Whetstone, Leicestershire
Encyclopedia
Whetstone is a village and civil parish
in the Blaby district
of Leicestershire
, England
. It has a population of 6,000 and largely acts as a commuter village for Leicester
, five miles to the north. Its proximity to Leicester causes Whetstone to form part of the Leicester Urban Area
.
The village is bounded on the east by the A426
(on the other side of which is Blaby
village), to the north by the railway line from Nuneaton to Leicester
, and to the west by the M1
.
Whetstone was the site of Frank Whittle
's factory, where jet engines were developed. Babcock Services, ITP Engines Ltd and Converteam now occupy the site, with smaller companies renting space (mainly for storing commercial vehicles). Until 2002 the site still sounded an air raid siren at 8am to wake up workers.
It is well connected to Leicester
town centre, with a very frequent bus service direct to Leicester
. From 1899 to 1963 the village was served by Whetstone railway station
.
There are two schools in Whetstone: Badgerbrook primary school and St Peters primary school.
The site of the Whittle factory became the English Electric Company (Later GEC) a significant part of several Nuclear power stations were made there in the 1960's and 70's.
English Electric was one of the largest Engineering Companies in the Leicester area, employing thousands of workers and training hundreds of apprentices each year. At one point more than 4,000 workers had to be shipped in from Middlesex to help labour shortages and many settled permanently causing a boom in the late 60's.
Apart from Blaby, nearby places are Enderby
, Glen Parva
, Countesthorpe
, Cosby
, Littlethorpe
and Narborough
.
Whetstone is particularly well served for Football being served by Blaby and Whetstone Boys club, Whetstone Juniors Football club and Holmes Park which is the home of the Leicester & Rutland County FA
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 Blaby district
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...
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
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 has a population of 6,000 and largely acts as a commuter village for 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...
, five miles to the north. Its proximity to Leicester causes Whetstone to form part of the Leicester Urban Area
Leicester Urban Area
The Leicester Urban Area is a conurbation based around the city of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.While it has no formal definition as an administrative area, it is defined by the Office for National Statistics with a population of 441,213 at the time of the 2001 census...
.
The village is bounded on the east by the A426
A426 road
The A426 road is a road in England which runs from the city of Leicester to the market town of Southam in Warwickshire via the towns of Lutterworth and Rugby.-History:...
(on the other side of which is Blaby
Blaby
Blaby is a village in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester city centre. It has population of around 6,240 , and its proximity to the city causes it to form part of the Leicester Urban Area....
village), to the north by the railway line from Nuneaton to Leicester
Birmingham to Peterborough Line
The Birmingham to Peterborough Line is a cross-country railway line in the United Kingdom, linking Birmingham to Peterborough, via Nuneaton and Leicester....
, and to the west by the M1
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...
.
Whetstone was the site of Frank Whittle
Frank Whittle
Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS was a British Royal Air Force engineer officer. He is credited with independently inventing the turbojet engine Air Commodore Sir Frank Whittle, OM, KBE, CB, FRS, Hon FRAeS (1 June 1907 – 9 August 1996) was a British Royal Air...
's factory, where jet engines were developed. Babcock Services, ITP Engines Ltd and Converteam now occupy the site, with smaller companies renting space (mainly for storing commercial vehicles). Until 2002 the site still sounded an air raid siren at 8am to wake up workers.
It is well connected to 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...
town centre, with a very frequent bus service direct to 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...
. From 1899 to 1963 the village was served by Whetstone railway station
Whetstone railway station
Whetstone was a station on the Great Central Railway , the last main line to be constructed from the north of England to London, which opened in 1899 to serve the Leicestershire village of Whetstone....
.
There are two schools in Whetstone: Badgerbrook primary school and St Peters primary school.
The site of the Whittle factory became the English Electric Company (Later GEC) a significant part of several Nuclear power stations were made there in the 1960's and 70's.
English Electric was one of the largest Engineering Companies in the Leicester area, employing thousands of workers and training hundreds of apprentices each year. At one point more than 4,000 workers had to be shipped in from Middlesex to help labour shortages and many settled permanently causing a boom in the late 60's.
Apart from Blaby, nearby places are Enderby
Enderby, Leicestershire
Enderby is a civil parish in the district of Blaby , in Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the south western outskirts of the city of Leicester and has a population of 5,648 at the time of the 2001 census....
, Glen Parva
Glen Parva
Glen Parva is a civil parish in Leicestershire with a population of over 5,000. To the north it runs into Aylestone, and to the east Eyres Monsell and South Wigston...
, Countesthorpe
Countesthorpe
Countesthorpe is a large village and civil parish in the Leicestershire district of Blaby, with a population of 6,393 . It lies to the south of Leicester, and is about six miles from the city centre, but only two miles south of the suburb of South Wigston...
, Cosby
Cosby, Leicestershire
thumb|Cosby Village centreCosby is a village in the English county of Leicestershire. Cosby is located in the south west of the county near the larger villages and towns of Whetstone, Blaby and Wigston. Its proximity to the city of Leicester means it is part of the Leicester Urban Area.It is not...
, Littlethorpe
Littlethorpe
Littlethorpe is a small village approximately 6 miles south of Leicester, separated from the village of Narborough by the Leicester to Birmingham railway line, and the River Soar....
and Narborough
Narborough, Leicestershire
Narborough is a village south of Leicester, England. It lies in the Blaby district of Leicestershire. Its name originally meant 'North Stronghold'.Surrounding villages include Enderby, Whetstone, Littlethorpe, Cosby, and Huncote.-Location:...
.
Whetstone is particularly well served for Football being served by Blaby and Whetstone Boys club, Whetstone Juniors Football club and Holmes Park which is the home of the Leicester & Rutland County FA