Desford
| Desford | |
| Leicestershire | |
|---|---|
 St. Martin's parish church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK475035 |
| Location: | 52°37’30"N, 1°17’42"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 3,676 (2001) |
| Post town: | Leicester |
| Postcode: | LE9 |
| Dialling code: | 01455 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Hinckley and Bosworth |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Bosworth |
| Website: | Desford Parish Council |
Desford is a village in Leicestershire, seven miles west of the centre of Leicester. The parish includes the hamlets of Botcheston and Newtown Unthank and a scattered settlement at Lindridge. The population at the 2011 census was recorded at 3,930.
Contents
Manors
At Lindridge about a mile north of the town is a rectangular moat up to 13 yards wide enclosing an area about 115 yards by 127 yards.[1] In the 19th century it was temporarily drained and six early 14th century pottery vessels were found.[1] A building such as a manor house is likely to have stood on the island created by the moat. The moat is a scheduled monument.[1]
There are records of a manor at Desford from at least the 15th century.
The Old Hall or Old Manor House in Desford High Street is a gable-roofed building with an irregular front of four bays,[2] dating from about 1600[3] or a few years thereafter.[2] It is built of brick laid in English bond with stone quoins[3] and has a timber frame.[2] The house has a two-storeyed porch[3] whose upper storey is jettied.[2] Attached to the house is an early 18th-century service wing built of brick in Flemish bond.[2] The Manor House and its attached buildings are Grade II* listed buildings.[2]
Churches
The Church of England parish church of St Martin has a Norman font[4] but the present building appears to be late 13th century.[5]
The chancel includes two lancet windows.[4] There is a south aisle with an arcade that seems to be late 13th century.[4] The west tower and spire are Perpendicular Gothic[4] and therefore later: a window in the tower west wall is 14th century.[5]
The architect Stockdale Harrison of Leicester restored St Martin's in 1884.[5]
The tower has a ring of six bells, all cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough in 1912.[6] St Martin's is a Grade II* listed building.[5]
St. Martin's parish is part of a united benefice with St Mary Magdalene, Peckleton.[7]
Desford has a free church, which is a member of the Baptist Union of Great Britain.[8]
Economic history
Desford's common lands were inclosed by Act of Parliament in 1759.[9]
The Leicester and Swannington Railway was built through the parish in 1832 and passes half a mile form the village. Desford railway station was built at Newtown Unthank to serve the parish. The Midland Railway took over the line in 1845 and had extended it to Burton-on-Trent by 1848. British Railways withdrew passenger services in 1964 and today the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line carries only goods traffic.
Caterpillar Inc. is now a significant employer in the parish.
Aerodrome
South of the town, Reid and Sigrist had created Desford Aerodrome on Carts Field plus land in the adjoining Peckleton parish by 1936. It was a flying training school, with George E. Lowdell as its Chief flying Instructor. The majority of aeroplanes used were De Havilland Tiger Moth single engined biplanes. An early form of flight simulator was also used and was visible from the public road. Leicester Aero Club used the aerodrome until it moved to nearby Ratcliffe Aerodrome. Early in 1939 Lowdell flew the first flight of the New Malden-built Reid and Sigrist R.S.1 Snargasher from Desford.
The aerodrome has been redeveloped as an industrial site where Caterpillar Inc. has a large factory.
About the village
The parish has three public houses, two in Desford: the Blue Bell,[10] Lancaster Arms[11] and the Greyhound[12] in Botcheston.[13]
Desford has a community primary school[14] and a secondary school, Bosworth Academy.[15]
There is an Italian restaurant (Pesto, previously the White Horse), a public library[16] and a sports club. Tropical Birdland, a visitor attraction exhibiting many bird species, is at Desford.
A sports field in the village is a Queen Elizabeth II Field.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Desford) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 National Heritage List 1017053: Moat site south west of Lindridge Fields Farm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 National Heritage List 1074078: Attached barn and service block Old Manor House
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Leicestershire & Rutland, 1960; 1984 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09618-7page 95
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Leicestershire & Rutland, 1960; 1984 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09618-7page 94
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 National Heritage List 1361378: Church of St Martin, Desford}}
- ↑ Dawson, George: Desford S Martin - Dove's Guide for Church Bell Ringers
- ↑ Archbishops' Council (2010). "St Martins Desford, Desford". A Church Near You. Church of England. http://www.achurchnearyou.com/desford-st-martin/. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ↑ Desford Free Church
- ↑ An Act for dividing and enclosing the Open and Common Fields of Desford - Journal of the House of Lords: 1756–60 , Vol 29, pages 496–509
- ↑ Everards: The Blue Bell
- ↑ Everards: The Lancaster Arms
- ↑ The Greyhound, Botcheston
- ↑ Recent closures of all but two in the village
- ↑ Desford Community Primary School
- ↑ Bosworth Academy
- ↑ "Desford Library". Libraries in Hinckley and Bosworth District. Leicestershire County Council. 4 February 2011. http://www.leics.gov.uk/desford_library.htm. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- Hoskins, W.G. (1972) [1950]. The Heritage of Leicestershire. Leicester: City of Leicester Publicity Department. p. 16.
- Nikolaus Pevsner: The Buildings of England: Leicestershire & Rutland, 1960; 1984 Penguin Books ISBN 978-0-300-09618-7
