Lynne About Loughborough: January 2024

Wednesday, 31 January 2024

The Zeppelin raid of 1916

I could not let today go by without some small commemoration of the night of the Zeppelin raid on Loughborough - 31st January 1916 - which killed ten people and injured a further twelve.

In 2016 there was a commemoration service in The Rushes, and a plaque was unveiled on which those who died are memorialised. In the past couple of years, this memorial has been augmented with an information board, giving the plaque a bit more context.

You can find plenty of information about the Zeppelin raid scattered across this blog. And do look out for another Zeppelin-related walk scheduled for September 2024!

So, back in 2020, a friend wrote a guest post for the blog which discussed what eventually happened to the Zeppelin L20 .

Also, over the years I have written a number of posts about the raids; here are some of them:

Account of the community play which covered so many different aspects of the attacks.

What happened to some who survived their injuries

The background story of Josiah Gilbert, a shopkeeper on Empress Road

The story of Josiah Gilbert – Part 1

And Part 2

A virtual walk around the sites directly affected by the Zeppelin bombs

A guided walk led by a friend

A walk around the sites on the 100th anniversary

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2023). The Zeppelin raid of 1916. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/01/the-zeppelin-raid-of-1916.html [Accessed 31 January 2024]

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Sunday, 28 January 2024

Tuckers clay pits

Over the years I seem to have written quite a few blogposts about Tuckers, the brickmakers of Loughborough (see below), and included the company in some of my presentations and books. It seems timely to re-visit …

Evidence of Tucker’s brickworks can still be seen around Loughborough. Charnwood Water, formerly a Tucker’s claypit, is now filled with water and is a haven for birds, a great place for anglers, a perfect place for model boats (though not so often nowadays), is ideal for walking, and once was the location for raft and dragon boat races.

I make quite regular visits to Charnwood Water, which was once known as Tuckers Pond, and every time I visit, I see something different! I guess this is partly because of the changing seasons, which means that the plants are different throughout the year, and the views are different when the trees are in leave and during the winter. It’s also partly because of the migratory birds that grace the pond, so Sometimes there’s loads of Canada Geese, or black and white ducks, while other times there’ll be loads of cygnets. Bizarrely, I’ll see something different, or differently depending on which way round I choose to walk the perimeter! And I see and hear different things depending on whether I’m focussing on looking around, or more on listening – or not focussing on anything other than putting one foot in front of the other, a different experience in the muddy winter, and the sunny spring!

Of course, although I believe this was the main brickworks Tuckers also had a works off what is now Epinal Way, on William Street. There are two ponds in the vicinity, and the little one is now also haven for wildlife, and if I remember rightly, I have also seen people fishing there. It’s a bit hidden, and I don’t think it’s possible to walk all the way around, and some of the banks are a bit slopey, but it’s an interesting place, nestled as it is between allotments and a new housing estate. I’m not sure that the larger pond is publicly accessible.

The other Tuckers works was called the Park Road Brick and Tile Works, and was off Park Road, with kilns and other buildings closer to what is now Beacon Road. The main site is now occupied by a supermarket – the building, the car park and the petrol station covering almost exactly the footprint of the brickworks, and the area closer to Beacon Road is now a storage area for a building firm. However, before this, the area was used as the town landfill site, before moving to its present position on Railway Terrace, off Nottingham Road.

Previous posts about Tuckers

A selection of Tuckers buildings post-1934

A few Tuckers brick buildings from 1928-1933

Some of Tuckers early buildings up to 1927

A selection of buildings in Loughborough made from Tuckers bricks

A bit of family history

Previous posts about Charnwood Water

A winter walk around Charnwood Water

Charnwood Water in the snow

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2023). Tuckers clay pits. Available from: https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8260542616882131850/7888115552364711966#:~:text=https%3A//lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/01/tuckers%2Dclay%2Dpits.html [Accessed 28 January 2024]

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Lynne

Sunday, 21 January 2024

Meandering mindfully around The Outwoods

This weekend I had the joy of spending some time in The Outwoods: luckily it was Saturday and not earlier in the week, so the temperature was a tropical +6 degrees, rather than the minus figures it had been during the week, although thermals and walking boots were still the order of the day!

