Alexandra Bedspread and Heritage Open Days - get voting!

As in some previous years, during August I am hosting some guest blogs, in celebration of my blog’s birthday – this year, its 13th! Today, however, I am not sharing a new guest blog, but referring you to one from 2023. You may be wondering why? Let me explain …

The national scheme called Heritage Open Days, will be upon us next month, and there are plenty of offerings from Loughborough venues which either aren’t normally open to the public, or are events that are hosted specially for the second weekend of the open days (see list at the end of this post). The reason I’m mentioning this is because the beautifully embroidered Alexandra Bedspread will be on display in the magnificently renovated Generator Building! And, as if that weren’t enough …

The lady who has worked on finding out about every person whose name is embroidered on the Alexandra Bedspread (with some help from the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group and its Honorary Members) is one of twenty-four people who have been shortlisted for a national award! 

Let’s all us Loughborough - and beyond - folk get behind this!!!

You can vote on devices like your pc, your laptop, your tablet, your iPad, your phone etc.! 

Coincidentally, voting opened on 4th August, which was the exact day of the blog's birthday!!

As of today, there are only SEVEN days left to vote! Here's how ...

You can either click this link and go straight to the voting page, or you can read a bit more about Deborah Moxom and the bedspread below, first!

And here you can hear Deborah talking about the bedspread and the work she's done on it!

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So, Deborah has been researching the people behind the names on the bedspread since about 2018, and back in January of 2019, I was really pleased to be involved in helping to research a couple of those 510 names! George Cattan, a student at Loughborough College, and his motorcycle accident in 1923 will stay with me for a very long time! And this is how I first came to meet Deborah! Our paths have crossed many times since, either at Friends of Charnwood Museum talks, or in the Town Hall, or in the library! The bedspread was on display in the Town Hall back in 2018, and also in 2023, so its hanging in the Generator building for Heritage Open Days will be a rare chance to have a close look at it.

In August 2023, Deborah wrote a lovely article about the bedspread for my blog, some of which I quote below.

Measuring 8ft 7ins by 7ft 5ins, the Alexandra Bedspread 

“is a wonderful patchwork textile … made up of cream cotton squares … [and each square has] a signature of a donor embroidered on it.” 

As this was one of the fundraisers for the Carillon Tower, each donor 

“paid a shilling [5p] to sign their name which was then embroidered in navy cotton by local girls.”

At the centre of the bedspread is a likeness of the Carillon Tower, and this is surrounded by signatures like that of Queen Alexandra, who at the time was the Queen Mother, her husband, King Edward VII having died in 1910.

As well as raising money by people paying to have their signature included on the bedspread, once completed, the bedspread was shown at a fundraising bazaar, at which people paid a small sum to guess the weight of the bedspread. The person who guessed the closest weight won the bedspread!!

You can read the whole of Deborah’s article on this blog post. 

 

On display in the Town Hall

The central detail

If you have enjoyed reading about the Aleandra Bedspread, you might also enjoy an earlier blogpost about embroidered linen, and one about signed artefacts! 

Finally, please remember to vote for this wonderful work that's been done on revealing some of Loughborough's early-twentieth century history!!

Here's the link again, in case you missed it above!! 

Thank you!

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List of places in Loughborough which are taking part in the Heritage Open Days event

More details about how to book can be found on the Heritage Open Days website

In the run-up to the weekend

Architects of Loughborough guided walks led by Lynne Dyer

Queen’s Park Perambulations guided walks led by Lynne Dyer

On the weekend itself

Alexandra Bedspread on display in the Generator Building

All Saints with Holy Trinity church

Anstey Wallpapers (in the former Ladybird Factory on Beeches Road) factory tour

Apple pressing at Fearon Hall

Art Deco walks led by Lynne Dyer on behalf of the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteer Group

Carillon Tower ‘The Human Cost’ exhibition

Garendon Park guided walks (led and self-led) with visit to St Botolph’s Church, Shepshed

Generator Building (hosting the Alexandra Bedspread)

Great Central Railway station tours

John Taylor & Co bellfoundry tours of the casting hall with the Master Bellfounder

Loughborough Grammar School – tower tours and exhibition

Old Rectory Museum

Rectory Wildlife Garden

Unity House historical overview

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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