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The Generator: Stories & Memories
The Generator: Stories & Memories An oral history project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Stories & Memories project captures the voices, recollections and experiences of those who studied, worked and created in the historic Packe Street building over the decades. Through these personal stories, we are preserving the building’s rich creative legacy while sharing it with new generations as The Generator begins its next chapter as a vibrant community arts venue. With thanks to Institute Loughborough for their continued generous support and for providing the filming location. Click on any picture below to read or watch the full interview
017 Chris McIntyre
Turning the Power Back On by Accident: Chris McIntyre on the Generator's First Life as a Gallery
Chris McIntyre arrived at Loughborough in 1980 as a part-time art history lecturer and rose, over seventeen years, to Vice-Principal, before going on to become inaugural Dean of Art and Design at the University of Hertfordshire. Long before the current renovation, he was part of the small group who first turned the derelict generator hall into an informal exhibition space, complete with a near-miss involving live switchgear and a scattered pool of mercury.
Interview date: 05.12.2025
014 Martin Allen
Painting a Sunbeam Under the Generator's Roof: Martin Allen on Sixty Years with Loughborough College
Martin Allen's connection to Loughborough began almost by accident, brought to the town as a child during the Second World War, and went on to span a Loughborough College diploma in the late 1940s, a career in the earliest days of semiconductor and microprocessor technology, and a return to teach at Frederick Street from 1966 until his retirement in 1992. In this interview, recorded at The Generator during a Heritage Weekend, he recalls the building as a student, a lecturer, and even, briefly, a place to repaint his car.
Interview date: 08.10.2025
006 Ernie Miller
Piecing together The Generator’s hidden histories
Ernie Miller has spent decades piecing together the history of Loughborough's educational institutions. As a former associate director of staff training at the university and passionate local historian, he knows the stories that official records often miss. When we asked him about The Generator building, he had tales that sound almost too incredible to be true – German submarine engines, midnight power outages, and a man who got his own American car serviced as part of "training on production."
Interview date: 13.02.2025
003 Peter Wheeler
From head of Fine Art to Vice Principal: Pete Wheeler's Generator journey
Pete Wheeler, former Head of Fine Art and Vice Principal of Loughborough College of Art and Design, shares his memories of the Frederick Street building and the Generator Gallery in this illuminating conversation. With a career spanning from 1971 to 2000, Pete witnessed the evolution of art education in Loughborough and the transformation of historic buildings that now form part of the Generator cultural center.
Interview Date 10.02.2025
001 Colin Salsbury
From engineering tutor to The Generator’s industrial past
Colin Salsbury. joined Loughborough Technical College in 1963, teaching engineering subjects to apprentices from local firms. In this interview, he shares his memories of teaching at the Frederick Street building during a time of industrial growth in Loughborough, and offers fascinating insights about the German U-boat engines that once powered the Generator.
Interview date: 30.10.2024