A Walk Round Melton Mowbray

Transcription

1 A Walk Round Melton Mowbray Although well known for Stilton Cheese and Pork Pies, there is quite a lot more of interest to the town which seems to have been passed over; royal mistresses and a period of somewhat riotous behaviour included. As far back as the 13 th century Melton was a prosperous town. This came from the success of the wool trade in the area. You will find a good example of this when you visit St Mary s church and compare it to the much smaller church which serves as the cathedral in Leicester. In those days the size of ones church did tend to show an indication of wealth. Other aspects which made the town famous over the years were hunting and horse racing along with gaming. In fact, before it moved to Aintree, the Grand National was run in Melton. All of these activities led to the establishment of quite a number of gentleman s clubs in the town, which resulted in other activities becoming available. In fact Melton is reputed at that time to have had a larger number of ladies of leisure than London. This was one of the reasons that Queen Victoria forbad her son from coming to the town, not that he took any notice. Another connection with royalty is that Edward and Mrs Simpson had accommodation here. There is a story from this period, which is said to be true, it concerns a young lady clothed only in her birthday suite, riding a horse up the stairs of a large house in the town. Unfortunately, having got up the stairs neither she, nor anybody else could get it down again. There is a version in which the house was sold with the horse still there, and the new owner had to take on the problem of removing it. Apparently at one point, Melton vied with Leicester for the position of being the county town. By this time though both the nobility and aristocracy considered the town as their playground, and realising the expansion it would create, managed to quash it. Melton is listed in the Doomsday Book as a market town, and still holds markets three days a week, which makes it appropriate to start the walk in the market place.

2 If you stand in the market place and look above the roofline of the surrounding buildings, you will see the top of St Mary s church tower. Whilst looking in that direction, ahead of you, you will see a pedestrian crossing. Before you reach the crossing you will walk past the Butter cross. It was at the Butter Cross that farmer s wives would sell their eggs and dairy products. The cross took on an additional purpose after the Civil War, when on its steps banns of marriage were read each Tuesday for three weeks. The couple were then able to be married in the market place by the local magistrate. At some point the shaft of the cross was broken, and in 1808 the remainder was removed, and it seems, was dumped in St Mary s churchyard. The cross head also found its way to St Mary s where for many years it was used as a door stop. The base was re-found in 1986 when it was used to create a new Butter Cross to commemorate the 900 th anniversary of the Doomsday Book. The Butter Market continued until the First World War, after which it moved to the Corn Exchange. Use the crossing to cross to the other side of the road, and turn left. When you reach the corner turn right into Burton Street, and the immediately turn left to cross over to the other side of the road. The small island in the middle of the road will assist you, as it can be quite a busy junction. On the other side of the road turn right to walk along Burton Street. The first building you come to is now a Pizza Express. When it was built in 1890, it was called Colles Hall as a commemoration to the president of the Melton Temperance Society, Dr Colles, who was at the time also vicar of St Mary s Church. Such was his disapproval of Alcohol that he bought the public house which was situated next door, and turned it into a private residence. The next but one property, currently an optician, has a blue plaque on the side of the building. This was once the location of the Old Club. For many years, The Old Club was the social hub for the hunting set. It

3 played host to many famous people, including royalty. Its patrons also included the King of the Dandies Beau Brummell. In the autumn and winter periods of the early nineteenth century. Melton became the place to be for social activities. In fact one of the desirable accolades of the time was to be known as a Melton Man. If you look above the shop fittings, you can see the bow windows of the original building. A short distance along the street is the Bede House. Originally built as almshouses, the Bede House dates back to the middle of the 17 th century. They were built by Robert Hudson, a wealthy London Merchant, who was born in Melton. Above the door you can see a carved plaque with the inscription Maison de Deiu The building underwent restoration in the late 1890 s. Carrying on along the road, at the corner of Mill Street and Burton Street is, what for a period of 10 years was the home of Malcolm Sargent, later to become Sir Malcolm Sargent. He lived here from 1914 to 1924 after being appointed to the post of organist to St Mary s Church. You will see a blue plaque on the wall. Cross over Mill Street and continue along Burton Road. When the road bears to the right to cross a bridge, keep to the left until you reach the Denmans building. During the 19 th century this was the home of the Earl of Cardigan who is famous for leading the charge of the Light Brigade. There is a story that his wife used to sit on the balcony with a cat in her lap awaiting his return. Just beyond is the Boat Inn. The name comes from the fact that only a few yards further along there was at one time a canal basin. It was part of a canal which ran from the River Soar near Syston, to Oakham. The canal was opened in 1797 and eventually closed in1877, mostly due to the competition of the railways. The Inn served the workers in the basin, and of course, the boatmen. Return to the main road, and cross over to the other side, but take care as it can be busy. Turn right to walk back towards the town.

