Cooper’s Arms archway gates spark memories from former butcher
THE SON of a Loughborough butcher has been in touch with Looking Back after he recognised the archway, which once contained a pair of wooden gates that later ended up in the back yard of his shop.
Mr Colin Ward, of Moore Lane, Loughborough said that his father - Jonathan Ward - who owned Ward’s Butcher’s in Moor Lane had been given the maroon wooden gates that were once at the back of the Coopers Arms pub in Moira Street.
He said they were in the archway which, in the Looking Back photo- graph, was next to the little girl (see story on page 31).
Colin said that he remembers that during the time the street was being demolished his father had asked for the gates.
Colin added that the demolition work was being carried out by Collington’s in Wymeswold, and that his dad knew one of the digger drivers, Keith Harris.
He said his dad asked Keith if he would be able to get the gates for him because he thought they would be perfect for the stable door at his butcher’s shop - but they were never used and sat in the back yard for over 30 years.
Colin remembers the wooden gates being painted a distinctive maroon colour with large wooden spikes on the top.
Colin also remembered a number of other businesses in Moira Street.
He said that on the right of the photo were the backs of a lot of businesses from Leicester Road, including Speedwell garage, which had been Chamberlain’s garage previously - which his father used to use.
He also remembered Jimmy Pepper’s the scrap metal shop, a little shop that was owned by Bill and Francis Sharpe, and Buckby’s confectionary shop.
Ward’s Butchers was opened by Colin’s grandfather Jonathan in 1903, and when Jonathan passed away in 1949 the shop was taken over by his son Norman.
Norman’s two sons Colin and Graham joined the family business from a young age, and continued to run the butcher’s shop when their father retired.
Colin and his wife, Sue, then took over the shop in the mid 1980s and ran the business until it closed in 2013 when it was demolished to make way for the inner relief road.
Colin said: “Throughout the years, and the changes that have taken place one thing was consistent and that was the loyalty of the customers. Whose weekly schedule was often worked around a trip to the butchers, not just for their meat, but for a chat, a bit of banter or for a quick catch-up on the week’s gossip.”