The history of Tudor Mansions
“MY HUSBAND was born at the Tudor Mansions.”
The former Woodgate building featured in Looking Back recently with the 25th anniversary of its demolition.
And Cecilia Sharman, of Loughborough contacted us to say that her husband Michael Sharman, was born in the grounds of the historic building on May 8, 1929.
According to his birth certificate Michael’s father Guy Sharman was a departmental manager at a hosiery factory in Loughborough, and that his mother was Frances Mary Sharman (nee Hamilton).
Cecilia said that her husband was a popular and well known man in the town because of his sporting history, and that he used to play rugby for Leicester Tigers, Loughborough Town and Stirling County before he passed away in 2003 from cancer.
She said: “Michael was born at the mansions and he lived there in a flat when he was just a baby before they moved to Park Road in Loughborough.”
Cecilia said that she had been interested in the fact that Michael had been born at the Tudor Mansions and that she had read about the history of the place in local papers.
In 1983, Annie Delin writing in an article for The Loughborough and Coalville Trader told of the ‘four gates of Loughborough’ - Churchgate, Baxter Gate, Pinfold Gate, and Woodgate.
When talking about Woodgate Annie Delin said: “Of all the gates this seems to have had the most varied past as far as the buildings it contains are concerned.
“The Baptist Church is still fresh in the minds of many Loughborough residents. Not so wellremembered, perhaps is the Tudor House, built in 1838 for Joseph Paget and for a short time the home of the Rosminian nuns before they moved to the Convent on Park Road.”
Annie also wrote that Woodgate had seen a perfume factory (Zenobia) and a cycle shop where Mr George Minor dealt in penny-farthings and experimented with tennis balls round their wheels before the invention of the tyre.
She said that watching it all come and go had been the Pack Horse Inn pub - which is of course now the Organ Grinder.
In 1993, the Tudor Mansions were demolished, and all the history of the building came crashing down with it, but Cecilia told Looking Back that at the time she contacted Charnwood Borough Council about this work, and requested photos of Tudor Mansions from before they were knocked down, to keep for her own personal family history - as it had after all been the place where her husband had been born.
The council responded with photos of both the inside and outside of the mansions, and Cecilia has shared these with Looking Back.
During the demolition, plans were made by Charnwood Borough Council to preserve some of the architectural features of the Mansions including the stone features, the oriel and porch windows, the gargoyles and 10 terracotta chimneys and oak panelling.
Also in a Leicester Mercury report at the time of the demolition, Charnwood Borough Council planning conservation officer Martin Tincknall said: “I hope they can be incorporated in other buildings in the town, such as the development proposed for Loughborough cemetery and the restoration and conversion of its chapels.”
The Echo also reported that the Mansions had been the former home of Joseph Paget - a wealthy local landowner who also owned Nan- pantan Hall.
Other information included that the Mansions were built in 1838 by request of Mr Paget who intended it to be used as a family home.
But the mansions were actually let to a group of Roman Catholic nuns invited to the town by Squire Ambrose Phillips De Lisle, who wanted to revive the religion in the area.
Initially just two nuns were based in the building and it was there that the town’s Roman Catholic school started.
Later the nuns moved to Park Road, and the Paget family took possession of the building for their family home.
The Echo also stated that in the later years, the building was used by car dealers Archie Moss as an office, before the company moved to Belton Road.
After the move the building had to be boarded up to protect its valuable wood panelling and fireplaces.
Do you know anything more about the history of the Tudor Mansions, please contact Liam Coleman on 01509 635806 or email liam.coleman@trinitymirror.com