The Generator First Hundred Days: big achievements and fairy steps

For the final guestblogpost during my blog’s birthday month, I’m re-visiting The Generator, a place I first became acquainted with back in about 2015. At that time, renovation plans were very much in their infancy! I’ve since taken the opportunity to visit during special opening days, and I was thrilled to attend the opening of the refurbished space in April this year.

An early workshop! Photo credit: Kev Ryan and The Generator

You can read about some of the history behind the building, and the progress of the work in a guest blogpost contributed for my blog’s 10th birthday, by one of the Board members, Dr Jill Vincent. Jill has very kindly provided the guest post below, which outlines what’s been happening during the exciting first 100 days of the opening of The Generator in April, and some of the plans for the future – including the forthcoming display of the Alexandra Bedspread.

But, no more from me! Let’s hear what Jill has to say!  

____________________________________

The Generator First Hundred Days:  big achievements and fairy steps

Dr Jill Vincent

We must start with the brilliant opening event, held on Friday 24th April.  We were full to capacity, with 300 guests, tickets (free) had flown out, with many disappointed applicants (sorry). It was a joyful evening.

The Generator was adorned with pink ribbon (by Raisa Watkiss). The giant pink ribbon bow at the front door was pulled open by Jess Vollar Bell, our CEO, and Jeevun Sandher, Loughborough’s MP.

  

Opening night queues!

The evening included a textiles exhibition ‘Our Very Fabric‘, a live performance by Donna Sharmaine, welcoming drinks served by our volunteers wearing fetching Generator t-shirts, speeches (David Pagett-Wright, Cllr Jenni Tillotson, Jess Vollar Bell), a fully functioning bar and a very happy crowd. On a personal note, my family members served drinks and some managed to appear in far too many photos.

‘Our Very Fabric’ exhibition was curated by Pasha Kincaid, our Community Engagement Coordinator, showing works by Purnima Chavda, Maggie Cooper, Beth Lukockyj, Nita Rao, women from the Anand Mangal group, and Selene States, along with collaborative pieces created by local students and community groups with artists Jemma Bagley and Dr James Chantry.

Artwork on display

Artwork and industrial heritage working together

We were open Thursday, Friday, Saturday until the end of May so people could visit the exhibition, take part in workshops in willow weaving, creating flowers from sari fabric, sock knitting, pattern cutting and tote bag decorating, and tour the building. We hosted 40 or so people every day.

We closed again in June for ‘snagging’ – when Messengers, the builders, and their contractors came back to sort the bits that we’d discovered needed sorting.

We aren’t opening with a fully-fledged programme, but building our offer and our audiences over time. We will host a variety of events: weddings, away-days, conferences, alongside exhibitions, performances, parties, workshops, community celebrations. Some will raise necessary funds, others not so much. We will welcome all and everyone.

We have started with some regular dates. In July, we set up Self-care Sundays, hosting Soundbath with Love and Light Loughborough. Designed to help restore peace and calm, they use chimes, gongs and singing crystal bowls to soothe body and mind.

By contrast, also in July, some local musicians came to try out the space and our equipment to make sure we are ready to welcome performers and audiences. The evening was a great success, so starting in August, we have (free) Open Mic evenings in the main hall on Mondays.  We welcome musicians, poets, stand ups, performers. They just have to sign up and step up – or as Jess has it, show up and plug in.

[You can find out more about what's going on at The Generator on the Events page on their webpage, or follow them on Facebook and other social media sites]

Sympathetic renovations, preserving the building's heritage

During the thirteen years it has taken us to reach this stage, Board members have pitched in and done everything. Now we are running a venue and that must change. We need support for Jess in her role – she can’t do it all on her own (programming, front of house, tickets and bookings, the bar, cleaning – everything); and an appropriate governance structure. The longest-standing Board members (Andy, David, Roger, Jill) will resign, also Pasha’s contract has come to an end. Those who joined recently will stay (Simon, Sylvia) along with Jonathan Hale, Company Secretary, and we are recruiting new members. It’s a major change. 

We are delighted by the enthusiasm and numbers who have expressed an interest in joining us/Board membership. It is heart-warming – and they are all such strong applicants. We will enhance the Board and happily embrace others through our under-construction membership scheme, advisory boards and opportunities for volunteering.

