Loughborough Grammar School Town Trail Sponsored by the Old Loughburians’ Association
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Town Trail For 525 years Loughborough Grammar School has been a significant part of Loughborough. This 3km trail looks at its history and the influence of its pupils on the town. Sponsored by the Old Loughburians’ Association
The trail begins looking down the School’s Quadrangle from Burton Walks.
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The 1852 Building
The School moved here, to its fourth home, in 1852. Designed by John Morris and built at a cost of £6,612 it consisted of two large halls, two classrooms in the Tower and Headmaster’s house with boarding accommodation. It opened with 71 boys but has since expanded to its current size of 925, 69 of whom are boarders. As you look from the Quadrangle gates, on the right hand side at the far end is the Library, originally Science Labs added in 1895, and at the near end is what was originally ‘Sloyd’, the manual training room, built in 1896. Both of these were designed by George Barrowcliff (LGS 187581). He also designed the Reading Room and expansion of School House on the far left, added in 1904. The Queen’s Building with its stained glass window, was opened by Her Majesty the Queen in June 1996 to mark the School’s Quincentenary. The smaller Barrow Building, opened in 1925 and named after a Chair of Governors, is sandwiched between Queen’s and Cope, the nearest building to you which opened in 2000. In the 1930s the School expanded to the other side of Burton Walks with
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The Houses of Burton Walks
The seven houses of Burton Walks were built between 1880 and 1929 and were private houses until the School bought them at various times from 1948, purchasing the last one in 1998. Their residents represented some of the ‘great and good’ of Loughborough. The ‘white’ house, Buckland, (No 6) had two of the most famous of these who were at school together from 1875 to 1879. Architect George Barrowcliff built it in the style of Charles Vosey in 1903 and lived there until 1913 when he sold it to E Denison Taylor, Chairman of Taylor’s Bell Foundry, who lived there until his death in 1947. The next house, Red House (No 5), is well known because of a failed fire bomb outrage by the Suffragette movement on the night of 18 October 1913, one of only two buildings in Leicestershire to suffer such a fate. Amongst the residents of the remaining houses were Frederick Burder,
Director of Messengers (No 4); Henry Deane, solicitor (No 3); Joseph Hands, solicitor, and Thomas Cartwright, head of Cartwright & Warners (No 2); Richard Clifford, Mayor; Thomas Marshall-Green, Gent’s Outfitter and Henry Purnell, Chairman Herbert Morris (No 1). More details can be found in ‘publications’ at www.lgs-heritage.org
Continue towards the barrier in front of you, on your left is Loughborough High School. a Gym and Swimming Pool. In 1961 the Hodson Hall was built with the help of a bequest from F W Hodson (LGS 1881-88) and more recently the Sports Hall (1981); Burton Hall (1991); Maths and Science Park (2013) and Astro Turf (2019) have all been added. On certain days the original building will be open. There you can go up the Tower; see the original school room and also an exhibition of the life of Air Vice Marshal Johnnie Johnson (LGS 1924-32) top pilot of WW2. Contact the School for details.
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Loughborough High School What was then ‘The Girls Grammar School’ moved here in 1879 from Chesterton House. It changed name in 1893 and now educates 600 girls.
Turn round and proceed to the right down Burton Walks. Continue through the ‘kissing gate’ and head straight down Victoria Street, across Bedford Square and down New Street to the Carillon Tower.
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Leave the park by the exit on the left and opposite is the Carnegie Library.
The Carillon Tower The whole concept was the idea of Wilfred Moss CBE (LGS 1882-88) who was Mayor in 1923. There are 47 bells cast by Taylor’s. The largest was given by E Denison Taylor (LGS 1872-79) and there are also bells given by both the Grammar School and High School. To the far left-hand corner of the tower you will see a L shaped hedge. This is an escallonia bred by Charles Ball, one of 58 Old Boys killed in the Great War. The School recently funded the latest memorial of over 100 new names.
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The Carnegie Library
This was built in 1905 on land given by Major Frank Griggs (LGS 1874-79) and opened by his father, Joseph, the first Mayor of Loughborough. Its first librarian was Frank Topping (LGS 1878-82). It was extended in the 1960s.
Details of opening can be found at www.carillontower.org.uk
Continue towards the bandstand and then keep left and head towards Charnwood Museum. The Architecture of George Barrowcliff (LGS 1875-81) and Edward Allcock (LGS 1885-88). These two Old Boys went into partnership in 1889 and together were responsible for buildings we now see in this area.
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The Charnwood Museum
Turn left and head up to the road junction; opposite you is the United Reformed Church.
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United Reformed Church Originally the Congregational Church, it moved here from Ashby Square in 1908. In addition, locally, Barrowcliff and Allcock were also responsible for Rosebery School (1897); St Peter’s (now Elim) Church (1910); Taylor’s Bell Foundry (1898) and the extension to Emmanuel Church (1909).
