, nor did Rev. Fuller appreciate the necessity for employing a large number of servants! In March 1907, Mr Beeby, a 24-year old gardener with 2.5 years’ experience was advertising that he was looking for a position elsewhere: the address given in the advert was the Emmanuel Rectory Loughborough, and it appeared in the Stamford Mercury.  

Rev. Fuller continued to live at the rectory until about 1920. During the period from 1904 – 1920, there were many newsworthy things happening. 

In 1908 there was an extensive report in the newspaper about one of the many fetes and sales of work that were held in the rectory grounds. Apart from giving everyone the chance to have fun, the aim of the fete was to raise funds to improve and extend the church. Although the rain fell, and people got bogged down in the garden, the event went well, and funds were, indeed, raised.

In 1911 Mr Amatt was auctioning, amongst other things, a plot of freehold building land on Forest Road, previously belonging to Mrs S.J. Crosher. The plot was currently occupied by Mr Scott, and was subject to Land Tax and a Tithe Rent of 14s. 6d. payable to the Rector of Emmanuel. The plot had a frontage of 90 feet onto Forest Road, and was of 1,036 square feet.

In March 1914 the ‘Loughborough Echo’ reported that a nest of thrushes were hatched in the Emmanuel Rectory garden. And in September that same year an appeal was put out by H. Sabina Fuller [sic] of Emmanuel Rectory for people to knit socks for soldiers, as the War Office allowance was only three pairs.

A couple of years later, in March 1916 a young person was charged with stealing a cycle lamp used by Miss Fuller, and belonging to Rev R.H.  Fuller of Emmanuel Rectory and worth 6s. 6d.. This was taken in October 1915 from outside Rosebery School, while Miss Fuller was attending a nursing class. 

In August 1917 ‘The Tatler’ carried the announcement of the marriage between Miss Cecil Sabrina Fuller, the only daughter of Rev R.H. Fuller and his wife, with Mr Maurice Woolley.

In 1920, Emmanuel Church bought a smaller property, on Forest Road, as a home for the rector. This house, at no.57, was a semi-detached Victorian red-brick villa, which has more recently been the left-hand half of the Forest Rise Hotel, now student accommodation. At the time of purchase, the house was just over £4,500, and despite being smaller than the original rectory, still had six bedrooms!

These two semi-detached properties, nos.55 (right) & 57 (left), have been merged

Perhaps it was at this time that the 1851 rectory became known as Glebe House, to make it more easily differentiated from the new rectory?

Let’s very quickly look at successive rectors and their homes …

Rev. Fuller moved on in 1923 to become rector of North Luffenham in Rutland, and Rev. Douglas A. Robson took over from him. Rev. Robson came from Par in Cornwall, and when he moved on in 1939, it was to South Kilworth in Leicestershire. Rev. Harold Marley took over in 1939, coming from Sedgley, and moving to be rector of Thorpe Morieux in Suffolk.

Rev. Lancelot Edgell Dashwood became Rector of Emmanuel in 1951, following on from Rev. Marley. His immediately previous position was as vicar of Hugglescote and he retired in 1961 to Hothfield in Kent. It was during Rev. Dashwood’s incumbency, in 1953-54, that the current rectory, no.47 Forest Road was built and became home to future rectors.

No.47 Forest Road

The rector from 1961-1969 was Rev. Alfred Reginald Meakin, who came to Loughborough from the position of Rector of Appleby Magna. ‘Rex’ as he was known, retired to Dorset in 1969, and his shoes were filled in 1970 by Rev. Ian D. Campbell, who, in 1980 moved on to become vicar of All Saints in Leamington Spa. Coming from Thorpe Arnold, near Melton Mowbray, Michael T.H. Banks became Rector of Emmanuel in 1980. Rev. Banks was followed by Rev. David Newman, who left Emmanuel in 2009 to become Warden at Launde Abbey, and he was followed in the role at Emmanuel by Rev. Michael Broadley, who remains as rector today, and resides at no.47.

So, now we’ve seen where the rector resides after 1920, wouldn’t it be interesting to know what happens to ‘Glebe House’ once the rector moves out?

Find out in the next post!!!

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

Dyer, Lynne (2020). Spotlight on Glebe House. Available fromhttps://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/11/spotlight-on-glebe-house.html [Accessed 6 December 2020]

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.
You can leave comments below, but do check back as my reply will appear here, below your comment.

