South Croxton
Encyclopedia
South Croxton is a village and civil parish
in the Charnwood
district of Leicestershire
, England. It has a population of around 250. Nearby places are Beeby
, Barsby
and Twyford
.
and Melton Mowbray
. The nearest railway station is at Leicester
(8 km). The local school closed about 1965. There have been no shops since 1995, but there is a playing field with a slide and a single football goal.
The church and four farmhouses in the parish (Bell Dip, Hill Top, North Manor, South Manor) are listed historic buildings. The village was designated as a Conservation Area in 1975, for its special architectural and historic interest. It has 90 houses, a 14th-century church, a pub (the Golden Fleece) and a village hall, formerly the local school. A considerable number of unlisted buildings are also of architectural interest, having "survived relatively unchanged over the last hundred years." Some are still roofed in slate that was quarried at nearby Swithland
, some later ones in Welsh slate.
As a community South Croxton antedates Domesday
(where it is referred to as Crochestone) and probably the coming of the Danes
. There were two manors known as Nether End and Upper End, divided by the Queniborough brook. These were enclosed
in 1757 and 1794 respectively. There was a short-lived frame knitting
industry in the village in the first half of the 19th century. The group of older houses down School Lane once formed a separate hamlet called West Thorpe. Since the 1960s, the character of South Croxton has largely changed from a farming community into a dormitory suburb for Leicester.
In 2000, a grant was obtained to clean up the Queniborough Brook at the bridge and to provide seating there and at the top of the hill. Halfway up the hill, a little obelisk
made of tiles produced by local children was placed to mark the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
in 2002. There is a public footpath from Lowesby
past the deserted medieval village of Baggrave to South Croxton. This passes the mid-18th century Baggrave Hall, which was badly damaged by developers in 1988-9 and then abandoned. There is also a public footpath following the brook to the village of Queniborough
.
The Anglican
church of St John the Baptist is the only place of worship in the village, although there was at one time a Methodist
congregation. The Anglican parish is united with All Saints
', Beeby
. It forms part of the South West Framland Cluster of Parishes. The church is built in the late Decorated style, of local honey-coloured Waltham
ironstone
and dates mainly from the early 14th century, when it replaced an earlier stone building probably from the Saxon period. However, the Romanesque
font of the earlier church remains. The south aisle and the roof were built a hundred years later. The bells, cast in 1636, remain in the tower, but unhung. Extensive repairs had to be made in 1925 due to subsidence. A 15th century oak roof corbel from the church is displayed at the Charnwood Museum
in Loughborough
.
district, Leicester; on an affluent of the river Wreak
, 4 miles SSE of Brooksby r. station
, and 7 SW of Melton-Mowbray. It has a post office, of the name of Croxton, under Leicester. Acres, 1,760. Real property, £2,535. Pop., 311. Houses, 68. The property is subdivided. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £130. Patron, the Duke of Rutland
. The church is old but good; and comprises nave, aisles, chancel, and steeple. Charities, £32 and four cottages." [John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales." 1870-72]
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 Charnwood
Charnwood (borough)
Charnwood is a borough of northern Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, which it contains. Loughborough is the largest town in the district and serves as the borough's administrative and commercial centre.-History:...
district of 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...
, England. It has a population of around 250. Nearby places are Beeby
Beeby
Beeby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of about 100. It is situated north-east of Leicester, nearer to the villages of Keyham and Hungarton in the neighbouring district of Harborough. The village lies on the Barkby Brook. The...
, Barsby
Barsby
Barsby is a village in Leicestershire, England....
and Twyford
Twyford, Leicestershire
Twyford is in the south of the parish of Twyford and Thorpe, and the name is derived from the two fords in the village. There are two churches in the village; St Andrew , which is a Grade I listed building with some parts dated from the 12th century, and a Methodist church.The other main focal...
.
