Whitwick

Whitwick is a mining village, and is set amid some of the best scenery of Charnwood Forest. As early as 1293 it was granted a weekly market and a four-day fair. This view shows Market Street.
An extract from from"Leicestershire & Rutland Living Memories".

MANY MORE people know the name of Loughborough than know the town itself, or even where it is. That name is read, said and rings out across the world. Loughborough is unique. It is a small market town in the East Midlands of England, yet it has a university with an international reputation for excellence in sciences and sports. It is home to the largest bell foundry in the world. For generations, children in every corner of the globe have seen the words ‘Ladybird Books, Loughborough, England’ on the brightly coloured books which helped to shape their lives. Cranes and hoists, some of giant size, designed and built in Loughborough have been employed from the docks of New Jersey to the shipyards of Korea. Turbines, trams and transporters have all been made at the Falcon Works of the strangely named ‘Brush’ Electrical Company. If you visit Loughborough, the evidence for this wealth of industry and knowledge is not easily seen. Far less apparent still is the long and often turbulent past of the town. I approached the writing of this book with some trepidation. There are, already, many books about Loughborough from the seriously academic to the purely anecdotal. The difficulty in the end was not what to include, but what to leave out. The choices, and the faults, are the writer’s, but, if your favourite place or story is missing, there will hopefully still be much to enjoy. Many famous and noble families were involved in Loughborough’s past - De Spensers and Beaumonts, Herricks and Hastingses and, most poignant of all, Lady Jane Grey, litter the past of Loughborough. Many of them came to a sad and savage end. The town lies next to the wild landscape of Charnwood Forest, is surrounded by ancient hunting parks and was, for centuries, ‘owned’ by one family. It may appear a quiet place to the casual observer, but Loughborough hides a fascinating story just under that placid surface.
An extract from from"Loughborough - A History & Celebration".

Towards the north-west lies the mound of Beacon Hill. The earliest origins of Loughborough may be here. No one can truly say when man first settled in this area, but there was certainly an Iron Age settlement at Beacon Hill c400 BC. Even today, when the bracken on the Beacon dies down in the autumn, the terraces tilled by farmers of long ago can still be seen. Iron Age smiths forged tools and weapons here. Corn was ground in stone ‘querns’ made from the rock to be found at nearby Quorndon, a name meaning ‘hill of the querns’. Industry, technology, commerce and agriculture all came early to this area and found a home here. The oldest rocks in Britain have been found locally. The very name Charnwood comes from ‘caern’, the Celtic for ‘rock’. The river valley of the Soar lies to the south of Loughborough. Water, and waterpower, have played important roles in the founding and development of Loughborough. Northwards the ground rises a little towards Burleigh. Did the Romans ever find their way to this corner of Leicestershire? As yet, there are clues but no conclusive evidence of Roman occupation. When the Romans left Britain, the Saxons arrived. They were experts at ‘reading’ the landscape to discover the best places to settle. That skill was essential because the survival of the whole group depended on it. The first essentials were water and a place which could be defended against enemies. The Saxons found both at Loughborough. Gravel deposits meant the existence of clean, fresh water. Rising ground gave a lookout and a natural fortress. The alarm could be sounded from Toot Hill if enemies were sighted.
An extract from from"Loughborough - A History & Celebration".

ALL SAINTS’ CHURCH ZZZ04971 (Author’s Collection) Much of the prosperity of Loughborough was built on sheep farming and the export of wool to France and Flanders where it was made into cloth. This dependence on the wool trade is recalled in the coats of arms above the door of All Saints’ tower. They depict the arms of Ralph Lemyngton, who was a prosperous wool merchant, and the Staple of Calais, the French port to which most wool was sent.
An extract from from"Loughborough - A History & Celebration".

The characteristics of a real country market town were being established. A handsome stone church was built, originally dedicated to St Peter and St Paul but later to All Saints. There was a guildhall and a manor house, a weekly market and twice- yearly fairs. The splendour of the church reflects the comparative wealth of medieval Loughborough from wool production. Loughborough’s guildhall, sometimes described as the ‘Great House’, continues to be a familiar landmark. For many years it has been the premises of Charles Lowe’s furniture and antiques business. It is believed that Henry VII stayed here in the 1480s.
An extract from from"Loughborough - A History & Celebration".