103-524: Ellistown is a village about 2 miles (3 km) south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire , England . It is named after Colonel Joseph Joel Ellis who died in 1885. The population from the 2011 census was included in the civil parish of Ellistown and Battleflat . The village has a community primary school , two village shops and a hairdressing salon. A working men's club , Ellistown F.C. football club and five play parks. Ellistown
206-555: A competitor. The acquisition was ratified by Parliament on 27 July 1846. The Midland began working the L&;SR on 1 January 1847. As well as controlling the north-south main line through Leicester (the "Midland Main Line") the Midland Railway also had the former Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway , which ran south-west to north east through Burton; the two routes formed an inverted V, with
309-525: A considerable number of other schemes, at a shareholders’ meeting in May 1846. The cost was to be £461,000. This was a formality, for the necessary Act was passed on 3 August 1846. (The following year an amending Act was passed.) The Midland’s plan therefore was to build to Burton from a junction with the L&SR at Long Lane (which later became known as Coalville ), joining the LS&;R there. In addition it would build
412-486: A drift mine was installed on the site, although that too closed in 1966.In any case the Bretby Colliery branch closed on 1 June 1963, although the branch was used until August 1968 for wagon storage. Both the Midland Railway and the rival London and North Western Railway sought to open a line to connect the coalmining district south of Ashby. After some skirmishes, they agreed to construct a line jointly, and it became
515-445: A factory making concrete pipes. The South Leicestershire Colliery closed in 1989, the site of the colliery is now a small industrial estate. Between late 1999 to mid-2012 Ellistown expanded significantly with the addition of new housing estates on its eastern side between Whitehill Road and Beveridge Lane. Recently the parish council has introduced a gala day that is held every August on South Street park. Coalville Coalville
618-461: A fine grade of fireclay as well as brickmaking and pottery clay and other materials. For many years the Swadlincote area had been a centre of extraction of these minerals, and of manufacturing from them. The line from Leicester to Burton did not pass directly through Swadlincote, but the authorising Act of Parliament, the Midland Railway (Leicester and Swannington Alteration) Act of 3 August 1846, for
721-487: A goods depot. There remained a short gap between the new Woodville station (which was a terminus served from the north-east) and the old line to the original station, and powers were obtained to build a line closing the gap on 17 June 1878; construction was rather delayed and the section opened to all traffic on 1 September 1884. In the early 1960s, a large marshalling yard was built a short distance from Swadlincote Junction, when Cadley Hill Colliery, dating from 1860,
824-626: A granite quarry at Bardon Hill appeared in 1622, in William Burton's "Description of Leicestershire". TEREX Pegson Limited is a UK manufacturer of mobile crushing machines, and is part of the Terex Corporation. Pegson is headquartered in Coalville, with a distribution centre for North America in Louisville , Kentucky. The manufacturing plant has been located for many years on Mammoth Street, off
927-476: A huge demand for coal and other materials, but there were limitations due to poor transport links from collieries. In fact the Nottinghamshire coalfield supplied much of the demand, transporting the minerals by canal and river. The collieries of West Leicestershire were nearer but lacked an efficient transport medium, relying on animal power on inadequate roads. The coalowners and other business interests built
1030-537: A large operational subsidy, the scheme was dropped, prompting outcry from proponents. In the 2011 census, the electoral ward of Coalville had 5988 inhabitants with religious affiliation as follows: 60.1% Christian, 32.4% No religion, 0.6% Hindu, 0.3% Buddhist, 0.2% Muslim, 0.1% Agnostic, 0.1% Sikh. The town has a rich and diverse history of Christian places of worship. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, numerous non-conformist chapels were established, some of which gave rise to break-away factions. Following
1133-466: A line from near Desford to the main line at Knighton , south of Leicester. The portion of the L&SR incorporated into this route was between Long Lane and Desford, and it included one of the rope-worked inclines on a 1 in 29 gradient. This was hardly practicable for a through main line route, and the Midland arranged to by-pass the incline. This was achieved by building a new double-track alignment alongside
SECTION 10
#17328584697861236-521: A local shop in Coalville owned by the Bloor family. By the 1960s the factory had begun to distribute its products nationally. The factory became known locally as "Piggy Bloor's". The Belvoir name was replaced by Tulip in 2003. In 2023 the factory was closed down and its future is not known. Numerous business parks and industrial estates have been established in and around Coalville following the decline of coal-mining and allied industries. Calder Colours, based on
1339-525: A member of the prominent Ellis family of Leicester, and there has been confusion about this. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway absorbed all the local railways in the 1923 grouping . In 1931 the LMS withdrew passenger services from the Ashby and Nuneaton and Charnwood Forest lines and closed Hugglescote station. Nationalisation in 1948 made the lines part of British Railways , which withdrew freight services from
