Changes in Loughborough 2023

This time last year there had been so many changes to buildings in Loughborough during the year, that I felt I ought to record some of them on the blog. Well, this year has also seen lots of changes, so here I am again looking at a selection of developments during 2023. Of course, apart from actual building changes, there have also been lots of instances of building change of use, or simply building vacation.

Here are some photos of a few of the changes I've noticed (apologies that some are so out of focus - I was having a worse day for photography than usual!):

Moon and Bell closed

Windmill changed to a residential property (I couldn't find my later photo which I'm sure showed even more changes than this particular photo from October 2023 does)

Blacksmiths empty

Teas & Cs changed to an O2 shop

Wilko gone

Boujee Home gone (previously Oh Deer, Dunelm, Able Jacks etc.)

HSBC being renovated

Co-op still being renovated

Demolition of the former Labour Exchange on Cradock Street now completed and replaced with flats

Former Ellwoods garage and latterly a car wash still an empty site

Former Grudgings Needleworks, and latterly GTG Engineering, renovated and now known as Albert House

Work on Bedford Square now completed

Devonshire Square mural now gone, and awaiting a living wall, I believe

House on Park Road, renovation complete

House on Burton Street, renovation still on-going

Canal towpath renovated all the way from the Chain Bridge to Moor Lane Bridge

Renovation work continues at the Bellfoundry

Flats on the site of the former Royal George now under scaffolding

And that's all for now folks!! Thanks for dropping by! 

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Posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

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Thank you for reading this blog.

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Dyer, Lynne (2024). Changes in Loughborough 2023. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2024/01/changes-in-loughborough-2023.html [Accessed 7 January 2024]

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Devonshire Square Mural 2022

Back in December 2014, what I refer to as the Devonshire Square Mural was unveiled. This artwork was produced by Silent Hobo (Wei Ong) who describes himself as an experienced professional illustrator and mural artist, who specialises in digital artwork, and spray-painted graffiti. I had attended a consultation session earlier in 2014, at the Charnwood Museum, where ideas for what the mural might illustrate were discussed, and some of the history of the town was shared with the artist.

Silent Hobo took the ideas and the history and blended them together to make a 50-meter mural to cover the concrete walls of what had been a multi-storey car park, but which had been partially demolished, leaving only the ground floor, Granby Street car park.

In my first book, 'Loughborough in 50 Buildings' I wrote about the car park and the mural:

"49 Devonshire Square Mural, 2014

On Tuesday 26th January 1965, Councillor G. J. Humphrey, Mayor of the Borough of Loughborough, officially opened a two-storey carpark on Granby Street, in the presence of Aldermen and former Mayors, William P. Stagg, L. W. Hull, and George G. Allen, and Councillor Mrs M. Bradley. Ald. Stagg pleaded with motorists to make use of the new car park, instead of ‘cluttering up the streets’.

The new car park was originally intended to be four-storeys, but at the time of opening it was a two-deck construction, although sufficiently load-bearing to take the two extra levels that had been planned. The entrance was on Granby Street, but the length of the structure faced onto Devonshire Square, and the ground level was populated by shops.

What the car park had replaced was Clarke’s Dye Works, a long-established family firm which was liquidated in 1959, and the building demolished not long after.

The car park lasted for many years, until about 2012 when the upper levels were removed, and the ground level rear parking area spruced up. Following the town’s acceptance as a second-wave Mary Portas Pilot town, a plan for revitalising the Devonshire Square area was suggested, and Wei Ong, who calls himself Silent Hobo, was chosen from a group of twenty artists, to create an exciting mural to cover the railings that remained above the shops. Wei Ong had created much artwork for other towns, and after consultation with local residents, he planned his Loughborough mural to showcase some of town’s heritage, its seasonal events and its local people."

My photos of the mural in December 2014:

On his webpages, Silent Hobo provides a bit of background to the mural, and some stills of the actual work, as well as a couple of videos, one of which shows himself at work on a complementary project, painting Lady Jane Grey, in Loughborough market place. This portrait was hung on the entrance to Market Yard, on the wall of the shoe shop (but wasn't there the last time I looked, a couple of months ago).

During the pandemic, work was undertaken on the improvement of the area of Ward's End and Devonshire Square, which saw, amongst other things, some new heritage plaques inlaid into the new flooring around Devonshire Square. 

Sadly, however, the passage of time has not been kind to the mural, and its bright, vibrant colours have faded somewhat down the years. Some of the panels have started to come away from the concrete setting, and some panels have been lost altogether.

 

However, it has been announced that under the Charnwood borough Council's 'Future Charnwood Investment Plan', proposal number 5 is to cover the concrete wall above the shops in Devonshire Square with a living wall. Apparently, living walls are more than just a green facade (which might simply be ivy-clad walls), and involve vertical-growing plants, grown from containers in either soil, or using hydroponics, and supported by a frame. 

As far as I can tell, however, this proposal is one of several, and funding for it has yet to be approved. In the event that it is approved, it will be interesting to see this living wall.   

____________________________________

posted by lynneaboutloughborough

With apologies for typos which are all mine!

_______________________________________________

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

Dyer, Lynne (2022). Devonshire Square Mural 2022. Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2022/09/devonshire-square-mural-2022.html [Accessed 28 September 2022]

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.  

 

Thank you for reading this blog. 

Lynne                                 

Devonshire Square

This week sees the unveiling of the mural by Wei Ong, in Devonshire Square. Wei Ong, who is probably better known by the moniker Silent Hobo, was chosen from a number of different artists, to produce a mural to liven up Devonshire, above the shops where the car park used to be!

He has been working on this for a few months, and some of his work was on display in the town for a little while, including his interpretation of Lady Jane Grey. Members of the public were quizzed in the town centre about what they would like to see appear on the mural, there was a public meeting in Charnwood Museum café, and many other opportunities for people to have their say.

Although the unveiling is on Sunday 6 December, 2014, the mural is already up and brightening up the area. My pics don't do it justice, and I really can't remember the order of the panels, but, if you can't get down to see it, perhaps this will give you an idea of what it looks like. The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that these pics were taken on market day, and you might spot the new brightly coloured market stalls. And, if you have moved away from town, it might help you to place Devonshire Square if you remember that some of the shops in this area in the 1980s like Tesco, the Lotus House Chinese Restaurant and the Motorists' Discount Centre!

So far on the mural I've spotted Taylor's Bellfoundry, The Carillon, Ladybird Books, the fair, the library, the Charnwood fox, the markets, the "parish church", Towers (possibly!), a steam train, a canal boat, the Bastard Gates, and possibly Archdeacon Fearon, Robert Bakewell and Songster.