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120-710: Thringstone is a village in the North West Leicestershire district, in Leicestershire , England. About 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Coalville , it lies in the English National Forest . Until 1875, Thringstone had been a township within the ancient parish of Whitwick . The township of Thringstone, based on a feudal ( manorial ) division of land carved out during the Anglo-Saxon period, comprised Thringstone village (then known as South Thringstone) and

240-463: A 'Blaby Grey' and the stonework was provided by the local Whitwick Quarry. Until the early 19th century, the parish church remained the only place of worship in the village. Then, in the 1820s, the Baptists erected a small chapel on Pares Hill and a society of Wesleyan Methodists opened a chapel on North Street (extended 1879). From its foundation in 1823 until 1855, Whitwick Baptist Church remained

360-518: A 'Cabbage Street Wakes', of rather obscure origin, when cabbages were used to decorate the lampposts in Cademan Street. A popular affirmation is that the village of Whitwick contains three 'cities'. The City of Three Waters and the City of Dan are official postal addresses, situated respectively at the foot of Dumps Hill and Leicester Road. Over the years, there have been many contenders for the location of

480-479: A Methodist church was also built at the other end of Hall Lane in 1966, close to the Broom Leys cross-roads. It is noticeable that in more recent years, structural alterations have been carried out to this building to replace the original flat roof with a pitched one. Due to the residency at Grace Dieu Manor of a zealous and wealthy convert to Roman Catholicism, Ambrose de Lisle , Whitwick became an important centre of

600-658: A branch of the Hugglescote Church. In 1855, both the Whitwick and Coalville Baptist churches separated from Hugglescote and both churches were held under the pastorate of the Revd John Cholerton. A new Baptist church was built at Whitwick in 1861 at a cost of £318.10.0 by William Beckworth, a local builder, alongside the original chapel. By 1890, the minister was the Revd J. J. Berry. It is recorded that for his payment, he accepted

720-470: A community governance review and made an Order on 12 May 2010 to set up the new Parish Council. Whitwick Parish Council held its Inaugural Meeting on 18 May 2011. Mount St. Bernard Abbey , a Cistercian monastery was established in 1835 in the parish of Whitwick on the Charnwood Forest. The current monastery was designed by the famous architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin , best known for his work on

840-487: A cottage can be found at the foot of the Dumps. During the 18th century, framework knitting became an important cottage industry in the village, taking over from agriculture. As early as 1723/24, William Clark, son of William, was apprenticed to Joseph Howe. This apprenticeship was to run from Michaelmas 1723/24 for seven years. By the beginning of the 19th century, Leicestershire , Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire had become

960-458: A fragment of pre-Norman cross shaft would appear to be incorporated into the chancel wall, supporting the idea that a church may well have existed on this site in Anglo-Saxon times. However, there is no mention of a priest or church connected with Whitwick in the Domesday Survey, and in the absence of conclusive structural evidence beyond the thirteenth century, it is perhaps more likely that

1080-478: A hall and connecting corridor at the rear in 1975. The former Wesleyan chapel was occupied by a number of knitware companies before opening as The Chapel Fitness Centre in 1996. In August 2021 the Chapel closed for good and with the enclosed grounds was put up for sale In 1901 Charles Booth purchased an 18th-century farm house on The Green, known as 'Thringstone House', for the purpose of providing local inhabitants with

1200-519: A large influx of families from Scotland and north-east England into the village as a result of northern colliery transfers. This estate is characterised by its Caledonian road-names such as 'Melrose Road' and 'Elgin Walk' ('Shrewsbury Walk' is the anomaly, named in honour of Thringstone's longest serving vicar, who died in 1958). The Carterdale complex was also begun in the sixties and the Glebe Farm estate came in

1320-418: A level between the chancel and the nave due to the steepness of sloping ground at the east end. In the south exterior wall of the nave, close by the porch, there is a canopied recess, which according to tradition once contained a doorway leading to vaults beneath the south aisle. It is likely that this recess would once have contained a founder's tomb. From 1319 until its dissolution in 1536, Whitwick Church

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1440-563: A local landowner, Joseph Almond Cropper, as almshouses for the poor. Between the defeat of Harold in 1066 and the creation of the doomsday book in 1086, William the Conqueror faced a number of rebellions which culminated in a "scorched earth" policy attack on the north of England destroying homes, food stores and farms. This attack resulted in the deaths of thousands by starvation and the elements. One such rebellion happened at Nottingham. Witewic Castle would appear to have been created in response to

1560-608: A major venue for music festivals. The area has a long history of mineral extraction, with coal , brick clay, gravel and granite amongst the products. All the deep coal mines in the area have closed, but opencast mining still continues. The district is also home to part of the Battlefield Line and the Ibstock Brick . The neighbouring districts are Charnwood , Hinckley and Bosworth , North Warwickshire , Lichfield , South Derbyshire , Erewash and Rushcliffe . The district

1680-443: A meeting place for social, recreational and educational activity. This venture, which became known as the 'Thringstone House Club', proved so successful that in 1911 Booth engaged his cousin, the architect Harry Fletcher of London to add the imposing two-storeyed hall to the rear of the premises and founded The Thringstone Trust, a registered charity. The Trust deed states that the institute and its grounds shall be used in perpetuity for

1800-430: A mystery. (The nearby South Derbyshire village of Woodville has an old lane signposted as, simply, 'The City'). Equally obscure is the origin of the name 'Dumps Hill', a steep incline forming part of a staggered cross-roads at the northern end of the village. Many theories have been expounded to account for its origin, one being that the houses built on the righthand side after the old railway bridge were constructed on

