Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields
Encyclopedia
Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields is an electoral ward
and administrative division of the city of Leicester
, England
. It comprises the western Leicester suburbs of Braunstone Frith, Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields.
and Western Park to the north, Westcotes
to the east and Aylestone
to the south-east. South of the ward is the district of Blaby
and the town of Braunstone
in Leicestershire
, which has a shared history with the Leicester suburbs.
. It was substantially extended in the early twentieth century part of the build featured the first of Leicester's large estates of council housing.
Originally part of the parish of Braunstone, the area containing social housing was annexed by Leicester City Council in 1935 as the Braunstone Estate. The remainder of the build retained the Parish of Braunstone name, but was renamed in 1977 as Braunstone Town
. This section was the only portion of the 1935 build to feature privately owned/saleable homes, created by the local company, Turnbull Building Co and Sons. Turnbull Drive, part of the estate, was named after the company; Edward Avenue and Francis Avenue nearby represent the then Sons of the Company owner.
The Braunstone Estate is dominated by the park, one of the largest in the city, while the striking feature of Braunstone Town is the wide Kingsway
which features a large village green at its heart running for the entirety of the street. Braunstone Park is a 168 acre (0.67987248 km²) park in western Leicester
, England
. It is in the Braunstone
area, and is approximately triangle shaped, with the base being at the south, and a small frontage north onto the A47 (Hinckley Road)
. The park is the setting for Braunstone Hall, and is the remnant of the large Braunstone estate.
There is a firm "barrier" between the social housing project portion, Braunstone Estate, and the privately owned housing in Braunstone Town (Formerly the Parish of Braunstone). This was created to maintain social class sensibilities, an important factor in 1930s British society. This division is created by Braunstone Lane (which runs through the heart of the old Braunstone Village/Parish Centre). Both estates were created from 1935 onwards with the social housing appearing utilitarian and the private housing taking on a range of styles of the classic British 30's semi designs.
Travelling along the Braunstone Lane from the city centre feed road (Narborough Road) to Leicester Forest East
, the social housing (Braunstone Estate) lies to the right and the private housing (Braunstone Town) lies to the left. Many buildings of much earlier periods than the 30's exist in the heart of the former village including the old school house, the Shakespeare public house, the former village shop and some private homes. Many of the former council let/social housing projects are now also privately owned following a national wave of council property sales iniated by the Thatcher
Government from the late 1970s to the present day. Pockets of both sections of both estates now also feature buildings from later development periods, including the multi purpose community centre in Braunstone Town, Braunstone Civic Centre, which lies at the end of the Kingsway. Some of the newer build properties in the heart of areas heavily proportioned by 30's style buildings, emerged as a result of vacant land created by World War II
bomb damage from "stray" bombing. The two estates were just barely out of range of German plans for the bombing of the nearby City of Coventry
(during accurate bombing raids the German Airforce would commonly offload excess bombs on unsuspecting/non target residential areas).
Following this the Braunstone Estate won £49.5 million of funding from the Tony Blair
Labour Government's New Deal for Communities regeneration scheme in the late 1990s, after Government statistics showed that this estate was one of the most deprived in the East Midlands
. New Deal has led to a series of improvements, including a new leisure centre, health centre and a library and learning complex called The BRITE Centre.
Braunstone Community Association, which runs the New Deal programme, and has developed from being one of the most troubled projects to one of the best, nationwide, in a space of four years. Key current issues for Braunstone Town include the continued development of the Thorpe Astley
estate and Meridian Leisure, traffic management along Narborough Road South and into the neighbouring Fosse Shopping Park shopping complex along with expansion of the shopping complex. The redevelpoment of the former Jones and Shipman Engineering works (once the biggest employer of Braunstone Town and Braunstone Estate residents) into a modern housing estate. Alongside pollution issues from the neighbouring junction 21 of the M1 motorway and the expansion of some neighbouring greenfield sites into business premises such as seen at Grove Farm Triangle and Grove Park
.
Braunstone Town
was used as a film location site in 1985 for the filming of the Thames Television
adaptation of the early Adrian Mole
novels by the Leicester born Author Sue Townsend
. The shopping parades on the Turnbull Drive/Edward Avenue crossroads can be seen in the series as can the Braunstone Civic Centre.
. Braunstone Swimming Club is Braunstone's local competitive Swimming Club.
Braunstone Park contains two large ponds, and a children's play area on the park. Folville Junior School is close to the park. Braunstone Hall used to be private property, before becaming a school at some point in the 1920s. It is now closed down, and renovation is unlikely.
Wards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
and administrative division of the city of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It comprises the western Leicester suburbs of Braunstone Frith, Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields.