1442-513: A north-easterly direction, for a distance of 2 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles. The Midland Railway opened the line on 1 October 1868. Connections off the branch were Bretby No.3 (or Stanton) pit and Lakes Brickyard, Klondyke Brickyard and Bretby Coal Wharf. A wooden platform was erected at the extremity for the benefit of the Earl of Carnarvon , whose seat was at Bretby Hall . Bretby Colliery closed in July 1960, but
1545-462: A plain and routine example of Early English style revival, comprising nave, transepts, chancel and western tower. The nave is fairly unusual in that its north and south aisles are not separated from the nave by arcades. The tower contains four bells, played on a clavier and has embattled parapets; access to the church is via the main west door, located in the ground floor stage of the tower. The local historian, Edgar Hawthorn, claims that construction of
1648-404: A result of an underground fire, though the etched metal plaque commemorating this terrible calamity has (of 2014) been removed from the large granite memorial boulder. The Leicester and Swannington Railway – Leicestershire's first railway – opened in 1832, reaching Coalville in 1833, and had a small station at Long Lane (now High Street) in Coalville. Snibston Colliery opened in 1833. The railway
1751-399: A simple extension from Swadlincote to reach the existing Woodville station was impractical, so the extension was built in a wide sweep to the north-east of Woodville. New stations were built at Woodville and Swadlincote, and two tunnels were required on the line. It was opened to goods traffic on 12 April 1880, and to passenger services on 1 May 1883. The old Woodville station remained in use as
1854-557: A single house on either side of the way" until arriving at the Hoo Ash turnpike. Then, looking toward Hugglescote (down a track that is now Belvoir Road), "we see a magnificently timbered lane without a single house, with the exception of White Leys Farm and the Gate Inn on the Ashby Turnpike". In the direction of Bardon, there were no houses until arriving at a group of five or six cottages on
1957-476: A society of Strict Baptists built a chapel known as "Cave Adullam" on the opposite side of the road to the General Baptist Chapel on London Road. According to local writer, Elizabeth Hewes, this was erected by William Stenson – the founder of Whitwick Colliery – who was a staunch baptist, as a more "select place of worship" for himself and his wife. Stenson lived just a very short distance away, also on
2060-516: Is a report in the Leicester Chronicle of 16 November 1833: 'Owing to the traffic which has been produced by the Railway and New Collieries on Whitwick Waste, land which 20 years ago would not have fetched £20 per acre (£50 per hectare), is now selling in lots at from £400 to £500 per acre (£1,000 to £1,200 per hectare), for building upon. The high chimneys, and numerous erections upon the spot, give
2163-656: Is a town in the district of North West Leicestershire , Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. In 2011, it had a population of 34,575. It lies on the A511 between Leicester and Burton upon Trent , close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Leicester. It borders the upland area of Charnwood Forest to the east of the town. Coalville
SECTION 20
#17328584697862266-490: Is an ancient parish church set in a rural location close to Coalville. The church building is notable for being very small, no longer than twenty-four feet, comprising a nave and chancel in one. The fabric is mainly medieval, though the current lancet windows were installed in 1847. The foundations of a tower were discovered in 1930. Until a Coalville parish (the Christ Church parish) was created, Snibston parish covered much of
2369-587: Is just within the eastern boundary of the National Forest . Ellistown is named after Colonel Joseph Joel Ellis of London, but its history predates him. From the 14th century it was in the hundred of Sparkenhoe and parish of Ibstock . Ecclesiastically the area was part of the Diocese of Peterborough from the English Reformation until 1926, when it became part of the new Diocese of Leicester . The village
2472-572: Is now part of a combined benefice with the parishes of Hugglescote and Snibston . At the same time the Methodists were having a chapel built by the original Ellistown Terraces and the Wesleyans had theirs built opposite what came to be known as White Hill Farm. Both of these chapels have since been demolished, the Wesleyan Chapel was replaced by newer housing. The New Ellistown Hotel was formerly
2575-476: Is twinned with Romans-sur-Isère in southeastern France. Coalville is a product of the Industrial Revolution . As its name indicates, it is a former coal mining town and was a centre of the coal-mining district of north Leicestershire. It has been suggested that the name may derive from the name of the house belonging to the founder of Whitwick Colliery : 'Coalville House'. However, conclusive evidence
2678-526: The Care Bears . The company was founded by Alfred Edward Pallett in 1909 to produce celluloid and fancy goods. Their first toy was in 1920 and the first doll in 1925. The Palitoy site was closed in 1994. Aggregate Industries has its headquarters at Bardon Hill Quarry and is one of the five largest construction material suppliers in the UK. The company was originally established in 1858, though an early reference to
