Desford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Desford |
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 St. Martin's parish church |
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 Desford
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| Population | 3,676 (2001 census) |
| OS grid reference | SK4703 |
| Civil parish |
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| District |
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| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Leicester |
| Postcode district | LE9 |
| Dialling code | 01455 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament |
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| Website | Desford parish council |
Desford is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, 7 miles (11 km) west of the centre of Leicester and around 7 miles north east of Hinckley. Situated on a hill approximately 400 feet above sea level, the parish includes the hamlets of Botcheston and Newtown Unthank and a scattered settlement at Lindridge. The population at the 2011 census had increased to 3,930. Desford is in the Doomsday Book of 1086 but the name itself is older than that meaning Deor's Ford suggesting an Anglo Saxon origin. Another suggestion is that it means 'ford frequented with wild animals'.
Contents
Manors
At Lindridge about 1 mile (2 km) north of the town is a rectangular moat up to 13 yards (12 m) wide enclosing an area about 115 yards (105 m) by 127 yards (116 m). In the 19th century it was temporarily drained and six early 14th century pottery vessels were found. A building such as a manor house is likely to have stood on the island created by the moat. The moat is a scheduled monument.
There are records of a manor at Desford from at least the 15th century.
The Old Hall or Old Manor House in Desford High Street is a gable-roofed building with an irregular front of four bays, dating from about 1600 or a few years thereafter. It is built of brick in English bond with stone quoins and has a timber frame. The house has a two-storeyed porch whose upper storey is jettied. Attached to the house is an early 18th-century service wing built of brick in Flemish bond. The Manor House and its attached buildings are Grade II* listed buildings.
Economic history
Until the 1700s most of the residents were engaged in agriculture farming arable strips in four open fields in the parish and pasturing their animals on the low lying meadows by the streams.
Desford's common lands 1000 acres of open fields were enclosed by Act of Parliament in 1759 . Prior to the Industrial Revolution the cottage industry of stocking or framework knitting developed in the village, the first reference being in 1704. This continued well in to the 19th century, with over a hundred framework knitters being recorded in the 1851 Census.
The 19th century was a time when coal mining became a large scale industry in west Leicestershire. In 1875 an unsuccessful attempt was made to sink a coalmine in the parish, at Lindridge. This failed due to constant flooding. In the present century the nearest coal mine, Desford Pit, only two miles away, employed many Desford people until it closed in 1984. To commemorate the pit’s closure a half winding wheel was erected in Lindridge Lane by the Desford History Society.
The Leicester and Swannington Railway was built through the parish in 1832 initially to haul coal from the coalfields to Leicester. It passes within 0.6 miles (1 km) of the town and Desford railway station was built at Newtown Unthank to serve the parish. The Midland Railway took over the line in 1845 and had extended it to Burton-upon-Trent by 1848. British Railways withdrew passenger services in 1964 and today the Leicester to Burton-upon-Trent Line carries only goods traffic. The larger houses in Station Road were built for middle-class commuters to Leicester.
Caterpillar Inc. is now a significant employer in the parish (see below).
Aerodrome
South of the town, Reid and Sigrist had created Desford Aerodrome on Carts Field plus land in the adjoining Peckleton parish by 1936. It was a flying training school, with George E. Lowdell as its Chief flying Instructor. The majority of aeroplanes used were De Havilland Tiger Moth single engined biplanes. An early form of flight simulator was also used and was visible from the public road. Leicester Aero Club used the aerodrome until it moved to nearby Ratcliffe Aerodrome. Early in 1939 Lowdell flew the first flight of the New Malden-built Reid and Sigrist R.S.1 Snargasher from Desford.
The aerodrome has been redeveloped as an industrial site where Caterpillar Inc. has a large factory.
Amenities
The parish has three public houses, two in Desford: the Blue Bell, Lancaster Arms and the Greyhound in Botcheston.
Desford has a community primary school and a secondary school, Bosworth Academy.
Desford has an Italian restaurant (Pesto, previously the White Horse), a public library and a sports club. Tropical Birdland, a visitor attraction exhibiting many bird species, is at Desford.
- Map sources for Desford
See also
In Spanish: Desford para niños
