Foxton, Leicestershire
| Foxton | |
| Leicestershire | |
|---|---|
 Parish Church | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SP701900 |
| Location: | 52°30’14"N, 0°58’6"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 478 (2011) |
| Post town: | Market Harborough |
| Postcode: | LE16 |
| Dialling code: | 01858 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Harborough |
Foxton is a village in Leicestershire, to the north-west of Market Harborough. The village is on the Grand Union Canal and is the site of the Foxton Locks[1][2] and the Foxton Inclined Plane.
Foxton is a nucleated village which mainly consists of three parallel streets: Main Street, Middle Street and Swingbridge Street, which run down the hill in a south-westerly direction. The highest part of the village is home to the church and the manor house, which are cornered off from the rest of the village by the Grand Union Canal.
History
The village has previously been known as Foxestone and Foxtone.[3] The origin of the name is exactly as it appears: 'fox village' Foxton was originally a hill-top settlement,[4] thought to have been founded in Saxon times with a landscape fashioned in the ice-age.[4] The village gradually moved down the valley side[4] as a farming community, working on the open three field system until it was enclosed in 1770.[4] Foxton remained virtually unchanged[4] between Norman times until the end of the 18th century when the canal arrived from Leicester, cutting through the village.[4] Agriculture began to diminish as improved communication and alternative job opportunities meant that people left their village to work[4] and in the bringing of trade and industry[4] on the canal.
Parish church
St Andrew's Church stands at the highest and southernmost point of the parish. The oldest parts of the church date to about 1200.
St Andrew's underwent a Victorian restoration between 1891-3, at the cost of £2,750, and there is a commemorative plaque to signify this event[5]
Places of interest
Robert Monk Hall was opened in 1931 by Robert Monk, its upkeep is supplied by a trust fund, and helps to assist the people of Foxton.[4]
The Foxton Locks are a series of ten canal locks on the Grand Union Canal, forming two staircases of locks. The locks attract many visitors to the area.
Manor House is situated south of the Grand Union Canal and north of Swingbridge Street. It is an 18th-century farmhouse on the site of an old Norman Manor which was held by Judith, niece of William the Conqueror, after the Norman Conquest.[4]
Foxton Locks Country Park is found by the top lock.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Foxton, Leicestershire) |
- Foxton Locks Country Park
- Foxton Locks: Canal and River Trust
- Foxton Locks Partnership
References
- ↑ Foxton Locks (Canal and River Trust)
- ↑ Foxton Locks
- ↑ "Foxton, Leicestershire". http://www.britishplacenames.co.uk/sp7089-foxton-leicestershire. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9 Foxton: Historic Village Trail (Harborough District Council)
- ↑ Leicestershire & Rutland Churches: Foxton St Andrews
