Melton Mowbray facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Melton Mowbray/Melton
Top to bottom, left to right: Melton Mowbray St Mary's Church, Egerton Lodge, Station Approach, Nottingham Street & Ankle Hill
Melton Mowbray/Melton
Population	27,737 (2021 census)
OS grid reference	SK751193
• London	95 miles (153 km) SSE
District	Melton
Shire county	Leicestershire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MELTON MOWBRAY
Postcode district	LE13
Dialling code	01664

Police	Leicestershire
Fire	Leicestershire
Ambulance	East Midlands

EU Parliament	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Melton and Syston
Website	Melton Borough Council
List of places UK England Leicestershire 52°45′58″N 0°53′18″W / 52.766087°N 0.888408°W / 52.766087; -0.888408

Melton Mowbray is a lively market town in Leicestershire, England. It is about 19 miles (31 km) north-east of Leicester and 20 miles (32 km) south-east of Nottingham. The town sits by the River Eye, which is also known as the River Wreake further downstream. In 2019, about 27,670 people lived here. Melton Mowbray is often called Britain's "Rural Capital of Food." It is famous for the Melton Mowbray pork pie and is one of only six places allowed to make Stilton cheese.

History of Melton Mowbray

Town Name and Early Times

The name Melton comes from an old English word, Medeltone. This means 'Middletown surrounded by small villages'. The Mowbray part comes from the Norman family name of early lords who owned the area, like Robert de Mowbray.

Melton Mowbray has a long history. There are 28 ancient monuments and many old buildings. Signs of old windmills and iron mining show people lived here in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Many small communities grew, and important places like Burrough Hill and Belvoir Castle were made stronger.

Roman and Anglo-Saxon Periods

During Roman times, Melton was near important Roman roads like the Fosse Way. It was also close to military centers in Leicester and Lincoln. This helped the town grow.

Later, in the Anglo-Saxon and Danelaw periods, Danish names became common in the area. You can see this in village names ending in "-by," like Asfordby and Frisby. An old Anglo-Saxon cemetery was found in Melton Mowbray. Many villages and their churches existed even before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Melton Mowbray once had six stone crosses. These crosses were important meeting points. Over time, many were removed or destroyed. However, some have been rebuilt, like the Butter Cross in the Market Place.

After the Norman Conquest

Anne of Cleves house

The Domesday Book of 1086 shows Melton Mowbray was a busy market town. It had about 200 people, weekly markets, and two water mills. These mills were used until the 1700s.

Melton has been a market town for over 1,000 years. It was the only market in Leicestershire mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Survey. This makes it the third oldest market in England. Tuesday has been market day since 1324.

Many buildings in the town centre have very old foundations. For example, parts of 5 King Street might have been from a 14th-century castle. King Richard I and King John visited the town long ago.

In 1549, after religious changes, land was bought for the town. The money from this land helped support Melton School, which was first recorded in 1347. This makes it one of Britain's oldest schools. Funds also helped fix roads and the church clock.

The English Civil War

During the English Civil War, Melton was a base for the Roundhead army. Two battles happened here. In November 1643, Royalists surprised the Roundheads. In February 1645, a Royalist force caused heavy losses to the Roundheads. About 300 men were said to have been killed. There's a story that the hillside where the battle happened was covered in blood, leading to the name Ankle Hill. However, this name appeared in documents before the war.

The Anne of Cleves House is a very old building in Melton. It was built in 1384 and was once home to priests. Later, Henry VIII gave it to Anne of Cleves as part of their divorce settlement. Today, it is a public house.

More Recent Times

In 1837, a group of hunters caused a lot of damage in Melton streets. This event was even shown in paintings and a play. The Corn Exchange, a building for trading grain, was finished in 1854.

From 1942 to 1964, RAF Melton Mowbray was an air base south of the town. After World War II, it was used as a camp for people who had been displaced from their homes.

Famous Food and Fabric

A slice of blue Stilton cheese, cut from a wheel made in the traditional cylindrical shape

Stilton cheese is a famous blue cheese. It was first sold in the village of Stilton, but much of it was made in or near Melton Mowbray. Today, Stilton cheese is still made in Melton at the Tuxford & Tebbutt creamery. This is one of only six dairies allowed to make it. Makers in other places, even Stilton village, cannot call their cheese "Stilton."

Dickinson and Morris Pie Shop

Melton Mowbray pork pies are made in a special way. They have a unique "hand-raising" process and recipe. In 2008, the European Union gave the Melton Mowbray pork pie special protection. This means only pies made in a certain area around Melton, using uncured pork, can be called Melton Mowbray pork pies.

Melton Mowbray is also known for Melton cloth. This is a tightly woven fabric first mentioned in 1823. It's very thick and has a short, dense surface. Sailors' pea coats and workmen's donkey jackets are often made from it.