1920-415: A piped outlet protruding from a stone wall at the east end of the churchyard. This spring is said to have been used during the 19th century as means of powering the bellows of the church organ. It is possible that this site was regarded as sacred in pre-Christian times, thereby influencing the choice of location for the church. It was also conjectured by the local historian, George Green of Loughborough , that

2040-430: A reference to the outcrop of white sandstone found here. It was listed amongst the lands given to Hugh de Grandmesnil by King William I . There was said to be land for half a plough and woodland which was a furlong by half a furlong. Its value was two shillings . Whitwick had a motte and bailey castle, although no remains are left. It was probably built originally during the spate of rapid castle building by William

2160-456: A religious house, the priory came into the possession of the Beaumont family, who converted it into a residence, so that the few remaining ruins are partly medieval, but chiefly domestic Tudor (e.g. fireplaces and chimney-stacks). Francis Beaumont , the great Elizabethan dramatist, was born here in circa 1584. In the 1690s, the priory was acquired by Sir Ambrose Phillipps of Garendon Abbey, though by

2280-501: A remarkable 81 years. The large red-brick, six-bedroomed parsonage house (by Henry Robinson of Derby, 1878–79) was demolished in 1999 and the site has since been developed by the Badgers Croft complex. The vicarage has since transferred to Whitwick. There have only been nine Vicars of Thringstone in 140 years A primitive methodist chapel was opened on Loughborough Road, near to The Green, in 1863. A contemporary newspaper account of

2400-595: A road journey that competes with freight and heavy-haulage vehicles especially to the south and east. Since 2013 Norton Motorcycles has its head office in Donington Hall , Castle Donington . BMI (British Midland), an airline, was headquartered in Donington Hall. The airline moved its headquarters to Donington Hall in 1982. The subsidiary bmibaby also had its head office in Donington Hall. Prior to its disestablishment, Excalibur Airways had its head office on

2520-415: A setting where people attending activities in the centre can associate at the end of the evening. A warden is employed and has done much to develop activities in the centre. The association has adopted a development plan and is challenging itself to respond to the needs of a community hit hard by the closure of the coal pits and which is also seeing some growth as a number of new estates bring younger people to

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2640-415: A shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Since 1974 political control of the council has been as follows: The leaders of the council since 2003 have been: Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was: The Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors sit together as the "Alliance Group" which forms

2760-500: A small empire of Anglican expansion, wrought in part by a desire to counteract the 'papist' revival that he perceived to be sweeping the district, at the instigation of Ambrose de Lisle of Grace Dieu Manor . Whitwick National School, a stone building in the Early English style still stands in the market place , now a Grade Two listed building . An extension to the school was provided in 1903, with access on silver street. The school

2880-404: A small hosiery factory until the 1980s, after which it was converted into a restaurant, operating under a succession of names, including Lal Quila (Indian); La Dolce Vita (Italian) and School Cross (English). For several years now, the building has been used as a residential home for adult individuals with learning disabilities. Small coal workings existed in the area from medieval times, but until

3000-615: A weekly market and a four-day fair. The population of Whitwick, according to the 2001 census was 10,815 persons. 8,092 of these fell into the 16–74 working age range, although only 4,689 were employed. The population of the village at the 2011 census had fallen to 8,612. One of the earliest mentions of the place, as Witewic , is in the Domesday Book , the name of the settlement possibly meaning either guardhouse "The White Farm" or "Hwita's Farm" The last two appear to rely on later meanings for both particles Wite and Wik and may have been

3120-464: Is a group of volunteers whose remit is to record flora and fauna, provide education in wood-lore and improve the habitat of the woods from the A512 ( Loughborough to Ashby Road), to Swannymote Road and Loughborough Road, Whitwick , with kind permission of the owner, Mr P de Lisle. North West Leicestershire Castle Donington is notable as the location of Donington Park , a grand-prix circuit and

3240-455: Is a small cruciform structure built in 1862 entirely from Charnwood Forest stone in the Early English style. The building was designed by James Piers St Aubyn (1815–1895) and has an unusual plan, consisting of a broad nave with shallow transepts and a round-ended sanctuary, with a round-ended vestry on its north side. A small bell-cote containing one small bell sits at the western end of

3360-572: Is a village and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire , England, close to the town of Coalville in the northwest of the county. It lies in an ancient parish which formerly included the equally historic villages of Thringstone and Swannington . It was an important manor in the Middle Ages , which once included Bardon and Markfield , parts of Hugglescote , Donington le Heath , Ratby , Bocheston, Newtown Unthank and Whittington. As early as 1293, Whitwick had

3480-407: Is also aesthetically pleasing and the building is perhaps most commonly described as, 'pretty'. During the incumbency of Revd Alan Burgess, the church was provided with small extensions on its north side to incorporate kitchen and toilet facilities. The Victorian pipe organ of 1882 was also dismantled and its frontage refashioned to frame a replacement Allen electronic organ. The churchyard contains

3600-509: Is an itemised list of the establishments: Whitwick Working Mens Club & Institute (1920) Whitwick Snooker & Social Club North Street Working Mens Club The Beavers Lodge "The Pink Pig" (1983 ) The Railway Hotel (1882) The Three Crowns Hotel (1881) Whitwick Constitutional Club (1925) In the 2007 North West Leicestershire District Council elections, the British National Party won both Hugglescote and Whitwick –

3720-416: Is important to note that the word ' gatehouse ' is likely a corruption of ' guardhouse '. A gatehouse is usually an entrance to a walled city or a castle entrance. In the case of Whitwic Castle, the castle is in the centre of the town and thus there is no 'gatehouse'. The mound retains the title of Castle Hill and is surmounted by a 19th-century folly , with a castellated roofline. This was built in 1846 by