Geography
Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields is bounded by the wards of New ParksNew Parks
New Parks is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England, consisting of the Leicester suburb of New Parks in its entirety.-Geography:...
and Western Park to the north, Westcotes
Westcotes
Westcotes is an area to the west of the city of Leicester. It is also known as the West End. The area is quite small in comparison with other areas of the city, but it is well known as it has many shops, bars and restaurants and is a popular choice for students and young professionals.-Roman:Two...
to the east and Aylestone
Aylestone
Aylestone is a suburb of Leicester, England at . It is south-west of the city centre, but to the east of the River Soar.It was formerly a separate village, but the growth of the city has meant that it is now part of the urban area, largely surrounded by 20th century housing. However, the area...
to the south-east. South of the ward is the district of Blaby
Blaby (district)
Blaby is a local government district in Leicestershire, England.The district is named after the village of Blaby. It covers the civil parish of Blaby and 23 others. Among these are Cosby, Countesthorpe, Enderby, Huncote, Narborough , Sapcote, Stoney Stanton, and Wigston Parva...
and the town of Braunstone
Braunstone Town
Braunstone is a civil parish and is the largest parish within the district of Blaby in Leicestershire, England, now known as the Town of Braunstone or more commonly, Braunstone Town. At 2007 the population is around 15,000. There are around 7,500 households including Thorpe Astley.Braunstone is...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, which has a shared history with the Leicester suburbs.
History
Braunstone was mentioned in the Domesday book when it was owned by Hugh de GrandmesnilHugh de Grandmesnil
Hugh de Grandmesnil , also known as Hugh or Hugo de Grentmesnil or Grentemesnil, is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Subsequently he became a great landowner in England.He was the elder son of Robert of...
. It was substantially extended in the early twentieth century part of the build featured the first of Leicester's large estates of council housing.
Originally part of the parish of Braunstone, the area containing social housing was annexed by Leicester City Council in 1935 as the Braunstone Estate. The remainder of the build retained the Parish of Braunstone name, but was renamed in 1977 as Braunstone Town
Braunstone Town
Braunstone is a civil parish and is the largest parish within the district of Blaby in Leicestershire, England, now known as the Town of Braunstone or more commonly, Braunstone Town. At 2007 the population is around 15,000. There are around 7,500 households including Thorpe Astley.Braunstone is...
. This section was the only portion of the 1935 build to feature privately owned/saleable homes, created by the local company, Turnbull Building Co and Sons. Turnbull Drive, part of the estate, was named after the company; Edward Avenue and Francis Avenue nearby represent the then Sons of the Company owner.
The Braunstone Estate is dominated by the park, one of the largest in the city, while the striking feature of Braunstone Town is the wide Kingsway
Kingsway
-Canada:*Burnaby—Kingsway, a federal electoral district in British Columbia between 1988 and 1997*Kingsway , a road in Edmonton, Alberta *Kingsway , a road in Vancouver, British Columbia...
which features a large village green at its heart running for the entirety of the street. Braunstone Park is a 168 acre (0.67987248 km²) park in western Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is in the Braunstone
Braunstone Town
Braunstone is a civil parish and is the largest parish within the district of Blaby in Leicestershire, England, now known as the Town of Braunstone or more commonly, Braunstone Town. At 2007 the population is around 15,000. There are around 7,500 households including Thorpe Astley.Braunstone is...
area, and is approximately triangle shaped, with the base being at the south, and a small frontage north onto the A47 (Hinckley Road)
A47 road
The A47 is a trunk road in England originally linking Birmingham to Great Yarmouth. Most of the section between Birmingham and Nuneaton is now classified as the B4114.-Route:...
. The park is the setting for Braunstone Hall, and is the remnant of the large Braunstone estate.
There is a firm "barrier" between the social housing project portion, Braunstone Estate, and the privately owned housing in Braunstone Town (Formerly the Parish of Braunstone). This was created to maintain social class sensibilities, an important factor in 1930s British society. This division is created by Braunstone Lane (which runs through the heart of the old Braunstone Village/Parish Centre). Both estates were created from 1935 onwards with the social housing appearing utilitarian and the private housing taking on a range of styles of the classic British 30's semi designs.
Travelling along the Braunstone Lane from the city centre feed road (Narborough Road) to Leicester Forest East
Leicester Forest East
Leicester Forest East or LFE is a settlement in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester, straddling the M1 motorway. It is part of the Blaby district.LFE is a popular location among commuters and young families...
