Tuckers Bricks Part 2

Last week we looked at some of the early buildings across the country, up to 1927, that were constructed with bricks made by Tuckers of Loughborough. This week, we'll have a look at a few more such buildings.

In 1928 the Skegness Convalescent Home for Derbyshire miners was built in a neo-Georgian style. The 'Sheffield Daily Telegraph' described the home as:

"faced with Loughborough bricks of pleasing colour and roofed with tiles to harmonise, from the same neighbourhood." 

and continued:

"The builder’s skill was not hampered by lack of good material, and ‘Tucker’s silver-grey and stock bricks’ were specified. These bricks are individual monuments to craftsmen – they are made entirely by hand by G. Tucker and Son, Ltd., Loughborough."

Convalescent home for Derbyshire miners in Skegness

Convalescent home for Derbyshire miners in Skegness, showing rooms to the right with sea views

Nearer to home, in Derby, three small villas were being constructed on Balfour Road, in 1929. Each house had 7 rooms, as well as a coal-house and outside toilet, and were constructed of Tucker’s multiruf facing bricks and with white spar on the front. Balfour Road is cut in half by Portland Street, but it has been impossible to identify the houses in question, partly because those from the right era which are situated on the street today are generally semi-detached properties. Since the 'Derby Telegraph' explicitly says the houses are: "exceptionally well-built: nothing jerry or shoddy" then one cannot but expect that these houses are still standing!

Continuing with the theme of houses, Tuckers multiruf facing bricks were also used exclusively for the housing development on Nottingham Road in Derby. Apparently, Messrs Browning Bros, builders, used only these facings on their schemes in Leicester, Rugby and Oxford, and by 1931 these developments amounted to over 400 houses.

Meanwhile, over in Staffordshire, Tuckers provided facing bricks for the new Burton-on-Trent Picturedrome, which was built in 1931, and replaced the earlier Picturedrome that was housed in a converted roller skating rink! Butterley provided the 'common' bricks, while reconstructed stone was provided by the Croft Granite, Brick and Concrete Co.. The building was described by the Burton Observer and Chronicle as having an imposing frontage, with "the facade to Curzon Street [being] built in deep red bricks, the tone of which is emphasised by white mortar joints."

The upper floors of the Burton Picturedrome

Still in 1931, but this time moving to the capital, the 'Nottingham Journal' reported that: "a million 'multiruf' facing bricks have been supplied by Messrs. G. Tucker and Sons, the Loughborough brick and tile manufacturers, for Messrs. Gamages new London store." This new store was at Marble Arch was designed by architects C.S. and Ernest Martin Joseph, alongside Edwin Lutyens, the latter's work being evident in much of the external design, including embellishments like the columns. This store was built only a year after the store's founder had died. Today the store is a Primark.

The same bricks, this time half a million of them, were supplied by Tuckers for the building of the John Player factory in Nottingham. Well, one of the John Player buildings: some sources seem to suggest this was the building known as No.2 on the Radford site - which seems the most plausible to me - but pictures that I have seen (since the building has been demolished) seem to confuse buildings No.2 and No.3. I believe the photo at the bottom of this webpage is the building we are interested in. There's a bit about the history of the company, and another picture of our building on an associated page.

Multirufs were also used in the building of numerous blocks flats, and in London for Warwick Mansions, the Queen's Club in Kensington, and the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, the latter built in 1925 to the design of Ernest Martin Joseph who had been a founder member of the Synagogue in 1911. 

Warwick Mansions, Cromwell Crescent, London

     

By 1933, Tuckers multiruf facing bricks were increasing in popularity, partly because they could be produced in large quantities quickly. As such they were used in the construction of the Civic Offices in Nuneaton, for churches, public buildings and offices. However, not only were the facing bricks proving popular ... 

The 'Chelsmford Chronicle' in 1932 reported upon the tudor style, half-timbered Army and Navy Hotel, the architect of which was Thorold Bennett of Gravesend, as follows:

"Loughborough tiles were selected for the roof coverings, and they were supplied by Messrs. G. Tucker and Son, Ltd., of Loughborough, who are also specialists in high-class facing bricks, which are produced in a large range of colours. This old-established firm supply tiles to almost every part of the British Isles as well as for export to the continent and elsewhere, and have a great reputation as manufacturers of hand-made, sand-faced tiles."  

