Museums libraries books talks and archives!

Apologies for not blogging last week. Well, I say apologies, but I did blog, only not here!!! I was lucky enough to attend the Leicestershire and Rutland Heritage Conference, run by Museums Development East Midlands for people who work or volunteer in the heritage sector. It was held in the National Space Centre, and you can read my account of the event over on the Old Rectory Museum blog.  






On Tuesday I popped into our public library because they were having an ancestor hunt day, where people came along and had a bit of help tracing their elusive ancestors. The library has access to Ancestry and Find My Past, as well as to a lot of other resources that can really help with family history. Having said that, I was in the library on Thursday too, for the launch of the renamed Local Studies Library which is now called the Local and Family History Centre, and the latest exhibition. The new name really describes succinctly the kind of information that can be found in their resources. 

The launch was well-attended, with about 30 people enjoying the talks and the exhibition - oh, and the tea and cakes too!! We were told about many of the things the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers (LLLSVs for short) have done over the past 5 years, and heard about their plans for the future. Their latest book is a faithful transcription of a book by Herbert W. Cook entitled Robert Bakewell of Dishley: the pioneer of English stockbreeding, which was originally published in 1942. The 2019 reprint is now available to purchase from the Local and Family History Centre for a minimum donation of £7. Do try and get along to the exhibition if you can - it's about William Railton, the architect behind Nelson's Column, and his work in Leicestershire.






Later that same evening I went to the Loughborough Archaeological and Historical Society talk on Elizabethan and Stuart turbulence in Leicestershire, given by Richard Bullock of Nottingham Trent University. Before I went along, I admit I knew very little about the Elizabethan age, or the age of the Stuarts, and really couldn't imagine what turbulence there might have been in the peaceful county of Leicestershire, although given what I knew about the Luddite attacks, the Chartists Uprising of the early-mid 1800s etc. it was always likely that Leicestershire had never been peaceful!

Anyways, it was great to learn about the arguments and disputes, the trials and tribulations and relationships between the local landowning and influential families - the Hastings, the Greys, the Shirleys and the Faunts. What a complicated set of circumstances, what a complex web of relationships, but I certainly came away knowing more than I had before.

So these busy few days were then followed by a visit to a fascinating archive, like most fledgling archives, kept in a tiny room and a basement, but housing some truly fascinating documents and resources. I was also lucky enough this day to happen upon some Tuckers bricks, with the header end facing forward and embossed with "Tuckers Newstyle". What a treat!!! Sadly, no photos though. I also tried to find out if the radiators were from Messengers, but there was nothing obvious, so perhaps on my next visit I should take my plumbing kit with me and disconnect one so I can get round the back and find the evidence!!!!!






This weekend I've spent a great couple of days walking the length and breadth of Loughborough looking for suitable photo opportunities for my forthcoming book, and trying to hunt down more blue enamel street signs (I've only found 4 so far, but I'm pretty sure there are more out there)!

Anyway, must go and prepare for another week at work!

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). Museums, libraries, books, talks and archives: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2019/02/museums-libraries-books-talks-and.html [Accessed 10 February 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  

Fairs and markets come to the library!

I mentioned in last week's post about Tiverton and its market charter on display in the Tiverton Museum of Mid-Devon Life, and compared this to Loughborough's own market charter. So, I popped down to our market on Saturday and took a couple of pictures. It was late in the day, and most stalls were packing up, if not already packed away:

Loughborough market, Saturday 6 August 2016

Loughborough market, Saturday 6 August 2016

On the Friday I had popped into the local public library as I'd heard there was an exhibition about Loughborough's markets and fairs, put on by the Local Studies Volunteers, and I wasn't disappointed. There were some great displays, and some interesting information so, here's some pictures of what I saw:

And here's a bit more information about the exhibition - do pop along if you can:

If you're interested in Loughborough's markets and fairs, you may be interested in re-visiting a couple of my blogposts:

• Spotlight on Loughborough fair, 2013
• Loughborough fair, 2014
• Loughborough pottery market, May 2014

Birthday celebrations

Picnic in the Park is back in 2016!

Celebrate:

• Charnwood Arts is 40 this year!

• Loughborough's twining with Schwabisch-Hall is 50 this year!

• Loughborough's twining with Epinal is 60 this year!

• John Storer House is 50 this year!

• Loughborough University is 50 this year!

• Her Majesty the Queen is 90 this year!

Commemorate:

• Zeppelins raided Loughborough 100 year ago this year!

• Luddites attacked the factory of Heathcoat and Boden 200 years ago this year!

So what are we doing to celebrate and commemorate???

Preparations for BIG celebrations in Queen's Park are under-way, and there's an exciting programme of events planned! 

