Good church connection, local groups and pleasant local environment.
Memory Lane
Harborough Memories
Hundreds of Harborians have shared their favourite memories as a part of this project. They range as far back as the 1920s and all the way up to 2023.
“I have great memories of the carnival. I was a teacher and we had a school float which staff went on or walked alongside collecting money.”
“The Hallaton Treasure! In 2000 when Ken Wallace and volunteers from the Hallaton Fieldwork Group uncovered one of the most important Iron Age discoveries. It put Harborough on the map.”
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“I remember the floods of 1958 well. The whole town centre was flooded, and a local man paddled down the High Street in his canoe!”
Local Studies Volunteers
Our Local Studies Volunteers also visited our Collections Hub where they choose objects that meant a lot to them.
Early seventeenth century children’s toys, discovered behind a bricked-up staircase in St. Dionysus Church by construction workers in the 1980s.
“I was drawn to these objects because of how personal they are. Even though they have been worn down by the centuries and eaten by woodworm, it’s easy to imagine how well-loved and cherished they were by their owners. It’s also fascinating and somewhat comforting to see how little children’s toys have changed in 400 years, a reminder that human nature hasn’t.”
– Harry, Local Studies Volunteer
Market Harborough Grammar School Rugby Shirt from the mid 1950s
“The colours caught my eye. We still play in black, but the red has been abandoned. It brings back memories of my amazing experiences of playing rugby for my town. I remember my first time playing on the outskirts of the field to finally playing on the first team pitch. Harborough has a strong connection to rugby.”
– Rhiannon, Local Studies Volunteer
‘Cottage Hospital Market Harborough, Opening and Dedication of the Cottage Hospital Extension (War Memorial) Thursday, March 13th 1924 3:30pm)
“These leaflets represent a different chapter of Harborough’s medical history, a time before the NHS, when patients were required to pay fees. Now that the hospital is no longer standing, these leaflets also represent the hospital’s existence. I feel connected to these as I currently work at the Cottage Hospital’s replacement, and I often hear stories from colleagues who previously worked there and patients who used to have appointments there.”
– Hilary, Local Studies Volunteer
For more information on Leicestershire Collections please visit:
www.leicestershirecollections.org.uk
@leicestershire_collections