THURNBY and BUSHBY Heritage Trail
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Thurnby and Bushby villages lie about four Sources miles east of Leicester, adjoining the city bound- • Victoria County History - Leicestershire Vol 5 ary. The civil parish of Bushby was combined with pp321-330, http://www.british-history.ac. uk/ that of Thurnby in 1935. It is said that the bounda- vch/leics/vol5/pp321-330#highlight-first ry between Thurnby and Bushby bisects the Rose • Ros Willatts, former Conservation Officer, and Crown, the lounge being in Thurnby and the Harborough District Council (2005) bar being in Bushby. • Articles in the Thurnby And Bushby Society Newsletter Both villages are ridge settlements and archaeo- • South East of Leicester written and pub- lished by Helen Boynton (2004) logical evidence confirms the area has been inhab- • Thurnby Court: The Story of an Extravagant ited since at least Roman times. The village names, but Short-Lived Leicestershire Mansion which both end in ‘-by’, suggest Viking settlements. written and published by Brian Screaton (2016). • A Guide to Thurnby Parish Church written Agriculture predominated until recent times. by E G Brown published by Thurnby Parochial Good viewpoints of the surrounding countryside, Church Council (1974). which includes ridge and furrow are marked on the map with an asterisk (*). Acknowledgements This leaflet has been produced by the Thurnby The original settlements grew on the southern And Bushby Society. We would like to thank Jean side of the ridge. Modern housing has been built Barbour, Judith and Mike Lord, Mandy and Ian on the northern side. So, effectively, the A47 di- Penfold (text), Althea Bandy and Arthur Buck- vides the old and new areas. The Trail focuses on ingham (sketches), Frank Pickering (photo), Nor- the old part, which is now a conservation area, wood Press (map and printing) and Brian Screa- but offers an option to extend your visit to the ton for his generous donations towards the cost. north side. THURNBY We do hope you enjoyed your walk around Thurn- by and Bushby. If you would like to learn more AND BUSHBY about the history of the villages please contact: The Thurnby And Bushby Society who Heritage Trail maintain a Village Archive, which opened in May 2010, and can be viewed by appoint- The trail starts and ends at the Rose and ment. You can also view our website Crown public house 45 Main Street www.tabslife.uk for further history, images Thurnby Leicester LE7 9PJ. and archive information. Parking is permitted in the car park by courtesy of the landlord, who would welcome your custom. 2017© Thurnby And Bushby Society 1. The Rose and Crown Number 9 Main Street is a cottage that was “slotted It had a marble hall, seventeen bedrooms, a winter has its origins in the 17th in” after the neighbouring cottages were built. It has garden with a swimming pool beneath, a billiard century and was origi- an attractive bay with an “egg and dart” terracotta room, racquet court, its own gas works and unusual, nally cruck-framed (i.e. string course between the ground and first floors. but unsuccessful, underground stables with a resi- supported on A-frames dent blacksmith. from the ground to the On the gable end of Number 7 Main Street (The Cot- roof ridge). However, tage) you will see the date 1880 and upper floor win- The Jacksons lived there for 21 the timber supports dows with both middle and top openings. years but latterly found it too great a drain on their finances. were lost in the devas- Number 5 Main Street is a list- It was rented out for ten years tating fire of November 2004. Luckily, the planners in- ed building with a wall of cob- and then had a chequered sisted that the roof be rethatched rather than tiled. The bles collected from fields round history before being demol- field behind the pub was a very popular toboggan run about. These are not cut Tilton ished by dynamite in 1916. down the steep hill in winter. stone which indicates that they are very old. This cottage retains The ornamental lake, formerly used for skating in the The road immediately in front of the Rose and Crown its original shutters and a six-pan- winter, and the gazebo on the island, were once part is the former village main street. It was replaced by the el flush door. The windows and of the Court’s splendid grounds. wider road in the 1960s. The village sign on the green doors are early 19th century. The between these two roads displays the Sherard arms. roof is made of Swithland slate. The gazebo, a listed building, is The Sherards were a prominent Bushby