Coordinates: 52°46′14″N 1°12′17″W / 52.7705°N 1.2046°W / 52.7705; -1.2046

Loughborough
Loughborough  Loughborough shown within Leicestershire
Population	57,600 (2004)
OS grid reference	SK536195
District	Charnwood
Shire county	Leicestershire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LOUGHBOROUGH
Postcode district	LE11
Dialling code	01509
Police	Leicestershire
Fire	Leicestershire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Loughborough
List of places: UK • England • Leicestershire

Loughborough (ⁱ/ˈlʌfbərə/ LUFF-bərə or /ˈlʌfbrə/ LUFF-brə) is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University. The town had a population of 57,600 in 2004,^[1] making it the largest settlement in Leicestershire outside the city of Leicester.

In 1841, Loughborough was the destination for the first package tour, organised by Thomas Cook for a temperance group from Leicester. The town has the world's largest bell foundry — John Taylor Bellfounders, which made the bells for the Carillon war memorial, a landmark within the Queens Park in the town, Great Paul for St. Paul's Cathedral, and York Minster. The first mention of Loughborough is in the 1086 Domesday Book.

To the north of the edges of Loughborough, Dishley Grange Farm was formerly the home of agricultural revolutionist Robert Bakewell. The farm was also once home to the annual Leicestershire County Show. Loughborough's local weekly newspaper is the Loughborough Echo. The town is also served by Leicestershires daily newspaper Leicester Mercury

History[link]

Signpost for Dishley area of Loughborough

Transport[link]

Railway[link]

The rail network is of growing importance in Loughborough, and with Eurostar international services from London St Pancras International, to which its twice hourly London service goes giving Loughborough railway station good links to the continent. East Midlands Trains are the InterCity operator running services to and from London to northern England, and provide local services throughout the East Midlands.

Rail routes run north–south through Loughborough along the route known as the Midland Main Line, going south to Bedford, Luton and London; and north to Lincoln, Sheffield, Leeds and York. Junctions at Leicester and Derby stations link with CrossCountry trains route, serving the far north east of Scotland and the south west of England.

Network Rail have recently are currently working to re-develop the station increasing the length of platforms and improving access. The local council are making improvements to the surrounding area.

There were at one time three railway routes to the town: the still operating Midland line; the Great Central Railway which had its own Central station, closed as a result of the Beeching cuts; and a branch line from Nuneaton, part of the London and North Western Railway. Today, the Great Central Railway line is the terminus of the south section of the Great Central Steam Railway heritage railway.

Brush Traction, a manufacturer of railway locomotives, is also located in the town, close to Loughborough's railway station.

Motorways[link]

The M1's Junction 23 is just to the west of Loughborough. The north of the town can be accessed from Junction 24, travelling through Kegworth and Hathern on the A6 road.

Buses[link]

Local buses are operated by Arriva Leicester, Centrebus, Paul S Winson, Nottingham City Transport, Trent Barton and Kinchbus.

River and Canal[link]

The River Soar passes by to the east of the town. Navigation from Loughborough north towards the Trent was achieved in 1778 by the Loughborough Navigation which terminates at Loughborough Wharf between Derby Road and Bridge Street. Subsequently the Leicester navigation was constructed connecting to the Loughborough Navigation at Canal Bridge. The Leicester navigation connects to the River Soar south of the town. Both form part of the Grand Union Canal.

The now derelict Charnwood Forest Canal once linked Nanpantan (on the West side of Loughborough) with Thringstone, with goods being carried into Loughborough by a horse drawn wagonway.

Economy[link]

The Brush engineering works

The centre of Loughborough's shopping area is the pedestrianised Market Place and Market Street, which maintain a number of original art deco buildings, such as the building that currently houses the town's cinema. A large outdoor market is held in the Market Place every Thursday and Saturday. There is a monthly farmers' market. The first mention of a market in Loughborough is in 1221.

'The Rushes' shopping centre has also been built on the site of the former bus station and is occupied by national chains. The Rushes is linked to the town centre area by Churchgate and Churchgate Mews; the latter has independent shops.

There is major new development (The Eastern Gateway) planned for the area around the railway station with a new road and housing planned.

The Japanese Olympic team have chosen the town as their base for the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London. There is currently a flowerbed with red and white flowers in the design of the Japanese national flag. Due to the cold winter, almost all of the flowers have died. It is likely the flowers will be re-planted.

Climate[link]

As with the rest of the British Isles and East Midlands, Loughborough experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest Met Office weather station is at Sutton Bonington, about 3.5 miles due North of the Town centre. The highest temperature recorded in the area was 34.8 °C (94.6 °F) ^[2] on 3 August 1990.

Sport[link]

The Rugby Union club, Loughborough RFC, play at Derby Road playing fields. The club was formed in 1891.

