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Poor facilities in Quorn, 1879
Quorn Village On-line Museum and Mountsorrel History Group have a great relationship, but sometimes there is definitely a bit of rivalry and (friendly) one upmanship! The letter below was pointed out by MHG to demonstrate the superior facilities in Mountsorrel in 1879!
Leicester Daily Mercury - Friday 05 December 1879
QUORNDON
Two Desiderata (i)
To the Editor - Sir - Having travelled in various parts of England and Scotland, and several times been employed in London, I notice the differences that exist. I find that Quorndon is behind the times and in the dark. We have no coffee house, no village hall, no working-men's club, and, last but not least, no workmen's library and reading-room. In Mountsorrel the working-men have a mechanics' institute, and there is a good reading-room and library in connection with the Red Lion Coffee House, and some first class books. I notice among the rest, Smile's 'Self Help’, 'Thrift and Character’, valuable books to the working men. Even Woodhouse Eaves comes before Quorn. I called there the other day, and after taking a good cup of tea, had an hour’s reading. I noticed ‘Chamber’s Journal’ among other interesting periodicals and the London daily papers. Sileby, Syston, Anstey, Barrow, and Sheepshed all have their coffee houses, but Quorn, instead of having a coffee house, has its public houses open an hour later than other villages. I think that a drawback. We have no good concerts. When there is a concert it is generally second rate in character. We have a good organist at Quorn, but he does not play at church or chapel. What is wanted in Quorn is a good library and a village hall.
Yours, &c, EXCELSIOR
(i) Two Desiderata means ‘two things wanted or needed’. In this context it has nothing to do with the famous poem entitled Desiderata, which would not be written by Max Ehrmann for another 48 years in 1927.
It must be added that the Havelock Coffee House opened in Quorn in the early 1880s, and the Village Hall was built in 1889. A reading room had been opened in 1853, but closed in 1878 when the owner of the premises died. A new reading room was opened by M W Wright and Sons in 1886.
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Submitted on: |
2025-05-05 |
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Submitted by: |
Sue Templeman with thanks to Keith Foster and other friends at MHG! |
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Artefact ID: |
2610 |
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Artefact URL: |
www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=2610 |
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