Waltham on the Wolds
| Waltham on the Wolds | |
| Leicestershire | |
|---|---|
 The parish church of St Mary Magdalene | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SK805255 |
| Location: | 52°49’16"N, 0°48’16"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 967 (2011) |
| Post town: | Melton Mowbray |
| Postcode: | LE14 |
| Dialling code: | 01664 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Melton |
Waltham on the Wolds is a village and ancient parish in Leicestershire, about five miles north-east of Melton Mowbray and 11 miles south-west of Grantham on the A607 road. It forms part of the civil parish of Waltham on the Wolds and Thorpe Arnold, with a population of 967 in 2011.[1]
Geography
The parish is the site of the Waltham television transmitting station, which serves most of the east Midlands.[2] Apart from the main village, the parish includes the village of Thorpe Arnold, just to the north-east of Melton. To the south-east is Stonesby, which is nearer to the 1,033-foot transmitter. The village is on a ridge which has an escarpment close to the north-west that dramatically overlooks the Vale of Belvoir.
History
One of the earliest mentions of this place is in the Domesday book where it is listed among lands given to Hugh de Grandmesnil[3] by the King. There was 100 acres of meadow and land for 11 ploughs. It was valued at six pounds.
The village had a railway station one mile north of the village which opened in 1883 on a branch line from Scalford, but was used only occasionally by passenger trains for special occasions, such as events at Croxton Park. There was no regular passenger service. The line was owned by the GNR and used mainly by iron ore trains carrying ore from quarries near Knipton, Eaton and Branston. The remains of the line are still visible. The station was a terminus. There was a trailing junction with the Eaton Branch Railway (opened in 1884) to the south-west of the station. The ore trains came off this branch and then reversed before travelling to Scalford .[4]
Quarries
Two iron ore quarries were operated at Waltham briefly in the 1880s. One was begun in 1882 by the Waltham Iron Ore Company[5] either side of what is now the A607 north of the village. The other was further north in the northern angle between the A607 and the narrow road to Eaton. Both quarries closed in 1885. Each had a horse-drawn narrow-gauge tramway which carried the ore to the railway. The southernmost of the two quarries may have possessed a steam locomotive. Nothing can now be seen of the two quarries except (in 1992) the stone parapets of a bridge under the A607. This was used by the southernmost of the two tramways.
There was a quarry close to the railway, which was worked for limestone between 1931 and 1941.[6]
Pet nutrition
Waltham-on-the-Wolds is also known for its connection with Mars (previously Masterfoods UK), and the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition which carries out research into effect of diet on cats, dogs and horses (for Spillers).
Amenities
The parish church, dedicated to St Mary Magdalene is built of a local, honey-coloured ironstone also used for several other churches in the district (e. g. at South Croxton). On 27 February 2008, the church spire was badly damaged by the 2008 Lincolnshire earthquake. The top 30 ft of it had to be rebuilt, at an estimated cost of around £100,000. The work was completed in 2009.[7] The church contains some Norman features with much building of about 1300. It was restored and extended in 1850, the supervising architect being G. G. Scott.[8]
The Church of England primary school has a pre-school attached to it.[9]
There is now only one pub in the village, the Royal Horseshoes in Melton Road. This was refurbished in 2010 and also provides meals and accommodation.[10]
References
- ↑ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11130113&c=Waltham+on+the+Wolds&d=16&e=62&g=6445239&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1466604117703&enc=1. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ↑ Picture of the mast Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ↑ Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration. London: Penguin, 2003. p. 653 ISBN 0-14-143994-7.
- ↑ "The Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway". http://www.meltonmowbray.steamrailways.com/Scalford.htm. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
- ↑ Quine, Dan (2016). Four East Midlands Ironstone Tramways Part One: Waltham. 105. Garndolbenmaen, Caernarfonshire: Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review. https://narrowgaugeandindustrial.co.uk/.
- ↑ Tonks, Eric (1992). The Ironstone Quarries of the East Midlands Part 9 Leicestershire. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. p. 86-89. ISBN 1-870754-08-5.
- ↑ Fundraising site: Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ↑ Pevsner, Nikolaus; Williamson, Elizabeth (1984). Leicestershire and Rutland. The Buildings of England. London: Penguin. pp. 417–8. ISBN 0-14-071018-3.
- ↑ Waltham School site: Retrieved 23 October 2011.
- ↑ Pub site Retrieved 2 February 2018.
Outside links
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