Lastly, I’ll cheat and mention the weekend 19th & 20th September, when we will as usual be taking part in Loughborough’s Heritage Open Weekend. We will be displaying at the Generator the extraordinary Alexandra Bedspread, with Deborah Moxom, whose research has uncovered the beautiful story of the bedspread, its role in fundraising for our Carillon War Memorial, and the 510 contributors. On Saturday evening, Deborah will tell all, and she and I will hold a Q&A session.

[You can read more about the bedspread in a guest blogpost written for this blog in 2023 by Deborah.]    

And a PS, The Alexandra Bedspread and Deborah have been shortlisted for an award by Findmypast. It is judged on everyday histories, rooted in local communities and heritage. Please vote for her - here!

And PPS, sign up to The Generator Newsletters - find the sign-up details at the bottom of this page!

____________________________________

About Jill

My career has combined my interest in the arts with work teaching and researching social policy, and active engagement in politics and the voluntary and community sector.

I studied fine art at St Martins, then had a break for children and family. I returned to study at Loughborough Uni (Sociology and Political Science) and gained my PhD from Nottingham Uni.

I worked for the Open University and as a researcher at the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough Uni. My employment and commitment to social issues complemented each other nicely. I was a Borough Councillor for 16 years, spending the final year as Mayor; I've been a Trustee at John Storer Charnwood and Equality Action (where I am still actively involved) and a Governor at Loughborough College (where I am now a co-opted member).

My interest in the arts is a thread running through my life. I worked in Arts in Prisons research and provision, and with Kevin Ryan at Charnwood Arts. I was a member of ACE East Midlands Arts Board. I was awarded an Honorary Degree by Loughborough University in 2012, and made an Honorary Alderwoman by Charnwood Borough Council in 2024.

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2026). The Generator First Hundred Days:  big achievements and fairy steps. Available from:  https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/08/the-generator-first-hundred-days-big.html [Accessed 30 August 2026]

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.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

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

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

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!

_______________________________________________

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!

_______________________________________________

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

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows: Alexandra Bedspread and Heritage Open Days - get voting! Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2026/08/alexandra-bedspread-and-heritage-open.html [Accessed 23 August 2026]

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.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

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

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Carillon museum opens, leisure centre opened!

Over the past few summer months I’ve managed to miss several events taking place in our lovely town – like the dedication ceremony for the Hope Bell in Queen’s Park, the VJ Day Commemorations, also in the park, the Pride event which also happened in the park, and I’m sure there are other events that I’m not aware of!

This morning, I was lucky enough to be in Queen’s Park for the (re-)opening ceremony of the Loughborough Carillon Tower and War Memorial. This was a very emotional event for me as I have previously been a volunteer in the museum when all floors were open to the public, so I was keen to see the new ground floor space. I have to say, I wasn’t disappointed.

After a short speech by Mel, who looks after the people who volunteer to staff the Carillon, and whom you might have seen recently lighting the beacon in the park at the VJ Day commemoration, and from the mayor, the ground floor was declared open, and the doors thrown wide!

My first glance, and I could feel the atmosphere in there! Although the space is still small, and many artefacts are no longer on display, the designers had done a wonderful job of creating an interesting, engaging, and informative display, a tribute to all those who are commemorated. There was not a single space that had not been used to good effect: look up, look down, look all around as I always say!! I must admit though, even I struggled to read the caption to a photograph that was at floor level, and had to kneel on the floor!

There were many people in attendance, and the room was a little crowded, so I didn’t have a chance to read any of the information in detail, nor look closely at the artefacts on display, so I shall make a return visit – or two! If you’d like to visit, you can find the opening hours – and much more information – on the Carillon Tower and War Memorial website. https://carillontower.org.uk/

While I was chatting at the opening of the museum in the Carillon, I was alerted to the fact that it was 50 years ago today that the town leisure centre was opened. This was built on the Brown’s Lane football ground, which had also been the venue for the Grand Bazaar and Fete that was held in 1922 to raise money towards the building of the Carillon, which included the competition to win the Alexandra Bedspread. By the same token, of course, it must be 50 years since the swimming baths in Queen’s Park, now the Charnwood Museum, closed, when the pool(s) opened in the new Brown’s Lane leisure centre.

