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ON-LINE GUIDE TO LEICESTERSHIRE
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This brief guide provides
summary information on towns, villages and places to visit
in Leicestershire as well as some interesting
facts and anecdotes on the local area. To find a specific
place either scroll down the page or use the find
facility on your browser. Much more information can be
found in our
TRAVEL GUIDES -
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for details.
Our
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covers over 5,000 entries in Great Britain and Ireland.
If you are looking for
Places to Stay, Places to
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in Leicestershire please click the relevant link above:
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Rolling fields, wooded gorges and meandering waterways make Leicestershire a perfect place
for exploring - on foot, by bicycle or by boat.
The county is divided into two almost equal parts
by the River Soar, which flows northwards into the River Trent. The Grand Union Canal threads
its way through South Leicestershire, while the Ashby Canal passes close to
Bosworth Battlefield, in the west of the county.
Leicester, the capital, is one of the oldest towns in
the country and retains outstanding monuments of almost every age of English history.
Agriculture and industry go hand in hand here: the
long-haired local sheep produced fine woollens,
and by the end of the 17th century the now worldwide hosiery trade had been established.
Loughborough has been famous for making bells for more than 100 years, while at
Melton Mowbray pork pies have been made on a commercial scale since 1830. King Richard
III spent his last days in the county before his
death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, a battle
that changed the course of British history.
Leicester
Designated Britain's first `environment city' in recognition
of its commitment to green issues, Leicester has numerous parks
and open spaces but also a rich architectural heritage, with no
fewer than 350 listed buildings. At the heart of Leicester's heritage
is Castle Park, the old town, an area of gardens, churches, museums
and other fine buildings. Here are concentrated many of the
city's main attractions: Castle Gardens opened as a park in 1926;
Castle Motte, a man-made mound built around 1070 by Leicester's
first Norman lord; the Church of St Mary de Castro, founded in
1107 and still in use; the Great Hall of Leicester Castle built in the
12th century; and Newarke Houses Museum, a museum of social
and
domestic history contained in two 16th century houses.
Leicester's diverse cultural and religious heritage is represented
by the Jain Centre, the Guru Nanak Sikh
Museum; the Jewry Wall and Museum; and the Church
of St Martin, which was in existence before 1086, was extended in
the 14th and 15th centuries, restored in the 19th century and hallowed
as the Cathedral of Leicester in 1927. One of the very
finest buildings in the city is the
Guildhall, built around 1390 for the Guild of Corpus Christi
and used as the Town Hall from the late 15th century until 1876.
Across the road from the Cathedral is Wygston's
House, a part timber-framed building, one of the
oldest in the city, which now houses displays of fashion, textiles
and crafts. The city's most recent and most
spectacular attraction is the National Space
Centre, where the audience can take an awe-inspiring
journey through the universe and beyond.
Around Leicester
Hinckley
11½ miles SW of Leicester on the A47
An old town whose Fair is mentioned in
Shakespeare's Henry IV. In Lower Bond Street, a row of
restored 17th century thatched framework knitters' cottages is home
to Hinckley and District Museum. To the east lies Burbage
Common and Woods Country Park, which contains one of the largest areas
of grassland in the area.
Market Bosworth
11 miles W of Leicester off the A447
This market town is most famous as the battle site for the
turning point in the Wars of the Roses, when in 1485 the forces of
King Richard III were routed by those of Henry Tudor, who took
the throne as Henry VII. The battle was immortalised in
Shakespeare's play Richard III, where the King
is heard to cry, "My kingdom for a
horse." Bosworth Battlefield lies to the southwest of the town
and the Visitor Centre has details of the Battle and numerous artefacts
and displays on the Tudor period.
Market Bosworth Country Park is one of many beautiful
open spaces in the area whilst another is Bosworth Water Trust's
Leisure and Water Park to west of town. This is a 50-acre leisure park
with 20 acres of lakes for sailing, boardsailing and fishing.
To the northwest of Market Bosworth lies Twycross
Zoo, home to a wide variety of animals that include a famous
primate collection, from tiny pygmy marmosets to huge
Western lowland gorillas.
Mountsorrel
6 miles N of Leicester off the A6
Situated on the banks of the River Soar, the village is home
to Stonehurst Family Farm and Motor Museum, where
the highlights range from baby rabbits and guinea pigs in cuddle corner
to an impressive collection of vintage vehicles, including
Leicestershire's first motor bus.
Loughborough
10 miles N of Leicester on the A6
There are two attractions at Loughborough that
visitors certainly should not miss. In 1858, the bell foundry of John
Taylor moved here from Oxford and the John Taylor Bell
Foundry Museum covers all aspects of bell-founding from early times.
The town is also the headquarters of the
Great Central Railway, which runs steam trains every
weekend and Bank Holiday, and daily in June, July, August and local
school holidays. Tel: 01509 230726
Coalville
11 miles NW of Leicester on the A511
Originally called Long Lane, the town sprang up on a
bleak common when Whitwick Colliery was opened in 1824.