A multiruf brick, photographed in situ - it really was upside down!

Well, where are we going to find ourselves next time, when we look at more use of Tuckers bricks?!

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough 28 March 2021

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

Dyer, Lynne (2021). Tuckers Bricks Part 2. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2021/03/tuckers-bricks-part-2.html  [Accessed 28 March 2021]

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                   

Tuckers Bricks Part 1

It's been a long time since I blogged about the Tucker family - 2016 - who were involved in brickmaking in Loughborough. Recent blog posts have been a bit wordy, so this week let's have a look at some pictures of the buildings that have used Tucker's bricks in their construction. This week we'll concentrate on buildings across the country, before looking at the more local buildings next time.

One of the earliest, and one of the most well-known buildings that made use of bricks made by Tuckers of Loughborough is St Pancras station and hotel. 

"In 1868 a new London railway station opened, showcasing the best of construction materials from the Midlands. Engineered by William Henry Barlow and Roland Marsh Ordish, St Pancras station was built by the Midland Railway Company to connect London to many major English cities. The Victorian Gothic design for the hotel and station accommodation was by the renowned Sir George Gilbert Scott.  The ironwork was made by the Derbyshire firm Butterley Iron Company, the majority of the 60 million bricks used in the building were manufactured by Nottingham firm, Edward Gripper, and the mortar was also produced in the Midlands. Such was the demand for brick that Edward Gripper’s firm were unable to keep up, and while disappointing for the Nottingham company, this proved to be the perfect opportunity for the Loughborough firm of Tucker who were able to provide the additional bricks. Butterley Iron Company also made bricks, and it was they who acquired Tucker of Loughborough in 1964, keeping the firm open until 1967, but liquidating it in 1979." (1)

St Pancras, summer 2018

The first school to be opened in Leicester by the Leicester School Board, in January 1874, was the Syston Street Board School, and Tuckers supplied the bricks. The following year, they supplied the bricks for the Everard's Brewery building on Southgates Leicester. I don't have any photos of either the school or the brewery, but the Everards webpage has a timeline that includes a photo of the latter.

Red-brick churches seem quite unusual, as I'm used to stone-built ones, but Tuckers supplied the red bricks for St Saviour's church in Leicester, which was built 1875-6.

St Saviour's church, Leicester

The barracks at Glen Parva, which is very close to South Wigston, was constructed in 1881 and used bricks from Tuckers. There are numerous photos on the web, as well as a history of the barracks.

Apparently, the town hall at Aberavon was also constructed with Tucker's bricks, but the 'old town hall' was built sometime between 1826 and 1840, which is possibly a bit early for the Loughborough firm, and since the reference is in a volume published in 1891 (2), then the re-building of the Aberavon town hall in 1915 is most certainly not the one referred to. However, Gilbert Tucker (snr. born 1803) was listed as a brickmaker on the entry in the birth register for his son, Gilbert (jnr.) in 1838, so perhaps Gilbert snr. was involved with the building of Aberavon's old town hall.  

In the same volume, mention of the Bull's Head in Leicester is also proving difficult to locate, but was on Market Place, Leicester. 

An article in the 'Newcastle Daily Chronicle' of 1900 states that Messrs G Tucker and Sons would provide the chimney pots for the whole of the convalescent homes and homes of rest for discharged soldiers, but doesn't actually say where they are. The newspaper is most definitely based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, nor Newcastle-Under-Lyme, so perhaps these homes were in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne?

The Central Board School was erected by the Chesterfield School Board in 1901. Again, this/these has/have been difficult to locate, but could be the schools on Durrant Road and Hipper Street. Interestingly, Loughborough firms had quite a lot of input to the construction of these schools: the masonry work was done by Moss and Co. of Loughborough. ‘The schools are faced with Ellistown red-dressed bricks with buff terra cotta dressings (manufactured by Messrs G Tucker & son, of Loughborough).’ ‘The schools are provided with a loud-toned bell cast by Messrs John Taylor of Loughborough’ (3) Much later, in 1927, Tuckers would also be involved in the building of Chesterfield Technical College. 