family in the built of Charnwood stone and 17th century. Mary Sherard is an ancestor of the late Pass St Luke’s Close and Church Green and then turn was originally thatched. From Queen Mother. left down Court Road . its roof supports you will see 3. You will see on the left, near to the road name sign, quaint carved animal heads. With the Rose and Crown on your left proceed down a granite boulder. This is not Charnwood granite and Please note that the lake and the hill. may be an erratic (non local stone - probably brought gazebo are on private land. 2. Looking at the houses on your left-hand side you here by a glacier). come to 33 Main Street “The Gilstead” - (17th centu- Turn left and walk up Court Road and you will come ry) – a listed building. This is thatched with reed, rather Continue to the bottom of the hill where you will see a turn- to an open tarmac area - The Square. ing on your right – Lakeside Court. Cross at this point. 5. The entrance to Thurnby Court was located in The than straw, which is the more widely used thatching 4. The eleven houses forming this cul-de-sac were Square where outbuildings of the Court have been material in this area. built on land formerly belonging to Thurnby Court, converted into dwellings. which was one of Leicestershire’s shortest-lived but Numbers 29 and 31 Main most extravagant stately homes. It lay behind the wall Firs Farm is located on The Square. The roof is of Street are Victorian. Note the on your right as you walked down the hill. Swithland slate which ceased to be quarried in the patterned slates (fish scales) in 1880s. Swithland slates have strong textures and vary different colours from different Thurnby Court was completed in about 1870. It was built in size. Note that the upper floor windows are three- Welsh quarries. See also the for James Alexander Jackson, a wealthy American gentle- light with only the middle light opening, indicating hipped gable tops of the roof. man from Philadelphia who made his fortune in cotton that the windows are pre-WW1. The original windows remain. broking and participating in running the blockade* during The roof is best viewed from the American Civil War. It cost about £250,000 to build In The Square, you will also see a pump (early 19th cen- the other side of the road. which is approximately £20 million in today’s money. tury as it is made of lead rather than cast iron) with a large bulbous stone support. This was part of a well- * Blockade Running in the Civil War. Blockade running, and the use of house which served the residents of the Court. Water Number 11 Main Street (Rose Cottage) a listed build- small swift ships known as blockade runners, was the Confederacy’s ing, has 18th century windows with central openings response to the Union blockade ordered by President Abraham Lincoln from the pump was used by the villagers until the ar- and a ground-floor window with a brick arch. on April 19, 1861, one week after Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter. rival of mains water in the late 1940s. You will also see a range of old cottages numbered 1 Re-trace your steps to Grange Lane and cross to the Continue past the church up Main Street, keeping to to 4. Number 1 (Pump Cottage) used to be the village pavement. Turn left and continue until you come to the left-hand side. Post Office. Number 4, a listed building, is thought to a driveway on your right which leads to Manor Field. 12. You will pass by the village school, which is an- be the small timber-framed cross-wing of an other- 8. On your left you will see Bradgate Close. This was other listed building. This was built with money pro- wise demolished medieval house. With these cottag- formerly the site of Thurnby Grange which, for forty vided by the large land-owning Powys-Keck family. es to your left, look over the road to the three-storey years, was the home of Charles Bennion, a business Note the blue brick detailing and the monogram of H. red-brick house. This is The Dower House. The build- man, manufacturer and philanthropist who purchased L. Powys-Keck with the date 1865 on the gable. The ing and its wall fronting Grange Lane are listed. The Bradgate Park for use by the people of the City and building was originally one storey and it is still pos- end wall to the east of the house shows the line of the County of Leicester. He is buried in Thurnby church- sible to see the outline of the brickwork to the lower original end wall in 17th century brick. This is another yard and commemorated in a window in the Church, roof level on the gable end nearest the church.