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3840-572: Is listed as simply Horace Stinson and it had disappeared from the Whitwick Directories by 1928. The firm of Richard Massey appears from 1916, listed at 36, Castle Street, Whitwick. Massey's has disappeared by 1941. A Stinson Bros codd bottle appeared among lots listed for auction in Barnsley (BBR Auctions) on Saturday 8 January 2006. It was described as a 9 inch tall emerald green glass codd bottle, embossed, 'STINSON BROS/WHITWICK.' The guide price

3960-460: Is one of several buildings with Grade II listed status. Others are The Old Manor House on Brook Lane (formerly thatched, 17th century); Forest View House (adjoining the now demolished Rose and Crown public house on The Green, with blind central windows, possibly bricked up to avoid window tax , three-storeyed, 18th century); St Andrew's Church, Main Street (by St Aubyn, 1862; the tomb of Charles Booth in

4080-710: Is probably derived from an amalgamation of the Danish ( Viking ) personal name, Traengr (this area having come under the Danelaw during the 9th century) with the Anglo-Saxon suffix, tun, meaning 'farm' or 'village' - hence Traengr's tun. Another source suggests that 'Thring' may mean land that was difficult to work. Thringstone is mentioned in the Domesday survey of 1086 as the Derbyshire village of "Trangesbi". A water-mill existed here in

4200-574: Is quite probable that the village would have remained a rural and sparsely populated community. A notable demographic impact on the village, connected with coal-mining, also occurred during the 1960s, when many families migrated to the village from Scotland and the North East of England as a result colliery transfers, resulting in the creation of the Woodside Estate. Following the demise of the local coal-mining industry, population has been sustained due to

4320-440: Is said to have been a giant, and this accounts for the exceptional length of the monument. The church was a victim of aggressive restoration during the 19th century, when the chancel was rebuilt by James Piers St Aubyn , 1848–1849. A vaulted substructure or crypt is situated beneath the chancel, but is not thought to have ever been used as a charnel house . The building of this understructure would have been necessary to maintain

4440-506: The Church of England for use as a parish hall in about 1966. In 1972, a new Methodist church was built at the foot of Hall Lane and the Vicarage Street chapel (an example of 19th-century non-conformist architecture in the village) was demolished circa 1980, having fallen into a state of disrepair. The site is now occupied by a car park. Due to extensive housing development during the 1960s,

4560-463: The Leicestershire pits were still unable to compete with their Derbyshire rivals and in February 1799 the canal's feeder reservoir at Blackbrook burst its banks following exceptionally severe frosts, causing much damage to the canal and surrounding countryside. That proved to be the last straw for the Leicestershire coal-owners and the getting of coal hereabouts was to remain a modest concern until

4680-523: The nave roof and a south porch was added in 1911, in memory of the first vicar, Edwin Samuel Crane, MA, designed by Thomas Ignatius McCarthy of Coalville. The church was paid for by grants and public subscription, zealously elicited by Francis Merewether, MA (Vicar of Whitwick and Rector of Coleorton ) and cost £750 12s, building work being undertaken by the firms of Messrs William Beckworth of Whitwick and Elliott of Ashby-de-la-Zouch/Burton. Merewether

4800-482: The patron saints of Great Britain : St George's, Swannington was built in 1825; St Andrew's, Thringstone was built in 1862 and St David's, Broom Leys was founded in 1933. Christ Church, Coalville , was also formed partially out of Whitwick Parish in 1836, though the church here stands on land which was originally in the ancient parish of Ibstock , within the chapelry of Hugglescote . The churches at Swannington, Coalville and Thringstone all owe their existence to

4920-506: The "Bauble Yard". They also kept the Star Inn on Main Street. They made plates, jugs, views, egg-cups and other trinkets which were sold at the local monastery . Others were exported to America and some sold at fairs and at the seaside and the industry flourished for some years. It eventually came to an end around 1900 in the face of cheap imports from the European continent. Saint Andrew's Church

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5040-427: The 'third city', the most popular being The City of Hockley – an area located midway between the cities of Three Waters and Dan, close to the parish church, and alongside the watercourse passing through the village. However, older residents have always maintained that this area was known simply as The Hockley, the prefix 'city', they suggest, being a retrospective appendage. Even the place-name 'Hockley' would appear to be

5160-469: The 13th century and survived till about 1935. Some dilapidated outbuildings and the old dry mill race remain. Grace Dieu Priory was built at about the same time. In 1309 the Manor of Thringstone passed into the hands of one Robert Tebbe. In 1360, it is recorded that Adam, son of Robert Tebbe, was the owner of the Manor and water-mill of Thringstone. In 1391, Henry Tebbe of 'Threnguston' had a violent quarrel with

5280-555: The 1790s the buildings were ruinous, with only two sections still roofed. The village is bordered by the Grace Dieu and Cademan Woods. Grace Dieu Wood is traversed by the redundant track bed of the Charnwood Forest Railway , which also passes over an impressive six arch viaduct near the priory ruins. The woodland is noted for vast carpets of bluebells in spring and the railway was once referred to as 'the bluebell line'. There

5400-552: The 1980s. Thringstone was once the centre of another industry unique to this part of Leicestershire, and which still leaves its mark in the name of 'Bauble Yard'. Bauble was the local term for a variety of alabaster ornaments, some manufactured by John Tugby in around 1850 at Pegg's Green, which was then in Thringstone parish. The alabaster came from Derbyshire . Another bauble firm was Peters and Son, who came to Thringstone from Coleorton in 1870 and set up their works in what became

