East Leake
Encyclopedia
East Leake is a large village
and civil parish
in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire
, England
, although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough
across the border in Leicestershire
. It has a population of around 7,000. The original village was located on the Sheepwash Brook. Kingston Brook
also runs through the village. Near the centre of the village is the historic St. Mary's Church which dates back to the 11th century. The church has six bells.
One of the earliest mentions of East Leake is in the Domesday book
recorded as 'Leche.' The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning water-meadow, since the village lies on the Kingston Brook, a tributary of the River Soar.
British Gypsum
, a plasterboard manufacturer, has its headquarters in the village. The manufacturing of plasterboard began in this area in about 1880.
and A6006 major roads and within 5 miles of the M1 motorway
. Nottingham City Transport
operate a frequent (15mins at peak times) bus service (no. 1) between Nottingham
and Loughborough under the "South Notts
" brand.
An East Leake railway station
used to exist, on the Great Central Railway
. That line was controversially broken up in the Beeching Axe
of the 1960s. The stretch from the point where the Great Central crossed the Midland Main Line
through East Leake to Ruddington
was retained to allow freight trains to travel to British Gypsum's works and to the MoD ordnance depot at Ruddington, but later fell into disuse. More recently this stretch has been re-opened as a heritage line
running steam and heritage diesel locos between Ruddington and Rushcliffe Halt. In the long term, the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) hope to reinstate a passenger service from East Leake station, although the fact that the area alongside the station has been redeveloped for housing would preclude the provision of public car parking in the area of the station.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, 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...
, although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
across the border 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...
. It has a population of around 7,000. The original village was located on the Sheepwash Brook. Kingston Brook
Kingston Brook
Kingston Brook is a small river in central England. It arises near Old Dalby, Leicestershire on the northern edge of the ridge running from Normanton-on-Soar, Nottinghamshire to Belvoir, Leicestershire...
also runs through the village. Near the centre of the village is the historic St. Mary's Church which dates back to the 11th century. The church has six bells.
One of the earliest mentions of East Leake is in the Domesday book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
recorded as 'Leche.' The name comes from the Anglo-Saxon word meaning water-meadow, since the village lies on the Kingston Brook, a tributary of the River Soar.
British Gypsum
BPB plc
BPB plc is a British building materials business: it is the world's largest manufacturer of plasterboard. It once was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index...
, a plasterboard manufacturer, has its headquarters in the village. The manufacturing of plasterboard began in this area in about 1880.
Name
The origin of Leake appears to be Laeke (Old Norse - brook or stream), and is consistent with East Leake's position in the heart of the Danelaw, which had various forms over time before becoming "Leake".Local amenities
- 3 schoolSchoolA school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s- Brookside primary school
- Lantern Lane primary school
- Harry Carlton Comprehensive (Secondary School)
- Leisure centreLeisure centreA leisure centre in the UK and Canada is a purpose built building or site, usually owned and operated by the city, borough council or municipal district council, where people go to keep fit or relax through using the facilities.- Typical Facilities :...
with swimming poolSwimming poolA swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool... - Three pubs (Nag's Head, Three Horseshoes and Bull's Head)
- Co-opCo-op UKThe United Kingdom is home to a widespread and diverse co-operative movement, with over 3 million individual members. Modern co-operation started with the Rochdale Pioneers' shop in the northern English town of Rochdale in 1844....
supermarket - Post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
- A variety of other small shopsRetailingRetail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
- Police stationPolice stationA police station or station house is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, along with locker rooms, temporary holding cells and interview/interrogation rooms.- Facilities...
- Fire stationFire stationA fire station is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus , personal protective equipment, fire hose, fire extinguishers, and other fire extinguishing equipment...
- Amateur theatre group (elaps)
- Folk Club (ELFS - East Leake FolkieS)
- CricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, Football, RugbyRugby footballRugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
and BowlsBowlsBowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...
clubs - "Meadow Park", a local nature reserve used by dog-walkers and cyclists
- East Leake pre-school play group a registered charity which provides term time play group facilities
- 2nd East Leake Scouts
Transport
East Leake lies close to the A60A60 road
The A60 is a road linking Loughborough in Leicestershire, England, with Doncaster in South Yorkshire, via Nottingham.It takes the following route:*Loughborough**Rempstone**Costock**Bunny**Ruddington*West Bridgford*Nottingham**Sherwood**Arnold...
and A6006 major roads and within 5 miles of the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. Nottingham City Transport
Nottingham City Transport
Nottingham City Transport is the major bus operator of the English city of Nottingham, running a comprehensive network of services in the Greater Nottingham area, with some services continuing to Southwell, Loughborough, and East Midlands Airport. There are over 80 routes across the City, giving...
operate a frequent (15mins at peak times) bus service (no. 1) between Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and Loughborough under the "South Notts
South Notts Bus Company
The South Notts Bus Company Ltd was a British bus operator based in Gotham, Nottinghamshire. It commenced service in 1926 and became a limited company in 1929...