And, don't forget to visit the Carillon in our beautiful park!

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2025). Carillon museum opens, leisure centre opened!

Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2025/08/carillon-museum-opens-leisure-centre.html  [Accessed 22 August 2025]

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.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

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

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

Loughborough's Carillon

Every year, when I ponder what to write about the Zeppelin raid on Loughborough on 31st January 1916, or when I wander through the Queen's Park, or when I think about what I can do to promote Loughborough to visitors, and when I do promote the town when I lead guided walks, one of the features that always comes up is the Carillon. And, would you believe, in the recent Art Deco talk I gave to a local history society, the Carillon even made an appearance in there!!!

The Carillon Tower and War Memorial Museum is unique in the country. True, there are other carillons, for example, that at Bournville, and there's even one down at our own bellfoundry, but the uniqueness is attributed to the one in Queen's Park being a war memorial. The carillon itself is a musical instrument that has been regularly played by the Borough Carillonneur, who was Eric Jordan at the time of the opening, and is currently Caroline Sharpe, or by visiting carillonneurs, or student carillonneurs, since the day the Carillon was opened in 1923. Regular recitals were also broadcast from the Carillon by the BBC!

Of course, such a magnificent monument, the building of which was a truly local affair - bricks by Tuckers, steelwork by Morris, bells by Taylors, and actually built by Moss - but came at a cost, some of which money was raised by the creation of a bedspread, which was awarded as a prize to the person who guessed the correct weight - or at least, came closest - of the Carillon tower! 

It was when I was doing my tour guide training, way back in 2012, that I first learned about Songster, the war horse who returned from the First World War and lived to an old age. Then, when I was a volunteer museum assistant at the Carillon for a couple of seasons, back in 2014, I encountered the life-sized Songster - well, it may not have been full size, but it seemed very large to me! - whose reins were being held by a mannequin dressed in full Leicestershire Yeomanry uniform. I have to say, both were rather scary! I also learned about trench art, which wasn't something I'd come across before. Since then, an attractive wire model of Songster has graced the flowerbed close to the Carillon!

The first year I volunteered I staffed the top museum floor; the second year, I was on the first floor museum - see the end of this article for a selection of photographs of some of the artefacts that were on those floors. Access to both floors - and to the clavier room, and the actual bell chamber - is via a wonderful, spiral staircase! Who doesn't love these?! I have to put my claustrophobia to one side, and concentrate fully on putting one foot in front of the other! It's really not unlike climbing to the top of a castle turret - and who doesn't love those, too?! Or climbing the church tower, either to get to the bell chamber, or out onto the roof to see the surrounding countryside!! Or even the tower of the Loughborough Grammar School which is often open during Heritage Open Days in September. When the Carillon tower is open, it is possible to climb to the top and survey the countryside around our wonderful town, and see the actual bells in the bell chamber.

Carillon stairs

Descending the spiral stairs in the parish church

One of the bells in the bell chamber at the parish church

The spiral stairs in the Loughborough Grammar School Tower

In May 1952, the Leicester Evening Mail informed its readers that there was a "small museum inside where war relics are kept". 

In January 1964, the Illustrated Leicester Chronicle included a long description of the "unique building", saying:

 "Anyone may enter the tower to view the bells, at certain times of the day, for a small admission fee, however, one must be warned that there are 138 steps to the top of the tower! Half-way up there is a war-museum, relics brought back from the war by local men who served there." 

A comprehensive description of the contents of the museum then followed, and included both artefacts and documents.

It wasn't until Monday 5th November 1984 that the Carillon was added to the Register of Listed Buildings, and granted Grade II status. 

During the opening season, which I believe is usually Easter to October (but do please check the official website!), the Carillon receives all kinds of visitors, many of whom come from overseas on special visits. Locals and students alike climb the tower, listen to the carillon recitals, and learn from the museum exhibits, and from talking to the volunteer guides, and members of the Carillon team even go out into schools, sharing the story of the wonderful building, and taking along objects that the students can handle and learn more about.   

