Saturday 24 March 2018

Walking the plaques

List of plaques in Loughborough

The following is a list of plaques (Blue, Green, White, and Other) of which I'm aware (not exhaustive - I'm bound to have forgotten some). They have been installed by various bodies, and where I know what this was, I've included this. The Leicestershire County Council Green Plaque Scheme is a relatively new initiative which sees the public nominate and vote for commemorative plaques they would like to see throughout Leicestershire. As you'll see from the list below, Loughborough has a number of these plaques, and its latest winner (of the 2017 voting round) will be installed shortly.

Where possible I've included a photo of the actual plaque in question and a photo to show it in context.

I will try and make this into a walk and put on a dedicated page at some point, but if in the meantime you want to find out more about Heathcoat and the Luddites, pop over to this walk, and if you want to follow the Zeppelin trail pop over to this walk.  

The List

Blue ones
1
Location – John Heathcoat’s House, Leicester Road
Detail – commemorating the lace-manufacturer John Heathcoat who was living in this property at the time the Luddites attacked his factory on Mill Street (now Market Street) in 1816. Installed by Charnwood Borough Council
What else to see in the general area – white plaque on gates to Southfield Park, just down Leicester Road - Green Plaque further up Leicester Road and off to the left down Factory Street
John Heathcoat's abode on Leicester Road

Blue plaque

2
Location – a wall on Warner’s Lane, off Church Gate
Detail – commemorating the former Non-Conformist (Unitarian) Church which used to be in this area. Robert Bakewell, prominent local agricultural pioneer attended this church. Installed by Charnwood Borough Council
What else to see in the general area – white plaque at bottom of Church Gate at its junction with Biggin Street
A plaque between Smith & Smith and Sue Ryder commemorating the Unitarian Chapel and Robert Bakewell

Blue plaque

3
Location – entrance to the Masonic Hall (formerly the Carillon Rooms, and Independent Congregational Chapel) on Orchard Street
Detail – commemorating 200 years of Freemasonry, and 129 years of meetings in Loughborough. Installed by the Provincial Grand Lodge of Leicestershire and Rutland.
What else to see in the general area – along Swan Street, a granite cross in the middle of the road, and a commemorative plaque under the canopy of the stairs to The Rushes shopping centre 

The Masonic Hall

Blue plaque

Green ones
1
Location – Factory Street, off Leicester Road on house next door to the Peacock
Detail – commemorating the innovative textile manufacturer William Cotton who lived in this property. Installed by Leicestershire County Council  
What else to see in the general area – a blue plaque back down Leicester Road – white plaque on the gates to Southfield Park
The Peacock and the house on Factory Street commemorating the life of William Cotton

Unveiling the plaque

Green plaque
2
Location – Gainsborough House on Nottingham Road
Detail – Gainsborough House was the home of Thomas Tyler who trained Sunloch, a horse which won the Grand National in 1914. Installed by Leicestershire County Council
What else to see in the general area – a white plaque on the railway station building – plaque commemorating the 50th anniversary of the creation of the British Junior Chamber – artwork on the flats on Station Boulevard

Gainsborough House on Nottingham Road
Green plaque


3
Location – entrance to Carillon Centre from Market Street
Detail – commemorating Angel Yard, the former home of the publishers of Ladybird Books, before it moved to Beeches Road. Installed by Leicestershire County Council
What else to see in the general area – an artwork showing a boy lying down reading, situated in the Carillon Centre

Angel Yard at the entrance to Carillon Centre

Green plaque
Boy reading in Carillon Court

Blue and green ones
Pair
Location – a pair of plaques on part of the Taylor Bellfounders factory on Freehold Street
Detail – blue plaque commemorating the life of John William Taylor I who worked and lived on the factory site, 1859-1906. Green plaque commemorating the work of the Bellfoundry at this site since 1859, installed by Leicestershire County Council
What else to see in the general area – brass plaque on Empress Road  

Taylors Bellfounders with plaques on the tower

Blue and green plaques

White ones
1
Location - Thomas Cook at the railway station
Detail – commemorating the first “package tour” from Leicester to Loughborough, a Temperance Society outing, including fun and games on Southfields Park
What else to see in the general area – Loughborough Junior Chamber plaque also commemorating the outing on the 50th anniversary of the British Junior Chamber – a red telephone box – a VR wall inset post-box – the GCR bridge over the mainline – the artwork on the flats on Station Boulevard – a green plaque on a farmhouse on Nottingham Road

The railway station

White plaque
Junior Chamber plaque at the railway station

Plaque detail

The telephone box

The Victorian post-box

The flats on Station Boulevard
Detail of the artwork
Bridge to the Future
2
Location - Thomas Cook at Southfields Park, Leicester Road
Detail – commemorating the first “package tour” from Leicester to Loughborough, a Temperance Society outing, including fun and games on Southfields Park
What else to see in the general area – Blue Plaque a little way down Leicester Road – a Green Plaque further down Leicester Road and off to the left down Factory Street