2781-528: The Midland Counties Railway and the North Midland Railway ); they had formerly been in competitive opposition, but now under their chairman George Hudson , they were collectively able to consider expansion. Hudson was a very dynamic individual, and his methods were dubious, in fact eventually leading to disgrace. At this stage he saw that monopolistic possession and retention of a large area
2884-517: The Skylink bus service to East Midlands Airport and Nottingham . The nearest passenger railway station is Loughborough , about 8 miles (13 kilometres) northeast of Coalville. There have been calls to reinstate passenger services through the town on the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line . However, following Leicestershire County Council 's 2009 report citing construction costs of £50 million and
2987-717: The Snibston Colliery . There is a memorial to the fallen of the parish of both World War I and II in the Lady Chapel. This is in the form of a reredos behind the chapel altar. In 1859, an Act of Parliament decreed that 'for the protection of the public health', no further burials should take place in the church yard, 'with the exception of the part of the ground on the south of the church, in which no burial shall take place, except in brick graves, in which each coffin shall be separately entombed in an air-tight manner'. The same legislation also ordered that 'burials be wholly discontinued in
3090-590: The United Kingdom (named BHX2). Reportedly occupying an area equivalent to 19 football fields, the centre employs hundreds of citizens in the Leicestershire region and is operational twenty four hours a day. Arriva Midlands are the main operator for services from Coalville. Its buses operate to Leicester , Loughborough and Swadlincote . Roberts Travel Group operate service 159 to Hinckley and 125 to Leicester and Castle Donington . Trent Barton operate
3193-430: The turnpikes , and then on to Leicester via Aylestone . The Slip Inn on Whitehill Road near where the first pit was sunk was a favoured stopping point for the pony trains. John Curtis in his account of the county in 1831 mentions Pickering's Grange as a hamlet in the parish of Ibstock. The Leicester and Swannington Railway opened in 1832. It passed less than 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Ellistown and its nearest station
Ellistown - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-565: The 19th century, while that now called Pickering Grange seemed to extend to the crossroads where the Hugglescote to Bagworth pony track crossed Beverley's Lane. The manorial history is shown in detail in John Nichols ' History of the County of Leicester , Volume IV and by John Curtis 30 years later. The site of the medieval grange house is almost 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Ellistown village. It
3399-478: The Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway. It was opened in 1873 from a triangular junction near Moira to Nuneaton, with a branch from Coalville to Shackerstone . Passenger train services were withdrawn in 1931 and, except for a short stub, the line closed entirely in 1971. A line from Derby to Ashby had been authorised on 5 July 1865; construction was from the Derby end and reached Worthington in 1869. Completion to Ashby
3502-600: The Charnwood Forest line in 1963 and from the Ashby and Nuneaton line in 1971. In 1964 BR withdrew passenger services from the Leicester to Burton line and closed Bagworth and Ellistown station. Around 1975 BR realigned the Ashby and Nuneaton trackbed; from running through the former Hugglescote station to having the embankment to the north of rebuilt to run into the South Leicestershire Colliery only to serve
3605-594: The Coalfield Farm rapid loader facility. This was fed from the Sence Valley opencast colliery via a conveyor belt system. Trains could access the facility from Coalville Junction. Coalfields Farm closed in the mid 1990s. Most British collieries were nationalised in 1947 . On 16 May 1952 a notice of a meeting for the winding up of the Ellistown Colliery Company Limited was published. The site is now
3708-686: The Coalville 150 Group and the Coalville Historical Society and in 2006, these two groups amalgamated to form the Coalville Heritage Society. Coal has been mined in the area since the medieval period, a heritage also traceable in the place name Coleorton , and examples of mine workings from these times can be found on the Hough Mill site at Swannington near the Califat Colliery site. A life-sized horse gin has been built on
3811-537: The Coalville Business Park, are manufacturers of art and craft materials. In 2014 this company produced the hundreds of litres of red top coat and terracotta base coat paint for the commemorative art installation at the Tower of London entitled Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red , marking the centenary of the outbreak of World War I . In October 2016, Amazon opened in Coalville its biggest fulfilment Centre in
3914-448: The Crown which then sold or let them. Swinfen Grange was let to a John Pykeringe in 1531 for £7 per year. At this point the name seems to have changed to "Pykeringe Grange" after its first lay tenant, although there is some evidence that for some times the names Swinfen Grange and Pykeringe Grange may both have been used. The area that became Ellistown was called Swinfen Rushes at the start of
4017-469: The Ebeneezer Baptist Church on Ashby Road, which was completed in 1881. Whilst the church was being built, services were conducted in an old wagon repair shop. Structural alterations and additions were made to the building in 1908 and instead of two entrances to the church, one main entrance was made, as it is today. The church once played a prominent part in the musical life of the town, and it
