LOUGHBOROUGH, the second town in Leicestershire, England, on the Midland Railway, 11 miles from Leicester and 14 from Nottingham. In 1881 its three parishes had a population of 14,733. A large tract of meadow land lies between the town and the river Soar, which is connected with the town by two canals,—the Loughborough canal, formed in 1776, and the Leicester canal, opened in 1791. On the Charnwood Forest side of the town there were once extensive parks. The open fields in the lordship were enclosed in 1762. The town has an excellent market-place, and is in the centre of a rich agricultural district. Its malt was once of special note. The old parish church of All Saints stands on rising ground, and is a conspicuous object for many miles round; the church itself (restored in 1862) is of the Decorated style, and dates from the 14th century; the tower is Perpendicular. Emmanuel church was completed in 1837, and Holy Trinity in 1878. The Roman Catholic chapel was built in 1833, and the extensive Early English convent, since enlarged, in 1850. The town-hall and corn exchange, in the market-place, were erected in 1855, and the cemetery and its elegant church date from 1857. The grammar school is a Tudor structure, standing in some 15 acres of ornamental grounds and walks; it owes its origin to Thomas Burton’s charity, in 1495. The present buildings were erected in 1852, and the new scheme was devised under the Grammar School Act of 3 & 4 Vict. The girls’ grammar school, in the Early English style, was erected in 1879. The other public buildings comprise a dispensary and infirmary (built at the cost of Mr and Miss Herrick in 1862), local board offices, police station, schools, and nonconformist chapels. There are several large hosiery factories. Lace was a staple trade ...