Plaques honour woman who gave park to town
THE woman who gifted land to a town for a park has been commemorated with a memorial plaque.
Margery Payne, whose father William Hurst Payne was a hosiery manufacturer in Hinckley, bequeathed the land between St Mary’s Church and the castle mound to the town when she died in 1946.
Margery, who lived at The Limes, in Derby Road, was also a driving force behind getting Hinckley’s war memorial being created and donated land to afford access to it.
In her will, she said: “I devise to the Urban District Council of Hinckley, free of all duties, the close of land lying near to St Mary’s Church, Hinckley and known as Argents Mead, which has been leased by me to the said council upon trust to maintain the same forever as an open space or recreation ground for the use of inhabitants of the town of Hinckley and neighbourhood.”
The plaque to commemorate Margery’s contribution to Hinckley, past and present, has been laid in Argents Mead.
It cost £850 and was installed by funeral director and memorial mason, G Seller.
A second plaque was installed close to Margery’s gravestone in Ashby Road Cemetery, in Hinckley, thanks to members of the local history and good causes community group, Hinckley District Past and Present.
The council also funded renovation work on her grave, which was done by G Seller, while the council’s grounds maintenance team has done some work to improve the grave space.
Plans to commemorate Margery’s contribution to the area were suggested to the borough council by Paul Gardner, from Hinckley District Past and Present.
He said he wanted residents and future generations to be made aware of how Argents Mead – now a Green Flag award-winning park - became a green space in the heart of the town thanks to Margery’s gift.
“I am delighted how positively the council responded to my original suggestion,” he said.
“Argents Mead has become a wonderful asset to the town, hosting events such as Music in the Mead, Hinckley Feast and the Classic car show.
“It’s all thanks to Margery. “Following funding by the council to have the grave site refurbished, Hinckley District Past and Present has paid for an identical plaque to be placed by the grave.
“Now generations present and future will always know the origins of the Argents Mead today and Margery’s resting place.”
Paul Grundy, a senior planning officer at the borough council, said: “Many of our residents enjoy Argents Mead on a regular basis.
“Plus, we can commemorate those who lost their lives because of war as prior to this gift, Hinckley did not have a dedicated memorial.
“We hope that this plaque will mean that future generations will be able to enjoy Argents Mead and be thankful for all that Margery did for Hinckley.”