Some commemorations have already taken place, and we have seen the unveiling of the memorial plaque to those inhabitants of the town who died on the night of 31st January 1916, when the Zeppelin airship dropped its bombs on the town, popular accredited tour guide Bob Stephens led a walk of discovery around the sites where the bombs fell, (which has been interpreted also as a virtual walk), a vigil has been held, and there has recently been a huge commemorative event in the form of a weekend of short plays telling the story of each the town's citizens who died.

A local descendant of a family who fled the town after the Luddite attacks recently led a walk of discovery around the sites associated with Heathcoat and Boden, (which has been interpreted also as a virtual walk), and last week, on June 2nd, I attended the launch of an exhibition on the Luddite attack in 1816, at the local public library. "Loughborough's Lace and Luddite Heritage", was created by the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers, and others, and after an introductory welcome by one of these, the exhibition was officially opened by Dr Robert Knight from the Politics, History and International Relations Department at Loughborough University.

This is a wonderful exhibition, and much research and thought has gone into it (as we've come to expect from the volunteers, I might add). What was even more exciting was that the Tiverton Heathcoat Walkers sent three representatives from their group to be here in Loughborough public library for the opening of the exhibition. If you don't know the story of the Luddite attack and the subsequent events, the significance is that after the attack, Heathcoat transferred his business to the town of Tiverton, and took many, if not most, of his workers with him. They travelled to Tiverton on foot, following the Fosse Way.

So, back to Picnic in the Park! During the events on the weekend of Friday 24 - Sunday 26 June (for more detail see the LoveLoughborough website) there will be a "Ludd Hub" in Queen's Park, where all-things Luddite will be happening. This will be run by the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers, together with the Politics, History and International Relations Department of Loughborough University. The Tiverton Heathcoat Walkers will be attending, and after the event they will be walking back to Tiverton, just as their ancestors did in 1816, although the walkers in 2016 will be following the canals to Somerset, before taking a footpath and then picking up the canal again (I believe). The walk is expected to take 14-15 days and Loughborough people are very welcome to join the Tiverton Heathcoat Walkers on their long journey! Once you get to Tiverton, there is a local Heathcoat trail which can be followed, which links up the both the beginning and the end of the lacemakers' journey. 

In support of the commemorative events, a reprint of a publication called "The Lacemakers Story" is available from the Local Studies volunteers at Loughborough Library and costs £4.00. Free copies of "The Lace and Luddite Story" and the "Loughborough Luddite Trail" are available from the exhibition area in the library.

Here's how the local paper, the Loughborough Echo, has publicised the event, and how it has been publicised in the Exeter region.

Useful links:

• Follow the Loughborough Library Local Studies Volunteers, and get advance notice of upcoming exhibitions: Twitter - @Loughlibvol

• Follow Charnwood Arts on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/377722418908350/

• Have a peek at the Tiverton museum website

The opening of the exhibition Loughborough's Lace and Luddite Heritage

Dr Robert Knight opening the exhibition

Just before the opening ceremony

You are welcome to quote passages from any of my posts, whilst giving appropriate credit. The correct citation for this post is as follows:

Dyer, Lynne (2016). Loughborough Union Workhouse. [Online] Available from: http://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.co.uk/2016/05/loughborough-union-workhouse.html [Accessed 9 June 2016]

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! 

  

So who was A T Warbis?

If you pop down to the public library before the end of July you will see the exhibition cabinets near the Local Studies Library full of sketches created by A T Warbis. Alfred Thomas Warbis, or AT as I believe he signed his drawings, was a prolific artist, and created over 1,200 drawings for the Loughborough Echo, which appeared in a column called "From and Artist's Sketchbook".

Here are some pics from the exhibition; they don't do it justice and I'm still trying to get to grips with my new camera, so do try and pop in and have a look for yourself. And, if you're on Twitter and want to follow what's going on in the Local Studies Library, follow the volunteers - LLLSV @Loughlibvol

If you pop over to the internet (preferably using Chrome rather than IE (as the site doesn't work for me on IE)) you'll find some webpages on A T Warbis created by his son, David. This site also includes an obituary that appeared in the Loughborough Echo at the time of A T's death (1976). In his introduction, David makes a great point that his father's sketches were not only works of art, but now also contribute to a recorded social history of Loughborough. So, for example, in the public library exhibition you can see copies of A T Warbis's sketches, next to a photograph of what the same view looks like today: some are little changed, but many are vastly different.

The Loughborough Echo obituary tells you a little more about the artist's life, and it is wonderful to learn that he created about 5,000 sketches, was a pupil of, amongst others, Herbert Railton *, and worked for Brush.

