Leaving Turners the Narborough newsagents on the corner of Coventry and Station Road we pass by the three Co-Op shops, butchers, haberdashers and grocers before crossing the railway by the station, over the footbridge if the crossing gates are closed. The road continues over the River Soar on two beautiful red brick bridges built in 1788 with half round stone cappings, the road then drops slightly and on the left side the flood planks start, passing a line of pollarded willow trees on the edge of Biddles Meadow, in springtime we would probably see Peewits nesting here. Looking further over our left shoulder towards Whetstone the next field is marshy with a good crop of buttercups and marsh marigolds.
The first house we come to is 10 Station Road that’s where I grew up, directly behind was a 2-storey brick built barn and to the village side a run of stables and out buildings, then the Factory, a 2-storey early 20th century building, all of the latter standing behind and around a Victorian cobbled yard.
Station Road and No’s 10, 12, and 14 in the late 1960’s
The yard is entered between 10 and 12 Station Road where Joe Biddle lived. At No.14 are the North family.
The road now starts to climb slightly alongside a high brick wall, this encloses the garden of the much photographed Littlethorpe Farm (No.16), gates then allow entrance to the farm yard and its fields beyond. After the gateway is 18 Station Road occupied by Adam’s the plumbers. Set back is No.20 the home of Denis & Rita Marples.
We are now outside the Old Inn on the corner of The Square, Arthur Kenney is the landlord. Continuing left are No’s 6 & 8 both thatched cottages. In the corner is the entrance to Littlethorpe House built in 1783 and owned by John & Helen Waudby , the nearest thing thing we have to a village squire and his wife, they owned British Steam Specialities in Leicester. They also owned and ran Littlethorpe house farm mentioned previously. Numerous cottages around The Square were also owned by them and housed some of their workers, one of which No.14 was Mr McMillan, Waudbys chauffeur (Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud which used to glide through the village). Mr Hubbard the football pools agent was next door at No.12 directly behind the old wooden war memorial.
Leaving The Square we enter The Narrows with one of the villages original yards entered by a gate on the left, this yard consists of several two up-two down cottages and their privies. On the other side causing the road to narrow tightly are the farm buildings and farmhouse of Mr Jimmy Evan’s.
Continuing by the cottages, the last of which is occupied by Tony Heighton son of the old village wheelwright and undertaker. We then come to the field footpath to Whetstone and as we turn into Cosby Road No’s 2 & 4 Winterton, a pair of semi-detached houses. Next door is Heightons Woodyard storage for seasoning timber and felled trees awaiting milling in their sawmills over the road (also a good place for numerous games of cowboys and Indians). On the corner of Warwick Road is No.10 Brocklehurst the butchers.
Turning into Warwick road we have the most recently developed houses and bungalows of the old village.
No.4 is Colin Mellor, No.8 Pipe, 14 Cross, 16 North, 18 Holland, 24 Derek Ward, mechanic at Narborough Transport over the road. No.30 Mrs West, 32 Chapmans, 36 Poveys. Crossing over and further down towards Whetstone on the right is the district councils sewage farm. Re-entering the village we have Taylor’s textiles Factory on the left, built on Brocklehursts field, the previous site of Victoria Mills destroyed by fire on Good Friday 1942. Then The Elwells a house built in 1952 by Bingley & Co for Mr & Mrs Mellor who run Mellors Coaches. Next door is the Blaby Rural District Council Depot and bungalow occupied by Gordon Loomes (Gordon had been the villages Duke of Edinburgh in the previous years coronation celebrations, with Molly Duncan as his Queen). Narborough Transport yard and workshop is next just before Heywoods at the bungalow.
Turn left onto Cosby Road at No.12 was Mr Hall a driver for Narborough Transport (children Joyce & Geoff)
We continue walking past open green space with the Narborough Transport building over our left shoulder and come to two pairs of semi-detached houses built in the 1930’s, the first of which is No.32 occupied by the Plants, 34, then 36, Harry Hall the painter and decorator, ending with No.38. No.40 Goddards turf suppliers, followed by a short run of three terraced houses one of which was occupied by the Gosling family, Norah Gosling was the village post lady.
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