4120-556: The General Baptist Chapel Burial-ground', which was located just a short distance away from the church, near the present day council offices. The small churchyard contains the grave of Amos Clarke, who, although blind from the age of eight days, was organist at Christ Church for some fifty years. Following his death in 1930, he was buried on the south side of the church as near to the organ as possible – at his own request. The longest serving vicar of Christ Church
4223-503: The Hough Mill site and craters can be seen in the ground, where the medieval villagers dug out their allocation of coal. The seam is at ground level in Swannington, but gradually gets deeper between Swannington and the deepest reserves at Bagworth ; consequently, it was not until mining technology advanced that shafts were sunk in the district now known as Coalville, beginning with Whitwick in 1824 and at Snibston in 1831. Deep coal mining
Ellistown - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-484: The L&SR on 1 January 1847, and constructed the through Leicester to Burton line, using part of the L&SR. The former L&SR continued in use, and there was a new junction at Desford, and another at Swannington Junction, near present-day Coalville, to serve the respective extremities of the old L&SR. The original L&SR facilities at Leicester continued in use as the West Bridge branch. The West Bridge terminus
4429-460: The Leicester and Swannington Railway, opening it in 1832. This was a remarkable enterprise when few other railways existed in the country. The line included a tunnel just over a mile in length, and two rope-worked inclined planes because of the difficult terrain. The Midland Railway was formed in 1844 by the amalgamation of three separate railway companies (the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway ,
4532-533: The Leicester to Burton line in September 1964, but it remains open for goods traffic. After 1993 there was a plan to restore passenger trains on the Leicester-Burton line through Coalville as an extension of Leicestershire 's Ivanhoe Line . In 2013 a passenger train made a very rare pass through because of a cut off elsewhere and in the same year, a group known as 'The Campaign for Better Transport' petitioned for
4635-410: The Leicester to Burton line was constructed, to a place named Wooden Box, opening by September 1851. The junction on the main line was called Wooden Box Junction at first. The branch had been authorised by the Midland Railway (Burton-upon-Trent to Nuneaton Act) of 16 July 1846. The line was closed on 1 October 1856, bit it reopened, still to goods traffic only, on 1 April 1859. The station and branch (and
4738-620: The London Road, on a site which is today marked by a brass plaque. The local historian, Dennis Baker does not mention Stenson's involvement with this chapel, attributing its formation to a break-away movement from the General Baptist chapel as a result of doctrinal differences. Stenson was undoubtedly a pioneer of the Baptist mission in Coalville however, and his grave can be found in the old Baptist cemetery off Grange Road, Hugglescote. This chapel
4841-465: The Midland opened an extension from Coalville Town to Burton-on-Trent , which made the line through Bagworth and Ellistown part of its Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line . In 1873 the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway opened. It had a branch from Shackerstone through Hugglescote to Coalville Town, and Hugglescote railway station was only 0.5 miles (800 m) north of the centre of Ellistown. Just to
4944-658: The South Leicester Hotel. It stands on the land of the original White Hill Farm. Deeds for White Hill Farm from 1784 show the farm's site running from the crossroads along Ibstock Road to the end of the present village. The pub closed in 2010's and remained shut for some time before being transformed into a mini market shop around 2017. The first private houses on White Hill Road were built in 1877. Both pits prospered and Ibstock and Midland Roads were developed for more housing. The terraces on Kendal and Cumberland Roads were built 1895–1900. Once White Hill Road had been developed
5047-487: The Whitwick Road and the company is able to trace its origins to the company of Samuel Pegg and Son, which was originally set up on Alexander Street, Leicester in 1830, when its main concern was connected with hosiery machinery. Tulip Foods (formerly Belvoir Bacon) on Mantle Lane was incorporated as a limited company on 1 July 1954, having started about twenty years previously, as a slaughterhouse supplying pork products to
5150-416: The advent of deep coal mining. Despite its emergence as one of the largest towns in Leicestershire, Coalville's history was not well documented until the establishment of historical societies in the 1980s, though some information had been put on record by a few independent local historians. In more recent years, a wealth of material charting the town's history has been published through the combined efforts of
5253-419: The apex at Derby. George Hudson determined to build a line from Leicester to Burton, using part of the Leicester and Swannington line as an element of the route. As well as providing a useful connection, the line would connect several important colliery locations along its route. At the time, the L&SR network was not connected to any other part of the railway network. Hudson put this to shareholders, along with
SECTION 50
