Trip down the road...
‘One must not forget that plot of land known as the Blood Tub’
BACK in the summer of 1970 the Echo took a trip down Nottingham Road with an article by Jack Barlow.
e old byway is packed with history so we thought it would be nice to repeat the article once again in full for our Looking Back readers to enjoy 50 years on.
Memories of Nottingham Road
RECENT demolitions ion Nottingham road, Loughborough prompts one to reflect on the past history of this noted highway, part of which was formerly named North-street, according to the maps of 100 or so years ago.
From the junction of Sparrow Hill and Meadows lane, the road continues north east over the Loughborough canal and on to the borough boundary at Cotes, where King John is supposedly to have crossed Cotes causeway in
1209.
Cotes Bridge was mentioned in records of 1333, and Leland in 1539 wrote:.
“The great streame of SORE river lay as I - stoode on the left hand of the Towne within lesse than a quarter of a mile of it, and thereabout went Loughborow water into the Sore.”
Coming to relatively modern times let us recollect some of the buildings and some of the happenings on this road to Nottingham.
Near the new Post Office Sorting Office, which was opened in 1966 at a cost of some £51,000 stood Cook’s foundry, an old established firm - (who made iron castings), now defunct.
Even earlier on this site stood the Barracks built about 1842, where the Rifle Corps had their headquarters in 1859.
This Corps was the 6th Company of the Leicestershire Regiment of Volunteers and it comprised about 80 members with a band of 18 which was supported by subscription. A handsome silver bugle valued at 35 guineas was presented to the Corps by Mrs. E. C. Middleton, wife of a Loughborough banker, in July 1861 on behalf of the ladies of the town.
In 1862, Dr. J. H Eddowes was the Lieutenant Commanding, the Ensign was I. B. Dobell (wine and spirit merchant) the Chaplain was the Rev. Henry Fearon and Dr. W. G.Palmer was the surgeon.
A Commercial Air.
It is on record that North-street had quiote a commercial air with its bakers, blacksmiths, butchers, joiners various other shopkeepers and a number if inns, taverns and beer houses.
Amongst these were the Albion, the Half Moon, Three Horse Shoes, Three Crowns, Royal George, Stag and Pheasant, The Clarence and The Greyhound
Reference to the Greyhound public house was for many years the headquarters of the Loughborough Athletic Club and the large ground at the rear, now occupied by Salisbury Street and Hudson Street was the scene of many famous encounters in the athletic and football world.
Much could be written of the early development of the spinning and hosiery industry, particularly concerning the factory of Cartwright and Warners (who were described a century ago as “Spinners.
Patent Angola and Merino Hosiery manufacturers.” The Blood Tub.
Adjacent to this and over the Canal Bridge there was a maltster, a wharfinger and the .factory of I. and R. Morley, but one must not forget that plot of land at the corner of Ratcliffe Road now a car park, where as a raw youth one went to the “Blood Tub”.
In reality this was Billy Holloway’s Tent Theatre where such blood-curdling dramas as “Maria Martin and the Red Barn”, “The Demon Barber” and such like spine chillingthrillers could be enjoyed for a very modest admission fee.
The Railway.
However, on our way and we now approach the Midland Railway Station.
Here the Midland Counties Railway commenced operation in May 1840 with “Passenger and Luggage Trains daily to all parts”. Here too horse drawn omnibuses met every train and conveyed passengers to any part of the town. History was also made here when Thomas Cook ran the first railway excursion from Leicester to Loughborough for a temperance meeting on July 5th, 1841.
When Sunloch Won The National
In contrast let us remember the excitement in the large house to the right of the railway station in the spring of 1914 despite the war clouds on the horizon.
Here lived the owner and trainer Loughborough’s one and only Grand National winner in the person of Mr Tom Tyler.
“Sunloch” a bay gelding by “Sundorne” out of Gralloch was eight-years-old and was previously bred by Mr H. S. Black.
The jockey, who caried 9st, 7lbs was W J Smith and the starting price was 100 to 6 against. Sunloch won the race by eight lengths from Trianon III with Lutteur III running third.
Sunloch was eventually sold by Mr Tyler to Sir C. G. Assheton-Smith.
Another famous horseman lived at Gainsborough
House on the Nottingham Road in Mr William Briggs and he too spent a lifetime amongst horses and hounds.
He hunted with the Quorn Hunt for over 70 years.
The Falcon Works
We are now nearly out of the town, but reference must be made to the Falcon Works with its main entrance on Nottinghamroad. These works were founded in 1865 by Henry Hughes, an engineer and timber merchant, on 7 acres of land adjacent to the railway station and to the main road.
Hughes and a partner, Huram Coltman lived in houses built on the site and in one of these Walter W. Coltman, seven times Mayor of Loughborough was born in1869.
Henry Hughes and Co. who made transport vehicles, mainly of wooden construction, turned their attention to steam locomotives and a steam loco was built in 1870 which won first prize at the Paris Exhibition.
Owing to financial difficulties the firm was reconstructed in 1883 as “The Falcon Engineering and Car Works.”
The production of horse drawn omnibuses was followed by tram cars which eventually led to the acquisition of the Falcon Works and the formation of the Brush Electrical Engineering Co. in 1889.
This famous company, now part of a group, continues to provide electrical equipment etc. throughout the world and also provides employment for many of Loughborough’s citizens.
Finally, before we reach the town boundary, and to complete our story of the road to Nottingham, we recollect another milestone in the Town’s history.
The Aeroplane.
On a large meadow, between the Falcon Works and the Cotes Mill, there arrived by air on Wednesday, July 24th, 1912, a certain Mr. B. C. Hucks in his aeroplane on the completion of his flight from Boots Athletic ground at Nottingham.
Many visitors, some of them from neighbouring towns, flocked along Nottingham-road to see the arrival of the aviator and his machine, and a contemporary report of this arrival stated that “On getting over the landing
ground the intrepid Airman cut out his engine and made a magnificent descent in a spiral volplane.
“The horses in the meadow had apparently not been trained to witness aeroplane descents for they were so frightened that they galloped about for half an hour afterwards.”
Incidentally, whilst the aeroplane was circling the town, prior to landing, the second court of the Loughborough Petty Sessions was sitting.
The Bench, about to deliver judgement in a case, hurriedly left their seats and went outside the Court-house to see the sight, returning later to give their verdict to the defendant.
Mr Hucks in his aeroplane left for Leicester on the following Saturday after giving demonstrations and many flights to the delight of the large crowds which filled Nottingham-road on foot and in horse-drawn vehicles.
Such was the excitement in those days past and now in the 70’s motor cars easily reaching the speed of that aeroplane streak out of our town along the road leading to Nottingham and the north – the road which for so long carried only mail coaches, carrier’s carts and the like in those leisured days of the past.