Chesterfield Technical College, now just Chesterfield College

And finally for today, in 1906, ‘Messrs. G. Tucker and Sons, provided pressed sewer and wire cut bricks’ (4) for the Brent sewage works. Again, a location that I'm not 100% convinced about, but could possibly be the sewage works in Brent Cross (which isn't just a shopping centre, and convenient car park for people driving to the outskirts of London from the Midlands, to catch a train to the centre!!)

Did Tuckers contribute to this construction work?

So, that covers some of the contributions Tuckers made to buildings across the country - up to 1906!!! Pop back later for more Tuckers building works: some of the best are yet to come!!

References

(1) Dyer, Lynne (2019) 'Secret Loughborough'. Stroud: Amberley

(2) 'Loughborough: History, manufactures, trade. London: Robinson, Son & Pike, 1892.

(3) 'Derbyshire Courier', 1 June 1901, pg 5. The reason for the involvement of Tuckers in Chesterfield buildings would be that Gilbert Tucker (jnr.) was born in Holmgate in the parish of North Wingfield, which is about 5.5 miles from Chesterfield, and his second wife, Annie Jane Evan Boden, was born in Chesterfield. 

(4) 'Kilburn Times' 16 February 1906, pg 8

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough 21 March 2021

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

Dyer, Lynne (2021). Tuckers Bricks Part 1. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2021/03/tuckers-bricks-part-1.html [Accessed 21 March 2021]

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.

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Lynne                   

      

 

            

    

Spotight on the Kings Head Part 4

At the sign of the King's Head

The sign of the King's Head in Loughborough

The King's Head on Loughborough High Street has been through a number of name-changes down the years as the fortunes of the hotel have changed. As a name for a pub, inn, or hotel, the King's Head is popular, and its origins go a long way back.

Many of the sources consulted for this post are in agreement about the origin and meaning of the name and the hanging signs usually associated with an establishment, the latter serving to alert travellers and visitors to the purpose of the building. 

Delderfield (1) classifies the King's Head as a royal sign and says the following:

“The Englishman’s traditional affection for his monarch is reflected in such signs … many earl kings are … represented on signs.”

He goes on to say that such names as the King's Head, the Queen's Head, the King's Arms and the Queen's Arms are very popular, and the signs that accompany the name are quite often a portrait of a monarch. Given that some of these establishments have existed with the same name for many years, it's not always possible to positively identify which monarch they are named after.

Henry VIII seems to be a popular monarch represented on these signs, and one very recently (2020) found languishing in the garage of a private house, turned out to be painted in the style of Holbein, and hung on a pub named the King's Head near Gloucester. Although the pub closed in 1960, the sign must still have been hanging on the building in 1969 which was when Delderfield was writing about it.

Interestingly, Delderfield recounts a particular issue encountered by sign painters in 1960:

“An unusual dilemma faced the brewers when the sign of the King’s Head, Shotley Bridge (Co. Durham), was due for repainting in 1960. No one was sure which monarch was reigning when the licence was first granted, so a compromise was reached and the signboard has the likeness of Henry VIII on one side and Charles I on the other. With a span of 100 years or so between them, honour is satisfied.”

In an earlier book, Delderfield (2), talking about establishments named the King's Head, wrote: 

"probably the largest number of original signs were those from heraldry or coats of arms. Tenants of inns centuries back were often former stewards or retainers of great families, and quite apart from the fact that the premises usually stood on their patron’s land, it was natural that they should want to boast their close association. This they did by painting the coat of arms or an essential part of it on their sign board. Chief of this type of sign, of course, were those associated with the Royal House. The Crown, The Crown and Sceptre, King’s Arms, Queen’s Arms are the most numerous.”

He also writes that it is likely that many original signs of the King's Head would either have been representations of the head of either the Pope or the abbot, but that these would have been hastily replaced by those bearing a resemblance to Henry VIII when he broke with Rome. 

