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Floods – 1932, near One Ash, Quorn
This photograph of floods in the Soar Valley was kindly submitted by Nick Miller from Newcastle. In pencil on the back was written ‘Quorn’.
Establishing a Date
Helpful local bus expert, Andrew Webster, told the museum team that the bus in the right foreground, RY 6188, was an Albion PM28 with a Dodson 32 seat bus body new to FH Gerard (Leicester & District) in March 1928. Frank Gerard sold his bus business to BMMO (Birmingham and Midland motor Omnibus co) or Midland Red as we know it, in November 1936. The other two buses look like older BMMO vehicles, one giving the other a bit of help, probably because one had run off the roadway and ended in a ditch. BMMO bus OH 1205 TSM TS3 (centre) was new in 1920.
The date of the photograph must therefore be between 1928 and 1936 and is likely to be 1932, as the floods were particularly severe that year.
Establishing a Location
The buses were going from Leicester to Loughborough and the board on the first bus shows its route from Leicester was via Mowmacre Hill, Thurcaston, Cropston, Swithland, Woodhouse Eaves and Quorn. The Telegraph Pole Appreciation Society helpfully told us that telegraph poles like this, would, at that time only be used on trunk routes; in this case meaning the main A6. Because of the bus route, the only part of the old A6 it could be is between Quorn and Loughborough.
The picture is looking south with the road bending to the east. The location is therefore almost certainly just before the bend in the road near One Ash (to the west, right in the picture) and the new Dustmoor Drive estate to the east (left). Below is a 1938 map, with the location highlighted by the green circle.
The red line indicates the approximate old route of Poultney Brook before it was diverted in the C19th. In times of flood in can still overflow into its original course.
This is another great example of how several people, all with their bits of expert knowledge, contributed towards building up a full story and context for a brilliant photograph; thereby giving it so much more interest and meaning!
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Submitted on: |
2025-01-04 |
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Submitted by: |
Nick Miller with additional information from Sue Templeman and others |
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Artefact ID: |
2595 |
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Artefact URL: |
www.quornmuseum.com/display.php?id=2595 |
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Print: |
View artefact in printer-friendly page or just on its own (new browser tab). |
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