A thrilling account of the exciting and chaotic hot summer’s day in Melton Mowbray in 1911, when many thousands of exuberant people turned out to witness for the very first time the ‘miracle’ of the heavier than air ‘flying machines,’ in flight together with their intrepid pilots. _______________________________________________ PROLOGUE The occasion of man’s first sustained […]
The House in the Park Most people living in Melton Mowbray today remember an old house which until quite recently, stood unoccupied and rather forlorn at the side of Asfordby Road and abutting the local River Eye at the rear. Known to locals within living memory of its later existence as ‘Six Elms’, they were […]
The Seven Rules of Pugilism John ‘Jack’ Broughton(The father of boxing)1704-1789 Long ago in Georgian England, prize-fighting, or ‘pugilism’ as it was known, was a very popular form of entertainment which attracted all social classes of followers, rich and poor. As with Cock-fighting which was to be made illegal around the 1830’s, the spectre of two […]
ARTIST, SOLICITOR AND LOCAL POLITICIAN. Now retired from my many years employed as a police officer I am aware that I was once in the envious position of being able to explore places in locations where many others might have feared to tread, as the presence of a police officer wandering around old ruins and […]
Rootling Around the Old Town Circa 1820 – spot the two windmills! Whilst indulging in my very favourite habit of searching the columns of old newspapers – some from as long ago as 200 years, I occasionally venture upon an article or other piece of writing which just jumps off the page to grab my […]
Who Walked Around in my House? I recently had reason to peruse the Conveyance Deeds of my family home over a small social and boundary issue which had cropped up in the neighbourhood. In a quiet moment and with my deeds so infrequently exposed to day light, I chose to read again through the legalese […]
AUTUMN In one moment of my breath I am extolling the arrival of yet another summer and seemingly in the next, I am discovering that the combine harvesters are tearing through the fields of ripe golden corn which surround my town and rushing the current crop off to market. Summer this year has been kind […]
“A level-crossing system …” In a recent blog – ‘Melton to Oakham’ – I outlined my account of the construction of Melton Mowbray’s railway road-bridge which today straddles the Leicester to Peterborough railway line and the River Eye – both are in close proximity – conveying the A606 road out of the town to our […]
1 A fair chunk of Melton Mowbray has been missing from Burton Street for quite a while now and for a longer time than most of us might have wished it has remained an ugly and unwelcome blot on a very historic part of our old market town. Like a front tooth missing from a […]
Expatriates both. Having been an amateur student of Melton Mowbray local history for more of my mis-spent latter years than I would wish to admit to, I recently came across this rather attractive gentleman and his lady wife whilst searching for a other things in the American newspapers. Expatriates both, William and Hannah Mowbray – how could […]
MELTON MOWBRAY - In My Mind. 