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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When only wine will do!

It's funny how things seem to point in a particular direction! There are so many things and people I want to blog about, I sometimes sit and think "where shall I start", but other times the subject of the post is obvious!

After last week's visit to the re-opening of the Old Bleach Yard path through to the Granby Street car park, I was thinking about the new businesses that have relatively recently opened in Ward's End, like Madeline's Gifts and Flowers (where I recently got my own wedding bouquet and buttonholes), the new cafe in what was until recently the shoe shop, and the Deli at 58, to name but a few. Here's hoping that their businesses boom now that there is easier access from the car park.

That also led me to thinking about the businesses that have only recently closed, like Denise's Florists, the shoe shop I've just mentioned above, the guitar shop, the Age Concern bookshops (ok, so it's still in town) and some time ago now, Wakerleys the bakers, again, to name but a few.

Of course, there are a number of shops which have been on Ward's End for a long time, including Kent Stevenson shoes, the vacuum cleaner shop, and George Hill, Wine Merchants. Again, here's hoping trade for them is also brisk!

Talking of George Hills, my eldest was home from university for a couple of days last week, and he popped into the shop looking for some Eiswein (ice wine), as a gift for a friend, who had spent some years working in Canada so was particularly fond of the Canadian variety. Anyway, none was to be had so he came home with some late Riesling instead. Whilst we were talking, I suddenly remembered I had a bottle of Eiswein squirrelled away somewhere at the back of a cupboard, so went to see if I could find it. Imagine our surprise when it turned out to be one of those elusive Canadian varieties!!

Also whilst we were chatting I remembered that I'd read somewhere that George Hill's were having s display in the local studies area of the public library, so I hotfooted it off to the library to have a look at said exhibition, and take a few photos. Do go and see it if you can because my photos are absolute rubbish quality, for which I apologise profusely.

Hmmm, and this gives me an idea for next week's post! Hope to see you then! 

  

Old Bleach Yard

Today I was lucky enough to be able to attend the opening up of the Old Bleach Yard!

If you know Loughborough, you are probably familiar with Angel Yard in Market Place, as being the original home of Wills and Hepworth, the publishers of Ladybird books, or maybe The George Yard, at one time home to James' Vaults. Yards like this, as well as courts, were very common in the Loughborough of old, but have changed over the years as new developments have replaced them.

The Old Bleach Yard is the path leading down by the side of the vacuum cleaner shop and The Moon and Bell (or Atherstone House) in Ward's End. For many years I used to buy my birthday cards in the pine shop that used to be on the left towards the bottom, but of late I have had little reason to go down there. The yard ends with a wall, and some concrete garages, with the old Clarke's dyeworks to the right. 

Well, I say this, but now the area has been transformed, the garages and wall knocked down and the pathway opened up into the Granby Street car park, with the aim of making it easier for folk who've parked there to come directly to the wonderful Ward's End, Devonshire Square, Bedford Square shopping area.

There is so much history associated with this area, I don't know what to highlight!! Obviously, Clarkes Dyeworks has played a very important part here, and I blogged quite some time ago about the Clarke family, and about some of the places, like The Gables, Park Street and Park Road where members of the family lived. The Woodbrook which runs through Queen's Park and across Granby Street was also important to the dyeing and bleaching industry. As you can probably tell from the name of this yard, there was also a bleach works, that went hand-in-hand with the dyeworks.

The cattle market used to take place near the opening of the Old Bleach Yard onto Ward's End, before it moved into what is now the Granby Street car park, evidence of which is still there in the form of the ring of stones near the entrance. Also, somewhere in the vicinity was the Drill Hall where the TAs used to meet (don't quote me on that: it might not have been the TA!!)

Just up the road from the entrance to the yard is The Orange Tree pub, previously the Wheatsheaf, and behind this a yard where Henry Moore (the spa ornament maker, not the sculptor!!) lived and worked on fashioning alabaster ornaments (I blogged about this a while ago, too!)

Just down the road from the yard is Devonshire Square, an area that has recently been rejuvenated with a colourful mural depicting local scenes, and created by Silent Hobo (subject of an earlier blogpost).

Whilst I was in town, I looked around Ward's End and took note of the many new shops that have opened in the area, like the Deli at 58, a new coffee shop, and a relatively new florists. Standing cheek by jowl with old-established businesses like George Hill's and Kent Stevenson, I'm sure this new link between the car park and Ward's End will encourage more shoppers to visit the area.

To end, here's some photos of today's event.