Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the administrative centre of Charnwood Borough Council and, in the United Kingdom 2021 census, the town's built-up area had a population of 64,884. The area has been represented since 2024 by Labour Party MP Jeevun Sandher.

It is the second largest settlement in the county after Leicester; it lies close to the Nottinghamshire border and is located near Leicester, Nottingham and Derby. It is notable for its university, marketplace and fair. Loughborough is home to the world's largest, and the UK's only, bell foundry, John Taylor Bellfounders.

History

Medieval The earliest reference to Loughborough occurs in the Domesday Book of 1086, which calls it Lucteburne. It appears as Lucteburga in a charter from the reign of Henry II, and as Luchteburc in the Pipe Rolls of 1186. The name is of Old English origin and means "Luhhede's burh or fortified place".

Loughborough Grammar School was established in the Parish Church in 1495, by money left in the will of Thomas Burton, a wealthy local wool merchant. It is one of the oldest independent schools in England.

Industrialisation The first sign of industrialisation in the district came in the early 19th century, when John Heathcoat, an inventor from Derbyshire, patented in 1809 an improvement to the warp loom, known as the twisted lace machine, which allowed mitts with a lace-like appearance to be made.

Heathcoat, in partnership with the Nottingham manufacturer Charles Lacy, moved his business from there to the village of Hathern, outside Loughborough. The product of this "Loughborough machine" came to be known as English net or bobbinet. However, the factory was attacked in 1816 by Luddites thought to be in the pay of Nottingham competitors and 55 frames were destroyed. This prompted Heathcoat to move his business to a disused wool mill in Tiverton, Devon.

In 1888, a charter of incorporation was obtained, allowing a mayor and corporation to be elected. The population increased from 11,000 to 25,000 in the following decade.

Among the factories established were Robert Taylor's bell foundry John Taylor & Co and the Falcon works, which produced steam locomotives and then motor cars, before it was taken over by Brush Electrical Machines. In 1897, Herbert Morris set up a factory in the Empress Works in Moor Lane which become one of the foremost crane manufacturers by the mid-20th century.Wainwright, David; Cranes and Craftsmen: The Story of Herbert Morris Ltd (London, 1929).

There was strong municipal investment; a new sewage works in 1895, then a waterworks in Blackbrook and a power station in Bridge Street in 1899. The corporation took over the Loughborough Gas Company in 1900.

Tourism In 1841, Loughborough was the destination for the first package tour, organised by Thomas Cook for a temperance group from icester.

Modern history As Loughborough grew in the 20th century, it gained new suburbs. Thorpe Acre, in the north-west of the town, was a hamlet of about twenty dwellings until the mid-20th century. Several earlier survivors include the 19th-century All Saints Church; Thorpe Acre with Dishley, built in 1845 and extended in 1968; and a hostelry, The Plough Inn. The population is counted into the Loughborough–Garendon Ward of Charnwood Council. Many roads there are named after poets. After World War II, some of Thorpe Acre developed further, mainly in the 1950s for employees of Brush Engineering Works, with 100 dwellings built of no-fines concrete.Defined Retrieved 11 September 2018 In the 1960s and early 1970s, Thorpe Acre gained a new estate that subsumed the old village. Two of Loughborough's secondary schools, Charnwood College and De Lisle College, lie on its bounds, as does Garendon Park, a large deer park from the 18th century. The original Dishley, off Derby Road, was heavily developed along with Thorpe Acre in the 1970s. Dishley Church in Derby Road is now in ruins. The agriculturalist Robert Bakewell (1726–1795) is buried there.

Shelthorpe and surrounding area are new suburbs in the south of Loughborough. Work on the original Shelthorpe started in 1929, but was halted by World War II and resumed in 1946. The centre of Shelthorpe has a wide variety of shops, including a Tesco Extra.

The Hazel Road and Fairmeadows Way estates to the west of Shelthorpe and the south of the university date from the 1970s. They stretch from Holywell Drive to Hazel Road. Rainbows Hospice, a children's hospice,Hospice site Retrieved 11 September 2018. and the secondary Woodbrook Vale School are on the edge of the suburb. They were followed by the Haddon Way estates to the south of the estates, and then by Grange Park, just south of Shelthorpe and north-west of the hamlet of Woodthorpe, whose construction began in 2006 after completion of Terry Yardley Way to One Ash Roundabout, the last phase of Loughborough's A6004 ring road.

A planning application to build 30 new homes by William Davis Homes came under criticism in 2018 from residents saying that they had been promised public amenities like shops and a place of worship, but were living on "a construction site"; the site was originally intended to have shops, a church, community centre and health centre built on it. Despite the criticism, the borough council approved the plans.

After hosting two successful vegan markets in 2022, Charnwood Borough Council initiated three vegan markets to be held in Market Place in March, May and October 2023.

Geography Climate Like most of the British Isles, Loughborough experiences a maritime climate with cool summers and mild winters. The nearest Met Office weather station is at Sutton Bonington, in Nottinghamshire, located due north of the town centre. The highest temperature recorded in that area was on 25 July 2019.

