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Lutterworth | |
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![]() Church Street, Lutterworth | |
Location within Leicestershire | |
Population | 10,833 (2021) |
OS grid reference | SP541848 |
Civil parish |
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District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LUTTERWORTH |
Postcode district | LE17 |
Dialling code | 01455 |
UK Parliament | |
Website | Lutterworth Town Council |
Lutterworth is a market town and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, close to the borders with Warwickshire and Northamptonshire. It is located 6.4 miles (10.3 kilometres) north of Rugby, Warwickshire and 12 miles (19 kilometres) south of Leicester.
At the 2021 UK census, the civil parish of Lutterworth had a population of 10,833. [1] The built up area of Lutterworth, which also includes the adjacent village of Bitteswell had a population of 11,364. [2]
Lutterworth was originally an Anglo-Saxon settlement; its name is probably derived from the Old English Hlutre Worth. Lutterworth was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. [3]
Lutterworth was granted its market charter in 1214 by King John and became a small but busy market town. [3]
In the 14th century, the religious reformer John Wycliffe was rector in St Mary's Church, Lutterworth between 1374 and 1384, and it was here that he is traditionally believed to have produced the first translation of the Bible from Latin into English. [4] The church was restored in the 19th century and a large tower replaced the original spire. The church still contains some 15th-century wall paintings. [5]
The Irish statesman Robert le Poer was parish priest here c. 1318.
Lutterworth Grammar School was founded in 1630; by 1676 the population of Lutterworth had reached 644. [3]
In the days of the stagecoach, Lutterworth was an important stopping-place on the road from Leicester to Oxford and London, and many former coaching inns remain in the town. [3] The town also contains a number of well preserved half-timbered buildings. [5]
Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, developed some of the world's first jet engines at the British Thomson-Houston works in Lutterworth, and in nearby Rugby, during the late 1930s and the 1940s, with his company Power Jets. A replica of his first jet aircraft the Gloster E.28/39 stands in the middle of a roundabout just south of the town as a memorial and a number of papers and documents relating to Whittle's development of the jet engine are displayed at the town's museum. [6]
The M1 motorway was built just to the east of Lutterworth in 1964, and the M6 motorway was built a few miles to the south in 1971. [7]
At the time of the first national census in 1801, Lutterworth had a population of 1,652; this had nearly doubled to 3,197 by 1901. [3] By 2001 it had reached 8,294. Further population growth in the 21st century brought the population up to nearly 10,000 by 2017. [1]
One of the established landmarks of the town is the 17th-century building on the corner of George Street and Leicester Road, previously a tavern called the Cavalier Inn. The Cavalier Inn was located just on the northern edge of the town centre of Lutterworth. Although the building has been modified over the years, it still retains its rustic charm with stone walls and low ceilings and beams.
Originally called the "Ram Inn" – that part of George Street was called Ram Lane – it changed its name in the early 1970s after a brewery 'make-over' which greatly improved the interior. It is said that the brewery did not like the name Ram Inn and prudishly renamed it 'the Cavalier' after claims that wounded royalist soldiers sheltered in Lutterworth following the Battle of Naseby in 1645.
In October 2010 the Cavalier Inn closed and was changed in status to a log-burning store, retailing log-burning fires and similar products and services.
The architect of Lutterworth Town Hall was Joseph Hansom, who also designed Birmingham Town Hall and took out the first patent of the horse-drawn hansom cab. [8]
Another of the landmarks of the town centre is the thatched roof & timber-framed building now known as the 'Shambles Inn'. This former abattoir and butcher's is the oldest timber-framed building in Lutterworth, dating back to the 16th century. It was first used as a public house from 1791 until 1840, when it was converted back to a home and butcher's shop. In 1982 it was converted back into a public house and named the Shambles. [9]
In February 2023, the Shambles public house, caught fire. [10] Causing damage to the upstairs, the B&B and the house. A fundrasing page was set up for the family who lived at the public house. [11]
To the west of the town [2.5 mi (4.0 km)] is a large logistics and distribution centre called Magna Park, which is the main source of employment in the Lutterworth area. Magna Park is built upon the site of the old Bitteswell aerodrome. Also near Lutterworth is Stanford Hall.
A controversial issue in the town is how to manage the traffic flows emanating from Magna Park and the nearby M1 and A5 trunk roads. Approximately 3,000 heavy goods vehicles pass through the town every day and pollution levels are reported as being high. [12]
The Census 2011 Summary also indicates an overall growth in residents' vehicles, which is likely to add to traffic and pollution concerns according to the Census summary. [13]
There is a Morrisons Food Store (formerly Safeway) on Bitteswell Road, as well as a Subway on High Street. Waitrose opened on 11 March 2010 on a site previously occupied by Netto. [14] Aldi opened a new store on Rugby Road on 12 Aug 2021.
On the Greenacres Housing estate in the town there was an estate public house, recently called 'The Sir Frank Whittle' and previously called 'The Balloon'. This building was sold by the brewery to the Co-op who changed the use and structure of the premises to be the new Co-op store in the town. The Co-op Food Store previously located on George Street closed in June 2014 coinciding with the opening of the new store.
Lutterworth lies on the A426 Leicester–Rugby road, adjacent to the M1 motorway at junction 20. It is also located within a few miles of the M6 motorway and A5 trunk road. A southern bypass, the A4303, was opened in 1999, providing a route for traffic from the M1 to the A5 to avoid Lutterworth town centre.
