Stapleford, Leicestershire
| Stapleford | |
| Leicestershire | |
|---|---|
 Gatehouses at Stapleford Park | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK814186 |
| Location: | 52°45’26"N, -0°47’56"W |
| Data | |
| Postcode: | LE14 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Melton |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Melton |
Stapleford is a tiny village in Leicestershire, found to the east of Melton Mowbray. It is just south of the River Eye, and is close by the village of Freeby (with which it shares a civil parish).
The main feature of the village is Stapleford Park, a large stately home and park. Within the park itself is the historic Stapleford Miniature Railway runs in the park.
The parish church is St Mary Magdalene, which stands within Stapleford Park.
Stapleford Park
Stapleford Park is an estate with a Grade I listed country house in Stapleford, which is now a luxury hotel. It was originally the seat of the Sherard family, later the Earls of Harborough and from 1894, of Baron Gretton.
The house was built in 1783 by George Richardson for Robert Sherard, 4th Earl of Harborough.[1][2]
An American fast-food restaurateur and hotelier, Bob Payton, bought the house in 1988 to convert into an hotel. He restored the buildings, according to his obituary "hiring Wedgwood, Turnbull & Asser, Crabtree & Evelyn to decorate its rooms".[3]
Miniature railway
The Stapleford Miniature Railway is a historic steam locomotive-hauled 10.25" gauge railway at Stapleford Park. It is a ridable railway, built in 1958 as a short line to carry visitors from the car park, to Lord Gretton's stately home, all as part of a public attraction which also included a Lion reserve.[4]
Due to its popularity, the railway was quickly expanded, running down to and then eventually around the lake in the landscaped parkland and the park. The park and house became a major tourist attraction through the 1960s and 70s.
The park though closed in 1982 and was sold to become an exclusive country hotel. The railway and parkland however is still owned by the Gretton family and opens for charity in the summer a few times a year, and attracts thousands of visitors from the UK and abroad during its two public events.
The railway is considered one of the finest examples of its type.
Locomotives
There is a fleet of 6 steam locomotives including two mighty 1/5 scale North American examples, a NKP Berkshire class, and NYC Niagara and a 1/4 scale East African and Harbours 31 Class added in October 2008.
Currently though, both the Jubilee and NKP Berkshire are out of service due to major boiler repairs, until 2014 leaving 4 steam and 1 diesel locos rostered for the 2013 events
IMechE Railway Challenge
During the summer 2012, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers held the inaugural "Railway Challenge" event at the SMR. This was aimed at university students and rail company graduates and apprentices. It was designed to expand their knowledge of railway engineering through a series of challenges, involving construction of a 10¼" locomotive to a demanding specification. The locomotives were of hybrid design, utilising innovative energy recovery systems. For the first event in 2012, 4 teams participated with teams from Manchester Metropolitan University, Birmingham University, Interfleet Technology of Derby in addition to an independent entry from Derby.
The Institute hopes to expand the event in summer 2013 to other universities and railway companies along the lines of their successful Formula Student challenge. The inaugural competition was won by the graduate team of Interfleet Technology, producing a Petrol-Electric locomotive of Bo-Bo construction, utilising supercapacitors for energy storage.
Lord Harborough's Curve
The 6th Earl of Harborough objected to a proposal in 1844 to run the Syston and Peterborough Railway through Stapleford Park along the course of the River Wreake. Its construction would threaten the struggling Oakham Canal of which he was a shareholder. The dispute led to a series of brawls and confrontations between the Earl's men and canal employees on one side and the railway's surveyors on the other with up to 300 involved in each skirmish. The dispute has been called the "Battle of Saxby".[5]
Eventually the railway ran around Stapleford Park in what is known as "Lord Harborough's Curve". The tight bend was a nuisance for the express trains and, later when the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway built a branch to Saxby, the opportunity was taken to reduce the curve with Saxby station being moved in the process. Lord Harborough had died in the meantime and the estate had been bought by Lord Gretton, who was more sympathetic to the railway.
The Stapleford Miniature Railway built in 1958 is of a somewhat smaller scale.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Stapleford, Leicestershire) |
- Stapleford Park
- Stapleford Miniature Railway
- Stapleford Miniature Railway official Youtube channel
- Railway Challenge
- Railway challenge latest news
- Railway Challenge 2012 winners
- Railway Challenge 2012 Hydrogen powered Loco
References
- ↑ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
- ↑ Stapleford Park
- ↑ Bob Payton's obituary in The Independent
- ↑ Stapleford – Miniature Railway World
- ↑ Kingscott, G., (2006) Lost Railways of Leicestershire and Rutland, Newbury: Countryside Books