Other sports teams include the non-league Loughborough Dynamo Football Club and the Loughborough Aces (Collegiate American Football). There is a netball league at Loughborough Leisure Centre. The town was also once home of a professional football club, Loughborough F.C., in the Football League during the late 1800s. Cricket is prominent, with The Old Contemptibles C.C, Loughborough Town C.C., Loughborough Carillon C.C., Loughborough Carillon Old Boys' C.C., Loughborough University Staff C.C. and Loughborough Greenfields C.C. representing various standards of Cricket in the area. The university is home to the ECB National Cricket Academy, used by the England team as primary training centre. The town also has its own swimming club, Loughborough Town Swimming Club, which is based in the town and train at local venues. Loughborough will also be hosting the UK Corporate Games 2011.

The tennis tournament AEGON Pro-Series Loughborough is held in Loughborough.

Arts and heritage[link]

Loughborough has four museums, the largest being the centrally located Charnwood Museum, which houses a range of exhibits reflecting the natural history, geology, industry and history of the area. Nearby in Queens Park is the Carillon and War Memorial, home to a small museum of military memorabilia from the first and second World Wars. Loughborough Library is in Granby Street.^[4]

Loughborough parish church

Also to be found in the town centre, near the fine medieval All Saints parish church, is the Old Rectory. Dating back to 1288 the remaining portion of the Great Hall has been restored and houses a small museum run by the Loughborough and District Archaeological Society.

Loughborough has for more than a century been the home of John Taylor & Co bell founders and the firm has a museum—the Bellfoundry Museum—located on two floors telling the story of bell making over the centuries.

A walk around the town reveals a mix of architectural styles and there are several interesting examples of Victorian and Art Deco buildings, while the oldest buildings are to be found clustered around the parish church and the Church Gate conservation area.

Although it has no dedicated art gallery, fine pieces of sculpture can be found in the town’s environs, including the ‘Sock Man’, a bronze statue celebrating Loughborough’s association with the hosiery industry. This can be found in the Market Place near the Town Hall, which itself contains a number of art works.

The Town Hall Theatre is the venue for a wide range of events, including concerts, exhibitions, musicals, comedy shows and a Christmas pantomime. The town also has a thriving amateur dramatic community^{[citation needed]}, and many groups make use of the town hall for their shows.

Events are also organised by Charnwood Arts, a voluntary managed and professionally staffed body, which promotes a year round programme of professional performances across the borough. The organisation is responsible for The Picnic In the Park event, which was inaugurated in 1980 and is held in Queens Park in May. Streets Alive, jointly organised by Charnwood Arts and Charnwood Borough Council takes place at a similar time of year.

The Loughborough Canal Festival, which started in 1997, is an annual event in May centred around Chain Bridge. The event attracts around 10,000 visitors^{[citation needed]}.

Great Central Railway is a heritage railway based at Loughborough Central Station, which is south of the town centre. It is operated largely by voluteers and trains run every weekend of the year and bank holidays, as well as daily during the summer.

Every November, the street fair takes over the centre of the town and closes the A6 and other roads. The fair runs from Wednesday afternoon until Saturday night. The fair has many rides, amusement arcades, food stands and games.

The town has an Odeon cinema. There are six screens in the theatre, which is built to an art deco style. The cinema was built in 1936 and over the years it has been named the Palm Court and Ballroom, Empire, Classic, Curzon and Reel.

Education[link]

Schools[link]

Tertiary education[link]

Loughborough University[link]

Loughborough University

British Aerospace EAP at the Aeronautical Engineering Department at Loughborough University

In 2004, Loughborough University was ranked 9th among the British universities by the Times' Good University Guide. In 2006 Loughborough was ranked 6th. In 2007 The Guardian rated the university 8th, and 10th of 117 institutions by The Guardian League Tables 2009 (published online 1/6/08 for the 2009-10 academic year. The university is 5th in some rankings, behind Oxbridge and the London universities. The university has the largest sports scholarship in the UK. More than 250 international athletes study and train there. In 2008 Loughborough was named Sunday Times University of the Year. ^[5] The university is also the town's largest employer.^{[citation needed]}

Loughborough College[link]

Loughborough College is the second biggest education establishment in Loughborough, after the University. Its offers Further Education and vocational courses. It was established in 1909, and has an over 12,000 full and part-time students population. It has an annual turnover in excess of £19m and employs over 900 staff^{[citation needed]}.

Local Organisations[link]

This unreferenced section requires citations to ensure verifiability.

