More changes around the town in early 2024

I really can’t believe that since I shared with you some changes that had happened around the town centre during 2023, yet more things have changed in the past couple of weeks!!

The most recent thing I’ve seen is that Moore and York, the estate agents, seem to have vacated the mill building on Devonshire Square/Ward’s End, that they have occupied for many years. Whether or not this is a permanent situation or not, I don’t know, but I do know they recently had a new heating system installed! The building might be on the register of locally listed buildings, although in reality, I’m not sure if the listing might perhaps be for the other end of the building, at the edge of the Granby Street car park. Nevertheless, the building in question is, in my opinion, quite lovely with its red and blue brick, its brick window arches, and its interesting cross-shaped white brick pattern.

View from Devonshire Square

View from Ward's End

I mentioned in my previous post that the Moon and Bell had gone, but since then work seems to have begun on the building itself. The Old Bleach Yard signs that were on the side of the building along the alleyway have gone (ok, so they were rather, ummm, bleached by the sun!), some of the rear windows have been boarded up, and the flat roof is being attended to.

The Old Bleach Yard alleyway

The Moon and Bell from the rear

The Old Bleach Yard banners in 2015

The Old Bleach Yard banners gone, 2024

And the little shop that for a very long time traded in vacuum cleaners, and has since hosted a number of other businesses, is now being turned into a pottery, which is having an open day on 24th and 25th February.

Whilst I was in the area, I walked through Queen’s Park, and noticed the trees that had been removed. Well, actually I couldn’t have noticed the trees, as they had ummmm, been removed, but I did gasp at the difference the removal of two of the trees had made to the view (and to the shade over and around the benches).

On the residential streets, a property with a Swithland slate roof has had these tiles removed and replaced with different ones – probably Welsh slate, so still fairly in-keeping with the house, but much more of a grey colour when compared with the green hue of the Swithland variety.

The old Swithland slate roof

A new roof

Champs now has scaffolding around it. Well, actually, I think it may have been like this before Christmas, but it didn’t quite make it to the blog! Prior to 2018, this sports bar was called The Unicorn.

Briefly, it looks like the Peacock is having a bit of work done, too.

The white property on Fennel Street (now the A6), which suffered a fire a few years ago, has had its side chimney (?) removed.

Pictured in November 2023

And there I must end for another week!

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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Dyer, Lynne (2023). More changes around the town in early 2024. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/02/more-changes-around-town-in-early-2024.html  [Accessed 4 February 2024]

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So who was Jane Lester of Loughborough?

After two weeks of being on holiday, last week saw me back at work - well, working from home at least. Having taken loads of photos on a daily basis during my watery holiday in Loughborough, I spent a bit of time this week looking back at these, and was reminded of some Loughborough-related things I happened upon while I was discovering watery areas close to Loughborough.

One of our holiday days saw us parking in Shardlow, and walking along the canal and river to Trent Lock. On the way back, we took a slightly different route which meant walking through the field next to the towpath. The cows were gorgeous, and the view of the church as we approached Sawley was very attractive. 

Church of All Saints, Sawley, in the distance

Sawley church and cows rushing to the drinking trough

Reaching the end of the field, and coming out onto the road we headed off towards the church of All Saints. The approach to the church, through an avenue of trees and passing the Old Rectory, which is a Grade II listed building, constructed in 1823 with later 19th century additions, was stunning, and reminded me a little of the approach to Kirkby Mallory church, the burial place of Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron.

Tree-lined approach to the church at Sawley

The Old Rectory at Sawley

Anyway, given the current situation, we weren't expecting the church to be open, and although the door was ajar, we didn't venture inside. The churchyard is now closed to new burials, and maintenance of the grounds now rests with the Borough Council. The churchyard was, of course, open to visitors, so we had a look around. How lovely it was to see a few examples of Swithland slate gravestones, as well as those made of Welsh slate and local stone.

Siwthland slate headstones in the foreground, Welsh slate in the distance

Detail from a Swithland slate headstone in Sawley churchyard

Doing the circuit of the churchyard, right at the end of the route I stumbled across a headstone of Welsh slate that particularly grabbed my attention: 

The gravestone of Jane Lester and Harriet Roe

Interesting that Jane Lester was 'late of Loughborough', so why was she buried in Sawley? And who was Harriet Roe? An investigation into Jane Lester has revealed many snippets of information, but some remains elusive. Here's what I have discovered so far. Sadly, it's only the information pertaining to her family and where they lived, as in order for more information to be available, one would need to have been a member of the nobility or aristocracy, or in the public eye (like a publican) or perhaps a criminal, and, as you will see, neither Jane nor Harriet were none of these.  

