![Ada Lovelace Memorial](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_df650da4f06b4acabc3bbb9197c36255~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_333,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_df650da4f06b4acabc3bbb9197c36255~mv2.jpg) Ada Lovelace MemorialThe inscription on the memorial includes a poem, The Rainbow, written by Ada. It commences - Bow down in hope, in thanks, all ye who mourn;—
Where'in that peerless arche of radiant hues
Surpassing earthly tints,—the storm subdues!
The memorial was restored by the local council in 2000. In recognition of her pioneering work, Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated internationally each year
to inspire and encourage women to take up careers in the fields of science and technology. | ![Ashby Castle](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_50fd890bb4b245f9b478125d6560355a.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_166,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_50fd890bb4b245f9b478125d6560355a.jpg) Ashby CastleThis ruined castle is forever linked with the story of Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. Originally a fortified manor house, it was converted into a castle by Lord Hastings who had been granted it in the 15th century by King Edward IV. During the English Civil War the castle was a Royalist stronghold but when it fell to the Parliamentary forces it was slighted, resulting in the ruin that is seen today. | ![Market Harborough Railway Station](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_5c0006bffcb94b2f8c92e6a54fd3f2d4.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_166,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_5c0006bffcb94b2f8c92e6a54fd3f2d4.jpg) Market Harborough Railway StationThis splendid station building, constructed in the Queen Anne style, dates from a reconstruction of the station in 1884. Market Harborough was at one time an important junction with connections to Rugby, Northampton, Stamford and Leicester. It was a LNWR station which was also used by the Midland Railway. It is still in main line use today, being on the route from Leicester to London, thus providing access to rapid services for local commuters. |
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![Dixie Grammar School](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_a54984f6560e4856855cad1224002dfd~mv2_d_2048_1536_s_2.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_187,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_a54984f6560e4856855cad1224002dfd~mv2_d_2048_1536_s_2.jpg) Dixie Grammar SchoolSituated in the centre of Market Bosworth, the school was re-founded in 1601 under the will of Sir Wolstan Dixie, Lord Mayor of London. The building shown dates from 1828. It now operates as an Independent day school. Samuel Johnson, author of the Dictionary of the English Language, was believed to have been a teacher here for a short while in the 18th century. | ![Croft Hill Summit](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_9630aea7c4bc4c3a905d54e0c4b84dc6~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_187,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_9630aea7c4bc4c3a905d54e0c4b84dc6~mv2.jpg) Croft Hill SummitCroft Hill stands at 420 feet above sea level and is a prominent feature in a low-level, flat area. A quarry on one side of the hill has provided stone for many years, even thought to be back to Roman Times. | ![View from Croft Hill](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_e64d5c7263ec4fbbbb58cd0bd8b682cf~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_187,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_e64d5c7263ec4fbbbb58cd0bd8b682cf~mv2.jpg) View from Croft HillThe quarry became a major stone and brick producing enterprise when the Pochin brothers took it over in 1868. It is still active and is thought to be the largest quarry in Europe. At one time, major traffic movements were made by rail from sidings laid into the site but this ceased in recent years. |
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![Gopsal Hall Temple Ruins](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_970dc6ec370b4a00898679bc777c6bca.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_133,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_970dc6ec370b4a00898679bc777c6bca.jpg) Gopsal Hall Temple RuinsGopsall Hall was built in 1750 by Charles Jennens, replacing the Jacobean Gopsall Hall on the site. The Jennens family had acquired a fortune through the production of charcoal and the development of an iron smelting foundry. The new Gopsall Hall was a magnificent building, 180 feet in length. The grounds surrounding the Hall extended to 724 acres. The temple was an ornate folly/garden feature, situated in the south-east corner of the grounds. | ![Gopsal Hall Temple Ruins](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_7709ae9e95a1420bae0477ada6f051df.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_167,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_7709ae9e95a1420bae0477ada6f051df.jpg) Gopsal Hall Temple RuinsCharles Jennens was a great charitable benefactor and patron of the arts. He was a close friend of the composer George Frederick Handel who, legend has it, may have used the temple as a quiet retreat to work on his music whilst staying at the Hall, both as a guest of Charles and previously of Charles' father, Humphrey. He is reputed to have used the organ in the chapel of the Hall. This organ was relocated to the church of St. James, Great Packington after the death of Charles Jennens. | ![Bilstone Gibbet](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_7910dca472b64b3084ab9a02cc2f90d3.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_170,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_7910dca472b64b3084ab9a02cc2f90d3.jpg) Bilstone GibbetA gruesome reminder of past methods of punishment for felons. After execution a convicted felon's body would be hung in chains, or an iron cage, from the gibbet until the body rotted. It was intended as a warning to others.
A local man, who was a wrestler with a violent temper, was found guilty of murdering his wife in 1797, by throwing her into the village pond. He was hanged at Birstall in 1801 and his body was placed in this gibbet. Local tradition has it that it was still there in 1818. |
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![War Memorial, Coalville](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_7245b1756b98473688265b70ee89939f.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_166,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_7245b1756b98473688265b70ee89939f.jpg) War Memorial, CoalvilleThis magnificent edifice is unusual for a war memorial as it is constructed of brick and is extremely high, dominating the area close to Coalville town centre. The Memorial Clock Tower was constructed in 1925 and stands 68 feet high. It is a Grade II listed building. It replaced an earlier memorial which was situated within the boundary of Coalville Railway Station. | ![Bus Shelter, Leicester](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_3db1e5c58cdd438fa6479d1c2c3d0b00.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_166,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_3db1e5c58cdd438fa6479d1c2c3d0b00.jpg) Bus Shelter, LeicesterThese views show a selection of the unique bus shelters provided to the City in 1934 by Robert Rowley JP. Designed in an art deco style these spacious shelters provided an important refuge, in inclement weather, for thousands of bus passengers, as the city expanded into the suburbs. It was a time that buses provided the most vital means of transport for the majority of people. | ![Bus Shelter, Leicester](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/67646c_b58e876379b843008149640c37307ba6.jpg/v1/fill/w_250,h_166,al_c,q_90,enc_auto/67646c_b58e876379b843008149640c37307ba6.jpg) Bus Shelter, LeicesterWhilst these examples are reasonably well maintained, unfortunately they suffer at the hands of some of the modern philistines who cannot appreciate good, functional design. Consequently the lights are now devoid of glass and graffiti despoils some of the walls. |
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