Loughborough was one of 35 towns and villages included in our Charnwood Roots project, funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund from 2013 to 2017. As part of that project, volunteers helped us to research some aspects of the town’s history.
We are now building on that work with the intention of publishing a full parish history of 180,000 words. This is a major project and substantial funds are still required for us to be able to meet the object. Meanwhile, we have started with some work on public health and the provision of fresh water and establishment of sewerage works in the 19th century, and have created an online exhibition to display some of this research. We also curated a display in Loughborough Library Local Studies which was open over July to September 2021.
Images above from our exhibition in Loughborough Library, summer 2021
Research on the history of Loughborough’s market in the medieval period has been delayed due to the pandemic and the closure of archive offices, but will get underway in October 2021.
As an interim step towards a full history, we aim to research and write two paperbacks which will cover the history of Loughborough from 1750 to the present day. The first of these will focus on the social, cultural and religious history of Loughborough and its communities, and we will be starting this research in November 2021. Topics within this section include the histories of Loughborough’s libraries, theatres, cinemas, sports clubs, societies, schools, cultural celebrations (e.g. Eid, Diwali, the Mela) and all of Loughborough’s places of worship.