Last summer we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the completion of the Carillon in July 1923. I believe the weather on the occasion of the opening ceremony was quite reasonable and seasonable, however on 23 July 2023 it rained heavily and constantly! Nevertheless, enthusiasts did turn out for what was a momentous occasion. More recently, the Carillon was the destination for the replica of the Great Paul Bell, which was made from willow, and journeyed from the parish church to Queen's Park via the town centre!

Of course, every November, the Carillon is the focal point for the poignant Service of Remembrance, which is fitting, given its role as the town's war memorial, commemorating not only those who died during the First and Second World Wars, but also in subsequent, and more recent conflict.

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, however, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2023). Loughborough's Carillon. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/02/loughboroughs-carillon.html [Accessed 18 February 2024]

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.

External Links:

By including links to external sources I am not endorsing the websites, the authors, nor the information contained therein, and will not check back to update out-of-date links. Using these links to access external information is entirely the responsibility of the reader of the blog.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

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

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne

The Alexandra Bedspread

Back in January of 2019, I was really pleased to be involved in helping to research a couple of people whose name was embroidered on the Alexandra Bedspread. Geroge 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! Many thanks to Deborah for her fascinating account of the origin of our unique bedspread!

The Alexandra Bedspread 

By Deborah Moxom

What is the Alexandra Bedspread?

The Alexandra Bedspread

The Alexandra Bedspread is a wonderful patchwork textile we have here in Loughborough. It was created between 1920 and 1923 as part of the fundraising effort required to pay for the building of our town’s war memorial, the Carillon Tower.

The Bedspread measures 8ft 7ins by 7ft 5ins (2616mm X 890mm) and is made up of cream cotton squares, 510 of which have a signature of a donor embroidered on it. People paid a shilling to sign their name which was then embroidered in navy cotton by local girls. The central panel of the bedspread depicts the Carillon Tower embroidered in various stitches. This was done by students at the Technical College.

The Story of the Bedspread

In 1919 a committee was formed to oversee the fundraising and building of Loughborough’s war memorial. It had been decided that this would take the form of a Carillon tower with 47 bells.

The General Committee, as it was known, was split into smaller committees including finance and the Ladies committee. It was estimated that between £16,000 and £18,000 would be needed to complete the project.

Money came in via personal donations, workplace subscriptions and many other fundraising ideas but it was in 1920 that mention of holding a Grand Bazaar was noted in the committee meetings.

The Grand Bazaar was held over 3 days in Queen’s Park and the Corinthians football fields (now the Leisure Centre on Brown’s Lane) and it was here that the Alexandra Bedspread made its first public appearance. It appeared on the Malines stall run by Mrs Frances Bond and the public were invited to guess the weight of the Carillon Tower to win the bedspread.

Mr and Mrs Bond, centre of photo, outside their stall at the Grand Bazaar. Reproduced with permission

The Bedspread was made at 94 Leicester Road, the home of Mr William and Mrs Frances Bond.

The Bonds originally came from Yorkshire but work brought them to Loughborough around 1904. Mr Bond worked for the Prudential Assurance Company and became the local superintendent here in Loughborough.

Their extended family lived in Ireland and Canada some of whom themselves came to Loughborough to study engineering and the family married into the local community.

Mrs Frances Bond was a member of the Carillon General Committee and a postcard has been found of Frances proudly displaying the completed bedspread in her garden (Postcard image courtesy of Christine Harris).

Mrs Bond and the bedspread. Reproduced with thanks, courtesy of Christine Harris.

We believe Frances had this postcard made to be sent out to donors who lived further afield to show them what they had contributed to.

The bedspread was won by Mr James Ernest Collins, the landlord of the Volunteer Inn, Devonshire Square, Loughborough. Mr Collins was extremely proud of the bedspread and after winning it the Collin’s family added their names and Mr Collins added the word Owner below his signature.

An example signature

He named the bedspread in his will, where he left it to his daughter Ivy in 1937.

The Volunteer Inn, Ward's End pictured in 1900. Reproduced with permission.

Ivy kept it until 1950 when she gave the bedspread to Charnwood Borough Council in whose care it remains today. Unfortunately the bedspread is unable to be permanently on public display at the moment but ideas are being considered on other ways to tell its story.