" brand.
An East Leake railway station
East Leake railway station
East Leake railway station is a former railway station serving East Leake, Nottinghamshire and is the only surviving Great Central Railway station accessed from an underbridge rather than an overbridge. The preserved Great Central Railway passes through but the station has not reopened mainly due...
used to exist, on the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
. That line was controversially broken up in the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
of the 1960s. The stretch from the point where the Great Central crossed the Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
through East Leake to Ruddington
Ruddington
Ruddington is an English village situated five miles south of Nottingham in the Borough of Rushcliffe. It had a population of 6,441 at the 2001 UK census....
was retained to allow freight trains to travel to British Gypsum's works and to the MoD ordnance depot at Ruddington, but later fell into disuse. More recently this stretch has been re-opened as a heritage line
Great Central Railway (preserved)
The Great Central Railway is a heritage railway split into two adjacent sections, one in Leicestershire and the other Nottinghamshire.The Leicestershire section is currently Britain's only double track mainline heritage railway, with of working double track, period signalling, locomotives and...
running steam and heritage diesel locos between Ruddington and Rushcliffe Halt. In the long term, the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) hope to reinstate a passenger service from East Leake station, although the fact that the area alongside the station has been redeveloped for housing would preclude the provision of public car parking in the area of the station.
Churches
There are five churches in the village:- St. Mary's Parish ChurchSt Mary's Church, East LeakeSt. Mary's Church, East Leake is a parish church in the Church of England in East Leake, Nottinghamshire.The church is Grade I listed by the Department for Culture, Media & Sport as a building of outstanding architectural or historic interest.-History:...
(Church of EnglandChurch of EnglandThe Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
within the Diocese of Southwell and NottinghamDiocese of Southwell and NottinghamThe Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham is a Church of England diocese in the Province of York. It is headed by the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham. The diocese covers all of the English county of Nottinghamshire and part of South Yorkshire...
). - Our Lady of the Angels Roman Catholic Church
- East Leake Methodist Church
- East Leake BaptistBaptistBaptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church - East Leake Evangelical Church (meets in the Village Hall)
Neighbouring villages
- West LeakeWest LeakeWest Leake is a small village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire. It is on the Kingston Brook, between the larger village of East Leake to the east and Kingston to the west; the parish of Sutton Bonington lies to the south. The parish church is St. Helena's Church, West...
- CostockCostockCostock is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire, although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough across the border in Leicestershire. It is situated next to the A60 road. It has a Church of England primary school. St...
- GothamGotham, NottinghamshireGotham is a village in Nottinghamshire, England, south of Nottingham and north-east of Kegworth. Gotham has a population of about 1,600. It is administered as part of the Rushcliffe district of Nottingham, and has a parish council....
- Sutton BoningtonSutton BoningtonSutton Bonington is a village and civil parish lying along the valley of the River Soar in the Borough of Rushcliffe, south west Nottinghamshire, England. The University of Nottingham has a site just to the north of the village: Sutton Bonington Campus....
- Normanton on SoarNormanton on SoarNormanton on Soar is a village and civil parish in the south of Nottinghamshire in England near the River Soar.Nearby villages include Zouch, Sutton Bonington and Stanford on Soar....
- RempstoneRempstoneRempstone is a village and civil parish in the Rushcliffe district of Nottinghamshire,although its closest town and postal address is Loughborough across the border in Leicestershire. It is situated at the crossing of the A60 and A6006 roads. It has no schools...
- Stanford on SoarStanford on SoarStanford on Soar is a village and civil parish located on the River Soar, just within the Nottinghamshire side of the Nottinghamshire/Leicestershire boundary, in the Borough of Rushcliffe. It is around a mile north of Loughborough in Leicestershire. It is the southernmost place within the county of...
- ZouchZouchZouch is a hamlet in south west Nottinghamshire, England. It is located between Hathern and Normanton on Soar and is situated by the River Soar, which marks the county boundary with Leicestershire....
Publications
Sidney Pell Potter, A History of East Leake, published in 1903. Potter was the rector at the time.External links
- A Potted History of East Leake
- St Mary`s Parish Church
- East Leake community website
- The Bull's Head Community Pub