2229 Loughborough Squadron Air Training Corps[link]

Loughborough Crest

The Air Training Corps (ATC) is a military based youth organisation for 13-20 year olds. 2229 (Loughborough) Squadron is based at the T.A. Centre on Leicester Road in Loughborough. They parade on a Monday and Thursday from 19:00 hrs to 21:30 hrs (Mondays from 18:00 hrs to 19:00 hrs the Squadron's Corps of Drums, and Pipes practice) and have around 45 Cadets. The current Officer Commanding is Flight Lieutenant Adrian Garroway RAFVR(T)who took command of the Squadron on the 2nd August 2010. He replaced Flt Lt Kath Lane RAFVR(T) who had been in command since 2002. They can be seen regularly around the Loughborough area at all manner of community events. The cadets regularly fly, glide, target rifle shoot and take part in other adventurous activities.

Charnwood Youth Council[link]

A youth Council for the borough of Charnwood (borough). They meet weekly at Charnwood Borough Council Offices in Loughborough. They hold 2 annual events which are the Charnwood Youth Conference which is attended by representatives from schools across Charnwood, and the Pride of Charnwood Awards which recognizes the contribution of young people to the communities within Charnwood.

Notable people[link]

Loughborough natives include Albert Francis Cross, the journalist, author, poet and playwright who was born on Moor Lane on 9 May 1863, the two time Laurence Olivier Award nominated stage actress Nicola Hughes and Coronation Street's Roy Cropper actor David Neilson, and also the notorious rock star of the mid-1960s, Viv Prince of the Pretty Things. Bobsleigher and Paratrooper Dean Ward, who won a bronze medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics was also born in the town.

Most biographies of Felix Buxton of Basement Jaxx suggest he was a Londoner. In fact he was a pupil at Loughborough Grammar School and son of the one-time vicar of nearby Woodhouse Eaves and Ibstock. The Dundee-born comedian, TV presenter and entertainer Danny Wallace attended Holywell County Primary School. Mark Collett, sidekick of Nick Griffin in the BNP, attended Loughborough Grammar School.^[6]

The high jumper Ben Challenger, son of Showaddywaddy drummer Romeo Challenger, is also from Loughborough. The popular Muslim and Bangladeshi presenter Rizwan Hussain was brought up there. More recently, Fred Bowers, a 73 year old Loughborough pensioner reached the Semi-Finals of Britains Got Talent 2009, with his breakdancing act. Art Collective Vanilla Galleries are also based in Loughborough, having put on a number of exhibitions and events over the past two years.

Notable sporting graduates of Loughborough University include Sir Clive Woodward, Sebastian Coe, Paula Radcliffe, David Moorcroft, Tanni Grey-Thompson, Monty Panesar, Steve Backley, Jack Kirwan and Lawrie Sanchez.

Twin towns[link]

Signpost for Loughborough

References[link]

External links[link]

• Charnwood Borough Council
• Loughborough Town Hall
• Charnwood Arts
• 2229 Loughborough Squadron
• Loughborough Carillon
• Charnwood Youth Council

v t e Towns and villages of the Borough of Charnwood Towns Loughborough • Shepshed • Syston Large villages Anstey • Barrow upon Soar • Birstall • East Goscote • Mountsorrel • Quorn • Rothley • Sileby • Thurmaston Small villages Barkby • Beeby • Burton on the Wolds • Cossington • Cropston • Hathern • Hoton • Newtown Linford • Queniborough • Ratcliffe on the Wreake • Rearsby • Seagrave • South Croxton • Swithland • Thrussington • Thurcaston • Ulverscroft • Walton on the Wolds • Wanlip • Woodhouse • Woodhouse Eaves • Wymeswold Hamlets Barkby Thorpe • Cotes • Prestwold

Damien Gareth Walters (born 6 April 1982) is a British former gymnast from Derbyshire who specialises in tumbling.

Career[link]

Walters participated in four Trampoline World Championships. In 2003 he was one of four members of the British team winning the World Title in the team competition.^[1][2] In the years 2001 and 2007 he ranked 4th with the team. He also finished 5th in singles competition in 2003 and 2005. In addition he won the European Title with the British team in 2006, just after he was placed 2nd in team and 8th in the singles competition two years earlier.^[3]

Since 2007 Walters has not participated in further tournaments and has focused on his other projects, mainly his career as a stuntman. He also appeared, however, in a number of television commercials and has performed in acrobatic shows.^[4]

Walters has had the role of stunt double or stunt performer in the films: Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Ninja Assassin, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The Eagle, I Am Number Four, Blitz, Colombiana, and Captain America: The First Avenger. In Kick-Ass, he was credited as both a stunt double and assistant fight coordinator. He will also appear in the films Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and 47 Ronin.^[5]

In 2010 he won the Taurus World Stunt Awards for "Best Fight" in the film Ninja Assassin.^[6]

Walters also has a passion for Parkour and Freerunning where he incorporates his gymnastic skills as well as his stuntman abilities. On YouTube he is one of the most watched Freerunners, with his videos having a total of over 60 million views.^[7]

Currently Walters is running his own gym Derby City Gymnastics Club, Derby and shooting films.^[5]

References[link]

Further reading[link]

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