The prolific writer, Delderfield, this time writing in 1967, (3) proclaims that the two kings most likely to appear on a sign for the King's Head were Charles II and Henry VIII, but notes that there is an interesting establishment in Islington which bears a picture of Henry VI. 

In Pubs and pub signs (4) the signs which show a picture of a monarch with their name beneath, or simply have the written name of King's Head, Queen's Head etc. are classified as heraldic or emblematic signs. Occasionally, the monarch may be represented on a sign by a playing card, and as Delderfield also says, because there are four suits in a pack of cards, there's actually rather a wide range of cards to choose from. 

Brandon (5) puts the King's Head name under the category of royal and heraldic names. He explains:

“Mediaeval society was dominated by the Crown, the Church and the land-owning barons, and their influences are very evident in pub signs and names. Portraits of monarchs and other grandees are common, but sometimes, especially in the case of royalty, the reference takes the form of a symbol extracted from their armorial bearings and the origin may not be obvious. Complete armorial bearings of monarchs, other royalty, and the great landed families are common, but there are also many signs depicting the arms of various craft guilds and those of many towns and cities.”

Not wishing to debate the position of Richard III and Henry VII, Brandon tells us of the King's Head sign at Southwold in Suffolk which shows a portrait of Henry VII whose claim to the throne, he says "was tenuous, but in his case might was right.”

Lamb (6), too, categorises the King's Head name as a royal or heraldic one, and paints an amusing picture of the life of early sign-writers:

“After the Church, the most powerful influence upon the development of inn signs was the monarchy, and nowadays there are probably more Crowns, and King’s Heads than any other sign. The reasons are obvious. Many of our inns date back to times when royal succession was anything but certain, and anyone proclaiming his trade as obviously as a publican had to be sure of keeping in with the authorities. During the Wars of the Roses, keepers of King’s Head inn and Rose inns, must have been continually hopping up ladders to change the face of the monarch or the colour of the rose, and no doubt many changed over to the less specific Crown in the hope of pleasing anyone who happened to be wearing it at the time. The crest of Richard III was a white boar and became a popular sign during his reign. After his death at Bosworth, keepers of White Boars must have blessed the Earl of Oxford whose crest was a blue boar, for supporting Henry Tudor. They had only to paint the boar blue to show a healthy respect for the new reign. The Blue Boar at North Heath, Berks., however, gets its name from the ‘stone pig’ left behind by Cromwell’s soldiers." 

Writing in 1985, Hackwood (7) describes a "roomy old tavern with quaint corners" which was situated near Stationers Hall Court in London. Originally a fashionable coffee and chop-house, it was called the King's Head. In Hackwood's own words:

"At the beginning of the nineteenth century the famous fat man, Daniel Lambert, took up his lodgings at this house, and here he held public receptions, at which visitors, for a modest fee, might look upon his fifty-two stone of human flesh. For years after Lambert had departed this life his portrait in oils hung upon the tavern walls, and his walking-stick was also preserved as a curiosity. From that time this house, which had been used as his show place, became known as the Daniel Lambert." 

Daniel Lambert is a reasonably local connection, he being born in Leicester and being the gaoler. A wider connection can be found in the literary works of Charles Dickens, particularly Barnaby Rudge, for the establishment known as The Maypole is said to be based on the King's Head in Chigwell. Closer to home, and in fact, almost adjacent to the King's Head in Loughborough, we find that Charles Dickens dined at the Bull's Head en route to Mount St Bernard Abbey in 1859.

The question is, is there a local connection between Loughborough and the pub alongside the Thames at Chelsea, known as the King's Head and Eight Bells? The answer is probably not, as the bells in question were rung out on the river Thames whenever Charles II was out on it, which would have been around 1660-1685, long before Taylors bellfoundry came to Loughborough. Also, this was only one theory associated with the pub name, another being that it was actually a merging of two different establishments - as expected, one being the King's Head and the other the Eight Bells. Apparently, the monarch pictured on the sign bore more of a resemblance to Charles I than Charles II, so who really knows?

