Belgrave, Leicestershire

Belgrave
Leicestershire
Belgrave House, Belgrave
Location
Grid reference:	SK592069
Location:	52°39’24"N, 1°7’34"W
Data
Population:	11,558
Post town:	Leicester
Postcode:	LE4
Dialling code:	0116
Local Government
Council:	Leicester
Parliamentary constituency:	Leicester East

Belgrave is a suburban village of Leicester, in Leicestershire. This is the location of and known for several notable landmarks such as the National Space Centre, Space Park Leicester, Abbey Pumping Station, the Golden Mile and Belgrave Hall. It is also noted for being the location of businesses such as British United Shoe Machinery and Wolsey.

Belgrave Hall

The old Belgrave Village, containing the Belgrave Conservation Area, including Belgrave Hall, Belgrave House, St Peter's Church and The Talbot Pub is to the west of Loughborough Road and to the east of the River Soar.

Belgrave is bounded by the wards and areas of the suburb of Rushey Mead and the village of Birstall to the north, Spinney Hills, North Evington and Northfields to the east on the other side of the Midland Main Line, St Matthew's and Leicester City Centre to the south and Beaumont Leys and Stocking Farm to the west. It is located just north of the centre of Leicester, in the eastern part of the city.

Name

The village appears in the Domesday Book as Merdegrave, from the Old English mearð graf, meaning 'marten grove'. However, after the Norman Conquest the merde, which means excrement in French, was changed to bel.

History

Belgrave was originally one of Leicestershire’s ancient villages, the first mention of which, under its original Saxon name of Merdegrave (which in old English means Martins grove) appears in Domesday Book of 1086 where it is listed amongst the lands given to Hugh de Grandmesnil. Grandmesnil had fought at the side of William the Conqueror at Hastings and was his chief cavalry commander. As a reward for his services he was granted several manors/lands by the Conqueror, of which this was one. The land consisted of a mill, 24.0 acres (97,124.6 m²) of meadow and land for six ploughs. For centuries afterwards Belgrave continued as a small agricultural village.

During the Middle Ages Belgrave became one of Leicestershire’s wealthier livings. In the thirteenth century its value rocketed. In 1217 it was valued at 16 marks, at 30 in 1254 and at 60 in 1291.

The situation of Belgrave on the main road from London through Leicester to Derby, has placed it in the way of history. During the Civil War, records indicate that there were a number of skirmishes between the opposing forces around the Thurcaston Road bridge and inside St Peter's Church. There is damage to the Tudor Memorial to Ambrose de Belgrave which suggests that it may have been used for target practice.

With large 19th century terraced developments along the A607 (Belgrave Road and Melton Road), this area now has a large, vibrant Asian community featuring the "Golden Mile". The Asian community based in and around Belgrave and Melton Road have been residents since the early 1970s.

The Belgrave Hall area is a conservation area.

Belgrave is home to Belgrave Hall and Gardens. Belgrave Hall, built between 1709 and 1713 is a Grade II* listed building in a plain classical style. The Hall is in the midst of two acres of serene walled gardens that are open to the public during special events. It has changed hands many times, but the owners have always played a major role in the economic, social and charitable life of the community.

St Peter's Church is the oldest building in the local conservation area, parts of which date from the twelfth century. Archaeologists believe there may be an earlier Saxon church beneath the present structure.

The Talbot Inn has origins in the 14th century, when it was a popular stop providing bed and board to those who travelled through Leicester along Loughborough Road.

As can be seen by some of the houses along Loughborough Road there were some very wealthy residents.

Buildings on Loughborough Road in Belgrave

As the wealth of the area grew so did the population and by the late 19th century many more houses were being built.

As Belgrave grew so did the town of Leicester. In 1891 the parish had a population of 11,405.

The area continued to expand with some of the earlier 19th century houses being replaced by 1930s semis. By the 1960s and 1970s large parts of Belgrave were cleared of the old Victorian terraced houses including Mellor School, the Baptist Church on Loughborough Road and Claremont Street Methodist Church, and were replaced with more modern structures.

In 1975 the old area of the village was declared a Conservation area, and it is this area that represents the nucleus of the ancient village.

“

Mountsorrel he mounted at, Rodely he rode by, Onelep he leaped o'er, At Birstall he burst his gall, At Belgrave he was buried at.

”

Folk rhyme about a giant called Bell who boasted that he could reach Leicester in three leaps, mentioning Belgrave, the city suburb in this direction and mentioning Wanlip, a nearby village as Onelep, a pun on "One Leap".

Belgrave Flyover, which connected the area with the City Centre was demolished in 2014, being replaced by Belgrave Circle Roundabout.

Belgrave Circle Sculpture

Business and commerce

Belgrave based British United Shoe Machinery, formed around the turn of the 20th century as a subsidiary of United Shoe Machinery Company of the United States became part of a group which for most of the 20th century was the world's largest manufacturer of footwear machinery and materials, exporting shoe machinery to more than 50 countries. In the 1960s and 1970s it was Leicester's biggest employer, employing more than 4,500 locally and 9,500 worldwide. Most of the workforce was recruited through an apprentice scheme which trained a large proportion of Leicester's engineers. The company had "a respected reputation for technical innovation and excellence", between 1898 and 1960 it developed and marketed nearly 800 new and improved shoe machines and patented more than 9,000 inventions, at one time employing 5% of the United Kingdom’s patent agents.

Wolsey, a heritage British clothing brand founded in 1755, making it one of the oldest existing textile companies in the world was based in Belgrave.

Wolsey Chimney

Parker Plant in Belgrave opened in 1911 inside a single railway arch. The business relocated to an 18-acre site in 1926. In the 1950s, 60s and 70s they were employing over 1,400 people to meet demand. In 1969, 1978 and in 1994 the business won the prestigious Queen's Award for Enterprise. In 2006 Universal Conveyors was acquired and in 2007 Phoenix Parker Holdings Ltd was formed. In 2014 Phoenix Transworld, Cartem & Universal Conveyors marketed under the Parker brand.

Walkers Midshire Foods - Walkers Deli & Sausage Co, part of Samworth Brothers is on the Cobden Street Industrial Estate in Belgrave. The Business specialises in the manufacturing of Premium Sliced Cooked Meats and Sausages as well as being the largest producer of pâté in the United Kingdom.

The area, since the 1970s has had a large Asian population and is now predominately Asian.

Pictures

• 
  Belgrave Village and Belgrave Hall
• 
  St Peter's Church
• 
  The National School in Belgrave
• 
  The River Soar in Belgrave
• 
  The Soar at Belgrave Lock
• 
  The Agar Street, pictured in the 1970s

Outside links

("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Belgrave, Leicestershire)

• Visit Leicester - Belgrave
• Curve Theatre – Fashioning a City – Belgrave
• Belgrave Heritage Trust
• Belgrave's first saree shop from BBC Radio Leicester