Local Government

Melton Mowbray has two levels of local government. These are the Melton Borough Council and Leicestershire County Council. The borough council has its offices at Parkside on Burton Street. This building was built for the council and opened in 2011.

The town is divided into six areas for local elections. These are Melton Craven, Melton Dorian, Melton Egerton, Melton Newport, Melton Sysonby, and Melton Warwick.

Economy

A company called Pedigree Petfoods arrived in Melton in 1951. At its busiest, it employed over 2,000 people. Today, it still employs about 1,000 people. The company makes four million pet food items every day in Melton. Its UK headquarters are now near Melton, in Waltham-on-the-Wolds.

Important Buildings

St Mary's Church, Melton Mowbray

St Mary's Church is a beautiful old building. Most of it was built between the 13th and 15th centuries. It is known as one of the best parish churches in Leicestershire.

Egerton Lodge is another important building. It was built in 1829 as a hunting lodge. From 1929 to 1974, it was used as the offices for the local council. Its gardens are now a war memorial.

Fun and Facilities

Melton Regal Cinema

Stapleford Miniature Railway

The Melton Carnegie Museum tells the story of the town. You can hear sounds from different times, learn about hunting, and see old items.

Melton has several music groups, including the Melton Band, a traditional brass band. Many pubs in Melton, like the Generous Britain, also host live music. The Anne of Cleves pub is one of the oldest in town. It has parts from the early 14th century.

The Regal cinema in King Street is a special place. It was built as a theatre and has a beautiful old-fashioned design. It reopened in 2013 after being updated.

Concerts are held at the Carousel Bandstand in Melton Mowbray Park. These happen on summer Sundays.

Melton has its own radio station, 103 FM The Eye. It broadcasts to the Melton area and can also be heard online. It was one of the first community radio stations in the UK.

The Stapleford Miniature Railway is a private, steam-powered railway. It's about 3 miles (5 km) east of Melton Mowbray. It's famous for its small steam engines and beautiful location. It opens for charity events twice a year.

Just half a mile (0.8 km) north-east of Melton is the Twinlakes Theme Park. It has many rides and attractions for families. The Waterfield Leisure Pools offer a gym and swimming.

The library is on Wilton Road, close to the town centre. Next to it is Melton Theatre, which is part of Brooksby Melton College. The theatre was updated recently and hosts ballet, plays, concerts, and pantomimes.

Melton also has a fire station, a police station, and a hospital. Melton Country Park offers a lovely green space for everyone to enjoy.

Education

Melton Mowbray has several schools. For students aged 11–16, there are Long Field Academy and John Ferneley College. For older students (sixth-formers), there is the Melton Vale Post 16 Centre (MV16). Primary schools include Brownlow, Grove, St Francis RC, St Mary's C of E, Sherard, and Swallowdale. Birchwood Special School helps students with special needs.

Brooksby Melton College offers many courses for vocational, further, and higher education. It has a campus in Asfordby Road and another at Brooksby.

Media

Local news and TV shows for Melton Mowbray come from BBC East Midlands and ITV Central.

Local radio stations include BBC Radio Leicester (104.9 FM), Smooth East Midlands (106.6 FM), Capital Midlands (96.2 FM), Greatest Hits Radio Midlands (106.0 FM), and the local community station, The Eye (103 FM).

The Melton Times is the town's weekly newspaper.

Getting Around

Roads

Two main roads meet in Melton Mowbray: the A606 (between Nottingham and Oakham) and the A607 (between Leicester and Grantham). Other roads connect to places like Asfordby and Market Harborough.

A new bypass road, the North & East Melton Mowbray Distributor Road, is being built. It started in spring 2023 and should be finished by early 2026. This road will help reduce traffic in the town centre.

Trains

Melton Mowbray railway station is on the line that connects Birmingham to Stansted Airport. You can also catch trains to Leicester, Peterborough, and Cambridge. Trains usually run every hour. There are also peak-time trains to Nottingham, Norwich, and Sleaford.

Buses

Arriva Midlands runs frequent buses to Leicester. Centrebus is the main bus operator in town. They also have longer routes to places like Nottingham, Syston, Grantham, Loughborough, and Oakham.

Sports

Greyhound racing used to be held in Melton from 1946 to 1969. Motorcycle speedway racing also took place there in 1949–1950.

Melton Town Football Club plays in a high-level league. They are known as the "Pork Pie Army" and play their home games at Melton Sports Village. The town also has its own Sunday Football League.

Leicestershire County Cricket Club played some first-class cricket matches at Egerton Park in the 1940s.

There is a parkrun held every Saturday morning in the country park. A junior parkrun for kids is held every Sunday morning in Play Close Park.