Thank you for reading this blog. 
Lynne                     

Saturday 21 November 2020

Spotlight on Fairmount Drive

Fairmount Drive

We have seen from a previous blogpost that Fairmount Drive was one of a number of roads developed by the partnership of Arthur Edward Shepherd and Walter Mounteney, which included Holywell Drive, Highfields Drive, Benscliffe Drive and Shepherds Close. These streets and houses were created around the late-1920s-early-1930s, and by 1933, Arthur Edward Shepherd was living at Highcroft (1), no.1 Holywell Drive, a detached house at the summit of Fairmount Drive, practically opposite the home of Bernard Nixon Wale, who you may remember lived at no.40 Fairmount Drive.

Highcroft, No.1 Holywell Drive, the home of Arthur Edward Shepherd


Walter, the lime and coal merchant, who was the brother of Hilda Pick Mounteney, the second wife of Bernard Nixon Wale, and Arthur, the painter and decorator, had joined forces after the First World War, and in 1926, when Arthur bought shares in the building company of Corah, following the death of Edgar Corah, Arthur’s three sons joined their father’s business. Their early work saw the development of Park Road and Parklands Drive, followed by the demolishing of some Market Street properties. The creation of roads around Fairmount Drive were as a result of the selling off of some lands associated with the Burleigh Estate, some of which Arthur had bought and sold, and re-bought.

Many of the houses in the surrounding streets are easily recognisable as what we know today as typical semi-detached and detached 1930s houses. At the time they were built, Art Deco was really catching on as a type of art and architecture, so it is not surprising that there is a short row of striking Art Deco houses on the beginning of Shepherds Close.

Art Deco houses at the beginning of Shepherds Close


Fairmount Drive comprises mostly semi-detached houses on one side, and more extensive and substantial detached houses on the other. However, today, like many other streets, wherever a space has been found between houses, infill has taken place, so there are some unexpected, newer properties nestled between the original houses. Perhaps because of its position on the former Burleigh Estate, Fairmount Drive is lined with trees, and perhaps because of its straight ascent to the place where Burleigh Hall once stood, and towards the Iron Age Hill Fort, this is why the street is so called. Or perhaps, it is simply named after the house in which Arthur Edward Shepherd’s brother, Albert Marshall Shepherd, was living from around 1927 – ‘Fairmount’ on Westfield Drive?

Fairmount on Westfield Drive, home of Albert Marshall Shepherd

So, what news of Fairmount Drive over the years??

Tuesday 17 November 2020

So who was Arthur Edward Shepherd?

Posted 22 November 2020

 So who was Arthur Edward Shepherd?    


       

The birth of Arthur Edward Shepherd on 16 March 1872 was registered in Loughborough. His parents were John Shepherd, variously described as being born in Hoton and Wymeswold in 1834, and Amy Marshall. Amy was born in 1831 in Wymeswold, and was the daughter of John, a farmer in Wymeswold, and his wife Mary, who lived at Brook Street.

Brook Street, Wymeswold

 

John and Amy Shepherd married in the first quarter of 1857, the event being registered in Loughborough. The first of their children who survived into adulthood, was Caroline, who was born in 1858, married John Elliott in 1877, and lived to the age of 92. William was born in 1861; followed by Sarah Ann in 1863. John Henry was born in 1868, followed by Arthur Edward Shepherd in 1872, Frederick Marshall Shepherd in 1875, and Albert Marshall Shepherd in 1877. William and Frederick emigrated to Philadelphia.

Arthur Edward Shepherd spent his early school years firstly at the Church Gate School, before moving to the Board School, on a site that is now occupied by Pinfold Jetty. In 1881, when he was 9, he and his parents and four of his siblings lived at 67 Freehold Street. John Shepherd, Arthur Edward Shepherd’s father was listed as a joiner, and his sister Sarah Ann as a factory hand in a cotton hosiery factory.

Properties now on Freehold Street

Arthur Edward Shepherd finished school in October 1883, and began working for the Co-operative Society at their Wood Gate premises, where he helped the baker, and delivered bread and groceries across the town. In September 1884 there was a big fire in the building and the manager Alfred Reeve was jailed for 5 years for starting the fire. Arthur Edward Shepherd went around the town at night collecting signatures on a petition for Reeve’s release. Whilst Arthur was working at the Co-op, his two brothers, William and Frederick emigrated to Philadelphia. Arthur Edward Shepherd left the employment of the Co-op in 1886, and then spent a year working for Clemersons, which was a furnishers based at 1 Mill Street (now Market Street).

