Markfield

Markfield
Markfield
	Main Street, Markfield
	Markfield Location within Leicestershire
Population	5,681
OS grid reference	SK488103
Civil parish	Markfield;
District	Hinckley and Bosworth ;
Shire county	Leicestershire ;
Region	East Midlands ;
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MARKFIELD
Postcode district	LE67
Dialling code	01530
Police	Leicestershire
Fire	Leicestershire
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Bosworth ;
	List of places UK England Leicestershire 52°41′16″N1°16′39″W / 52.687802°N 1.277510°W

Last updated February 20, 2024

Markfield is a large village in both the National Forest and Charnwood Forest and in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. The settlement dates back to at least the time of the Norman conquest and is mentioned in the Domesday Book under the name Merchenefeld. A variant of this is still used as the name for the village primary school, Mercenfeld. It is to the south-east of Junction 22 of the M1, and to the south of the A50. The highest point in Markfield is shown on OS sheet 129 at 222 metres above sea level. Nearby places are Newtown Linford, Groby, Field Head, and Stanton under Bardon. In the 1841 census its population was recorded at 1,203.^[2] In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 5681.^[1] In 2012 Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council published an overview of Markfield conservation area.^[3]

Summary

History

Doomsday book

Markfield is shown in the Domesday Book published in 1070 as having 2 small households. Ulf is shown as the lord of Markfield, Groby Blaby and Ratby in the hundred of Guthlaxton in Leicestershire in 1066.^[4] By 1086, the value had increased fivefold to £0.50 and the lord was Hugh of Grandmesnil who was also associated with the hundreds of Goscote, Guthlaxton and Gartree in Leicestershire.^[4]

John Wesley

Markfield has close links with the Methodist movement and according to a blue plaque on the church, its founder John Wesley paid 13 visits. He was allowed to preach in the parish church as he was friendly with the rector but crowds became so large, he would often preach on the village green. The parish church of St Michaels and all Angels is a grade II listed building.^[5] There are two other churches, Holy Trinity Methodist chapel and the Congregational church but the original Methodist chapel (temperance hall) is no longer used.

Worship

Education

Facilities

The village benefits greatly from being surrounded by easily accessible countryside. There are a variety of public footpaths radiating out from the village - including the "Leicestershire Round", which passes along Main Street. To the north-western side of the village lies the Hill Hole Nature Reserve. Hill Hole is the highest point within the village and from the top of this quarried granite outcrop there are extensive views across the Midland Plain (43 miles to the Clent Hills), southwards to the Cotswolds and eastwards towards the Leicestershire/Lincolnshire boundary. Almost adjoining Hill Hole are the Altar Stones playing fields and the Blacksmiths Fields nature reserve.

Markfield has two public houses, the Queens Head and the Bulls Head. The Coach and Horses, whilst within Markfield parish, is in the village of Fieldhead. Markfield has Chinese and Indian takeaways, a fish and chip shop, a newsagent, an independent shop selling organic produce, a Co-Operative Supermarket, a hardware shop, a financial advisory office, a GP surgery, a chemist, a Londis supermarket, a post office, a new library and a cafe. There are also several hair-dressing salons and an industrial estate. The former public house known as the Red Lion has reopened as an Indian restaurant. The George public house as shown in the photograph was previously named 'The Boot. The village has a well-funded and run Community Centre built in 1985 which has replaced the old Markfield Memorial Miners Institute as the main community building in the village. There is a Travelodge hotel located on the A50;

Industry

Markfield has a long association with the quarrying industry and has a particular type of granite, microdiorite named after it. The granite stone (microdiorite) 'Markfieldite' is a very hard granite found in the local area and used in roadstone and railway construction. The former headquarters of Aggregate Industries (now under the Holcim company) was in Markfield and in the last few years a major expansion of the Bardon Hill Quarry into the parish of Markfield has begun creating a large extension which will expand the life of Bardon for another 40 years.^{[ citation needed ]}

In 2009, a private contractor filed for permission to build a brand new housing estate by London Road. A petition to prevent such housing being built took place, arguing that the local primary school, public transport and other services could not cope with the large influx of new residents. The petition to prevent the housing development failed despite the Borough Council refusing the application (it was approved on appeal to the Secretary of State), and the last few houses have recently been completed.

Geology

Markfield rests on Precambrian volcanic and sedimentary rocks, and the rare mineral diorite is sometimes called markfieldite because it is found in the village.^[6]

Sport

The Markfield Greyhound and Whippet Track was opened for greyhound racing on 3 January 1931 by the Old Coach & Horses Inn on Leicester Road. The racing was independent (not affiliated to the sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club) and was known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks.^[7] Distances were 330 and 500 yards but the track only survived one year.^[8]

Related Research Articles

Hinckley and Bosworth is a local government district with borough status in Leicestershire, England. The council is based in Hinckley, the largest town. The borough also includes the town of Earl Shilton and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The Bosworth in the borough's name refers to the small market town of Market Bosworth, near which the Battle of Bosworth Field was fought in 1485.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenfield, Leicestershire</span> Human settlement in England

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Charnwood Forest is a hilly tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, bounded by Leicester, Loughborough and Coalville. The area is undulating, rocky and picturesque, with barren areas. It also has some extensive tracts of woodland; its elevation is generally 600 feet (180 m) and upwards, the area exceeding this height being about 6,100 acres (25 km²). The highest point, Bardon Hill, is 912 feet (278 m). On its western flank lies an abandoned coalfield, with Coalville and other former mining villages, now being regenerated and replanted as part of the National Forest. The M1 motorway, between junctions 22 and 23, cuts through Charnwood Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Groby</span> Human settlement in England

Groby is a village in the Hinckley and Bosworth borough Leicestershire, England. It is to the north west of Leicester. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 6,796.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bosworth (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliament constituency in England since 1885

Bosworth is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Luke Evans, a Conservative.