#17328584697865356-468: The area straddled the four parishes or townships of Whitwick , Hugglescote and Donington , Snibston and Swannington . The parish of Whitwick was made a local government district in 1864, which therefore had authority over the north-eastern parts of Coalville which lay within that parish. In 1892 the Whitwick local government district was abolished and replaced by a larger Coalville district, covering
5459-408: The area, and generally, was minerals. The new line passed through an area already active in mineral extraction and industry, and from the outset and throughout the following years, a number of connections to these sites were established. The primary connections at the outset were at Burton, with the Leicester and Swannington Railway, and at Leicester with the main line. The first connection at Burton
5562-490: The building was occupied by "Kemp's grocery store". The stone plaque, bearing the name, "Cave Adullam" can still be seen set above the frontage; this term has its origins in the Bible (I Samuel, 22:I). In 1879, further doctrinal differences led to 149 members of the General Baptist Chapel being erased from their communion. Seventy three of these individuals then formed themselves into a Particular Baptist Chapel and went on to build
5665-466: The church was funded by George Stephenson, though this assertion has been called into question by more recent historians. The tower contained a single bell until 1936, when a further three bells were presented by Dr Francis E. Knowles of America. Dr Knowles had ordered these bells from the foundry of John Taylor at Loughborough, but in the meantime, the church in America was destroyed by a tornado. Through
5768-412: The corner of what is now Whitwick Road and Hotel Street, and in the direction of Whitwick (the modern day Mantle Lane) there was nothing apart from a smithy and a carpenter's shop, and the houses of these tradesmen. These would have stood on the site of what is now The Springboard Centre (formerly Stablefords wagon works). From this wilderness emerged the modern town of Coalville, on a rapid scale, following
5871-508: The decline in the membership of traditional non-conformist societies, the town has seen the establishment of numerous evangelical free churches in more recent years. An official town guide, produced by the Coalville Urban District Council, circa 1968, has proved to be a useful source in chronicling the development and histories of early religious groups. The Anglican, Evangelical, Roman Catholic and 'non-conformist' churches in
5974-439: The district co-operate in an ecumenical alliance known as Coalville Christian Church Unity. The Jehovah's Witnesses and Spiritualist Church in the town are unconnected with this movement. Coalville was in earlier times divided between the parishes of Snibston and Whitwick. The parish of Christ Church, Coalville, was established in the mid-19th century. Since 1926 Coalville has been in the Diocese of Leicester ; from 1539 to 1926 it
6077-690: The early 1830s, and Stephenson was also responsible for the creation of the Leicester and Swannington Railway at the same time. Quarrying , textile and engineering industries, such as railway wagon production, also grew in the town during the 19th century. Stenson is sometimes described as 'the Father of Coalville'. Coal-mining came to an end in Coalville during the 1980s. Six collieries – Snibston, Desford, Whitwick, Ellistown, South Leicester and Bagworth – closed in and around Coalville in an eight-year period from 1983 to 1991, resulting in about five thousand men being made redundant. The disused colliery at Snibston
6180-557: The freight track to be upgraded to mark the 50th anniversary of the network cuts introduced by Dr Beeching . The Leicester to Burton track was one of ten lines that this group called to be re-opened, with a proposal for it to be renamed the National Forest line. However, a spokesman for the County Council said, "We have been unable to reintroduce Leicester to Burton passenger trains because the costs of about £50 million to upgrade
6283-602: The influence of the then vicar, the Reverend W. A. J. Martyr, Dr Knowles (originally of Melbourne in Derbyshire) was persuaded to present them to Christ Church, Coalville. The church houses a brass memorial plaque to the victims of the Whitwick Colliery Disaster (1898) and the gravestone of James Stephenson, who came here through the influence of his brother, George Stephenson , the engineer, to work as an official at
SECTION 60
#17328584697866386-614: The junction on which it had stood was still referred to as 'Chapel Corner'. Following the chapel's closure, the congregation transferred to a new premises at Greenhill known as the Charnborough Road Baptist Church, which was registered for solemnising marriages on 15 March 1955. This church is still in use and is now known as the Greenhill Community Church, being affiliated to the Baptist Union. In 1852,
6489-501: The lane leading to it, South Street. The colliery was linked to the Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway . In 1881 the Church of England built a day school which also served as a mission church. The Church of England parish church of Saint Christopher was built in 1895–96 from local brick, with Gothic Revival windows in a Perpendicular style. The foundation stone was laid in October 1895 by
6592-414: The line allowed for the construction of a Swadlincote branch line. It was a simple branch line about two miles long, and it opened to goods and mineral traffic on 2 October 1848, and to passengers on 1 July 1851. The branch soon closed for a period during 1853, but reopened to goods traffic later that year. Passenger services were introduced on 1 June 1864. A little further east, another branch from