Co-Operative store on Wood Gate

Following this, in 1887, Arthur Edward Shepherd became apprenticed to James Hall, to learn the trade of house decorating. This was an apprenticeship lasting for five years. In 1891 Arthur Edward Shepherd was living at 41 Freehold Street, with his parents and two younger brothers, Frederick Marshall Shepherd aged 16, an apprentice fitter, and Albert Marshall Shepherd, aged 14, an office boy, all of whom were born in Loughborough. In 1890, Arthur Edward Shepherd’s older sister, Sarah had married Richard Farmer Lane, and in early 1891, his older brother, John Henry married Hannah Sharman.

In July 1894, having completed his apprenticeship, and worked as a journeyman painter/decorator for a short time, Arthur Edward Shepherd began his own business, as a master painter and decorator. Initially, he ran this business from his father’s house at 41 Freehold Street, but soon moved to a property on Nottingham Road, no.37, where he also rented a workshop and goods yard. This is now part of Langabeer Court, the bit closest to Hellier Technical Services.

Previously 37 Nottingham Road

Now settled in his own business in his own property, Arthur Edward Shepherd married on 20 October 1894. His bride was Eliza Ann Street, and the couple were married at the Baxter Gate Chapel in Loughborough. The minister officiating was Rev. Reuben Finn Handford, who had been in Loughborough for only just over a year, having arrived from Gorton, Manchester, in June 1893.

Baxter Gate Baptist Chapel

Eliza Ann Street was the daughter of William Street and his wife, Charlotte Cramp Sutton.  Although born in Derby in 1872, by the time of the 1881 census, Eliza is living at 79 Cobden Street Loughborough with her mother and siblings: Eliza is the only one listed as being born in Derby, the other children were Loughborough. William is not at home on the night of this census. When the 1891 census was taken, father, William, a 42-year-old joiner, was at 91 Russell Street, the family home, with wife Charlotte,  41, Eliza Ann’s older brother Joseph, 20, who was either a plumber or a painter, younger brother William Whyman, a 17-year-old joiner’s apprentice, 14-year-old George Albert, an errand boy. Siblings Nellie (12), Walter (10) and Herbert (5) also listed, were all scholars.

Street sign made by the local John Jones ironfoundry


So, Arthur Edward Shepherd and Eliza Ann having married and settled down, they were pleased to welcome the arrival of their first child, Nellie, her birth, on 27 October 1895 being registered in Loughborough.

In 1899 Arthur Edward Shepherd is listed in a trade directory as living at 37 Nottingham Road as a painter, and on 1 February that same year, the family welcomed the birth of son Arthur Shepherd. The following year, Arthur Edward Shepherd’s older brother, Frederick Marshall Shepherd, who has emigrated to the US marries a lady called Ada in the US, and on 26 October 1900, Arthur Edward Shepherd and Eliza Ann celebrated the birth of their daughter Lilian Shepherd.

Around 1901, Arthur Edward Shepherd, aged 29, moved and on the 1901 census is listed as living at 85 Nottingham Road, what is now the newsagents and adjacent building, on the corner of Nottingham Road and Queens Road, which it’s very likely Arthur Edward Shepherd built himself. On the side of the building is a ghost sign, a reminder of Arthur Edward Shepherd’s business. He is living with wife, Eliza Ann, aged 28, and children Nellie (5), Arthur (2), Lilian (5 months) (4). It wasn’t long before the next child came along: Albert Shepherd was born in April 1904. Meanwhile, over in the US, Arthur Edward Shepherd’s brother, Frederick Marshall Shepherd, and his wife Ada, had a daughter, Elsie.

85 Nottingham Road

Arthur Edward Shepherd’s sister, Sarah Ann Lane died in 1907, at the age of 41, followed by his mother in 1908. Also in 1908, Arthur Edward Shepherd and his wife had twin boys, John and William. On the 1911 census return, Arthur Edward Shepherd, his wife, and six of their children were still living at 85 Nottingham Road. On the same census, Eliza’s parent, William and Charlotte Street, were living at 7 Selbourne Street, close to the bellfoundry, where William was a foreman. In 1911, Arthur Edward Shepherd was elected to serve the council at the Hastings Ward.