Newtown Linford is a linear village in Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish was 1,000 at the 2001 census, including Ulverscroft, increasing to 1,103 at the 2011 census.

Bardon Hill is the highest Hill in Leicestershire and on a clear day the Malvern and Shropshire Hills, summits in Derbyshire and Lincoln Cathedral can be seen. However, the Sugar Loaf in South Wales, sometimes cited as visible from Bardon, cannot be seen, being over 90 miles (140 km) away.

Stoney Stanton is a large village in the Blaby district of Leicestershire, England with a population of over 3,454 in 2001, increasing to 3,793 at the 2011 census. It constitutes a civil parish. The village lies five miles east of Hinckley, just to the east of the M69. Nearby villages include Croft and Sapcote. It is ten miles from Leicester. As may be gathered from its name it is set on rocky outcrops of igneous rock, granodiorite, a fact which has had its influence on its history. Even in the eighteenth century, Parish records show that gravel and stone were being removed from Carey Hill in the centre of the village. That would later, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries be quarried for its valuable stone, along with Lanes Hill, Clint Hill, and Hall's Court. Carey Hill and Hall's Court quarries were later filled in, but Clint Hill remains, a relic of the village's industrial heritage, now filled with water and a haven for wild-life.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Newbold Verdon</span> Human settlement in England

Newbold Verdon is a village and civil parish in the county of Leicestershire, England. The parish includes Newbold Heath to the north and Brascote to the south. Originally an agricultural centre Newbold Verdon grew in size during the 1850s with the expansion of coal mining in the area. That industry has now ceased leaving Newbold Verdon as a commuter village primarily serving Leicester and Hinckley. The 2001 census recorded a population of 3,193, which had reduced to 3,012 at the 2011 census.

Field Head is a small settlement along the A511 on the edge of the Charnwood Forest in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England. It is mainly a ribbon development along the A511 from the top of Bradgate Hill to the Coach and Horses public house. However, in the 1960s development of an area South of the A511 effectively doubled the size of the settlement. It is part of the civil parish of Groby. The population is included in the civil parish of Ratby.

Stoke Golding is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, close to the county border with Warwickshire. According to the 2001 census, the total population was 1,721 in just over 700 houses. The population at the 2011 census was 1,684 in 723 households. The village is 16 miles (26 km) from the city of Leicester, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Hinckley and 4 miles (6.4 km) from Fenny Drayton. The village is bordered on one side by the Ashby Canal, well-used for recreational purposes.

Bardon is a civil parish and former village in North West Leicestershire about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of the centre of Coalville. The parish includes Bardon Hill, which at 912 feet (278 m) above sea level is the highest point in Leicestershire. With the population remaining less than 100, information from the 2011 census was included in the civil parish of Ellistown and Battleflat.

Stanton-under-Bardon is a village and civil parish about 4 miles (6.4 km) southeast of Coalville, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in Leicestershire, England. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 634.

Sheepy is a civil parish in the Borough of Hinckley and Bosworth in Leicestershire, England. It contains the villages of Sheepy Magna, Sheepy Parva, Sibson, Wellsborough, Upton, Pinwall and Cross Hands—collectively 449 homes. At the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 1,192, including Orton on the Hill but falling slightly to 1,174 at the 2011 census.

South Charnwood High School is a mixed secondary school located between the villages of Markfield and Thornton in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire. The school was established in 1935 thus various additions to the school have been made since. The current headmaster is Mr Simon Andrews.

Cliffe Hill Quarry is a 19.2 hectares geological Site of Special Scientific Interest on the western outskirts of Markfield in Leicestershire. It is a Geological Conservation Review site.

Mid Leicestershire is a proposed constituency of the House of Commons in the UK Parliament. Further to the completion of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies, enacted by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023, it will first be contested at the next general election.

References

1 2 "Census 2011 Markfield, Stanton and Fieldhead". UK Census Data. 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
↑ "GENUKI Gazetteer:Markfield". GENUKI. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
↑ "Markfield Conservation Area:overview". Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
1 2 "Open doomsday:Markfield". dmesdaymap.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
↑ "Church of St Michael, Markfield". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2014.
↑ "Cliffe Hill Quarry citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
↑ Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, page 419. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.
↑ "Markfield". Greyhound Racing Times.

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[pop-1] 1 2 "Census 2011 Markfield, Stanton and Fieldhead". UK Census Data. 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2014.

[2] "GENUKI Gazetteer:Markfield". GENUKI. Retrieved 6 January 2016.

[conserv-3] "Markfield Conservation Area:overview". Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council. 22 October 2012. Retrieved 16 July 2014.

[doom-4] 1 2 "Open doomsday:Markfield". dmesdaymap.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 16 July 2014.

[5] "Church of St Michael, Markfield". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 16 July 2014.

[6] "Cliffe Hill Quarry citation" (PDF). Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Natural England. Retrieved 31 December 2017.

[7] Barnes, Julia (1988). Daily Mirror Greyhound Fact File, page 419. Ringpress Books. ISBN 0-948955-15-5.

[8] "Markfield". Greyhound Racing Times.

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