6695-407: The line was discontinued in 1964, and much of the mining-based industry has closed down; quarrying is the dominant residual originating traffic. There are proposals to reopen the passenger service, and these are under review at present (2022). In the late eighteenth century and the early nineteenth century, Leicester was the dominant industrial location in the region. Its commercial activity generated
6798-412: The main line junction) were renamed Woodville on 1 October 1868. This line closed on 1 October 1856, but it reopened on 1 April 1859, this time with a passenger service. In the 1870s it was realised that the Swadlincote branch could usefully be extended to a new station at Woodville. This was authorised by the Midland Railway (Additional Powers) Act of 29 June 1875. The topography of the terrain made
6901-418: The neighbourhood quite an improved appearance. We hear it is intended to call this new colony "COALVILLE" - an appropriate name.' In the early nineteenth century, the area now known as Coalville was little more than a track known as Long Lane, which ran approximately east–west, stretching between two turnpikes , Bardon and Hoo Ash. Long Lane divided the parishes of Swannington and Whitwick (both lying to
7004-582: The north of Hugglescote a junction was added in 1883, when the Charnwood Forest Railway opened from here to Loughborough Derby Road . Also directly to the north of Hugglescote station a branch ran into South Leicester Colliery. On their arrival the Ellis family took over the Inn converting it into their servants' quarters and adding accommodation for themselves as well as stables and a carriage house. Around here
7107-452: The north of Long Lane) from the parishes of Snibston and Ibstock (both lying to the south). Hugglescote and Donington-le-Heath were part of Ibstock parish until 1878. A north-south track or lane stretching from Whitwick to Hugglescote crossed Long Lane, at the point where the clock tower war memorial now stands. This track or lane is now Mantle Lane and Belvoir Road. The Red House, an eighteenth-century building, close to this cross-roads,
7210-412: The north, a reduced Hugglescote and Donington parish in the south, and a new Coalville parish in the centre. These three were urban parishes and so did not have parish councils of their own but were instead directly administered by the Coalville Urban District Council. In 1936 Thringstone was absorbed into the urban district, alongside boundary changes with other neighbouring parishes. At the same time
7313-425: The old urban district, being Ellistown and Battleflat in 2002 and Hugglescote and Donington le Heath and Whitwick , both created in 2011. Thringstone and the central part of Coalville remain unparished. The old Municipal Offices were extended to become the headquarters of North West Leicestershire District Council, and were renamed Stenson House after Coalville's founder, William Stenson, whose house had stood on
7416-415: The original, taking a longer distance on easier gradients to achieve the climb. This was done and the new line opened throughout, after certain construction difficulties, on 1 August 1849. The opening of the line was a huge boost to the Leicestershire collieries, which were able to send their coal cheaply to all parts. Thus was a very severe blow to the canals. The dominant traffic of the Midland Railway in
7519-492: The parishes within the urban district were merged into a single parish of Coalville. The urban district council built itself a headquarters called Municipal Offices on London Road in 1934, designed by Herbert Langman. Coalville Urban District was abolished in 1974, becoming part of the new district of North West Leicestershire. No successor parish was created for the former urban district, and so it became an unparished area . New parishes have since been created from parts of
7622-534: The quarries at Stud Farm. There have been numerous proposals to reopen the line to passenger trains between Leicester and Burton. A complication is that the northward spur at Knighton Junction, where trains would turn north towards Leicester, has been dismantled, after 6 August 1967, and built over. The line's remaining connection with the Leicester Main Line is at Knighton South Junction, which faces southwards, away from Leicester. Trains between Leicester and
7725-408: The route and £4 million per year to operate services do not represent good value for money." There are two tiers of local government covering Coalville, at district and county level: North West Leicestershire District Council and Leicestershire County Council . The district council meets at Stenson House on London Road in Coalville. When the development of Coalville began in the 19th century,
7828-497: The site. Since 2012, the building has also served as the town's register office . Within thirty years of the town's birth as a result of the collieries, many additional industries became established within the town, such as flour milling, brick making, engineering and the manufacture of elastic web. During the twentieth century, Coalville was home to Palitoy , a toy manufacturer that made Action Man , Action Force , Tiny Tears , Pippa , Tressy , Merlin , Star Wars figures and
7931-405: The south-westerly part of the area that is now Coalville. St David's (Church of England, founded in 1933) is in a northerly suburb of Coalville. The present building was built in the 1960s. There were, at one time, three different Baptist churches within the town of Coalville – belonging to General Baptists , Strict Baptists and Particular Baptists . The General Baptist chapel in Coalville