5520-630: The 20th century, the coalfield was hampered in its competition with the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire fields even for the Leicester market owing to poor transport facilities. Toward the end of the 18th century Joseph Boultbee, the tenant of collieries at Thringstone, and others fought to change this and were successful in getting opened the Charnwood Forest Canal between Thringstone and Nanpantan in 1794. Horse-drawn tramroads were built to transport coal mined at Swannington and Coleorton to

5640-591: The Benedictine priory of Upholland in Wigan . Tebbe, who farmed part of the Whitwick tithes, refused to pay, was arrested, but on paying a fine was pardoned and released. In 1462, King Edward IV granted land at Thringstone previously in the possession of John Beaumont to Richard Hastings. However the manor was back with the Beaumont family by 1494, when Thomas Beaumont was in possession and by 1550 it had passed to another John Beaumont. In 1552, this Beaumont, who had been given

5760-615: The Booth family had left the area and it was impossible for them to maintain an active status as trustees. Trusteeship of the institute was transferred to the Leicestershire County Council . The institute is now known as the Thringstone House Community Centre and a member of the Booth family (James Gore Browne) remains as honorary president of the institute, which proudly lays claim to be the oldest of its kind in

5880-525: The Conqueror following the spate of rebellions leading up to the harrowing of the north. There appears to be evidence of a timber castle and later stone castle. The timber castle was more likely in place in the 11th century and to have been later held by 'Henricus de Bello Monte, Consanguineus Regis' (Henry Beaumont, blood-relative of the king). In 1320 he was granted a licence to crenellate the structure. The building work resulting from this licence may have provoked an attack by Sir John Talbot. Beaumont's claim to

6000-507: The Lord of the Manor is recorded as T. Boultbee, Esq. Population would have grown significantly during the 18th century, when Thringstone and Whitwick became concerned with the framework knitting industry. The work was carried by journeymen to and from the manufacturers in Loughborough and Shepshed . In 1844, Thringstone is recorded as having 160 frames. In 1776, the workhouse at Thringstone

6120-524: The Roman Catholic revival. It was due to De Lisle that a Cistercian monastery , Mount St. Bernard Abbey , was established within the parish in 1835, and a church (designed by Pugin ) was built on Parsonwood Hill in 1837. In 1875, a small convent of Rosminian nuns was established in the presbytery, which had been built adjacent to the original church in August 1848, and which transferred to Loughborough in

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6240-552: The Royal Fusiliers in 1880, during the Second Anglo-Afghan War . In 2003, the building's impressive truss rafter roof was restored to its original appearance, having been substantially boarded over in 1952 as part of a cost-cutting exercise. The roof and the building's semi-circular sanctuary combine to afford an extremely attractive interior, whilst externally, the building's simple pointed style and use of local granite

6360-558: The Stinson or Massey enterprises, both of which later moved to Hermitage Road. Both firms are listed on Hermitage Road (under Coalville) in a trade directory of 1941. There are also known to have been examples of 19th-century bottles bearing the name of McCarthy and Beckworth, Coalville. Whitwick Colliery is remembered for an underground fire in 1898 that killed 35 miners in Leicestershire's worst mining tragedy. Whitwick railway station

6480-634: The Stordon Grange moated farmhouse (to Osgathorpe) and the Thringstone Smock Mill (to Swannington, and now known as the Hough Windmill). Following World War II, Thringstone village grew massively due to homogeneous estate housing developments. The Booth Road area was begun in the forties, followed shortly afterward by the Hensons Lane prefabs. The Woodside Estate was completed in 1964, bringing

6600-520: The War Memorial Window, unveiled in 1920 by Lt Col Tom Booth DSO of Gracedieu Manor. This window was originally intended as a personal memorial to Theophilus Jones, the Thringstone headmaster and depicts St Alban (Britain's first Christian martyr). This subject would almost certainly have been chosen to parallel Mr Jones' equally unenviable place in British history: he is commonly believed to have been

6720-416: The area following the opening of large collieries, Merewether was motivated to build the church (and also a school) to help counteract the perceived papist revival. Merewether - along with Sir G H Beaumont (ninth Baronet of Coleorton Hall) - was the chief benefactor of Saint Andrew's Church, each donating £100. Until 1875, the building acted as a chapel of ease to Whitwick and was served by curates under

6840-446: The area known as "Rotten Row". But by far the most radical geographical and social changes to the village came during the 20th century, beginning in the years after World War I . In April 1936, Thringstone Civil Parish was dissolved and outlying parts of the township were transferred to Belton (68 acres), Coleorton (98 acres), Osgathorpe (482 acres), Swannington (70 acres) and Worthington (12 acres). The remainder of Thringstone (142 acres)

6960-528: The area receive better TV signals from the Sutton Coldfield TV transmitter which broadcast BBC West Midlands and ITV Central (West) from Birmingham . Some eastern parts of the district are still able to receive the Waltham TV transmitter to get BBC East Midlands and ITV Central (East) from Nottingham . Radio stations for the area are: Most of the district is covered by civil parishes. Parts of

7080-431: The arrival of the Leicester and Swannington Railway some thirty years later. The expansion of the local coal-mining industry from around 1830 onward had a big impact on population. The population of Thringstone in 1801 was 901. This had grown to 1,298 by 1851, of which some 52% were non-native to the village, having migrated here from other areas. The coal-mining era came to an end in North West Leicestershire during

7200-411: The benefit of the inhabitants of Thringstone and the surrounding parishes of Whitwick , Swannington , Worthington , Osgathorpe , Coleorton and Belton . Booth bestowed an endowment of £3000 and a further endowment of £400 was later made by Mrs Booth for the women's section. By 1950, trust monies left by the Booth family were insufficient for all that was needed in changed times; moreover, members of

