Countesthorpe | |
---|---|
St Andrew's Church, Countesthorpe | |
Location within Leicestershire | |
Population | 6,377 (2011) |
OS grid reference | SP585954 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | Leicester |
Postcode district | LE8 |
Dialling code | 0116 |
Police | Leicestershire |
Fire | Leicestershire |
Ambulance | East Midlands |
UK Parliament | |
Countesthorpe is a large village and civil parish in the Leicestershire district of Blaby, with a population of 6,393 (2001 census, falling slightly to 6,377 at the 2011 census. [1] It lies to the south of Leicester, and is about 6 miles (9.7 km) from the city centre, but only two miles south of the suburb of South Wigston. Nearby places are Blaby and South Wigston to the north, Kilby to the east, Peatling Magna and Willoughby Waterleys to the south, and Broughton Astley, Cosby and Whetstone to the west. [2]
The name Countesthorpe originates from the 11th century when the area was part of the marriage dowry of the Countess Judith, niece of William the Conqueror. The 'thorpe' part of the name is a variant of the Middle English word thorp, meaning hamlet or small village. [3]
The parish church of St. Andrew was started in 1220 by the family of Lord William of Ludbrook. It was restored in 1840 and again in 1907. The 14th-century tower still remains.
The village has three public houses: The Axe and Square, The Bull's Head and The Railway. Another public house, the King William IV was turned into a Tesco Express in 2013. [4] Magna 73 of the Leicestershire Senior League are an association football team who play just north of the village.
The village is twinned with the town of Mennecy in France.
Countesthorpe is served by one local primary school called Greenfield Primary School. [5] The school achieved a rating of "good" in its 2010, 2014 and 2018 Ofsted reports. [6]
Until September 2016 Countesthorpe had a separate high school named Leysland High School, with Ofsted reviewing it as "outstanding" in 2013, as well as a college called Countesthorpe Community College. Both schools were attended by members of the music group Kasabian. The two schools merged to become Countesthorpe Leysland Community College, which was subsequently renamed Countesthorpe Academy in 2020. The combined school was scored as "inadequate" in 2019. [7]
Leicestershire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, Staffordshire to the west, and Derbyshire to the north-west. The border with most of Warwickshire is Watling Street, the modern A5 road.
Oadby and Wigston is a local government district and borough in the county of Leicestershire, England. It was formed in 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, from the merger of the Oadby and Wigston urban districts. The population of the district at the 2011 census was 56,170. The district forms part of the Harborough constituency.
Blaby is a local government district in Leicestershire, England.
Wigston, or Wigston Magna, is a town and unparished area in the Oadby and Wigston district, in Leicestershire, England, just south of Leicester on the A5199. It had a population of 32,321 in 2011.
Leicester Forest East (LFE) is a large suburban village in Leicestershire, England, west of Leicester, straddling the M1 motorway. It is part of the Blaby district.
Glen Parva is a civil parish in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England with a population of over 17,000. The population of the civil parish was measured at 17,189 in the 2011 census. To the north it runs into Aylestone and to the east South Wigston. To the south and west it is not immediately surrounded by development. Eyres Monsell forms part of the City Of Leicester District but is included in the Parish of Glen Parva. Glen Parva forms part of the Leicester Urban Area due to its close proximity to Leicester City Centre. Glen Parva is in the Saxondale ward of Leicestershire. Glen Parva with Eyres Monsell is 4.5 miles south of Leicester city centre, 1 mile southeast of Fosse Shopping Park that is in Enderby and half a mile from Blaby.
Whetstone is a village and civil parish in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England and largely acts as a commuter village for Leicester, five miles to the north. The population at the 2011 census was 6,556. It is part of the Leicester Urban Area.
South Wigston is a large village to the south of Leicester, England. It is outside the city boundary, forming part of the Oadby and Wigston district of Leicestershire. The population of the ward rose slightly from 7,471 at the 2001 census to 7,490 at the 2011 census.
Kilby is a village and civil parish in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England. Kilby is the easternmost village in the district, and is 6.1 miles (9.8 km) south east of Leicester. Kilby civil parish includes the former parish of Foston and it's deserted medieval village. Nearby places are Countesthorpe 2.21 miles (3.56 km), Fleckney 2.12 miles (3.41 km), Arnesby 1.96 miles (3.15 km), Wistow 1.4 miles (2.3 km) and Kilby Bridge 1.18 miles (1.90 km).
South Leicestershire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Alberto Costa, a member of the Conservative Party.
Moat Community College is a coeducational secondary school in Highfields, near the city centre of Leicester, England.
Willoughby Waterleys is a small village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated near the A426 Leicester–to–Lutterworth road. Nearby villages are Ashby Magna, Peatling Magna and Countesthorpe. Main Street is the basis of the village running north to south, there have been some new developments such as bungalows and large detached houses however many farms still remain in the parish.
Countesthorpe Academy is a coeducational secondary school situated on the western edge of Countesthorpe in Leicestershire, England near the A426.
Eyres Monsell is an electoral ward and administrative division in Leicester, England.
Leysland High School was a coeducational middle school with academy status, located in Countesthorpe, Leicestershire, England. It was open for students aged 11–14. It received the rating of 'Outstanding' from Ofsted in April, 2013. It merged with Countesthorpe Community College to form Countesthorpe Leysland Community College in July 2016.
Wigston Birkett House Community Special School is a special school with academy status based in Wigston, Leicestershire, England. The school caters for up to 200 students aged between 5 and 19 with a range of additional learning needs.
The 2017 Leicestershire County Council election took place on 4 May 2017 as part of the 2017 local elections in the United Kingdom. All councillors were elected from electoral divisions by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office.