Swithland
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Swithland | |
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Leicestershire | |
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Swithland is a
History
Swithland was originally held by
Swithland was designated a
Swithland Estate
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/St_Leonards_church_2006-04-04_039web.jpg/220px-St_Leonards_church_2006-04-04_039web.jpg)
The Swithland Hall estate was held by the family of Danvers until 1796 but after the death of Sir John Danvers (the last male of his line) it passed to his son-in-law, Augustus Richard Butler, second son of the second Earl of Lanesborough, who adopted the surname of Danvers-Butler and afterwards inherited the title of Earl of Lanesborough.
The original Swithland Hall, which stood at the eastern end of the village as it is today, on the site now occupied by Hall Farm, was destroyed by fire in 1822, although part of the hall's boundary wall, including two towers are still in existence, both of which are in Main Street.[6][9] The current hall, a Grade II listed building, was partially completed in 1834 and finished in 1852,[10] on a different site to the south-east, in what was then known as Swithland Park, by John George Danvers Butler, sixth Earl of Lanesborough.[3][11] The estate includes the Mountsorrel Cross that originally stood in Mountsorrel that dates from about 1500 and was moved to its current location in Swithland Park in 1793 by Sir John Danvers, who replaced it with the Buttermarket Cross that still stands there.[3][12]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/36/Swithland_slate_gravestone%2CSwithland_churchyard.jpg/220px-Swithland_slate_gravestone%2CSwithland_churchyard.jpg)
Industry
Slate quarrying in the area dates back to Roman times,[13] and was an important activity within the village between the 13th and 19th centuries.[14] Until the mid-19th century, Swithland slate was much in demand for roofing. From the later 17th century until well into the 19th century, slate from Swithland was widely used for gravestones in Leicestershire and neighbouring counties, especially Nottinghamshire. The slate has a poorer cleavage than Welsh slate, but is often exquisitely carved. A distinguishing mark of Swithland slate is the rough texture of the uncarved face. Some gravestones were carved by members of the Hind family of Swithland, but many others were carved by masons elsewhere, to whom the raw slate was sent.[5][15] One gravestone type found mainly in a group of villages in the Vale of Belvoir is called a "Belvoir Angel".[16] Slates from Swithland for roofing were once commonly used, but demand fell in favour of slates from Wales, which were thinner and lighter.[5][17]
Since then the quarry has reverted to nature, with the slate pits now flooded and sometimes used by divers.[11] A memorial stone stands in the centre of the village.[14]
The land to the north and south of the village is used for
Local attractions
Great Central railway line
Towards the Rothley end of the village runs the Great Central Railway, the last main line ever built linking the north of England with London (apart from the HS2 line under construction in 2021). When the Great Central line opened on 15 March 1899, it was planned for Swithland to have its own station, the Great Central having visions of turning the area into a tourist spot. This never came into fruition, but a bricked-over stairway under the bridge of the railway provides evidence that these plans were taken into serious consideration.[19] A small set of railway exchange sidings were built at this location, but the nearest passenger station was at Rothley.
The preserved
References
- ^ 2004 Population Estimates, Leicestershire County Council, retrieved 2010-07-23
- ^ "Civil Parish population 2011". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
- ^ a b c C. N. Hadfield (1952), Charnwood Forest – a Survey, Edgar Backus, pp. 59–60.
- ^ a b Pevsner, Nikolaus (1960) The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland, Penguin Books, pp. 246–247.
- ^ a b c Paul Dare (1925), Charnwood Forest and its Environs, Edgar Backus, pp. 96–97.
- ^ ISBN 1-85306-422-X, pp. 124–125.
- ^ "Swithland Conservation Area", Charnwood Borough Council, retrieved 23 July 2010-07-23
- ISBN 0-905837-04-5, pp. 41–42.
- ISBN 0-7509-1039-9, p. 108.
- ^ "Swithland Hall, Main Street, Swithland (Grade II)", Charnwood Borough Council, retrieved 23 July 2010.
- ^ a b J. B. Firth (1926), Highways and Byways in Leicestershire, London: Macmillan; pp. 63–66.
- ISBN 1-872883-40-0, pp. 94–100.
- ^ McWhirr, Alan "The Roman Swithland Slate Industry", Leicester Archaeological & Historical Society, retrieved 2010-07-24.
- ^ a b "Swithland Sense of Place", Leicestershire County Council, retrieved 2010-07-24.
- ^ Burgess, Frederick (1963). English Churchyard Memorials. Cambridge: The Lutterworth Press.
- ^ Langar Parish Council site has an illustrated feature on "Belvoir Angels": Retrieved 30 March 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-7506-3898-2, pp. 141–142.
- ^ "Swithland Spring Water moves upmarket to attract new business", thisisbusiness-eastmidlands.co.uk, 11 September 2009, retrieved 2010-07-24.
- ^ "Disused Stations: Swithland", disused-stations.org.uk, retrieved 2010-07-24.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Swithland village website
- Swithland at the Leicestershire Villages website
- Swithland Church website