7320-598: The canal wharf at Thringstone Bridge, and once at the Nanpantan terminus the coal was re-loaded on to a further stretch of tramroad to take it to the main navigation at Loughborough . These railroads are said to have been the first in the world to use the standard gauge, and a deep cutting left by one of its branches can still be found in the field at the back of the Glebe Road housing estate in Thringstone. The cost of three transhipments of coal between trucks and barges meant that

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7440-453: The catholic faith as a result of Gentilli's outreach. The present Roman Catholic Church was built in 1904 from the designs of Thomas Ignatius McCarthy . This was built on the opposite side of Parsonwood Hill, at which time Pugin's church was demolished, though the cemetery of the old church remains. A school was also built to the rear of the new church to replace the original school at Turylog (Thurlough), which had been opened in 1843. A tower

7560-469: The centre of the British hosiery trade, taking over from London. In 1832, it is recorded that there were some 33,000 knitting frames in use in the Midlands , of which the majority – 11,200, were in Leicestershire. In 1844, there were 423 knitting frames in Whitwick and by this time, the cottage industry had been in decline for some years. This appears to have been as a result of a change in fashions and also to

7680-613: The chapels at Thringstone became known respectively as the Loughborough Road and Main Street Methodist Churches. This arrangement was continued until about 1964, at which point the old Wesleyan chapel was sold off for industrial usage. The Loughborough Road Church was then used by the amalgamated congregations and still exists as the Thringstone Methodist Church. This premises was extended by the addition of

7800-648: The church building itself. Elsewhere, a plaque to Booth's memory can be found in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral London. Booth purchased a copy of Holman Hunt's famous painting, The Light of the World and presented it to the cathedral in 1904. Holman Hunt's widow was among hundreds of mourners at Booth's funeral in 1916. Buried in the graveyard are the first two Vicars of St Andrews Church - Edwin Samuel Crane MA (1845–1907) and his eventual son-in-law, Cheverton Shrewsbury MA (1872–1958), whose combined incumbency spanned

7920-452: The church was built as a later adjunct to the nearby castle. The church we see today is mainly of 14th-century construction, with only the south doorway seeming to go back to the 13th century. The massive decorated western tower contains a peal of eight bells, four of which were cast in 1628, and in the north aisle can be found the mutilated alabaster effigy of a knight, which tradition has to be that of Sir John Talbot, who died in 1365. Talbot

8040-485: The church yard is also a listed monument); Lily Bank Farmhouse (17th/18th century) and Lily Bank Dovecote to the rear (18th century). Some of these, and other houses and buildings of interest in the village, have recently been provided with blue plaques. The old schoolhouse on Main Street was built in 1844 on land donated by E. M. Green, Esq.; a plaque can still be seen above the main entrance reading, 'Fear God Honour The King. South Thringstone National School. AD 1844'. This

8160-543: The commissioners appointed to visit Gracedieu Priory following its dissolution, by buying the nunnery buildings at his own valuation. When his misbehaviour at the Treasury was uncovered twenty years later, Gracedieu was also granted to the Earl of Huntingdon, though Beaumont's widow managed to regain possession of it in 1574. The Manor of Thringstone is recorded as having been the property of Henry, Earl of Huntingdon in 1640. A return of

8280-533: The community. Thringstone is represented on the North West Leicestershire District Council by David Everitt and Leon Spence, who maintain the village's long tradition of electing Labour candidates. Since May 2013 Thringstone is also represented at County Council level by Leon Spence, as part of the Whitwick electoral division. The late Mr Walter Johnson and Mrs Agnes Smith served as district councillors for Thringstone for many years during

8400-470: The council's administration. The next election is due in 2027. Since the last boundary changes in 2015 the district has comprised 38 wards , each of which elects one councillor . Elections are held every four years. The district is coterminous with the North West Leicestershire parliamentary constituency . The council meets at Stenson House on London Road in Coalville. The building was built in 1934 as

8520-498: The country. The centre is administered according to the aims and objects of the Thringstone Community Association. It has a strong educational focus and a clear sense of having a community development role. Architecturally, the community centre buildings have a great deal of character, comprising a gabled, white-washed 17th-century farmhouse fronting The Green with, at the rear, a large two-storeyed hall overlooking

8640-532: The development of alternative commerce in nearby towns and cities, easily accessed by improvement in transport. Lying on the western fringe of Charnwood Forest is a geological structure, not exposed at the surface, known as the Thringstone Fault . Formed during prehistoric volcanic times, the fault runs from Bardon Hill to Ticknall and forms an abrupt boundary to the eastern part of the Leicestershire and South Derbyshire coalfield. The name Thringstone

8760-440: The district balances the agro-rural economy with the end of labour-intensive deep coal-mining. Alternative employment opportunities exist within the district in the services and distributive sectors, together with local or nearby manufacturing and extractive/transformative/construction industries. The lack of rail services to/from Leicester , Loughborough and other nearby centres limits access for employment, commerce and leisure to

8880-458: The district is also covered by civil parishes , which form a third tier of local government. The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election , being run by an alliance of the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats and two of the independent councillors, led by Conservative councillor Richard Blunt. The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as

9000-673: The fallen are commemorated on a brass tablet and a second tablet was added in 1948 to commemorate the four men from the parish who died in World War II. Relatively few men from the Thringstone district enlisted in the armed services during World War II due to the country's need for increased coal production. Another military hero, Thomas Elsdon Ashford V.C. was married in Thringstone Church to Betsy Ann Sisson in 1891. Elsdon had been decorated with Britain's highest military honour following an act of bravery whilst serving as private soldier in