The landlord of the King's Head inn in Stockbridge, Hampshire is noted by Harper (8) for the "whimsical epitaph" that appears on his headstone in the churchyard of the deserted old church, an extract from which appears in an article by Rosalind Hill. While the churchyard of the Church of All Saints with Holy Trinity Loughborough contains headstones with lyrical inscriptions, the only one pertaining to landlords of pubs seems to be the one for Mary, the wife of William Smith of the Green Man Inn: although the epitaph is simple, if I remember correctly, the pictorial engraving is rather pretty.

Of course, we know that Loughborough's King's Head was in existence in 1806, but whether or not it was around before then, is uncertain. In supposing that 1806 sees the beginning of the King's Head, and since George III had already been on the throne for over 40 years at that time, maybe the pub is named in his honour? It is, of course, rather whimsical to suppose that the current building, constructed in a Neo-Georgian architectural style, is also a homage to George III, as this style was simply rather popular at the time. On the other hand, perhaps the King's Head refers to Charles I or Charles II given that Loughborough was a Royalist area during the Civil War. Since the recent revelations about Richard III it would be a shame if the King's Head was so-named to commemorate Henry VII, but given that we had a pub named the Blue Boar, down on The Rushes, before the shopping centre made an appearance, and that such a sign was the symbol of the Earl of Oxford, a supporter of Henry VII, then maybe Henry VII is our monarch? But no! The sign which currently hangs above the King's Head in Loughborough shows a king with much more of a resemblance to Richard II.

Any advance on Richard II?

Lovely view of the King's Head sign from a third-floor bedroom window!

You can read earlier posts on the King's Head here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

References

(1) Delderfield, Eric R. (1969). An introduction to inn signs. Newton Abbot: David and Charles. 1969, r.2007

(2) Delderfield, Eric R. (1966). Inn signs: brief guide. Newton Abbot: Raleigh Press. 6^th ed.

(3) Delderfield, Eric R. [1967]. More about inn signs: brief guide. Newton Abbot: Raleigh

(4) Pubs and pub signs. St Ives (Cambs): Colourmaster International, 1973

(5) Brandon, David (2010). Discovering pub names. Botley: Shire Publications

(6) Lamb, Cadbury, and Wright, Gordon (1968). Discovering inn signs. Tring: Shire Publications

(7) Hackwood, Frederick W. (1985). Inns, ales and drinking customs of old England. London: Bracken Books

(8) Harper, Charles G. (1906). The old inns of England: a picturesque account of the ancient and storied hostelries of our own country – Vol. II. London: Chapman and Hall

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough 14 March 2021

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

Dyer, Lynne (2021). Spotlight on the King's Head Part 4. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2021/03/spotight-on-kings-head-part-4.html  [Accessed 14 March 2021]

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                  

Spotlight on the King's Head Part 3

The King's Head Hotel: a pub?

So, in Part 1 we looked at the very recent history of the King's Head Hotel which has more recently been known as the Ramada by Wyndham, and this was prompted by an article on the Leicestershire Live website about the possible future of the hotel.

Last week we looked at the various types of pub-related establishments that have existed over the years, and concluded that the King's Head was, or had been both a coaching inn and a posting house. 

Extract from the Sun (London) 19 August 1830

This week we shall look at the King's Head in relation to pubs and their offering in the nineteenth century.

This is part of the description of the function of a public house:

"The public house was the place to go for discussion and argument, and often, those who were unable to read would go to the pub to listen to the latest news being read aloud from the newspaper. Also, property sales were often held in public houses, as were shows, like the Nottingham annual Auricula and Polyanthus Show, which were often followed by a dinner. Back rooms of pubs often became home to working-class organisations, like friendly societies and later trade union branches."

Sales

While I have found nothing as yet to support the first of those statements in relation to the King's Head, there is, however, plenty of evidence relating to property sales, meetings of various groups, and events related to specific local societies, taking place at the King's Head. 