I hadn't realised I'd already written so extensively about The Outwoods, on here, and I've had a couple of guest blog posts featuring the area too - see the full list below - which cover some of the memorial benches, the sculpture trail, and a bit of history.

Anyway, this time I was actually attending an art event, the first of which was led by Andrea Abbatangelo. It was all to do with Charnwood Forest applying to become a UNESCO GeoPark [1] - I guess a group similar to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but for geologically interesting ones - and Charnwood Forest certainly is that!!

Initially, we did 'exercises' up near the car park (because we were attending some other events, we actually drove to The Outwoods, which isn't something we normally do!). This involved describing something we'd seen as we arrived at the woods, and taking some time to scan interesting looking things, before using microscopes (attached to mobile phones) to look at some things close up. It's very strange what you can see, or what you think you can see when you look carefully and closely at something.

I suppose our walk could have been described as a mindful walk, as we took our time, and closely observed our surroundings. In truth, although I don't normally take my time, I do tend to stop and look at details wherever I am, and I do sometimes wander around just observing anyway - call it psychogeography or flanerie!

Anway, after we'd finished the event in the woods, we had a very welcome lunch stop in the cafe, and some interesting chats with other participants, before moving off to Woodhouse Eaves to hear a talk from another artist. Frances Scott, with her partner, David, had researched The Outwoods, and revealed that Roger Mason had not been the first person to find the Charnia fossil somewhere in the Charnwood Forest in 1957, but that it had first been found by a schoolgirl, Tina Negus, a year earlier, but not been recognised by her teachers for the importance it really held. Her part in finding this fossil was finally acknowledged in 2004, but I admit to not knowing anything about his until now. After a Q&A session and a another round of chatting, we then made our way to Nanpantan ...

Can you believe that although I have been to Nanpantan Hall a few times, I have never been to St Mary's church. Sure, I've walked past it numerous times, and written about it, but never been in, and actually, in truth, I didn't go into the church this time, either, as the artwork was in the church hall, and presumably the church was locked (I didn't check). We stepped into a darkened room and were treated to a couple of films made by / of Becky Lyon, who also has an installation at Morley Quarry in Shepshed, although we didn't have time to visit on this occasion. I must say, it was pretty mesmerising!

As we were leaving the church hall, we took a slight detour and view the poignant war memorial, had a much better look at the bellcote and bell than can be seen from the road, spotted some sheep, and some interesting stones, dedicated to a former owner of Nanpantan Hall.

All in all, a very good day, especially as I could immerse myself in nature, appreciate some art, and learn something new!

Here are some photos of my day - enjoy!

[1] "UNESCO Global Geoparks are single, unified geographical areas where sites and landscapes of international geological significance are managed with a holistic concept of protection, education and sustainable development. Geoparks are areas of exceptional geological significance. All of the UK’s geoparks have internationally significant geology, but what makes them special is that they are community-led partnerships that promote an appreciation of natural and cultural heritage while supporting the sustainable economic development of the area, primarily through geological and eco-tourism."

Here are some of my earlier posts about The Outwoods:

O is for Outwoods

Walking from Loughborough to The Outwoods and Back - guest post

Outwoods Sculpture Trail 2022

Outwoods Sculptures in town

Memorial benches

Walk to Oaks in Charnwood via The Outwoods

New Year walk to The Outwoods 2016

Life in locked down Loughborough

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

Dyer, Lynne (2023). Meandering mindfully around The Outwoods. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/01/meandering-mindfully-around-outwoods.html [Accessed 21 January 2024]

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site: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/ “Radmoor House”

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Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Sunday, 7 January 2024

Changes in Loughborough 2023

This time last year there had been so many changes to buildings in Loughborough during the year, that I felt I ought to record some of them on the blog. Well, this year has also seen lots of changes, so here I am again looking at a selection of developments during 2023. Of course, apart from actual building changes, there have also been lots of instances of building change of use, or simply building vacation.

Here are some photos of a few of the changes I've noticed (apologies that some are so out of focus - I was having a worse day for photography than usual!):

Moon and Bell closed

Windmill changed to a residential property (I couldn't find my later photo which I'm sure showed even more changes than this particular photo from October 2023 does)