9120-565: The first seats to be won by the BNP in Leicestershire and Whitwick gained its first Conservative councillor. As of October 2024 the Councillors for Whitwick are currently Peter Moult (Labour); Tony Gillard (Conservative) and Anthony Barker(Labour). Whitwick County Councillor, as of October 2024 is Tony Gillard (Conservative). Following a campaign by local people, the District Council carried out

9240-520: The first soldier to be killed on home soil during World War I, being killed during the German Bombardment of the Hartlepools , 16 December 1914. [Other sources suggest that he was amongst the first four to be killed during this particular incident]. By the end of World War I, a further 26 men from the parish had fallen, and it was decided to dedicate the window to their collective memory. The names of

9360-658: The former Coalville Urban District covering the main part of Coalville and the Thringstone area are unparished areas . The parish councils for Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Ashby Woulds have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". (Whilst Ibstock is a post town and Castle Donington is sometimes called a town, neither parish council has formally declared them to be towns.) The parishes are: 52°43′01″N 1°22′12″W  /  52.71694°N 1.37000°W  / 52.71694; -1.37000 Whitwick Whitwick / ˈ w ɪ t ɪ k /

9480-537: The graves of at least twenty-three men and boys who died through accidents in the local coal mining industry. Youngest of these was John Albert Gee (aged 13), who - along with 34 others - lost his life in the Whitwick Colliery Disaster of 1898. Also in the churchyard is the final resting place of the Rt Hon Charles Booth PC (1840–1916), the philanthropist and pioneer of old age pensions. Mr Booth

9600-600: The grounds of East Midlands Airport in Castle Donington. Prior to its disestablishment, Orion Airways had its head office on the grounds of East Midlands Airport. In 2011 Coalfield Resources plc were given permission to develop an opencast coal mining pit on the site of the former Minorca colliery between Measham and Swepstone on a seam which will be 1 mi (1.6 km) across and extract 1,250,000 tonnes (1,380,000 tons) of coal over five years, and 250,000 tonnes (280,000 tons) of clay. In terms of television,

9720-415: The hamlets of Peggs Green and Rotten Row in an area known as North Thringstone. Thringstone became an independent and autonomous civil parish in 1866, though this was dissolved on 1 April 1936 when outlying parts of the parish were transferred to Belton , Coleorton , Osgathorpe , Swannington and Worthington and the remainder was transferred to the civil parish and Urban District of Coalville. In 1931

9840-497: The headquarters of the old Coalville Urban District Council. Following the creation of North West Leicestershire in 1974 the building was significantly extended to the rear. In 2022 the extension was closed pending demolition, and the council opened a new customer services centre on Belvoir Road, retaining and refurbishing the 1934 front part of Stenson House to be used for meetings and civic functions. North West Leicestershire has experienced steady population growth in recent times as

9960-570: The jurisdiction of the Whitwick vicars. Thringstone became an independent ecclesiastical parish on 29 October 1875, since which time there have been nine incumbents. Despite becoming a parish in its own right, the church at Thringstone retained the ecclesiastical title, Whitwick Saint Andrew-cum-Thringstone until the 1980s. The church is one of forty-two nationally in the patronage of Her Majesty The Queen (in Right of her Duchy of Lancaster ). The church contains some stained glass by Kempe and Co, including

10080-452: The land was from his wife's inheritance and, it seems, Talbot felt he had a claim to Whitwick. Twenty years later the capital message was worth nothing. This stone castle was later held by the Earls of Leicester, though it was recorded as being ruinous by 1427. The foundations are said to have been visible at the end of the 18th century and a wall was still to be seen on the north side in 1893. It

10200-651: The most haunted locations in Leicestershire due to the site's association with a 'White Lady' apparition, most commonly seen drifting across the A512. The most famous sighting is said to have occurred in 1954, when a 'bus driver is said to have stopped to pick up a woman waiting by the shelter opposite the ruins, only to find on drawing up his vehicle that she had vanished. Sightings of unexplained phenomena in this area are well documented and are also referred to in Paul Devereux's book, 'Earth Lights' (1982) Following its dissolution as

10320-484: The new type of hose being produced, which required fewer skills in the manufacture. From the middle of the 19th century, framework knitting began to be transferred from homes to the factories in larger towns. By 1851, it is recorded that the number of frames in Whitwick had dwindled to 240. Large hosiery factories appeared on Church Lane and at the top of The Dumps, shortly before the First World War . In addition to

10440-449: The nineteenth and twentieth centuries, such demographic comparatives relate to significantly different geographical areas. The most tangible way of understanding the population growth relevant to the place defined as Thringstone since World War II is that evidenced by large-scale residential development in the village proper, from the late nineteenth century. If it were not for the evolution of the coal-mining industry and related migration, it

10560-497: The office of Master of the Rolls, was 'discovered to have grossly wronged the King', having purchased for himself lands with royal funds, amongst a host of other dishonest deeds. Beaumont subsequently surrendered his possessions to the King and in 1553, the Manor of Thringstone was granted to Francis, Earl of Huntingdon. It was this same John Beaumont who, in 1534, had abused his position as one of

10680-399: The opening reads, 'the comfort of the worshippers has been taken into account by the introduction of two gas stoves... and the chapel is to be lighted with a handsome gas chandelier of twelve burners'. The erection of the primitive chapel was followed by the opening of a Wesleyan Methodist chapel almost directly opposite in 1872. The two movements were united nationally in 1932, after which time