7 Selbourne Street to the right

In 1913 Arthur Edward Shepherd was asked to take over the running of the 'Robin’s Breakfast'. This was an annual event on each Christmas morning, children of the poor would be given a breakfast of things like bread with butter, pork pie, plum cake and copious amounts of tea, and on leaving would be given a mince pie, an orange and some chocolate to take home with them. He continued doing this for about 25 years, and in December 1915 and December 1916, he wrote letters to the local newspaper, the ‘Loughborough Echo’ about the events.

Lilian, youngest daughter of Arthur Edward Shepherd and Eliza Ann, was working in the Herbert Morris Empress Road works when Zeppelin bombs fell in that area on the night of 31 January 1916. Luckily she was unhurt, despite being flung down by the blast, and spending some time in the work’s basement until the danger was over. 

Herbert Morris factory from the canalside

Later that year, Arthur Shepherd, son of Arthur Edward Shepherd and Eliza Ann, reached the age of 18, and as this was during the First World War, he signed up to the AFC. Meanwhile Arthur Edward Shepherd joined the Civil Defence Force, which drilled in the Market Place during the daytime, and guarded The Brush during the night-time. In December 1916, Arthur Edward Shepherd’s father, John, died at the age of 82.

The Brush at nighttime

Arthur Edward Shepherd was called up to service in the First World War, in 1918, but in August of that year, whilst finishing off some of his contracted businesses, prior to joining the army, he fell from a ladder, and before he could recover, peace had been declared and the war was over. Also in this year, Arthur and Eliza Ann moved to a house called ‘Charnwood’, no.12 Forest Road, which had previously been the home of Gilbert Tucker (jnr.), and where the latter had kept a few cows, and sold their milk. [Update 2023: According to the Bulletin of the Loughborough Archaeological and Historical Society, of 1963, the house occupied by A.E. Shepherd was the one which was demolished for the Trinity Methodist church]

12 Forest Road [Update 2023: not the home of A.E. Shepherd]

Arthur Edward Shepherd’s decorating business was very successful, so he decided to diversify from decorating, and expand into land development and house building. He joined an informal partnership with Walter Mounteney, the brother of Hilda Pick Mounteney, who was the second wife of Bernard Nixon Wale, the subject of several earlier blogposts

There were a number of deaths in the 1920s. Firstly, in January 1923, Charlotte, Eliza Ann’s mother, died at the age of 75. In 1926, Edgar Corah, who owned the building firm of William Corah, died. The company had been established since 1851, and following Edgar’s death, Arthur Edward Shepherd bought shares in the company and with his three sons established his building and decorating firm.

Edgar Corah almshouses on Middleton Place

We already know that Arthur Edward Shepherd’s two brothers, William and Frederick emigrated to Philadelphia, so it’s lovely to learn that William, retired, and his wife Lydia, visited Arthur in 1929. They arrived in Southampton on 14 June, from New York, on a ship called the Olympic, part of the White Star Dominion line. They were aged 68 and 65 respectively, and would be staying at 12 Forest Avenue, Loughborough. When they visited again in 1932, they arrived into Southampton on 8 July, again on the Olympic. Again, they were staying with Arthur at no.12 on what was now called Forest Road.

Meanwhile, Frederick Marshall Shepherd (aged 55), Arthur’s brother, is listed on the US census of 1930 when he was living in Philadelphia, with his wife, Ada (also aged 55), who seems to have been born in Germany, and their daughter, Elsie M., aged 25, who was working as a saleslady in a department store. Frederick is a landlord of a hosiery mill.      

And back in Loughborough, Albert Marshall Shepherd, a member of the Baxter Gate Baptist Chapel, was living at a house called ‘Fairmount’, no.43 Westfield Drive. In 1933, Albert and Eliza Ann moved from Forest Road, to a property called High Croft, on Holywell Drive, and it was to this property that William Shepherd, aged 75, and his wife Lydia A., aged 71, came when they arrived in Southampton from New York, on 11 July 1934, on a ship called Berengaria, of the Cunard White Star line. William is retired.

Fairmount on Westfield Drive

High Croft, Holywell Drive

After the death of William Street, Eliza Ann’s father in April 1937, at the age of 88, Arthur and Eliza Ann made a trip to America and Canada to visit his two brothers, William and Frederick. Arthur and his wife returned from New York on 27 July 1937, on the Bernegaria, which was part of the Cunard White Star steamship line, and which sailed into Southampton.

In 1938, with his business partner, Walter Mounteney, Arthur Edward Shepherd bought Atherstone House in Wards End, which they demolished and erected a new building in its place, the one that still stands today and is now a Wetherspoons pub.