Governance and facilities
The Parish Council meets on the first Monday of the month in the Village Hall. The meetings are open. The Village Hall Committee meets there on the second Thursday of the month. A programme of improvements to the hall begun in 2007 continues. The Golden Fleece reopened in 2008 as a pub/restaurant. The village also has riding stables, a Women's Institute, and a Wednesday Luncheon Club. The village is served on Monday to Saturday by the hourly daytime bus service No. 100 between LeicesterLeicester
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...
and Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
. The nearest railway station is at Leicester
Leicester railway station
Leicester railway station serves the City of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.As of late 2009 Leicester is a Penalty fare station, a valid ticket or Permit to travel must be shown when requested.-Background:...
(8 km). The local school closed about 1965. There have been no shops since 1995, but there is a playing field with a slide and a single football goal.
Heritage
The recorded population of South Croxton in the last two centuries varied between a high of 324 in 1851 and to a low of 153 in 1951. It was 234 at the time of the 2001 census. The highest point is the church, at 120 metres above mean sea level. This falls to 85 metres by the Queniborough Brook. The moated area to the north of the church formed part of a medieval manor enclosure and has yielded Saxon remains. Signs of medieval ridge and furrow field patterns can be seen to the north of the moated area.The church and four farmhouses in the parish (Bell Dip, Hill Top, North Manor, South Manor) are listed historic buildings. The village was designated as a Conservation Area in 1975, for its special architectural and historic interest. It has 90 houses, a 14th-century church, a pub (the Golden Fleece) and a village hall, formerly the local school. A considerable number of unlisted buildings are also of architectural interest, having "survived relatively unchanged over the last hundred years." Some are still roofed in slate that was quarried at nearby Swithland
Swithland
Swithland is a linear village in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is in the old Charnwood Forest, between Cropston and Woodhouse and Woodhouse Eaves. Although small, it has a village hall, a parish church, and a pub. The village is known for the slate that was quarried in the...
, some later ones in Welsh slate.
As a community South Croxton antedates Domesday
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...
(where it is referred to as Crochestone) and probably the coming of the Danes
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
. There were two manors known as Nether End and Upper End, divided by the Queniborough brook. These were enclosed
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
in 1757 and 1794 respectively. There was a short-lived frame knitting
Stocking frame
A stocking frame was a mechanical knitting machine used in the textiles industry. It was invented by William Lee of Calverton near Nottingham in 1589...
industry in the village in the first half of the 19th century. The group of older houses down School Lane once formed a separate hamlet called West Thorpe. Since the 1960s, the character of South Croxton has largely changed from a farming community into a dormitory suburb for Leicester.
In 2000, a grant was obtained to clean up the Queniborough Brook at the bridge and to provide seating there and at the top of the hill. Halfway up the hill, a little obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
made of tiles produced by local children was placed to mark the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II was the international celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the accession of Elizabeth II to the thrones of seven countries, upon the death of her father, George VI, on 6 February 1952, and was intended by the Queen to be both a commemoration of her 50...
in 2002. There is a public footpath from Lowesby
Lowesby
Lowesby is a small village in Leicestershire. The village once had Lowesby railway station on the way to Tilton on the Hill.-External links:...
past the deserted medieval village of Baggrave to South Croxton. This passes the mid-18th century Baggrave Hall, which was badly damaged by developers in 1988-9 and then abandoned. There is also a public footpath following the brook to the village of Queniborough
Queniborough
Queniborough is a village in the county of Leicestershire, United Kingdom just north of Syston and to the north of Leicester with 972 properties in the village and 1,878 registered electors . Due to its proximity to Leicester it forms part of the Leicester Urban Area...
.
The Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church of St John the Baptist is the only place of worship in the village, although there was at one time a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
congregation. The Anglican parish is united with All Saints
All Saints
All Saints' Day , often shortened to All Saints, is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honour of all the saints, known and unknown...
', Beeby
Beeby
Beeby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of about 100. It is situated north-east of Leicester, nearer to the villages of Keyham and Hungarton in the neighbouring district of Harborough. The village lies on the Barkby Brook. The...