10800-422: The parish had a population of 1,566. The geographical area known as Thringstone today bears little resemblance to that known as Thringstone before World War II . In 2023, Thringstone is not part of a civil parish. The 2001 population of 4,325 compares with 901 in 1801 - the growth in population being a result of the industrial revolution, particularly local coal-mining . However, due to radical boundary changes in

10920-460: The patronal festival of the parish church . At the height of its popularity in the early 20th century, it is remembered that the larger amusements stood in the opening in front of the White Horse public house and there were wild beast shows including seals swimming around in tanks. The local photographer would take snapshots (on glass) and deliver them while the customers waited. There was also once

11040-527: The platform and the old station building, now the home of the Whitwick Historical Group, while the railway trackbed towards Coalville has been turned into a footpath. The parish church of St. John the Baptist is an ancient structure, nestling in a natural amphitheatre , close to the confluence of two streams. A spring, emanating from under the chancel, is also discharged into the watercourse, through

11160-465: The present day 'futuristic' church, work on which was commenced in 1964. The foundation stone (a piece of Welsh slate from St David's in West Wales and presented by the dean of that cathedral) was laid on 26 September 1964 in the presence of about five hundred people. Above the front entrance of the church is the figure of St David , cast in 'ciment fondu' and coated with a bronze resin. The bricks are

11280-422: The regular local stallholders a number of Leicester tradesmen attended and it is remembered that old ladies used to bring their butter and other farm produce and line up alongside the gutter. In the years following the First World War , competition from the larger and newer market at Coalville eventually resulted in its discontinuance. The annual fair, or wakes , was once a hugely popular event and coincided with

11400-399: The rural valley of Thringstone Brook. The hall carries a louvred ventilation turret on its western gable which, together with brick buttresses erected to reinforce the north and south walls in the late 20th century, gives the building a distinctly ecclesiastical appearance. Today, there is a great deal of involvement from local people. The centre has a bar which is open every evening providing

11520-410: The same degree as parts of Whitwick, Snibston and Hugglescote. A walk along Brook Lane, The Green, Main Street and Lily Bank reveals some pleasing domestic architecture, ranging from the 17th century to present day. One of the oldest properties - The Gables on Main Street is thought to date from the mid-17th century and an extension to the west bears the date, 1682, carved into a stone recess. The Gables

11640-463: The same period meaning 'dwelling' (c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 8512 Iosæp..bærenn ure laferrd crist..Fra land to land. fra tun to tun. Fra wic to wic i tune.) It would appear that the castle was a "guard-house" and the town that sprouted up around it took its name. From 1838 until the early 20th century, there was a thriving weekly market held in Whitwick Market Place. As well as

11760-484: The seat rents and weekly collections. A Primitive Methodist chapel appeared at the foot of Leicester Road (the present day Vicarage Street) in 1864 and a Wesleyan Methodist chapel was built on North Street in 1822 and which was extended in 1879. Wesleyan Reform Methodists also opened a chapel on North Street toward the end of the 19th century, and also in New Swannington in 1906. The Reform Chapel on North Street

11880-464: The seventies, with the Springfield development arriving in the eighties. To some extent, Thringstone has become an extension of Coalville (within living memory, it was relatively isolated) although, thanks to contiguity with Gracedieu Wood and the preservation of other greenbelt areas, it manages to retain something of an individual identity and has not been absorbed into the urban sprawl of Coalville to

12000-576: The site of the old 'Dumblies' pig farm. Sheila Smith, in her 1984 history of Whitwick suggests that the name may be linked to framework knitting as in 1845 one Joseph Sheffield, giving evidence before the Commission into the plight of the framework knitters, makes reference to a type of stocking called 'dumps'. There are several surviving examples of framework knitters' cottages in the village, which can be recognised by elongated first storey windows, designed to allow greater inlet of light. A good example of such

12120-495: The threat from the north. There have been no signs of a pre-Norman occupation and it is known that the rapid creation of motte and bailey castles by William was in response to the rebellions. It is, therefore, possible that the town grew around the castle and not the other way around. The middle-English proves difficult however when considering the 1000ad meaning of Wite as Guard (c1000 Sax. Leechd. III. 154 Þæt bið god swefen, wite þu þæt georne on þinre heortan.) and Wic from roughly

12240-466: The twentieth century. The presbytery, still referred to as 'The Old Convent' is now a private residence and was designated a Grade II listed building in 1983. In establishing his mission, De Lisle recruited a charismatic priest, Aloysius Gentili , from Rome, who arrived at Gracedieu in June 1840 and by May of the following year, De Lisle claimed that some five hundred and twenty persons had become converted to

12360-409: The twentieth century; Mr Johnson was the grandfather of current Thringstone Councillor, Leon Spence. The ruins of Grace Dieu Priory stand on the outskirts of Thringstone in a valley bounded by a small brook (Grace Dieu Brook) at the edge of Cademan Wood, part of Charnwood Forest , and situated on the A512 road from Loughborough to Ashby de la Zouch , Leicestershire . The ruins are known as one of

12480-500: The usual village trades, Whitwick also once had three mineral water factories. The largest of these was the firm of Bernard Beckworth on Cademan Street, which was established in 1875 and ran until the 1970s; it is listed in Kelly's Directories of Leicestershire from 1904 through to 1941 as 'Beckworth and Co. Ltd, Charnwood Mineral Water Works'. By 1904, the firm of Stinson Brothers, based on Loughborough Road, had appeared. By 1912, this firm

12600-700: The year 1564 states that there were in that year 26 families in Thringston (sic), 17 in Whitwick and 25 in Swannington . The district had been devastated by the Black Death a century before, and this accounts for the very small population. In 1846 it is recorded that "J. Boultbee, Esq., is lord of the manor; but the greater part of the soil belongs to E. Dawson, Esq., and the Cropper, Piddocke, Green and other families". In 1871,