On the 1939 register, Arthur and Eliza Ann were still living on Holywell Drive, their house being listed between a property on one side called Blue Tiles, and on the other Bryn Awl (possibly!). Meanwhile, brother Albert, a widower, was still living at 43 Westfield Drive, and was listed as a director and secretary of a limited company of house furnishers, probably Clemersons.

Blue Tiles, Holywell Drive

Sadly, in April 1939, Arthur and Eliza Ann’s son, Albert, died following complications after surgery for appendicitis. Then, in February 1943, Walter Mounteney, Arthur’s business partner died. Later that same year, Arthur himself had a successful operation.

It was a happy day on 20 October 1944, as Arthur and Eliza Ann celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary. In 1948, they were visited by brother Frederick when he arrived in Southampton on a ship called the Queen Elizabeth, part of the Cunard White Star line, from New York, on 6 July 1948.

1950 saw the death, on 20 April, of Arthur’s brother John Henry, and in October of his sister Caroline Elliott, aged 92. 1951 was an eventful year, when Arthur built a bungalow in the garden of his house called Highcroft (or High Croft), and called it Greenwoods. He also spent 5 months in Harlow Woods OrthopaedicHospital in Mansfield, after tripping and breaking his thigh. 

Another happy occasion came in 1954, when on October 20, Arthur and Eliza Ann celebrated their Diamond Wedding anniversary.

On 20 February 1962 Arthur Edward Shepherd, listed as being of Greenwoods, 1 Holywell Drive, died. Probate was granted on 27 June 1962 to his sons, Arthur Shepherd and William Shepherd, both builders and contractors, and John Shepherd, civil engineer. His effects amounted to £48,429 15s. 10d.

The following year, on 29 March 1963 death of Eliza Ann Shepherd of Greenwoods, 1 Holywell Drive, died at Harlow Wood Hospital, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Notts. [Note – I have not been able to establish if this was the same hospital as Arthur stayed in in 1951]. Probate was granted at Leicester on 10 June 1963 to her sons, Arthur and William Shepherd, building contractors. Effects amounted to £8,253.

The death of Albert Marshall Shepherd, of 43 Westfield Drive Loughborough, brother to Arthur Edward Shepherd, happened in Moseley, Birmingham, on 9 December 1964. Probate was granted on 2 March 1965 to Arthur Shepherd, builder and son of Arthur Edward Shepherd, and the Rev. John Henry Collins. Albert’s effects were £8704.

My investigations and research into the life of Arthur Edward Shepherd has been done as a result of my interest in - amongst many other things - the residential development of Loughborough, and a specific request from someone for more information about a specific street in Loughborough.

During his time as a painter, Arthur Edward Shepherd was involved in many pieces of work like limewashing the pantry and dairy of the Hathern Rectory; decorating the Free Wesleyan Church in Wood Gate, and limewashing the walls of the Herbert Morris Empress Road Works. When Arthur Edward Shepherd went into the house building business, he partnered with Walter Mounteney who was a coal and lime merchant at the time. Some of their first development together involved the area around Forest Road, including building Outwoods Drive.

Once Arthur Edward Shepherd’s sons joined the venture, the building firm developed Park Road and Parklands Drive, and demolished what they described as slum housing on Mill Street, now Market Street. I’m assuming they replaced these buildings with the brick Art Deco buildings that still stand in Market Street today, which are said to resemble a steamship, or the adjacent ones faced with Hathernware – or maybe the whole of that side of the street.  

Parcels of land on the Burleigh Estate had been offered for sale around 1920, and Arthur Edward Shepherd had bought and sold some of these, buying some back in the late-1920s-early-1930s, where they built a new development of houses, centred around Benscliffe Drive, Fairmount Drive, Highfields Drive, Holywell Drive, and the eponymous Shepherd’s Close.

Looking down Fairmount Drive to Forest Road

The story of Fairmount Drive … to be cont’d.

Information researched in the usual sources, plus: Cross, Joy & Staple, Margaret (eds.) (1994). Memoirs of a Loughborough man: A.E. Shepherd, 1872-1962. Nottingham: University of Nottingham, Department of Adult Education.  

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


Dyer, Lynne (2020). So who was Arthur Edward Shepherd? Available fromhttps://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/11/so-who-was-athur-edward-shepherd.html [Accessed 22 November 2020]

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