Turn round and head back down Granby Street towards the town centre. At the end turn left and head towards the Market Place. On your right is the Town Hall. Opened in 1898, the Memorial Baths were 80ft long and 30ft wide and were surrounded by 30 dressing rooms and nine slipper baths. The Baths closed in
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1980 and in 1999 became the Museum. For opening times see: www.charnwood. gov.uk/pages/charnwood_museum
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The Town Hall
The 1825 Church Gate School
Seven Old Boys have been Mayor of Loughborough and there are currently three councillors who are Old Boys. The original mayoral chain, mace and borough arms were designed by Ernest Baldwin (LGS 1866-72) and the mace was given by Marmaduke Barrowcliff, father of George.
Loughborough Grammar School moved here in 1825 along with the Writing, Reading and Hickling Schools. In 1840 these become the High School (which was for boys) and the Lancasterian School for Boys and Girls. In 1931 it was demolished to enable a widening of the road and the Lancasterian Schools to become Limehurst School. The new road was called Lemyngton Street after Ralph Lemyngton, who was executor of Thomas Burton’s will and was responsible for funding of the early School. The School adopted his arms as its shield in 1873.
After walking through the market place, turn left and on your right are the Echo Offices.
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The Echo Offices
Continue walking along Church Gate and turn left into Steeple Row. Proceed past the Church until you reach Rectory Place.
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Chesterton House
In 1850, as the Grammar School planned to move, the Lancasterian Girls’ School moved here and was called the Upper Girls’ School. This was the first Girls’ Grammar School in England and a plaque commemorating this is on the wall.
Designed by Allcock in 1931 the cream faience tiles were created by Hathernware Ltd whose chairmen were George Hodson
(LGS 1896-91) and F Walter Hodson (LGS 1881-88). The School’s Hall bears the family name thanks to a generous bequest.
Retrace your steps and enter the Churchyard and head to the Church.
Slightly retrace your steps and turn left onto Church Gate, going under the arch. Cross Fennel Street and to the right of where you are standing is the site of the 1825 Church Gate School. 6
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Loughborough Parish Church
As you approach the church, look to the right immediately above the west door and you will see Ralph Lemyngton’s shield. As you enter the church, above the porch is the small room where, according to tradition, the School started in 1495. As it expanded it moved to the chancel and by 1553 there were 140 boys. On entering the church directly opposite you on the north wall is the charity board which includes details of Thomas Burton’s endowments. On your right is the Burton Chapel, the
idea of Canon George Briggs (LGS 189193) in 1930, and designed by Allcock. The oak screen was added as a war memorial after WW2. Here you can see the tablet in Latin commemorating Thomas Burton and, behind the panels on the right, the 1545 Burton Chantry Certificate. Look at the east window. This is a memorial to Bishop George Davys (LGS 1789-98) who was tutor to Queen Victoria and Bishop of Peterborough and who laid the School’s foundation stone in Burton Walks in 1850. You will see a long memorial plaque to him to the left of the window. www.allsaintsloughborough.org.uk
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The Tudor School
The School left the Church and moved into a purpose built two-storey building in 1593, illustrated here, which was rebuilt in 1748 at a cost of £214. It stayed here until 1825.
Head to the right of Caravelli’s Restaurant, along Sparrow Hill and then turn right into Baxter Gate. On your right is Beacon Bingo.
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Beacon Bingo Originally the Odeon Cinema, it opened in 1936 and was regarded as the showcase building for the Hodsons’ Hathernware. (See Loughborough Echo Offices) F W Hodson was also an engineer and he built the Blackbrook Reservoir in 1906 which supplied the town.
Continue along Baxter Gate until you come to ‘Baxter Store’ on your right.
On leaving the Church, turn left and walk towards Lowe’s antique shop. On your left, roughly where the brick toilets of the Windmill Pub are, was the Tudor School.
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Zenobia Perfume Shop
Taylor’s Bell Foundry
In 1888 William Charles (LGS 1872-75) opened his first shop here. For the next 64 years their products were regarded as the best in the world and the company expanded to new premises in 1912. He was Mayor 1919-1921.
Almost immediately you come to the courtyard for Loughborough Baptist Church.
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Loughborough Baptist Church Courtyard Here there are two war memorials. On the right you will see the names of Old Boys W E Bourne and W F Kent and, on the building on the left, Sydney Corah, Howard Moss and Albert Purnell, five of the 58 Old Boys killed in the Great War.
Continue to the end of Baxter Gate and the end of the trail. The Market Place is to your right and turning left and heading down the A6 takes you back to the School.
Not on the trail but worth visiting. The east side of Taylor’s Bell Foundry was designed by Allcock and Barrowcliff in 1898. In 1900 the School was presented with its bell by Taylor’s to mark its education of four brothers:
John (LGS 1861-69); Pryce (LGS 1868-75); E Denison (LGS 1872-79) and Owen (LGS 1876-83). Details at www.taylorbells.co.uk
Loughborough Grammar School Burton Walks Loughborough LE11 2DU 01509 233233 grammar.office@lsf.org www.lsf.org/grammar @LboroGrammar
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@LboroGrammar
@LboroGrammar
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Map drawn by Janet Anderton If you have enjoyed the trail and want to know more about the School’s history visit the digital archive at www.lgs-heritage.org