Personally, I love these sketches. There is no substitute for a real drawing, but since I am no drawer myself, and I do like taking photographs, so I have recently been playing with some software that allows me to create pencil sketches from photographs, and I've used these in my walking booklets. Of course, as I said, they are no substitute for the real thing ...

The Manor House

The Odeon

The Sockman

Beacon Bingo

The Parish Church

The Old Hospital Site

The Old Rectory in the snow!

 * I've been looking for a connection between Herbert Railton, artist (who originally trained as an architect) and William Railton, architect, who designed, amongst other things, Nelson's Column, and the Bavarian Lodge at Garendon Park, but as yet have been unsuccessful!

A veritable pot pourri!

The Leicestershire Green plaques scheme

You may have seen a recent news report about a new green plaque scheme that is being rolled out in Leicestershire. This scheme is like the blue plaque scheme run by English Heritage, where a plaque is attached to a building where either someone famous lived and worked, or a building that has some interesting heritage attached to it.

The scheme in Leicestershire will see about six green plaques erected in Leicestershire in the first year of the programme. Members of the public are being asked to nominate sites and people that they think are worthy of such an accolade. Closing date for these nominations is Friday 24^th January, and once nominations have been submitted, the judging panel will make a shortlist of 12. Members of the public will then be able to vote, and 6 final choices will be made.

So, if you want to see that favourite person of yours honoured, or that building made special by a green plaque, send in your nomination! The nomination process is well-explained on the website, but in short, write up to 500 words in support of your nomination and send it in to the address listed on the website.

But hurry, time is running out!!!

  

Cinemas

 

I’m sure many of you will know that the proposed development of the Baxter Gate hospital has been approved and is likely to result in a new cinema for the town. I have my own views about this, which I won’t bore you with here. However, I will say that one of the benefits of this development is that it encompasses the former nurses’ home, a Grade II listed building, built in the late 19^th century, that is currently crumbling before our eyes.

The worry now, is about the current cinema. If I remember rightly, I think the Odeon (previously The Reel, The Curzon, The New Empire, The Essoldo, and originally The Empire) has also been granted permission to extend and is to add a couple of coffee shops and expand into Asha House which is at the back to the cinema, on Southfields Road. Originally, built in 1914 as the Empire, the cinema was extended in 1929, and the art deco façade that we all know and love so much was added. In 1935 a new auditorium was created and in 1974-5 the cinema was twinned.

The big question is, of course, can Loughborough sustain two large cinemas? We have already seen the demolition of Warner Street School, the only stone building left in town, and a Locally Listed Building. The current Odeon is also Locally Listed: How safe is this much-loved institution?

Aumberry Gap

I recently found myself being thrown out of the local studies library – not for bad behaviour, but because it was closing time! – and found myself browsing through some local stock that I hadn’t previously come across. Ohhhh, lots of stuff of interest – bits of paper printed on someone’s dot matrix printer, faint, creased and filed in ring binders, huge volumes of type-written books, and loads of directories. Flicking through one or two of these resources, I happened upon some really useful stuff that added to what I had already researched for some earlier blogposts, and some new information that will inform future posts. Oh, and I got thrown out of the main library too!!

The one thing I wanted to mention today was a volume of burial registers. I knew that there were some burials under the car park of the Beauchief (previously known as The Britannia Inn), and that Aumberry* Gap was so named as it replaced Cemetery Road. I can’t remember exactly, but someone once told me that these burials were either non-conformist, or the Church of All Saints had run out of burial space, and the cemetery on Leicester Road hadn’t yet opened. Here in the library, I found all the names of the people buried in this place, and thought how sad it was that there is now an inner relief road being built on top of them.

*Aumbry – in a mediaeval church this was a cabinet in which the chalices were stored

WW1 and the Church of All Saints

Some Heritage Lottery Funding has been made available to move some war memorials that are currently situated in the parish church to a more visible location within the church. There is to be a public meeting, a Community Consultation, on Saturday February 8th in the church at 7.30pm to discuss the project, to which everyone is invited.




Fearon Hall

This year, 2014, Fearon Hall is celebrating its 125th birthday, and to celebrate, ideas from the public are being sought. There is going to be a meeting in the hall on Sunday 19th January, from 2pm-4pm and anyone with ideas or memories of the hall to share is welcome to come along.

Luddites and Lacemakers

The Friends of Charnwood Museum have invited a guest speaker along to talk about John Heathcote and the Luddite raids of 1816. This talk takes place on Wednesday 15 January in the museum cafe, at 7.30pm, and everyone is welcome. There is a small charge for entry.




New Year Honours

Finally, I would like to congratulate Dr Jassal of Bridge Street Medical Practice for the fantastic work he does at Rainbows, the local children’s hospice, which has earned him and MBE in this year's honours list.