Snibston Discovery Park, built on the site of the former Snibston
Colliery, provides the opportunity to explore a unique mixture
of nature, history, art, science and technology with the help of
the latest interactive technology. Tel: 01530 278444
To the northeast, in a beautiful
elevated position in Charnwood Forest, is Mount St
Bernard Abbey, the first Catholic abbey to be founded in England after
the Reformation.
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
16 miles NW of Leicester on the A511
During the Civil War, Ashby Castle was besieged for over
a year by the Parliamentarian Army until the Royalists surrendered
in 1646. After the war the castle was partly destroyed to prevent
its further use as a centre of resistance and almost
wholly forgotten until Sir Walter Scott used the castle as the setting
in Ivanhoe for the archery competition that Robin Hood won by
splitting the shaft of his opponent's arrow in the bull's eye.
To the east lies the National Forest, a truly
accessible, multipurpose forest providing a
full range of environmental, recreational and social benefits
for current and future generations.
Kegworth
15½ miles NW of Leicester on the A6
A large village with many architectural reminders of its
days as a framework-knitting centre. Topics covered at the
Kegworth Museum include the knitting industry, saddlery, air transport
and photography, and postcards of the 1920s. To the west lies
Donington Park, home of the Donington Grand Prix
Collection with over 130 exhibits in five halls
covering 100 years of motor racing history.
Melton Mowbray
This bustling market town is, of course, home to the pork pie,
one
of the most traditional of English delicacies. The Melton Hunt
Cake is another local speciality and Stilton, the `king of
English cheeses', is also made here. The cheese has the longest
history, dating back possibly as far as the 14th century, and the town
became the market centre for Stilton.
In the town's oldest surviving bakery, Ye Olde Pork
Pie Shoppe, visitors can watch the traditional hand-raising
techniques and taste the pies and the Hunt cake. The
Melton Carnegie Museum has displays devoted
to Stilton cheese, pork pies and the history of fox hunting in the
area; visitors can also learn about `Painting the Town Red',
an occasion in 1837 when the Marquis of Waterford and his
pals decided to decorate the town with red paint after a night's
drinking.
Around
Melton Mowbray
Belvoir Castle
12 miles N of Melton off the A607
The present Belvoir Castle, the Leicestershire home of the Duke
of Rutland, was completed in the early 19th century after previous
buildings had been destroyed during the Wars of the Roses, the Civil War and
in the major fire of 1816. Over-looking the lovely Vale of
Belvoir, the castle's stunning interior contains notable collections of furniture
and porcelain, silks and tapestries, sculptures and paintings, along
with
the Queen's Royal Lancers Museum. The grounds are
as splendid as the castle and are used for medieval jousting
tournaments on certain days in the summer.
Wymondham
8 miles E of Melton off the B676
The six-sailed Windmill, dating from 1814, and partially restored,
is one of only four of its kind in the country.
Burrough-on-the-Hill
5 miles S of Melton off the B6074
Burrough House, set in five acres of beautiful gardens, was
a favourite meeting place of the Prince of Wales and Mrs
Wallis Simpson in the 1930s. To the northeast of the village is
Burrough Hill, an Iron Age hill fort.
Market Harborough
In 1645 Charles I made Market Harborough his headquarters
and held a council of war here before the Battle of Naseby.
The development of turnpike roads led to prosperity and the
establishment of coaching inns in the town, many of them still in business. The
canals and the railways transformed communications and
manufacturing industry became established, the most notable company being R
W & H Symington, creators of the Liberty Bodice. The
Harborough Museum incorporates the Symington Collection of Corsetry.
Around Market Harborough
Foxton
2 miles NW of Market Harborough off the A6
The most famous site on the county's canals is the
Flight of Ten Locks on the Grand Union Canal, one of the great
engineer Thomas Telford's most impressive constructions. In the
Canal Museum, halfway down the flight, the steam-powered boat lift
of 1900 is undergoing restoration, and there are several other
buildings and bridges of interest (including a swing-bridge) in this pretty village.
Lutterworth
12 miles W of Market Harborough
on the A4304
John Wycliffe was rector here under the tutelage of John
of Gaunt. His instigation of an English translation of the Bible
into English caused huge dissent. He died in 1384 and was buried in
the church here, but when he was excommunicated in 1428 his
body was exhumed and burned and his ashes scattered in the River
Swift. Close to the church, Lutterworth Museum
contains a wealth of local history from Roman times to
World War II. Lutterworth is where Frank Whittle perfected the design of
his jet engine.
About 3 miles southeast of
Lutterworth and set in meadows beside the River Avon,
Stanford Hall has been the home of the Cave family since 1430.
The present house - pleasantly proportioned, dignified and
serene, was built by the celebrated architect William Smith of Warwick in
the 1690s. A superb staircase was added in around 1730, one of
very few structural alterations to the house in its 300-year
history: another was the Ballroom, which contains paintings that
once belonged to Bonnie Prince Charlie's younger brother, Henry Stuart.
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