The nearest railway station to Lutterworth is Rugby railway station about six miles to the south. The town formerly had its own railway station on the former Great Central Main Line which opened in 1899, and closed in 1969. [3]
Historically there were another two railway stations close to Lutterworth: The first was Ullesthorpe & Lutterworth, about 3 mi (4.8 km) to the north west, on the former Midland Railway (later part of the LMS) line from Rugby to Leicester, closed on 1 January 1962. The second was Welford & Kilworth at one time known as Welford & Lutterworth, some 5 mi (8.0 km) east on the London & North Western Railway (also later LMS) line from Rugby to Market Harborough and Peterborough, closed on 6 June 1966.
Arriva Midlands and Centrebus are the main operators of bus services around Lutterworth with services into Leicester, Market Harborough, Rugby, Warwickshire and Hinckley.
The town supports two individual local football teams : Lutterworth Athletic F.C. and Lutterworth Town A.F.C. who both play in the United Counties League [15] There is also a tennis club – Lutterworth Tennis Club – located just outside Lutterworth on Hall Lane. Banger Racing was once staged in the town on farmland adjacent to the Coventry Road on the A4303. Racing ceased in the late 1990s.
There are two primary schools in Lutterworth: John Wycliffe Primary School and Sherrier Primary School. Sherrier was originally housed in a Victorian building on Churchgate before moving to a new location on Bitteswell Road in 1983. [16] Sherrier featured on the BBC TV children's TV programme Blue Peter on 5 February 2008.
The local secondary schools are Lutterworth High School (for ages 11–16) on Woodway Road and Lutterworth College (for ages 11–18) on Bitteswell Road, both of which achieve good results in applicable exams. A new Studio School called Sir Frank Whittle Studio School opened in 2015 (for ages 14–18) that offers purely vocational courses. In 2019 the Sir Frank Whittle Studio School closed due to a lack of students and minimal further interest.
Feilding Palmer Hospital, run by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust is situated in the town. It has a ward which provides general rehabilitation and palliative and end of life care. [17] Under the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Sustainability and transformation plan it is proposed to close. [18]
Mark Corrigan of the British television series Peep Show describes a trip to Lutterworth by public transport as taking so long that it feels like going to Mordor, a reference to Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The 1973 sitcom Me, myself and Nigel Wright was set in an ostrich farm near the town. [19]
Lutterworth is twinned with: [20]
Leicestershire is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warwickshire to the south-west, and Staffordshire to the west. The city of Leicester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Rugby is a market town in eastern Warwickshire, England, close to the River Avon. At the 2021 census, its population was 78,117, making it the second-largest town in Warwickshire. It is the main settlement within the larger Borough of Rugby, which had a population of 114,400 in 2021.
Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, close to the border with Northamptonshire. The population was 24,779 at the 2021 census. It is the administrative headquarters of the Harborough district.
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.
Harborough is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. It is named after its main town, Market Harborough, which is where the council is based. The district also includes the town of Lutterworth and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. In the north of the district it includes parts of the Leicester Urban Area, notably at Thurnby, Bushby and Scraptoft. Covering 230 square miles (600 km2), the district is the largest by area of the eight districts in Leicestershire and covers almost a quarter of the county.
Blaby is a large village in the Blaby District in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester city centre. At the time of the 2011 census, Blaby had a population of 6,194, falling slightly from 6,240 in 2001. Given Blaby's proximity to the city, it is part of the Leicester Urban Area.
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.
Shawell is a small village in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. Its population at the 2001 UK census was 126, increasing to 162 at the 2011 census.
Blaby was a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which existed from 1974 until 2010. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. It was a safe seat for the Conservative Party, being held by Conservative MPs throughout its existence.
The A427 road is a major road in the English Midlands. It connects the Leicestershire town of Market Harborough and the A6 with the Northamptonshire town of Oundle and the A605.
Bitteswell is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Bitteswell with Bittesby, in the Harborough district of Leicestershire in England. It is situated just north of the town of Lutterworth, and in the 2001 census had a population of 454. The population had increased to 554 at the 2011 census. It was recorded in the Domesday Book as Betmeswelle. The village's name means 'the spring/stream in the broad valley'.
Ullesthorpe is a small village and civil parish situated in the Harborough district in southern Leicestershire. Ullesthorpe is noted for its historic background with a mill, disused railway station and traces of a medieval settlement evident on the edge of the village.
Catthorpe is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It is located beside the River Avon and close to the A5 road, and hence close to the tripoint at Dow Bridge formed by Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire; the nearest towns are Rugby, in Warwickshire around 4 miles (6.4 km) to the southwest, and Lutterworth around 4 miles (6.4 km) to the north. At the 2001 Census, the parish had a population of 179, falling slightly to 173 at the 2011 census, further decreasing to 156 at the 2021 census.
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.
Misterton with Walcote, formerly just Misterton is a civil parish in the English county of Leicestershire. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 486.
Lutterworth Town Association Football Club is a football club based in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England. They are members of the United Counties League Premier Division South and play at Dunley Way.
Dunton Bassett is a small village in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. It lies between Leicester and Lutterworth, and close to Broughton Astley, Ashby Magna & Leire. It had a population of 795 at the 2001 UK census, falling to 759 at the 2011 census.
The River Swift is a 14-mile (23 km) long tributary of the River Avon that rises in south Leicestershire, and flows through the town of Lutterworth before joining the Avon at its confluence at Rugby in Warwickshire in the English Midlands.
The Sir Frank Whittle Studio School was a 14–19 Studio School, part of The Lutterworth Academies Trust. It was situated alongside Lutterworth College in the rural market town of Lutterworth, South Leicestershire.
Lutterworth Town Hall is a municipal building in the High Street in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, England. The structure, which operates as a community events venue, is a Grade II listed building.
... The school was formerly housed in a Victorian building in Churchgate before being amalgamated with the Infants on this site in 1983 ...