. It forms part of the South West Framland Cluster of Parishes. The church is built in the late Decorated style, of local honey-coloured Waltham
Waltham on the Wolds
Waltham on the Wolds is a village located in the civil parish of Waltham and Thorpe Arnold, in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England, about northeast of Melton Mowbray and south-west of Grantham on the A607 road.-Geography:...
ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
and dates mainly from the early 14th century, when it replaced an earlier stone building probably from the Saxon period. However, the Romanesque
Romanesque art
Romanesque art refers to the art of Western Europe from approximately 1000 AD to the rise of the Gothic style in the 13th century, or later, depending on region. The preceding period is increasingly known as the Pre-Romanesque...
font of the earlier church remains. The south aisle and the roof were built a hundred years later. The bells, cast in 1636, remain in the tower, but unhung. Extensive repairs had to be made in 1925 due to subsidence. A 15th century oak roof corbel from the church is displayed at the Charnwood Museum
Charnwood Museum
Charnwood Museum has a wide range of exhibits reflecting the history, geology, archaeology and industries of Charnwood and surrounding areas. Permanent displays include ‘Coming to Charnwood’, ‘The Natural World of Charnwood’, ‘Living off the Land’ and ‘Earning a Living’. Each contains exhibits from...
in 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...
.
Eminent locals
- Ambrose Lisle March Phillipps De LisleAmbrose Lisle March Phillipps De LisleAmbrose Lisle March Phillipps de Lisle was an English Catholic convert. He founded Mount St. Bernard Abbey, a Trappist abbey in Leicestershire and worked for the reconversion or reconciliation of Britain to Catholicism....
(1809-1878), founder of Mount St. Bernard AbbeyMount St. Bernard AbbeyMount St Bernard's Abbey is a Cistercian monastery of the Strict Observance near Whitwick in Leicestershire, England, founded in 1835. Its present Superior is Dom Joseph Delargy....
, attended a private school here. - Bob GerardBob GerardFrederick Roberts "Bob" Gerard was a racing driver and businessman from England...
, the racing driver, died here in 1990.
Croxton of old
"CROXTON (South), a parish in Barrow-upon-SoarBarrow upon Soar
Barrow upon Soar is a large village in northern Leicestershire, in the Soar Valley between Leicester and Loughborough. It has a population of around 5,000 and is part of the Charnwood local government district....
district, Leicester; on an affluent of the river Wreak
River Wreake
The River Wreake is a river in Leicestershire, England. It is a tributary of the River Soar. The river between Stapleford Park and Melton Mowbray is known as the River Eye and becomes the Wreake below Melton Mowbray....
, 4 miles SSE of Brooksby r. station
Brooksby railway station
Brooksby railway station was a former station serving the villages of Brooksby, Hoby and Rotherby in Leicestershire. The station was situated at a level crossing on the Brooksby to Hoby road. The station opened in 1846 on the Syston and Peterborough Railway and closed in 1961. It remained in use...
, and 7 SW of Melton-Mowbray. It has a post office, of the name of Croxton, under Leicester. Acres, 1,760. Real property, £2,535. Pop., 311. Houses, 68. The property is subdivided. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Peterborough. Value, £130. Patron, the Duke of Rutland
Duke of Rutland
Earl of Rutland and Duke of Rutland are titles in the peerage of England, derived from Rutland, a county in the East Midlands of England. The Earl of Rutland was elevated to the status of Duke in 1703 and the titles were merged....
. The church is old but good; and comprises nave, aisles, chancel, and steeple. Charities, £32 and four cottages." [John Marius Wilson's "Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales." 1870-72]
External links
- Photo gallery: Retrieved 24 June 2011. See also http://www.geolocation.ws/v/W/4d73c9da8786560f750299e4/main-street-south-croxton-looking/en and http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/domesday/dblock/GB-468000-309000/page/4.
- South Croxton Conservation Area Appraisal (November 2005): Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- More detail on the early history of South Croxton: Retrieved 24 June 2011.