, the social housing (Braunstone Estate) lies to the right and the private housing (Braunstone Town) lies to the left. Many buildings of much earlier periods than the 30's exist in the heart of the former village including the old school house, the Shakespeare public house, the former village shop and some private homes. Many of the former council let/social housing projects are now also privately owned following a national wave of council property sales iniated by the Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
Government from the late 1970s to the present day. Pockets of both sections of both estates now also feature buildings from later development periods, including the multi purpose community centre in Braunstone Town, Braunstone Civic Centre, which lies at the end of the Kingsway. Some of the newer build properties in the heart of areas heavily proportioned by 30's style buildings, emerged as a result of vacant land created by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
bomb damage from "stray" bombing. The two estates were just barely out of range of German plans for the bombing of the nearby City of Coventry
Coventry
Coventry is a city and metropolitan borough in the county of West Midlands in England. Coventry is the 9th largest city in England and the 11th largest in the United Kingdom. It is also the second largest city in the English Midlands, after Birmingham, with a population of 300,848, although...
(during accurate bombing raids the German Airforce would commonly offload excess bombs on unsuspecting/non target residential areas).
Following this the Braunstone Estate won £49.5 million of funding from the Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
Labour Government's New Deal for Communities regeneration scheme in the late 1990s, after Government statistics showed that this estate was one of the most deprived in the East Midlands
East Midlands
The East Midlands is one of the regions of England, consisting of most of the eastern half of the traditional region of the Midlands. It encompasses the combined area of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Northamptonshire and most of Lincolnshire...
. New Deal has led to a series of improvements, including a new leisure centre, health centre and a library and learning complex called The BRITE Centre.
Braunstone Community Association, which runs the New Deal programme, and has developed from being one of the most troubled projects to one of the best, nationwide, in a space of four years. Key current issues for Braunstone Town include the continued development of the Thorpe Astley
Thorpe Astley
Thorpe Astley is a suburban settlement on the southwestern edge of the city of Leicester, England. It is part of the civil parish of Braunstone Town, although a small part of the development, around Goodheart Way, extends into Leicester Forest East civil parish...
estate and Meridian Leisure, traffic management along Narborough Road South and into the neighbouring Fosse Shopping Park shopping complex along with expansion of the shopping complex. The redevelpoment of the former Jones and Shipman Engineering works (once the biggest employer of Braunstone Town and Braunstone Estate residents) into a modern housing estate. Alongside pollution issues from the neighbouring junction 21 of the M1 motorway and the expansion of some neighbouring greenfield sites into business premises such as seen at Grove Farm Triangle and Grove Park
Grove Park
Grove Park is an area, a suburb and electoral ward in the south-eastern corner of the London Borough of Lewisham and partly in the London Borough of Bromley. Early development grew up around Grove Park railway station in the 19th century, though there has been settlements located here since Celtic...
.
Braunstone Town
Braunstone Town
Braunstone is a civil parish and is the largest parish within the district of Blaby in Leicestershire, England, now known as the Town of Braunstone or more commonly, Braunstone Town. At 2007 the population is around 15,000. There are around 7,500 households including Thorpe Astley.Braunstone is...
was used as a film location site in 1985 for the filming of the Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....
adaptation of the early Adrian Mole
Adrian Mole
Adrian Albert Mole is the fictional protagonist in a series of books by English author Sue Townsend. The character first appeared in a BBC Radio 4 play in 1982. The books are written in the form of a diary, with some additional content such as correspondence...
novels by the Leicester born Author Sue Townsend
Sue Townsend
-Adrian Mole series:* The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13¾ , her best selling book, and the best-selling new British fiction book of the 1980s.* The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole * The True Confessions of Adrian Albert Mole...
. The shopping parades on the Turnbull Drive/Edward Avenue crossroads can be seen in the series as can the Braunstone Civic Centre.
Amenities and facilities
Braunstone its own Leisure Centre, 'Braunstone Leisure Centre' which is run by Leicester City CouncilLeicester City Council
Leicester City Council is a unitary authority responsible for local government in the city of Leicester, England. It consists of 54 councillors, representing 22 wards in the city, overseen by a directly elected mayor. It is currently controlled by the Labour Party and has been led by Mayor Sir...
. Braunstone Swimming Club is Braunstone's local competitive Swimming Club.
Braunstone Park contains two large ponds, and a children's play area on the park. Folville Junior School is close to the park. Braunstone Hall used to be private property, before becaming a school at some point in the 1920s. It is now closed down, and renovation is unlikely.
External links
- Braunstone Community Association
- Braunstone Town Council
- http://www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org/braunstonetown/25413.html
- http://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council--services/ep/business--the-economy/the-big-build/learning/brite-centre
- http://www.fosseshoppingpark.co.uk/