Loughborough building demolished

The 1930s across the country was a period of depression, but Loughborough, with its many and varied industries, perhaps fared a little better than some other places, where the focus might have been on just one industry. In 1930, ‘The Brush’ successfully completed contracts in both the UK and abroad, and provided bus bodies and tramcars across the UK; Herbert Morris extended their factory, produced a new crane, and provided cranes to both the UK government and overseas customers; Taylors bellfounders continued to recast and rehang bells across the country;  the Morley hosiery factory made over one million pairs of hose and half-hose during 1930, and a great many Zenobia perfumes and toiletries were exported.

Nevertheless, unemployment in Loughborough increased, and sometime between 1929 and 1936, Loughborough's labour exchange moved from Baxter Gate (having moved there from Market Street), where it occupied premises that used to be an auction mart, and is now a pizza restaurant, to a purpose-built building on Cradock Street. The Job Centre, as it became, moved from Cradock Street to a variety of other locations in town, including the tall building on Fennel Street, now converted to flats, and one of the newer buildings on Wood Gate.

I'm not sure who occupied the Cradock Street building once the Job Centre relocated, except that at some point - probably the early 1990s - Brooks Data Products moved from their offices on Fearon Street, into Cradock Street. 

Brookes Data Products base on Fearon Street

Again, I'm not sure if CPS Interiors was a new company, or a new name for Brookes. Anyway, the building became vacant around 2021, and put up for sale.

The ghost sign peeks out either side of the modern sign (better views in photos below)

Part of the ghost sign visible

Part of the ghost sign visible

When I last visited, the ghost sign of the old labour exchange was visible on the front - Ministry of Labour, Labour Exchange

On my last visit to the building, it was sad to see the building had all but been demolished

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Dyer, Lynne (2022). Loughborough building demolished. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2022/04/loughborough-building-demolished.html [Accessed 3 April 2022]

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