Alan Moss Road

Alan Moss Road

Alan Moss, who was born in 1871, was the son of quite a dynasty in Loughborough, his great-grandfather, George, having in 1820 begun the building firm which would later be known as William Moss & Sons Ltd., until being acquired by French Kier, 164 years later, in 1984.

Alan’s father, William, and his uncle, Walter, were both in the family building firm, while his uncle John was a butcher, uncle Edwin was a grocer, and uncle Arthur was a hosiery manufacturer. Alan began working in the plumbing trade, and in 1899 joined the family building firm. At the time, he was living on Toothill Road, and he and his wife of three years, Jane, had just had a baby daughter, Annie. 1899 was a busy year for Alan as he was also initiated into the Howe and Charnwood Lodge of the Freemasons, just as his father had been in 1894.   

Also like his father, William, and his brother, Wilfred, before him, Alan Moss, being a town councillor from 1922-1937, was elected as mayor of the Borough of Loughborough for 1927-1929, a position which was later held by another member of the Moss family in 1970-71, Guy, who was Alan’s first cousin once removed. In 1932, Alan became a JP (Justice of the Peace), and in 1939, Alan was only the fourth person to be granted the Freedom of the Borough of Loughborough, a freedom which was also granted to his nephew, Malcolm Harding, in 1970.

Alan Moss

Alan Moss might be remembered for his influence on the development of the Shelthorpe housing estate, as he was chairman of the Housing Association and was responsible for engaging Barry Parker to prepare plans for the estate, based on the ‘Garden City’ style, and following the recommendations for standard housing and layouts, articulated in the Tudor Walters Report of 1918. Or, he might be remembered for gifting Island House to the people of Loughborough, in order that the public library might be extended. Or, he might be remembered for gifting what is now known as The Outwoods, part of the ancient forest of Charnwood, to the people of the town, on the occasion of his Golden Wedding anniversary.

It is more likely, however, that Alan Moss will be remembered for the road named after him, constructed in the early 1950s. One part of Alan Moss Road now forms a section of Loughborough’s ring road, the A6004, and leads to the Derby Road, while the other part leads up to Thorpe Hill, and a variety of schools. The whole runs along the line of the former London and North Western Railway branch line from Coalville.

Alan Moss Road at its junction with Derby Road

Streets: Alan Moss Road. 

Category: J Names of personal origin (local)

Map co-ordinates: D6-E6-E5-F5

Posted by lynneaboutloughborough,  31 January 2022

Published to coincide with an exhibition on the Moss family at Loughborough Public Library, Local and Family History Centre, 13 January to 27 March 2022.

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Dyer, Lynne (2022). Alan Moss Road. Available from: https://lynneaboutthestreetsofloughborough.blogspot.com/2022/01/alan-moss-road.html [Accessed 31 January 2022]

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