Category: Local History

Whilst recently helping out at Kibworth Harcourt Post Mill over Heritage Weekend - 14 and 15 September - I was given a souvenir programme from the Kibworth Festival which took place between 23 October and 31 October 1976 - 48 years ago this very month.

Reading Roger Garratt’s essay on Kibworth Beauchamp Grammar School’s incredible history in recent issues of the Chronicle has led to 10 years of The Beauchamp Magazine being handed over which make interesting reading.

A team, including a leading British explorer and a local Foxton man, have become the first people to have ever travelled the length of an uncharted Amazon river and pick up two Guiness World records along the way.

I’m trying to find out where this photo of me was taken about 55 or 56 year ago in 1968 or 1969.  It would probably be within a 5 to 8 mile radius of Bulkington, Warwickshire.

Harborough District Council have received the following planning application.

Edward Kennard (above) was Deputy Lieutenant of Leicestershire and a justice of the peace, who lived at ‘The Barn’(below), which was a large property situated on the hill off Shrewsbury Avenue in Little Bowden, Market Harborough. He had travelled in America during the Civil War (1861 – 1865) and entered Richmond, Virginia with the Northern troops. He won the second prize in the 1,000 miles motor competition in 1900 and was an ardent motor cyclist. Edward Kennard’s paintings in watercolours and oils were regarded as treasures in leading art circles, especially those done on china. Of which he had a unique collection. He also won several prizes for photography and was a well- known sporting novelist.

When I looked in on Harborough indoor market recently, I didn’t expect to find such an unusual and rather rare piece of local history. Boxes full of old postcards from yesteryear were on display on one of the stalls.

Although the weather finally picked up for the start of the school holidays, there have still not been very many boats through. The situation is similar elsewhere, and some hire companies have half their fleets tied up, which is highly unusual, and a worry. Visitors come to the canals to see boats, and boater spend is important to the local economy.

National Heritage Weekend

A replica of the Hallaton Helmet was officially unveiled at Hallaton Museum last Wednesday 19 June. This amazing, high quality replica of the original helmet was researched by Leicestershire Museums, and made by Rajesh Gogna, Silversmith. He produced two copies: one that is on display at Harborough Museum, the other at its home in Hallaton.