12720-488: The zealous missionary drive of the Reverend Francis Merewether MA (1784–1864), Vicar of Whitwick for more than fifty years, and also Rector of Coleorton . Merewether, a low church theologian who preached and wrote prolifically against Roman Catholicism , was also successful in getting national schools established in these outlying parts of the parish as well as in Whitwick itself. He left behind him

12840-429: Was a Church of England school until transferred to Leicestershire County Council in 1950. Few buildings can have had such varied usage as this over the years: the building was originally also used for Anglican services on Sundays, until the parish church of Saint Andrew was opened in 1862. A new county school was built off John Henson's Lane in 1967, at which point the old premises was sold for industrial usage. It served as

12960-407: Was a regular worshipper at St Andrews Church and two of his daughters were married here He is buried with his wife, Mary Catherine (1847–1939), who was one of the distinguished Macaulay family and their simple, recumbent marble tombstone carries a inscription, raised in lead, summarising Booth's work and which is often sought out by visitors. The tomb was designated a listed monument in 2002, along with

13080-433: Was a theologian of markedly low church views who preached and wrote prolifically against Ambrose de Lisle's Roman Catholic mission and was incensed by such developments as the founding of Mount Saint Bernard Monastery in his parish and the opening of a Roman Catholic day school at Turry Log, within the township of Thringstone, in 1843. There can be little doubt that, quite apart from the rapid population growth that affected

13200-563: Was added to the new church in about 1910, from funds bequeathed by Samuel Wilson Hallam, landlord of the Queen's Head, Thringstone. The tower contains a chime of fifteen bells operated by a baton keyboard, located in the first storey chamber of the tower and which was installed by Taylors of Loughborough in 1960. In Whitwick there has been, at one time or another, thirty-nine licensed establishments, either an Inn, Public House, Hostelry or Social Club. Most have now closed and even been demolished. Below

13320-611: Was an endowment of the Benedictine chapter of Up Holland Priory , near Wigan , Lancashire . Following royal sequestration, the patronage of the living passed to the King and Whitwick Church remains one of forty-two churches nationally which are in the patronage of the Monarch (in the rights of the Duchy of Lancaster ). Today, the church forms part of a united benefice with Thringstone and Swannington. The registers date from 1601. The churchyard

13440-450: Was closed for burials many years ago. In more recent years, many of the 18th- and 19th-century slate headstones were uprooted and moved in a line around the periphery of the southern portion of the graveyard; a 20th-century concrete war memorial now occupies the centre. Other stones were taken up and used for paving around the church. Whitwick Cemetery, off Church Lane, was consecrated on 24 June 1874 and consists of about four acres. It

13560-530: Was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 , covering the whole area of five former districts plus a single parish from a sixth, which districts were all abolished at the same time: The new district was named North West Leicestershire, reflecting its position in the wider county. North West Leicestershire District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Leicestershire County Council . Much of

13680-584: Was divided into three sections: Church of England , Catholic and Nonconformist and placed under the control of a joint burial committee. It contains four Commonwealth war graves of service personnel, one from World War I and three from World War II . In the 19th and 20th centuries, new churches were built within the vast, ancient ecclesiastical parish of Whitwick as a result of population growth, all of which later came to serve independent parishes in their own right. Possibly more by coincidence than design, these daughter churches are dedicated respectively to

13800-440: Was noted as being capable of receiving thirty persons. The expansion of the local coal mining industry, beginning in the first third of the 19th century, induced still further demographic change and the population had grown from a figure of 901 in 1801 to 1,298 by 1851, of which some 52% was non-native to the village, having migrated here from other areas. In 1885, the parish was reduced in size to enlarge Coleorton Civil Parish with

13920-629: Was on the Charnwood Forest Railway which was constructed by the Charnwood Forest Company between 1881 and 1883. This branch line ran from Coalville East (joined to the Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway (ANJR)) to the town of Loughborough , at the Derby Road Station. Passenger services ceased to operate on 13 April 1931, with freight services ceasing to operate on 12 December 1963. Whitwick railway station still has some surviving structures,

14040-529: Was replaced later in the 20th century by a new Church of England school located at the foot of Parsonwood Hill. The old school is now used as a day nursery. St David's, Broom Leys was for more than thirty years served by a small wooden church which had originally served as a chapel at the Mowsley Sanitorium near Market Harborough , Leicestershire and was brought over to its present site in sections and duly re-erected. This small structure still stands near

14160-621: Was transferred to the Urban District and Civil Parish of Coalville. Thus, the old parish of Thringstone had a much larger area than that known as Thringstone today, having also included the hamlet of Peggs Green . The village proper that we now refer to simply as 'Thringstone', was at that time referred to as 'South Thringstone', with outlying parts known as 'North Thringstone'. The boundary changes, dissolving an ancient manorial division of land, meant two notable landmarks formerly classed as being in Thringstone were ceded to other villages - namely

14280-466: Was used as a warehouse by 'Gracedieu Windows' until its demolition early in the twenty-first century, when the site was used for building development. The Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists united nationally in 1932 and the two societies in Whitwick finally merged in 1965, after which time the Vicarage Street chapel was used by the amalgamated congregations, the North Street chapel eventually being sold to

14400-406: Was £80 – £100, the relatively high estimate presumably reflecting the rarity of the glass, but the bottle was in fact sold for £515. The bottle was turned up by a plough in a field opposite A.W.Waldrum's Coal Merchant's premises on Grace Dieu Road, Whitwick and is the only known example. There is also known to have existed a 'Botanical Brewery', though it is believed that this may have been a part of

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