Demography At the 2021 census, Loughborough's urban area had a population of 64,884; the ethnicity and religious composition of the ward was:

Loughborough: Ethnicity: 2021 CensusEthnic groupPopulation %White49,40076.2%Asian or Asian British10,19115.7%Mixed2,1403.3%Black or Black British1,8782.9%Other Ethnic Group7501.2%Arab4890.8%Total64,884100% The religious composition of the ward at the 2021 Census was recorded as: Loughborough: Religion: 2021 CensusReligiousPopulation %Irreligious27,20545.3%Christian23,73739.5%Muslim4,1797%Hindu3,6846.1%Sikh4610.8%Other religion3810.6%Buddhist3210.5%Jewish650.3%Total64,884100%

Economy

Brush Traction, a manufacturer of railway locomotives, is located in the town, adjacent to the Midland railway station.

The centre of Loughborough's shopping area is the pedestrianised Market Place and Market Street, which maintain several original art deco buildings, such as the building that currently houses the town's Odeon cinema. A large outdoor market is held in the Market Place every Thursday and Saturday. There is a monthly farmers' market. The first mention of a market in Loughborough is in 1221.

The Rushes shopping centre has been built on the site of the former bus station and is occupied by national chains. The Rushes is linked to the town centre area by Churchgate and Churchgate Mews; the latter has independent shops.

A major new development, the Eastern Gateway, which developed the area around the railway station with a new road and new housing, was completed in 2013 for £20 million.

Pedestrianisation of the town centre was completed in November 2014; the scheme is intended to improve the economy within the town centre and reduce pollution from traffic congestion.

A new Cineworld cinema complex with several restaurants on Baxter Gate, on the site of the former General Hospital, was completed in 2016; but closed in 2024.

Education Schools

Loughborough Grammar School is a private, all-boys day and boarding school for students aged 10–18. Founded in 1495 with money left in the will of Thomas Burton, it is one of the oldest schools in the country and has been a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference since 1962. The school occupies approximately 110 acres of land, including a 39-acre main campus in central Loughborough and a 70-acre sports field in nearby Quorn.

Other private schools in the town include Loughborough High School, an all-girls day school for students aged 11–18 founded in 1850, and Fairfield Prep School, a co-educational preparatory school for children aged 3–11. Together with the Grammar School, they form the Loughborough Schools Foundation.

Whilst they are separate schools in their own right, they share facilities, some sixth-form classes, and extracurricular activities such as the Combined Cadet Force. All three schools were judged as 'excellent' in all categories by the Independent Schools Inspectorate in 2021.

There are also multiple state secondary schools and sixth forms within Loughborough. These include Woodbrook Vale School, Limehurst Academy, Charnwood College, and De Lisle College, with the latter two also providing a sixth form.

Loughborough Amherst School (formerly Our Lady's Convent School), a co-educational day and boarding school providing all-through education from ages 4–18, closed on 4 July 2025 due to financial difficulties. It was also part of the foundation.

Tertiary education Loughborough University

In 2026, the university was ranked 9th by The Guardian University Guide, with the university ranking in the top 10 for business and management, and criminology. Globally, the university was ranked 203rd by the QS World University Ranking in 2026, scoring particularly highly in global engagement and sustainability, representing the university's highest ever rankings.

It is especially renowned for sport, having been ranked the world's best university for sports-related subjects for ten consecutive years between 2017 and 2026. Over a hundred students from the university competed at the 2024 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, winning a total of 35 medals, including 11 gold medals.

Loughborough College

Loughborough College is the second biggest education establishment in the town, after the university, offering further education and vocational courses. It was established in 1909 and has over 12,000 full and part-time students.

RNIB College, Loughborough

RNIB College, Loughborough, caters for those over 16 with a wide range of disabilities, seeking access to education, employment and independent living.

Uniformed youth organisations Loughborough has a variety of uniformed youth organisations, with several Scout and Girl Guide units, Girls' and Boys' Brigades, units from the cadet forces (Air Training Corps, Army Cadet Force, Sea Cadet Corps, and Combined Cadet Force at Loughborough Grammar School), a St John Ambulance Cadet unit and a cadet programme run by the local Fire and Rescue Service. Since November 2015, Loughborough has had a Volunteer Police Cadet unit based at Loughborough College.

Transport Railway

is the main line station that serves the town. East Midlands Railway operates all passenger services that serve the station, on two routes: The Midland Main Line between , and ; intermediate locations include , , and . The link to London is half-hourly and provides a link to Europe, via Eurostar. Leicester and Derby stations allow transfers to CrossCountry trains running between the north-east of Scotland and the south-west of England. Services between Leicester and ; alternate services continue to or .

At one time, there were three railway routes to the town: the still-operating Midland Main Line, the Great Central Railway that closed as a result of the Beeching cuts, and a branch line from that was part of the London & North Western Railway. served the Great Central Railway. It was opened on 15 March 1899 and closed in 1969.

Heritage