4 The first place of interest you pass is the Ann of Cleves. The building dates back to about the 14 th century, and was built by a French monastic order. It eventually became the home of a number of monastic priests. When in 1539 Henry VIII began his dissolution of the monasteries the building was lucky enough not to suffer the same fate as many church buildings. It was given by the king to his Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, along with a number of other church buildings. It is thought that Cromwell may have lived there for a short time, but not for long as having fallen from grace, he was executed in By this time Jane Seymour had died, and Henry married Ann of Cleves. The marriage was eventually annulled and part of the settlement was this building. It is doubtful that she ever lived here, but may have visited. At the far end of the building, turn left to walk along the side of St Mary s Church. When you reach the front turn right and a few paces brings you to the church entrance. St Mary s Church has been described as the most impressive and stateliest church in Leicestershire. It was built about a hundred years earlier than the Anne of Cleves building, and has features usually only found in cathedrals. It is thought to have been built on the site of an earlier Saxon church. Certainly when you walk into the church there is a feeling of space. In the 1850 s there was some restoration work done by George Gilbert Scott. If the name is familiar, he was responsible for the design of the Midland Hotel at St Pancras Station, a number of other buildings in London, and many churches and cathedrals. There are brief guides to the church to be found just inside. If you look above the archway in front of the choir you can see the coat of arms of Richard I. What you can t see though, is the musket ball holes where the parliamentarian soldiers used it for target practice. As mentioned earlier, from 1914 to 1924, Malcolm Sargent was the church organist, though whilst he was here, he was involved in many other projects, including work at the De Montfort Hall in Leicester. He will most famously remembered though as the conductor at the prom concerts in London. Turn right out of the church entrance to walk into Church Street.

5 On your right you will see the Old Courthouse, one of the town s oldest surviving buildings. It was used by the Justices to hold court sessions. If you were unfortunate enough to be found guilty, you would stay here overnight before being moved to Leicester Goal. At the far end of Church Street, cross over the road back into the market place. Whilst we are back in the Market Place, perhaps we should mention Painting the Town Red. In the early hours of an April morning in 1837, the Marquis of Waterford, in a very drunken state, accompanied by other gentlemen in a similar state, arrived back in Melton after attending Croxley Park Races. Rather than pay the toll to enter the town, they somehow found hammer and nails, and barricaded the toll keeper into his house. They also found tins of red paint. They then rampaged along what is now Sherrard Street into the Market Place, and Burton Street painting, doors walls, shop signs, in fact anything they could in red pain. This included the local constabulary when they arrived. After eventually sobering up, the Marquis was made to pay for all the damage caused, and everybody was fined 100, which would be nearly 8000 nowadays. Bear left across the Market Place, and when you reach the next junction you will find the Corn Cross on your left. As you can imagine the Corn Cross marked the area where corn was bought and sold. This would have dated back as far as medieval times. As you might expect, the area was known as Cornhill. The cross is a replacement to the medieval one, having been located here in Walk past the Corn Cross so it is on your left, and on into Nottingham Street. On your right is the famous Old Pork Pie Shoppe. When it was built in the early 1600 s, the building was used as a bakery. It wasn t until 1851 that it took on its roll as a maker of pork pies. The pie

6 was made popular as it met the needs of the men attending the many hunt meetings who wanted a savoury snack. Nowadays you can even have a go at handmaking your own pie, as the shop runs courses. The building next door was the Corn Exchange. It was built in 1854, and the buying and selling of corn moved there from the Corn Cross area. All that is left is the front part, the rest having been incorporated into the Bell Shopping Mall. Carry on along Nottingham Street. At the far end of Argos, turn right to walk along the side of the building and through the car park to the rear. You are heading to the left where to exit to the car park is. When you reach the road, cross over and take the pathway which bends round to the right. As you can see from the headstones arranged around the edge, you are walking through what used to be a small burial ground, which from 1846 to 1899, was used as an extension to the churchyard. The last part of the pathway takes you along the side of the Regal Cinema. Turn right to walk across the front of the cinema. It was built in the 1930 s, and is still one of the few independently owned cinemas in the country. The Art Deco look of the outside continues inside. It has been described by somebody in the film industry as the finest cinema in England. Follow the road past the cinema, cross over St Mary s Road, and follow the road as it bears round to the left. You are now in King Street. Just before the end. You will find King Street Art. The panel just to one side explains all about it. You are now back in the Market Place where you started the walk. The walk is just under a mile long