Property - in the loosest sense of the word - sales often took place at the King's Head. The earliest reference to this I have found is in 1806 when oak timber that had been felled from The Outwoods was being auctioned at the King's Head Inn (1), the house of Mr Fowler. Interestingly, the sale, which began at 2pm, was preceded by a dinner:

From the Derby Mercury of 13 February 1806, pg 2

An early recorded sale of actual property was advertised in the Leicester Journal of 19 April 1811 the property in this case being seven freehold dwelling houses in the yard of the Wheat Sheaf on Wards End. The auction would be held by Mr Boott, at the King's Head Inn, and particulars could be obtained prior to the sale from Mr Fowler at the aforementioned establishment.

The King's Head was also the venue for the sale of other licensed establishments and in April 1874, an old and well established public house, with a brewhouse, extensive stabling, malt offices, yard, outbuildings and saddlers shop, all set in about 800 square yards, known as the Golden Fleece, was offered for auction there. 

Properties sold at the King's Head weren't just in Loughborough: in March 1814 a valuable freehold estate was auctioned at the King's Head Inn, where Mr Fowler was the proprietor. This estate at Burton-on-the-Wolds, approximately 5.5 miles from Loughborough, was extensive, and including a house, barn and other outbuildings, as well as land:

Extract from Leicester Journal 25 February 1814, pg 4

Perhaps one of the most important nearby local estates to be auctioned at the King's Head was Quorndon Hall, in 1832. Quorn Hall was billed as a highly celebrated sporting residence in the heart of the Leicestershire countryside. Sporting, of course, means horse-related, and there was also available as part of the sale, a magnificent range of stabling for about 50 horses. The whole of the estate which comprised about 117 acres, was freehold. The most recent occupant was Lord Southampton.

Extract from the Nottingham Review and General Advertiser for the Midland Counties
23 November 1832, pg 2

In 1824, although the auction of the freehold manors and estate of Dowsby Hall in Lincolnshire was taking place at the Greyhound Inn in Falkingham, particulars relating to the sale were available from the King's Head Inn, in Loughborough.

Auctions of property continued well into the 20th century. In April 1919, auctioneers W. and F. Armstrong auctioned lots of freehold property, including nos. 43 and 45 Hastings Street (a shop and a dwelling house); nos. 56, 41 and 52 Paget Street; nos. 5,6,7 and 8 Conery Terrace and Conery Passage; no. 196 Freehold Street, a shop and dwelling house at the corner of Freehold Street and Queen’s Road; Fairview Cottage on Queen’s Road; no. 45 Queen’s Road; 2 villas and stables also on Queen’s Road; nos. 9 and 10 School Street; nos. 10 and 12 Burleigh Road; nos. 11, 13 and 15 Chapman Street. Note: not all of these were actually purchased on the day.

In addition to properties, numerous effects were also auctioned off, and the King's Head was regularly the place to go to obtain a copy of the sales catalogue. In 1831, all the useful household furniture and other effects, that belonged to the Rev. Charles Allsopp, now deceased, and which included a four-poster bed, bedding, tables, chairs, wardrobes, chests, kitchen utensils, brewing and dairy utensils, carriage and animals, as well as several acres of cultivated land, was auctioned at the vicarage in Shepshed: catalogues could be obtained from the King's Head Inn.

In a similar vein, catalogues for the 5-day auction of the extensive library of books, and other household furniture and effects (days 4 and 5), belonging to the Rev. William Casson, now deceased, were also available from the King's Head, Loughborough, the sale taking place during September 1829. And what self-respecting local historian wouldn't have popped into the King's Head in January 1831 to pick up a catalogue for the sale of the effects of Saville John Hyde, Esq., latterly of Quorn, which included not only a pianoforte and a library of books, but more specifically, a "fine copy of Nichol's History of Leicestershire, in eight volumes, and many other rare and valuable works." 

Catalogues for sales of animals were also available from the King's Head in Loughborough, for example, in 1825 when Mr Brearey was selling by auction an entire stud of valuable hunters, young horses, broodmares, and the celebrated stallion, Ranzleman, as well as riding equipment upon the death of George Redmond Hulbert, Esq., of Aston Lodge in Derby, catalogues were available from a variety of establishments including the Loughborough King's Head.