8034-505: The two separate areas of White Hill and Ellistown became one, and this was called Ellistown. After Colonel Ellis died, the colliery, brickworks and estate were carried on by trustees under Orders of the Court of Chancery until 1936. In 1936 the colliery and brickworks were separated into two companies. Ellistown Brick and Pipe Company closed before the Second World War. Colonel Ellis was not
8137-421: The whole parish of Whitwick and parts of the neighbouring parishes of Hugglescote and Donington, Ravenstone with Snibston and Swannington. Such local government districts were reconstituted as urban districts in 1894. Also in 1894, the parishes in the area were reorganised to stop parishes straddling district boundaries, after which there were three parishes in the urban district: a reduced Whitwick parish to
8240-624: The wife of Mandell Creighton , Bishop of Peterborough , and the Bishop consecrated the church on 25 April 1896. It was built of Ellistown Red Tapped bricks from the Ellistown Brick and Pipe Company. The Rev. Mr. Terry was made the first vicar of the Parish. In 1911 a vicarage was built next to the church for the Rev. Mr. Boothby: before this Broughton Villa on Whitehill Road served as the vicarage. St. Christopher's
8343-421: Was at Bardon Hill just over a mile northeast of the village. The Midland Railway took over the line in 1845, and a few years later realigned the railway between Merry Lees and Bardon Hill to avoid the 1 in 29 Bagworth Incline. The new alignment was slightly west of the old route, and the Midland opened a new Bagworth and Ellistown railway station at Bagworth 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Ellistown. In 1849
8446-510: Was built by the Midland Railway , which had acquired the Leicester and Swannington Railway in 1847, improving it and extending it. It opened throughout in 1849. The line connected an exceptional number of collieries and industrial premises, and several industrial branch lines were built radiating from it. Swadlincote was already an established community engaged in industry and there was a complex of branch lines there. The passenger service on
8549-583: Was built on land provided by the Whitwick Colliery Company and occupied a site close to the present day council offices, at the junction of London Road and Whitwick Road. This church, which became known as the London Road Baptist Chapel, became the first permanent place of worship in Coalville when services began in 1836. Built at a cost of £560, the chapel had 600 sittings and a Sunday School attached. For many years after its demolition,
8652-477: Was closed from Ashby to Lount in 1945, although sections nearer Derby lasted longer. A technologically advanced coal-fired power station was commissioned in 1955 at Drakelow, in the grounds of the former Drakelow Hall, not far from Burton. The site was much extended, and the location adjacent to the Leicester to Burton line enabled the delivery of large volumes of coal by rail, and extensive rail facilities were installed to streamline unloading. The power station
8755-421: Was considered disgraceful for many years, and on 13 March 1893 it was replaced by a passenger station on a slightly different site. Passenger services were withdrawn on 24 September 1928 and freight on 2 May 1966. The short extremity at Swannington including the incline closed on 14 November 1947. The area immediately to the east of the junction at Burton was exceptionally rich in minerals, chiefly coal but also
8858-422: Was decommissioned in 2003. Most passenger trains were taken over by diesel units from 14 April 1958, taking about 66 minutes from Leicester to Burton. The passenger service from Leicester to Burton was withdrawn six years later, on 7 September 1964. The line carries no regular passenger service at present (2022). In 2022 a search in internet train running information showed regular timetabled stone trains from
8961-673: Was delayed until 1 January 1874, involving reconstruction of part of the Ticknall Tramway . The route was thinly populated and passenger traffic was discontinued on 22 September 1930. From 19 November 1939 to 31 December 1944 the War Department took over the part of the line south of Lount for railway training purposes as the Melbourne Military Railway . On returning the line to the London Midland and Scottish Railway , it
9064-563: Was developed for coal mining from the Victorian era . Around 1140 Swinfen Grange was one of two granges given by nobleman Robert Byrton to the Abbot of Garendon Abbey which was near what is now Shepshed . Swinfen was where the Abbot's bailiff lived and was only a small mud and wattle built settlement with three strip fields surrounded by Charnwood Forest . When the monasteries were dissolved for Henry VIII , Garendon Abbey surrendered its lands to
9167-415: Was extended to Burton upon Trent in 1845, placing Coalville on an important route between Burton and Leicester . Heavy coal traffic encouraged the construction of further railways linking Coalville to Nuneaton and, later, Loughborough , over the Charnwood Forest Railway . In the 20th century the railways to Nuneaton and Loughborough were closed and dismantled. Passenger services were withdrawn from
9270-678: Was here that the Snibston Colliery Miner's Welfare Silver Prize Band was formed. Congregationalism would appear to have been the first Protestant non-conformist religion active in the Coalville district. Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line The Leicester–Burton upon Trent line is a freight-only railway line in England linking the Midland Main Line near Leicester to the Derby to Birmingham line at Burton upon Trent . The line
