Loughborough, View South From Carillon Tower c.1955

Photo ref: L197056

More about this scene

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.