our town

We live in Lutterworth, a small town at the southern tip of the county of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It's a town of about 10,000 inhabitants and has a market charter that can be traced back many centuries. No-one is quite sure where the name Lutterworth came from. We find it a pleasant enough place to live with most facilities we need available here or in the nearby towns of Rugby or Leicester. Lutterworth has two claims to fame.

1) John de Wycliffe translated the Bible into English here in the 13th century and so began the English Reformation.

2) Frank Whittle developed the world's first liquid fuel jet engine here in the 20th century.

Bugger all else happened in the 600 years between or since, but it's a nice little town anyway!

 

Click Photographs to Enlarge

Lutterworth Town Hall	Lutterworth High Street looking south towards Rugby.	Church Street, Lutterworth.	The Shambles Public House, Lutterworth.
Lutterworth Cricket Ground.	St. Mary's Church, Lutterworth.	The former Mechanics Institute, Lutterworth.	A terrace of regency style buildings, Lutterwoth.
Swift Bridge at the southern approach to Lutterworth.	Roundabout, Lutterwoth. Tribute to Sir Frank Whittle	Chapmans the Butchers. The East Midland's best sausages.	Lutterworth Golf Course in the snow.

our home 

Our home is on the edge of Lutterworth close to open country with pleasant walks both into and out of town. We've been here now for around 24 years and it's been the only place, really, that our children have known, albeit that they both started their lives in Kent. We live in a small, friendly close at the very far end. No passing traffic, peace and quiet most of the time.

Click the photographs to enlarge

This is where we live.	Part of garden and fish pond from above	The lounge
Garden room extension.	We even have bedrooms!	But it's nice to be in the garden.

 

finally - us

Nominally, there are the five of us 'living here', although our Lisa is currently working away in Lancashire at an Outdoor Pursuits Centre for kids. David has now graduated and is a Doctor at Leicester Royal Infirmary and has recently moving in with his Partner, Emma. Dylan the Dog, however, has not deserted us, but he doesn't care much. He'd live anywhere that fed him. It doesn't matter to him where he is! So for now there is a big empty house for us to make as much noise as we want, go to bed when we want, and generally enjoy ourselves to the extent we want without having to justify ourselves to the kids all the time!

Click on the Photographs to Enlarge

This is me, John Cookson.	My wife, Vanessa.	Son David with his partner, Emma, on a trip to Moscow.	Lisa, at her graduation from Leeds University in 2009.
I was born in 1949, so you can work out my age for yourself and I'm now happily retired. I have a degree in Engineering Technology and then went on to achieve a seconde degree in Russian Studies. Yeh, right! I know it's a strange combination. My spare time is taken up with my duties as webmaster for a number of charities and I'm a member of the Rotary Club of Lutterworth Wycliffe.	Vanessa was made redundant from her job as a senior manager at Leicestershire Police in October, 2010 and is now 'retired'. They suggested it's to keep front line 'officers', but they've sacked the civvies and now the coppers sit behind desks doing their jobs at substantially higher pay. She has a degree in Business Administration and is a member of the Rotary Club of Blaby Meridian.	My son David is a doctor and lives in Dunedin, New Zealand with his partner, Emma. He heavily involved with volunteering often acting as a medic at various national and international Scout Jamborees and camps. He works with the New Zealand Ambulance Services on a volunteer basis as well as assisting as event doctor at major social and sporting events.	Lisa graduated from Leeds University in 2009 with a degree in Geology and, unable to find work in that arena, she is now working as a group leader at a Centre for Outdoor Pursuits for children in Lancashire. Lisa's ambition in life is to break a few hearts and then find herself a rich fellow (strangely, that's her Dad's ambition for her too).
	Whilst all of the above may think they are the most important in the house, Dylan knows this to be an absolute fact in his case. He seems strangely lacking in ambition and is content to have attention lavished upon him by anyone in the world who is prepared to accept that HE is the most important being around.