Jane was born in around 1819, in Shepshed. Her husband-to-be, Stephen Lester, was born around 1816 in Long Whatton. Stephen's father, William, was a baptist, whose own birth was recorded in the baptist registers. I am wondering if this might be why I can't find Stephen and Jane's marriage anywhere. Information in later census returns points me in the direction of Jane's surname being either Oram or Mills, but further investigation has proved neither conclusively.

STOP PRESS! Thanks to a very kindly friend, Stephen and Jane's marriage record has now been found, and it confirms that Jane was born Jane Mills, in 1818, and she was baptised on 25 August that year. Her parents were William Mills, a carpenter, who was also born in Shepshed in 1793, and Hannah Chester, who married William on 31 October 1815.   

Anyway, by 1841, Stephen and Jane were living in the same house on Brook Street, in Shepshed, and Stephen is a framework knitter. The nine-year old girl, Milicent (spelled Melicent on the census return) listed as being at the same property the night the census is taken, is actually Stephen's sister, who later marries a man from Loughborough, where they make their home.

By 1851 Stephen, listed specifically as a framework knitter in cotton on the census return, and Jane are lodging with someone called Mary Oram and Mary's nephew, James Mills, a potato dealer, in Brook Street, Shepshed. Stephen and Jane have five children: Isaac; William; James; Elizabeth and John, ranging from age 9 (Isaac) to a baby (John).

On the 1861 census return, Stephen and Jane, and their children - Isaac (a framework knitter), William (an agricultural labourer), James (a labourer), and John, Hannah and Thomas who were all school-aged. They are no longer living in Shepshed, but have moved to Smalley in Derbyshire, which is a small village on the main A608 Heanor to Derby Road, being situated just over 2 miles to Heanor itself. Maybe Stephen was working for the firm of I&R Morley who had recently opened a factory in Heanor in 1860, but this is purely speculation on my part. 

1861 census return

 

In 1871 Jane and Stephen are living at 8 Regent Street in Loughborough, along with four of their children, Isaac and John, and Hannah who is now a dressmaker, and Thomas, who is a painter. Stephen's father, a retired framework knitter, is also listed at the property on the night of the census. Stephen's father died in 1878, and in 1881, Stephen and Jane are living alone at the property on Regent Street. The 1891 census shows them as living at 10 Regent Street, but whether they have moved, or whether the house numbering has changed is unclear.

In 1898 Stephen dies, and his death is registered in Loughborough, in the April, May, June quarter. As we already know, Jane died shortly after her husband, on March 28 1899, at Sawley.

So, what is the connection between Jane and Harriet Row with whom she shares a grave in Sawley?

Investigation shows that it is Stephen and Jane's son, James, who links the two families, through his marriage to Rosetta Roe. This event happened on 30 May 1868 in Shardlow, and the couple move to Normanton, near Derby, which is about 10 miles from Sawley and 13 from Shardlow. Rosetta's father is listed on the marriage document as Joseph Roe.

James and Rosetta's marriage, 1868

Joseph Roe was born in 1816 in Smalley to parents Joseph and Millicent. By 1841 he has married, and he and his wife are living in Scropton, Derbyshire (about 20 miles from Smalley) where Joseph is working on a farm. They have a six-year-old son, William. The 1851 census has the family living in Normanton (near Derby), and includes children William, Thomas, Ann, Rosetta and baby Joseph.

The whereabouts of the family in 1861 is a little less clear, but they might still be living in Normanton, with older children William, Ann and Joseph, and three younger children, Mary, Charles and James. 

There is a more positive listing of the family in 1871 when Joseph and his wife are living with two of their sons, Charles (15) and James (11). Other people listed at the property on the night of the 1871 census are James Lester, son of Stephen and Jane, his wife, Rosetta, daughter of Joseph, and their baby daughter, Emma.

James and Rosetta on the night of the 1871 census

 

In 1881, Joseph and his wife are living in Barley Row, Normanton, with their son, Charles, and next door to Charles Roe and his wife Elizabeth, Charles maybe being Joseph's younger brother. By the time of the next census, taken in 1891, Joseph and his wife are living with their son Charles in Normanton. 