The Story of the Signatures

Signatures of Queen Alexandra, Princess Helena, Winston Churchill and Emma Cunliffe-Stamford

Interesting Signatures

The bedspread is named after Queen Alexandra now, but was actually known as the War Memorial Bedspread in 1923.

Queen Alexandra’s signature was obtained as late as May 1923 and it was through her connection to a local family that it appears on the bedspread.

At the time she signed, the Queen was a widow and her son King George V was on the throne. Queen Alexandra was godmother to Alexander Robert Cunliffe- Owen who had come to live in Loughborough after his Mother, Emma had married a local doctor.

Emma Cunliffe-Stamford had been born in London and her father Sir Francis Cunliffe-Owen had been the first director of the South Kensington Museum, which became the V&A and Science museums. The family moved in royal circles and also knew Lord Kitchener. Emma married Dr Robert Basil Stamford in 1919 after her first husband died and settled here in Loughborough living on Burton Walks, at the Red House, until her death in 1950.

During WW1 Emma and her first husband Edward decided to recruit their own battalion of men to fight. They called them The Sportsmen’s Battalion, later to join with the Royal Fusiliers.

Overall, Emma and Edward managed to recruit a total of 5,000 men and personally supervised their training, as well as ensuring they had the correct clothing and equipment. For 11 months, Emma administered the battalions under the supervision of the War Office, working from 8.30am until 11pm every day.

The Cunliffe-Owen’s presented each man they recruited with a silver medallion.

An example of the silver medallions

 

Emma was awarded an OBE in 1920 for her contribution to the war effort.

Princess Helena’s signature was also obtained by Emma Cunliffe-Stamford. Princess Helena was the youngest daughter of Queen Victoria and sister-in-law to Alexandra. It seems that Helena’s signature may have been obtained before Alexandra’s as Helena was gravely ill by May 1923 and in fact, had died before the bedspread was won.

Winston Churchill was not a serving M.P. when he signed the bedspread but was a close friend of Edward Louis Spears who was M.P. for Loughborough in 1922. Edward and his wife Mary also signed the bedspread.

Edward and Winston had met on the French front line in WW1 and became firm friends for the rest of their lives. In the 1921 census Winston and his wife are staying with Edward and Mary Spears in Sevenoaks, Kent.

Edward Louis Spears had been a career soldier. Born in France he was a fluent French speaker and was deployed to the front line in 1914 as a translator between the British and French Generals. During his time there he met a nurse named Mary Borden.

Mary was an American, daughter of a silver tycoon and she had inherited a fortune. At the outbreak of WW1 Mary was living in London with her husband and had just given birth to their third daughter. Having no experience of nursing and unable to speak French Mary nevertheless joined the French Red Cross and travelled to France to work in a hospital in Dunkirk. What she witnessed appalled her, and she approached the chief of the French Forces, General Joffe and offered to finance and staff her own mobile hospital. Her offer was accepted and for the rest of the war Mary headed up a hospital that moved with the fighting, at times being within shelling distance of the front. Her idea of a mobile hospital was revolutionary and resulted in her having a survival rate of 4 out of every 5 casualties, a number unthinkable before.

When Mary and Edward met, they began an affair and in 1918, after the dissolution of her first marriage they married in Paris.

Mary won many awards for her outstanding war work and she also wrote poetry and novels about her experiences. One of her poems, Beyond the Deepening Shadow, was used as a soundscape to the flaming torches installation at the Tower of London in 2018.

A Local Signature

Frank Stockall 1937

Frank Stockall was 28 in 1922 and was living at 55 Park Road, Loughborough. [1]

Frank had attended Loughborough Grammar School from 1908-1912 and on leaving school went to Chemnitz in Germany where he was studying at a German bank. He had also intended to spend time at a French bank before returning to London where he hoped his experiences aboard would prove useful to him in a future career.

His father William was managing director of the Nottingham Manufacturing Company, a hosiery company here in Loughborough. They had a factory in Chemnitz which is why Frank chose to go there.