9373-511: Was important to the companies he controlled. This led him to wish to repel an incursion into those areas by existing or new competing railway companies. The Leicester and Swannington company was under commercial pressure from other, competing railways and pits in the Erewash Valley and elsewhere, and it became known that it was susceptible to being purchased. Hudson arranged that the Midland Railway would purchase it, to forestall any incursion by
9476-399: Was in the Diocese of Peterborough . Coalville's parish church , Christ Church on London Road, was built between 1836 and 1838. The architect was H. I. Stevens of Derby . In 1853, a chancel was added, making the building cruciform, and the church was restored between 1894 and 1895. Vestries for the clergy and choir were erected on the north side of the chancel in 1936. The building is
9579-565: Was modernised. The colliery was one of the last in South Derbyshire to close in March 1988; paradoxically it was one of the last National Coal Board collieries to use steam as motive power. All the Swadlincote line passenger operations ceased on 6 October 1947. and the lines closed completely on 2 March 1964. To the west of the Swadlincote lines, the Bretby branch line ran from the main line in
9682-438: Was north facing, leading towards the station; the junction was named Leicester Junction. It was followed by a southward curve, known as Branston Curve, connecting with the main line at Branston Junction. The lines formed a triangle, and the eastern apex was named Birmingham Curve Junction. The Branston Curve was opened by 1 January 1863. At Leicester the line curved to a northward junction at Knighton Junction. An east to south spur
9785-428: Was one of very few buildings then standing. Samuel Fisher, writing his memoirs at the end of the nineteenth century, described what the area looked like in 1832. Standing close to the position of the present-day clock tower, Fisher describes how, on looking down Long Lane towards Ashby, "we see a large tract of waste on both sides of the road, still traceable, covered with gorse-bushes, blackberry brambles, etc., with not
9888-416: Was opened to goods traffic only on 15 February 1850, joining the main line at Knighton South Junction. The former Knighton Junction was renamed Knighton North Junction, and the western apex was named Saffron Lane Junction. The west-to-north curve at Knighton was closed in 1967. The Midland Railway had taken over the Leicester and Swannington Railway network by Act of 27 July 1846. The Midland began working
9991-399: Was originally a moated manor house . The western part of the present Pickering Grange Farmhouse on the site is 17th century or earlier; the eastern part is a 19th-century addition. The pony trains appear to have demised around 1810 with the coming of the canals and railways in the area. The pony trains brought coal from Ibstock Colliery, turning at the crossroads towards Bagworth to avoid
10094-479: Was pioneered by local engineer William Stenson who sank the Long Lane (Whitwick) Colliery on a relative's farm land in the 1820s. In doing so, Stenson ignored an old miner's dictum of the day, "No coal below stone", and sank his shaft through a layer of 'Greenstone' or 'Whinstone' to the coal below. This effectively opened up the 'concealed coalfield.' This was followed by the mine at Snibston, by George Stephenson in
10197-547: Was regenerated into Snibston Discovery Park but controversially closed in 2015 by Leicestershire County Council . The area formerly occupied by Whitwick Colliery has been redeveloped as the Whitwick Business Park and which incorporates a Morrison's supermarket . There is also a small memorial garden here, established in memory of 35 men who died in the Whitwick Colliery Disaster of 1898, which occurred as
10300-528: Was still flourishing in 1907, when it was redecorated, with "Strict Baptist" newly painted on the door. It was probably this chapel that was the one referred to as a "Calvinist chapel" in Kelly's Directory of 1881. Another source has it as a "Calvinistic" chapel. The building still exists and is now occupied by the Balti Tower Indian restaurant and an oriental food store. For many years after its closure, part of
10403-488: Was the Reverend William Gardner, who held the living for thirty-three years. The east window was installed as a memorial to Gardner, his wife and daughter. Due to the rapid growth of the town in the 19th century, a mission church known as "All Saints'" was erected on Ashby Road in 1895, on a site given by Messrs T. and J. Jones of Coalville. This was served by the clergy of the parish church. St Mary's, Snibston
10506-435: Was the beginning of modern Ellistown. All but one of these terraces have now been demolished. Towards the end of their history Ellistown West Terraces had a great deal of iron banding and brick supports attached to them to resist the effect of mining subsidence that prevails in this area. The South Leicestershire Coal Company opened its colliery in 1874 northeast of the crossroads. Like Ellis it built terraces for its workers on
10609-479: Was very little in the way of buildings at this time: Johnny Battram's cottage, two farms along Whitehill Lane and the railway spur that served Ibstock Colliery. Ellistown Colliery was sunk in 1873 and two years later was producing coal. It had a rail link to the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line. Colonel Ellis had two terraces of houses built on either side of the Bagworth to Hugglescote road to house employees and this
#785214