14 THE ROTHLEY POST
MAY 2012
History society news
Local Lions share cash at annual dinner dance ROTHLEY & SOAR Valley Lions Club marked their 35th anniversary by distributing gifts of cash to local charities. At the annual Charter Dinner Dance, held at Birstall Golf Club in March, Lion President Ruth Johnson presented cheques for £2500 to David Lindley of LOROS, and Sophie Stevens from the Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance Service, £3000 to Jenny Pearce from Vista and Rainbows’ representative Jennifer Leach received a cheque for £4250. The funds were raised by the Club from a range of activities throughout the year, including a 10K Road Race around Rothley village and a golf tournament organised jointly with Leicester Charnwood and Thurnby Lions. Guest of Honour at the event was Lion District Governor Robin Dukes, accompanied by his wife Rosemary, who congratulated the Club on their success and generosity, not only to those local good causes in attendance, but also to
several international campaigns organised by Lions Clubs International, such as Sight Savers and Water Aid. He was impressed by the range of other beneficiaries which had received support during the year, including Children with Cancer, Diabetes UK, English Federation of Disability Sport, Marie Curie Cancer Care and Wishes4kids. Lion President Ruth then presented Rosemary with a cheque for £500 for the district Governor’s wife’s chosen charity, the National Autistic Society. Following the presentation, Lions and guests danced to the music and beautiful singing voice of entertainer Jackie Lee, who had insisted that her fee should be included in the cheque given to Rainbows, her favourite children’s charity. Pic: David Lindley, LOROS, Jenny Pearce, Vista, Jennifer Leach, Rainbows, Lion President Ruth Johnson, Sophie Stevens, DLR Air Ambulance Service.
ON THE evening of March 20, we were thoroughly entertained by the excellent presentation given by Peter Cousins, who was clearly greatly inspired by the subject of his talk – “The Life and Times of Orson Wright 1853 – 1913”. Orson Wright, who came to be known as the “Champion of the People” thanks to his numerous entrepreneurial ventures, was born in the village of Dunton Bassett on 23rd July 1853. Orson left school in 1861 at the age of eight years and initially had a variety of jobs, including working as a farmhand. In 1871, he was working as a carpenter and joiner, having undertaken the relevant apprenticeship – these were the skills which later enabled him to pursue a career in building. At this time, he was living in lodgings in Birstall Street, Leicester, and was married to Ada Harris. By 1875, he was in business partnership with his brothers, but unfortunately, the business failed and they were declared bankrupt in 1878. Despite this setback, he was not deterred and, only three years later, with the purchase of land in Wigston, he was able to establish his own building business, known as “Perseverance Works”. The phrase “the sky’s the limit” comes to mind when considering the phenomenal growth of Orson Wright’s business from 1881 onwards! He became a prolific builder and, as demand for houses grew, he established his own brickworks to ensure a regular supply of his company’s trademark red bricks. He built rows of terraced properties, with shops at each street corner to supply necessities for the local residents. Streets were often named after his own family members, of which there were many, including his own children (he and his wife had a total of ten children, four of whom sadly did not survive to adult life). His own magnificent and stylish home, called Ashbourne House, was purpose-built to accommodate his large family – after his death, this property was demolished to make way for a 20th century, less architecturally-pleasing row of shops! Orson went on to build hotels, including the Grand Hotel on Canal Street, Wigston, and the former Grand Hotel on Granby Street, Leicester, as well as factories and warehouses to cater for burgeoning local industries. His business acumen knew no bounds and in 1887 he bought the whole parish of Newfoundpool - at the time of this purchase there were only seven houses in the parish, but in the next eight years he built homes to house over four thousand people! In 1890 he bought the Knighton Fields Estate for more building projects. He diversified into other enterprises, such as boot and shoe manufacture, a hat and cap company and by 1907, at the age of fifty three years, he became involved in the construction of the twenty eight miles long Derwent Valley Aqueduct. Apart from all these activities he also held a variety of public offices. For a man who came from truly
humble beginnings, his ambition and achievements to improve the lot of the people of Leicester were incredible. At the time of his death, aged fifty nine years, on the 10th April 1913, he was held in such high regard, that when his funeral took place on 14th April, fifteen horse-drawn carriages carrying family and local dignitaries followed his hearse, plus around two hundred people joined the procession on foot. Both he and his wife Ada, who had predeceased him, share the same grave in Wigston cemetery. His will was ten pages long and he left a legacy to the value of almost £8million in today’s money. In 1927,
Orson’s and Ada’s children paid for commemorative stained glass windows to be erected in St. Thomas’s Church, Wigston, in honour of their parents. The next time you are shopping in Leicester, do take the time to look upwards to see some of the legacy of Victorian architecture still in evidence above the shops. An example of Orson Wright’s work is to be found at the corner of Market Street, opposite to Fenwick’s, and another in the form of a magnificent crest atop the former Grand Hotel. Our next meeting will be in All Saints’ Church on Tuesday May 15, at 7.30pm when there will be a presentation on church organs and an organ recital given by David Gabe. All welcome. From Jennifer Kennington, Thurcaston and Cropston Local History Society
Strong man ROTHLEY’S VIC Parker came eighth in a competition to find Charnwood’s strongest man. Vic (71) of Templar Way, said: “I did all right. I lifted 190kg in the deadlift but the bench press let me down as my shoulder’s not so good.” The event took place at Loughborough Leisure Centre. The overall winner was Jeremy Lewis who lifted 230kg in the deadlift, 152.5kg in the bench press and 210kg in the squat.