And, animals were not the only biological thing on sale at the King's Head. In October 1832 Mr Slater was selling his "new genuine winter tares for seed" both from his corn, hop, seed and cheese warehouse in Castle Donnington, and from the King's Head Inn in Loughborough, the latter every market day, from 1pm to 4pm.

Similarly, in 1861 there was a sale of cattle on Thursday 27 June, and on the next day, Friday 28, this was followed by the annual meeting of the Loughborough Association for the Prosecution of Felons at the King's Head. 

Society meetings and dinners

As mentioned above, many societies met, and many special dinners have taken place in the lovely setting of the King's Head Hotel. Here are some examples from across the ages. 

In December 1834, it was announced in the Nottingham review and General Advertiser for the Midland Counties that the Grand Lodge of Freemasons had agreed to the appointing of a new lodge, the Rancliffe Lodge, which would hold its meetings on the second Tuesday of each month, at the house of John and George Fowler, which was the King's Head Hotel, Loughborough. 

In May 1852, the Trustees of the Burton Charity held their meeting at the King's Head Hotel. At this particular meeting, the trustees were presented with a petition from Loughborough inhabitants, requesting a reduction in the proposed tuition fees.

Until about 1901, the Howe and Charnwood Lodge of the Freemasons held their meetings from April to November in the King's Head, but then moved to the Town Hall.

In April 1928, the annual meeting of the Loughborough Boat Club, which was presided over by Mr F.W.P. Simpson, was held at the King's Head Hotel. The society had had a good year, and the regatta had been particularly successful, and a new boathouse had been built at Zouch. 

The Loughborough Building Society was founded in 1867, and 100 years later, in 1967 a celebratory dinner was held at the King's Head Hotel, with honoured guests including the then mayor of Loughborough, Councillor J.E. Hammond. 

In early 1999, the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon at what was at the time known as the Jarvis King's Head Hotel. The event was for the directors of the National Forest with whom the Chamber wished to forge a close working relationship, in support of the programme of transformation of around 200 square miles of land partly in Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire, where already about two million trees had been planted and were now thriving.   

Financial affairs

Meetings and sales related to finances often took place in the King's Head Hotel. Here's an interesting event from 1828:

At the King's Head, the house of Mr Fowler, an auction was held by B. Payne, on Thursday 7th February at 3pm, at which "One Share in the Loughborough or Soar Navigation" was to be sold.

Meetings related to bankruptcy were relatively frequent:

The occasion in 1826 concerned the case of S. Peters, a grocer at Shepshed; in 1831, the case of William Bissil, a bowl manufacturer of Quorndon was heard, and the bankruptcy case relating to T. Crane, a grocer, took place in 1837.

The building itself

In January 1832 the Leicester Journal reported that a new dining room had opened at the King's Head in Loughborough, and more than 100 gentlemen celebrated with a dinner, accompanied by excellent wine, and Mr Barker, who sang 'in the best style'.

 

As we already know from last week's post, the Bull's Head coaching inn was demolished during a period of road widening in the late 1920s-early 1930s, and replaced with the building we see today. This was also the case for the King's Head so the old building was pulled down and the new building, with its Neo-Georgian frontage onto the widened High Street is the building we see today.

In 1953 some alterations to the relatively new King's Head building were made. I have an inkling that these alterations may have been completed by the Loughborough building firm of Corah, but, because archives are currently closed I have not been able to access the plans.

Conclusion

I think we can conclude from the evidence above that the King's Head, a posting house, until the demise of the mail coach, in favour of transporting mail by train (around 1830), became solely an inn, rather than a public house as I might have suggested last time. 

Next week we'll look into the origins of the hotel's name.

(1) The inn 

The inn was often built along the main public highway, or around a market, and served passing trade, as well as the more wealthy inhabitants of a place, like merchants, guild members, aldermen, justices and the richer pilgrims. See more at Spotlight on the King's Head Part 2.

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough 7 March 2021

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Dyer, Lynne (2021). Spotlight on the King's Head Part 3. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2021/03/spotlight-on-kings-head-part-3.html [Accessed 7 March 2021]

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