Loscoe Women's Institute

Welcome to the Loscoe Women's Institute History Page

Updated 24th January 2010

History of Loscoe Women's Institute.

Loscoe Women's Institute was formed back in October 1979. The first meetings were held in what is now the Pine Factory on Taylors Lane.
This building was originally the church Hall.
The meetings moved to their current location as the church hall was very cold.
In 2004 when we celebrated our 25th Anniversary we had a party.
Some of our founder members were present. See photo.

A Brief History of Loscoe Village by Margaret Allen.

Although not mentioned in the Doomsday Book, the name Loscoe is thought to originate back in the 1300s, when it was a small hamlet nestled between Heanor and Codnor.

Until the 1800s work would be found on local farms, local water and windmills. There was a furnace, hence the name Furnace Lane, which led to Loscoe Dam and is now a pleasant area to walk and fish.

As with many villages in the area it grew through coal mining. Old Loscoe Colliery was worked on land which is near the Charles Hill Playing Fields, a piece of land donated by a local farmer. On the opposite side of the road was Ormonde Colliery which closed in the 1960s. Many people will remember that later there was open cast mining in the area, which has now been landscaped. Also a familiar site many remember was the Brickyard between Milward Road and Loscoe Grange with its rounded kilns supplying bricks to the area. These Kilns disappeared in the 1970s.

The Parish Church was built in the 1930s and stands majestically on the main road through the village. Alongside it runs the Red River Nature Reserve, a hidden treasure well worth exploring.

New houses are now being built to cater for the growing population, but Loscoe still remains a close knit community, with numerous associations including, of course the WI, Scouts, toddler and playgroups and church groups.

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