I haven't definitely established Joseph's date of death, but it is likely his death was registered in Shardlow in 1893. He left behind, his wife, Harriet Roe, Joseph and Harriet being the parents of Rosetta Roe who married James Lester, son of Stephen and Jane. 

Given the message on the gravestone, and the entry in the local newspaper, I can only assume that Harriet, who lived at Normanton, was visiting Jane in Sawley, or perhaps staying with her for a while, and both died in March 1899, although the dates vary slightly.

Long Eaton Advertiser, 15 April 1899

Funny the things you discover on holiday!!!

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

Dyer, Lynne (2020). So who was Jane Lester of Loughborough? Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2020/07/so-who-was-jane-lester-of-loughborough.html [Accessed: 26 July 2020]

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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     

 

Picnic in Queen's Park and more

Last Saturday saw the 39th annual Loughborough Picnic in the Park, organised by Charnwood Arts. The day was so wet and windy that there was talk of cancelling the event, until Fearon Hall came up trumps and the picnic was transferred to the 'the urban village in the heart of the Loughborough' and the whole kit and caboodle moved in!

It was a bit of a squash, but the many and varied stalls were set out in the main hall, and performances took place in the upstairs space and one of the downstairs rooms, while some things still took place outside the hall, at moments when the weather permitted. It was crowded and noisy inside, but everyone who was looking after a stall, and everyone who visited seemed to be having fun! At one point Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert popped in to enjoy the festive occasion of their 200th birthday!

The rain has been such that at the end of this week, into this weekend, and Queen's Park is pretty waterlooged, with ducks paddling on the paths, the swan maze having an added dimension and the grass drowning. The park is riddled underneath with little streams that meet up with the Wood Brook in various places (I did find a map once, but, of course, I can't find it now). 

Last Sunday I spent the day in Birmngham, singing with the CBSO and a number of community choirs and individual singers. We had quite a long break, and so off I went in search of Loughborough connections! Near the venue was an arts and crafts house called Winterbourne House and botanic gardens, so I popped in to have a look to see if it were anything like Stoneywell Cottage, the house in Charnwood that Ernest Gimson designed for one of his brothers. Of course, it wasn't. In fact, it was totally different! Stoneywell is constructed of the local stone, and Swithland slate, whereas Winterbourne is of red brick construction. There was, however, an interesting use of slate for sculptures in the garden, upon which quotes had been carved. Inside I learned that Annie Oakley who had come to Britain with Buffalo Bill praised the firm owned by the owner of Winterbourne House for their ammunition.

The extensive gardens were beautiful and I was keen to see if the greenhouses and orangery might have a connection to share. Of course, they didn't! No Messenger conservatories here! In an area so close to the city of Birmingham where at one time there were extensive factories and foundries, it was always going to be the case that any ironwork would be produced there!

Back on the University of Birmingham campus, on my walk round I spotted a lovely building that reminded me of Towers on our own university campus, allbeit a little smaller! 

During the week I headed off to the New Walk Museum in Leicester to catch the Mods exhibition. Wow! That was fabulous! I was rather taken with the pinball machine they were auctioning off for charity, as it reminded me of my misspent youth!! And the beautiful scooters reminded me of the bike show in Loughborough market place, which I blogged about last year. Also on display was a bit of Loughborough memorabilia.

This weekend I spent Saturday in Market Harborough and Foxton, attending wedding celebrations. The connection with Loughborough that I was immediately aware of was me, as I had my wedding meal at Foxton Locks a few years ago!! And then, as I was walking around the village hall, I spotted some photographs which included some familiar names (Guy Paget, of the Ibstock Pagets, Hazlerigg, and Colonel Martin) and on the way home, we drove along a road in the village called Swingbridge Street, and over the swingbridge which crossed the canal, which, of course, reminded me of Loughborough's own Swingbridge Road.

The happy couple!

Today I managed to dodge most of the rain showers and headed down to the market place to see the cars on show - and what a show!!! Loads and loads of vehicles of all shapes and sizes, and so many people too!!

To round off the day I walked over to Rosebery Community Centre (formerly St Peter's Community Centre) to view artworks created by local folk. Talented artists showed a huge variety of their work, from pottery to jewellery, paintings to wirework, and tyedye to printing. 

Gosh, a busy 10 days! And as if that weren't enough, I got myself a new car! Oh, and preview copies of my new book arrived through the post for me! 

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

Dyer, Lynne (2019). Picnic in Queen's Park and more. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/06/picnic-in-queens-park-and-more.html  [Accessed 16 June 2019]

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.

Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne