Heritage plaque to be unveiled celebrating 800 years of Loughborough Fair

The ceremony will take place this Saturday, exactly 800 years since the first fair was held.

A Charnwood Heritage Plaque is to be unveiled to mark the 800th anniversary of the Royal Charters for Loughborough Markets and Fair.

Charnwood Borough Council, which operates the Loughborough Markets and Fair has commissioned the heritage plaque which will be revealed during a small ceremony at Loughborough Town Hall on Saturday July 31.

The date commemorates the first Loughborough Fair which was held 800 years ago.

Cllr Jenny Bokor, lead member for Loughborough, said: “Loughborough Markets and Fair have been an integral part of life in this town for eight centuries and we are extremely proud to be marking the anniversary with the commissioning of a heritage plaque.

“Both the markets and fair are eagerly welcomed by local residents and the wider population and are extremely popular, attracting tens of thousands of people.”

In 1221, a young King Henry III granted a Royal Charter to Hugh le Despenser, the Lord of the manor, to hold a weekly Thursday market and an annual fair in Loughborough.

Eight centuries later, the market and fair are run by the borough council which is working with partners to mark the landmark year.

The ceremony will commence at 11am and will include the reading of the original charter and themed entertainment with a storyteller and reenactors.

The heritage plaque will be unveiled by the Mayor of Charnwood, Cllr Paul Baines, who said: “I am deeply honoured to be invited to unveil the heritage plaque to mark this important part of Loughborough’s history.

“The Loughborough Markets are a wonderful way to provide a retail service for local people, by local traders and the fair remains an enormously successful event with great support and attendance from near and far.

“Although we sadly had to cancel the fair last year due to the pandemic, we hope to safely welcome families back to Loughborough this year with all the excitement and fun that the fair brings with it.”