The gates to Southfield Park

White plaque 
3
Location – Bottom end of Church Gate at its junction with Biggin Street
Detail – commemorating the pedestrianisation of Church Gate in 1980 and installed by Loughborough and District Civic Trust
What else to see in the general area – Blue Plaque a little way up Church Gate and off to the left down Warners Lane

The bottom of Church Gate at its junction with Biggin Street

White plaque
  
Other
1
Location – archway at the bottom of the Shelthorpe Estate at its junction with Leicester Road
Detail – coat of arms and plaque commemorating the award-winning design that is the Shelthorpe Estate
What else to see in the general area – the cemetery chapels further up Leicester Road – the Loughborough Endowed Schools buildings further down Leicester Road – the Lodge to Aingarth (formerly Elms Lodge) also further down Leicester Road
The arch at the bottom of the Shelthorpe Estate

Plaques
2
Location – Swan Street a commemorative plaque under the canopy of the stairs to The Rushes shopping centre
Detail – commemorating the site of the falling of Zeppelin bombs on Swan Street, and those who were killed in the five attacks. Paid for by public subscription
What else to see in the general area – plaque on the Masonic Hall, Orchard Street
The Zeppelin memorial installed on the 100th anniversary of the falling of Zeppelin bombs
3
Location – Empress Road on the side of a house near the Herbert Morris factory
Detail – brass plaque commemorating the site of the falling of Zeppelin bombs, and those who were killed in the five attacks.
What else to see in the general area – granite cross in the road opposite this plaque – blue and green plaques on Freehold Street 


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

Dyer, Lynne (2018). Walking the plaques. Available fromhttps://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2018/03/walking-plaques.html [Accessed 24 March 2018]

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

Sunday 18 March 2018

Loughborough snow today!

So, over the last couple of weeks I've been a bit busy, gadding about, but today I managed to get out and about in Loughborough - in the snow! Here's some pics of my journey from Loughborough Road cemetery, to Charnwood Water, past the Great Central Railway, onto the Grand Union canal, up to the parish church, the Old Rectory, along Fennel Street and into the Market Place. Enjoy!


Snowy path to Loughborough cemetery
Path to the cemetery

Snowy cemetery Loughborough
Snowy cemetery

Snowy cemetery Loughborough
Snowy cemetery

Snowy chapel spire Loughborough
Snowy chapel spire

Mr Paltridge standing in snow Loughborough
Mr Paltridge standing in snow

Bridge covered in snow
An added layer of snow and I really can't see the trains below!

Snowy fence looking onto the railway Loughborough
Snowy fence looking onto the railway

Snowy branches at Charnwood Water Loughborough
Snowy branches at Charnwood Water

Snowy tree and path at Charnwood Water Loughborough
Snowy tree and path at Charnwood Water

Snowy seat at Charnwood Water Loughborough
Snowy seat at Charnwood Water

Snow covered trees at Charnwood Water Loughborough
The Snow Queen at Charnwood Water

Life buoy topped with snow at Charnwood Water Loughborough
Red about Loughborough, with a white hat

Snowy Charnwood Water Loughborough
Snowy Charnwood Water

Snowy path at Charnwood Water Loughborough
Snowy path at Charnwood Water

A grebe on Charnwood Water Loughborough
A grebe on Charnwood Water

A tufted duck on Charnwood Water Loughborough
A tufted duck on Charnwood Water

Swan on Charnwood Water Loughborough
Swan on Charnwood Water

A snowy booking office sign at the GCR Loughborough
A snowy booking office at the GCR

Herbert Morris and fisherman on the banks of the Grand Union Canal Loughborough
Herbert Morris and fisherman on the banks of the Grand Union Canal

Fishermen on the banks of the Grand Union Canal Loughborough
Fishermen on the banks of the Grand Union Canal

Fishermen through the canal bridge Loughborough
Fishermen through the canal bridge

Through the bridge on the Grand Union Canal Loughborough
Through the bridge on the Grand Union Canal

Through the bridge on the Grand Union Canal Loughborough
Through the bridge on the Grand Union Canal

Postbox outside the sorting office Loughborough wearing a snowy hat
Postbox outside the sorting office wearing a snowy hat

Icicles on the parish church Loughborough
Icicles on the parish church

Gravestones at the parish church Loughborough
Gravestones at the parish church

The snowy Old Rectory Loughborough
The snowy Old Rectory

Snow on Fennel Street Loughborough
Snow on Fennel Street

Former Church Gate school Loughborough with snowy roof
Former Church Gate school

Snow on the HSBC building Loughborough
Snow on the HSBC building

Maybe next week I will stop galavanting around and get my research back on track!


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

Dyer, Lynne (2018). Loughborough snow today! Available from: https://lynneaboutloughborough.blogspot.com/2018/03/loughborough-snow-today.html  [Accessed 18 March 2018]

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