Short Loughborough Streets

Three short streets of Loughborough

New Street was created around 1923 when the Carillon was installed in Queen’s Park, and leads directly to this war memorial. This is the longest of the three short streets of Loughborough covered in this post, running at very approximately 63 yards. New Street runs off the left-hand side of Ward’s End as you travel towards the Market Place, beside John Storer House.

 

Looking towards the Carillon from the New Street entrance

Looking towards New Street from the Carillon

New Street, off Ward's End

Looking down New Street towards the Carillon

Looking across Ward's End to New Street: John Storer House just to the left

However, it should be noted that Devonshire Lane and the Old Bleach Yard, which are the next two left-hand turns off Ward’s End and as Ward’s end turns into Devonshire Square, are fractionally shorter. Devonshire Lane is now a dead end but at one time would have led to the cattle market, and is currently being repaved as part of the development of the Ward’s end area of town. The Old Bleach Yard is a relatively new opening to workshops behind what was once the Wheatsheaf pub, now the Jam Garden. During its revamp in 2015, the route to the ground level Granby Street car park was much improved.

 

Looking from Granby Street car park along Devonshire Lane to Devonshire Square

Looking down Old Bleach Yard to the Granby Street car park

Union Street is a short piece of road which is off to the right-hand side of Ashby Road when heading from the town centre towards the A512, the M1 Junction 23 and Ashby via Shepshed. Union Street itself leads to parking spaces for nearby properties and shops, but is a dead end for traffic. There is, however, pedestrian access into the Regent Place retail park. This little road has not, though, always been this short. At very approximately 31.5 yards, Union street it is about half the length of New Street.

The Loughborough Workhouse was originally sited on Nottingham Road, where the Pot Office sorting office now sits, and which immediately after the demolition of the workhouse was where Edwin cook had his Star Foundry. At a time when Loughborough and its environs were growing quickly, the workhouse became too small, and thus relocated in 1838.

At the time of the naming of the George IV pub on Regent Street, King George IV was clearly on the throne! It is therefore to be supposed that Regent Street began its existence in the period 1811-1820, while George, son of King George III, was the Prince Regent. Since the Union Workhouse was built in 1838, it is therefore to be supposed that Union Street, which led to the rear of the Union Workhouse, the front being approached from Derby Road, was created around the same time as the workhouse. Therefore, Union Street cut through Regent Street, rather than Regent Street cutting through Union Street.

On the map below, Regent Street is followed in bright green, Union Street in bright blue, and the length of Union Street as it is today in red:

 

Union Street viewed from Ashby Road

Looking down Union Street towards Regent Place retail centre

Looking out from Union Street to Ashby Road

Looking out from the retail area along Union Street to Ashby Road

At very approximately only 15.75 yards long, Whitegate would appear to be the shortest street in Loughborough, as far as I am aware. The tiny stretch of tarmacked road is on the left-hand side of Nottingham Road as you head towards Loughborough Midland railway station, just before you reach the bridge over the canal.

Quite when this road was constructed is not known, except that it does not appear on the 1901 map, but does appear in maps from the 1960s, being the only the same length as it is now. Interestingly, the older street sign shows the name to be two words – White Gate – while the newer sign shows just one word – Whitegate. The origin of the name is elusive.

Originally, the road was the entrance to the Loughborough Dye Works, but today, Whitegate is an approach for HGVs to an industrial park, upon which there is a builder’s merchants (constructed between September 2018 and April 2019). It also provides access to vehicle parking for new flats that have recently (constructed about the same time as the builder’s merchant) which replaced some of the former Richard Roberts buildings, which had latterly been a gym for ladies.

 

Looking along Whitegates from Nottingham Road

Whitegates viewed from Clarence Street

Streets: Devonshire Lane, New Street, Old Bleach Yard, Union Street, Whitegate

Category: B Self-descriptive Name: possibly: New Street and Whitegate. G Name of Building or Structure: Union Street

Map co-ordinates: F6 Union Street; G5 Whitegate; G6 New Street and Devonshire Square (and Old Bleach Yard, although it is not listed on the map)

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough, 20 August 2021

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Dyer, Lynne (2020). Short Loughborough Streets. Available from: https://lynneaboutthestreetsofloughborough.blogspot.com/2021/08/short-loughborough-streets.html [Accessed 20 August 2021]

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