LOUGHBOROUGH

LOUGHBOROUGH STREET NAMES:
DEAD LANE:
Tradition says this was so named because it was the route on which the bodies of 17th century Plague victims were carried for burial in the lime pits of LIMEHURST.

But a land grant written in the reign of EDWARD II (1307-27) mentions the name as being "DEDE LANE" as far back as the early 14th century. It remains possible that it could have been so named after the Plague of the 12th Century and for the same reasons. When the foundations of Shakespeare Street were being dug in the 19th century, several skeletons were discovered. Records show that this area was used as a burial site in the 14th Century for the dead of the nearby HOSPITAL OF ST JOHN.

16th Century law stated that the corpses of Plague victims had to be carried to their burial place by a route other than a busy thoroughfare. "DEAD LANE" would have been ideally suited for this and the fact it was already so named could have been pure coincidence.

PINFOLD GATE:
GATE comes from the Scandinavian GATA, meaning PAVED STREET. A PINFOLD was a pound for stray animals. Any strays would be rounded up and put into the PINFOLD until collected by their owners. It would occasionally also be used for the odd drunk! Until the 19th century, part of this road was called HALL GATE.

BAXTER GATE:
This is probably named after an old bakehouse on the site, "BAXTER" being a Scottish version of "BAKER".

AUMBERY GAP:
AUMBERY probably derives from ALMONRY, meaning a place where alms were distributed. It is interesting to note that today, the CHARNWOOD FURNITURE PROJECT is run from AUMBERY GAP, thus carrying on a centuries old tradition.

THE CONERIES:
Named after the rabbit (or coney) warrens behind the LOUGHBOROUGH MANOR HOUSE.

DERBY SQUARE:
Originally called COCKPIT BANK and was the venue for cockfighting in the town.

THE RUSHES:
Named for the abundant rushes which grew in this area.

SWAN STREET:
Recalls the swans originally seen in THE RUSHES. Formerly called "SWAN GATE".

BIGGIN STREET:
Derived from BRIGG END or BRIDGE END and was probably the site of a bridge which has now disappeared.

DEVONSHIRE SQUARE:
Named after the DEVONSHIRE MILITIA which were billeted here from the 19th century.

SOUTHFIELD STREET:
So named, logically enough, because it led to the south field of the town

MILL STREET:
Original site of the Lord of the Manor's mill, in which everyone had to grind their corn (and pay for the privilege...)

WOODGATE and PACK HORSE LANE:
Recalls the route by which timber was carried to town from CHARNWOOD FOREST.

STEEPLE ROW:
There was originally a row of tenement houses on this road, which was in the shadow of the Steeple of ALL SAINTS CHURCH.

STREETS NAMED AFTER NATIONALLY FAMOUS PEOPLE:
Many roads in LOUGHBOROUGH have been named after nationally or locally famous people or families. Some, such as VICTORIA STREET and GLADSTONE STREET are self-explanatory, but others are not quite as obvious...

CLARENCE STREET / DUKE STREET:
Both named after GEORGE IV when he was DUKE OF CLARENCE (1765-1837)

REGENT STREET:
Named after GEORGE IV again, after he had visited the town while PRINCE REGENT.

BEDFORD SQUARE:
Named after the SIXTH DUKE OF BEDFORD (1766-1839) who was a prime mover of the Reform Bill.

GRANVILLE STREET:
Named for the 2ND EARL GRANVILLE (1815-91) who was Foreign Secretary three times.

STREETS NAMES AFTER LOCAL AND REGIONAL FIGURES:
LEMYNGTON STREET:
Named after RALPH LEMYNGTON, a wool merchant, local benefactor and MERCHANT OF THE STAPLE OF CALAIS who died in 1521.

BURTON STREET / BURTON WALKS:
Named after THOMAS BURTON who endowed the LOUGHBOROUGH GRAMMAR SCHOOL in 1495.

STORER ROAD:
Named after JOHN STORER whose will of 1713 left money to provide food for the poor.

HEATHCOTE STREET:
Named after JOHN HEATHCOTE who invented a bobbin-net machine for making lace. He also owned a Mill which was attacked by LUDDITES in 1816, leading to the removal of lace making from LOUGHBOROUGH to NOTTINGHAM and the WEST COUNTRY.

BAKEWELL ROAD:
Named after ROBERT BAKEWELL, cattle breeder and agricultural innovator (1725-95) who lived at DISHLEY.

FEARON STREET:
Named after ARCHDEACON FEARON who masterminded the town's first piped water supply?

PANTAIN STREET:
Traditionally, this is meant to have been named after a woman called NAN PANTAIN, who ran an Inn in, unsurprisingly, NANPANTAN. But it seems more likely that the name comes from "PANTAIN", the Anglo-Saxon word for ENCLOSURE.

CHAPMAN STREET:
Named after local Radical JOHN CHAPMAN.

CARTWRIGHT STREET:
Named after RICHARD CARTWRIGHT of the hosiery firm CARTWRIGHT AND WARNER.

PAGET STREET (also the PAGET ARMS):
Named after JOSEPH PAGET.

Other local families who had streets named after them include ALLSOPP, CLIFFORD, CRADOCK, GARTON, GREY, HASTINGS, HERRICK (of BEAUMANOR), HUDSON, MOSS (as in ALAN MOSS ROAD), PACKE and TYLER.

Among the most recent additions to Loughborough street names are EPINAL WAY and SCHWABISCH HALL WAY, each named after one of Loughborough's twin towns.