At the outbreak of WW1 Frank remained in Chemnitz and in 1915 was interned as a British Civil Prisoner of War in Engländerlager of Ruhleben-Spandan, west of Berlin. At Christmas 1915 he sent a message back to his school sending greetings and wishes for a brighter New Year and saying that a printing press had been set up in the internment camp.

In 1922 Frank gave a talk at Loughborough Grammar entitled “Experiences in a German Prison Camp”. There was a record attendance where he told them of his arrest, internment and inhumane treatment. He had become seriously ill whilst in Ruhleben and had been sent home in an exchange of prisoners before the Armistice which ended WW1.

Frank made a visit to Malines (now named Mechelen in Flemish) in Belgium to visit their Carillon Tower and the School of Carillon Music in 1922 and on his return gave another talk at his old school which demonstrated the passion he felt about Loughborough erecting their own Carillon Tower.

 “Can we picture the German troops dancing on the floor of our Parish Church as they danced in the cathedral of Malines in 1914? Can we imagine the houses round our Parish Church utterly destroyed by bombardment as the houses for many yards round the Malines tower were destroyed? Can we imagine returning to homes in ruins, our rooms covered in debris and dirt, as some of the Malines men found theirs, when they returned after four years? To the town the Memorial can therefore never be great enough, great as it will be.”

Frank worked as a hosiery salesman for the Nottingham Manufacturing Company so never realised his ambition to work in a bank. On the 5th June 1924 he married Gertrude Margery Amatt and remained in Loughborough until he died in 1969.

There are so many stories to tell behind the signatures on the bedspread. I have been researching since October 2018 and still the research continues. The bedspread is a wonderful depository of social history and tells the story of 1920s, post-WW1 Loughborough. Through the signatures a story is told of manufacturers, educators, shopkeepers, hoteliers, doctors and nurses, and everyone else needed to make up a thriving market town. I hope to share more of the stories I have found through local talks and perhaps a publication.

Deborah Moxom

____________________________________

About Deborah 

Hi, I am Deborah Moxom and I moved to Loughborough in 1995 when my husband came to study engineering at the University. I have worked locally as a nurse and gardener but in 2007 I joined the team at the Town Hall working as an usher in the theatre and latterly on the box office and helping in the SOCK Gallery, our art space. Having researched my own family history for over 20 years I was very excited to be asked to look at the Alexandra Bedspread in 2018 when it was to go up on display in the gallery. I was immediately hooked and have spent the last, nearly 5 years researching the creation of the bedspread and all 510 signatures on it. It was absolutely wonderful to share my research through the recent exhibition at the Town Hall and also through talks I give to local groups and clubs. In the future I hope to produce a publication of  my discoveries so that as many people as possible can discover what a wonderful treasure we have here in Loughborough.

____________________________________

NOTES and Further resources

[1] No.55 Park Road was once the home of the widowed Laura Clarke, whose family had been involved in the dyeing industry.

There are a number of posts in this blog which talk about the Alexandra Bedspread, particularly in relation to signed artefacts, and in comparison with other signed textiles. A short entry also appears in 'A-Z of Loughborough' although since publication it has since been confirmed that there are more than 500 signatures, and that the bedspread was not allowed to be raffled, hence the 'guess the weight' competition. 

____________________________________

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

Thank you for reading this blog.

Copyright:

The copyright © of all content on this blog rests with me, or in the case of guest blogposts, with the named Guest Blogger. However, you are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, with appropriate credit. The correct citation for this looks as follows:

Moxom, Deborah (2023). The Alexandra bedspread. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-alexandra-bedspread.html [Accessed 13 August 2023]

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.

Blog archive and tags:

If you are viewing this blog in mobile format, you will not be able to easily access the blog archive, or the clickable links to various topics. These can be accessed if you scroll to the bottom of the page, and click 'View Web Version'. Alternatively, there is also a complete list of posts, which when clicked will take you to the page you are interested in.

Searching the blog:

You can search the blog using the dedicated search box that appears near the top of the blog when viewed in the web version. Alternatively, you can search using your usual search engine (e.g. Bing, Google, DuckDuckGo etc.) by following this example:

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

NOTE – the words you’re actually looking for must be in “” and the first of these must be preceded by a space

Thank you for reading this blog.

Lynne