A visitor's guide to West Leicestershire
by John Welford
The county of Leicestershire can easily be split into two, from a visitor’s perspective, by considering the part to the west of Leicester, which sits roughly at the heart of the county, separately from the part to the east. West Leicestershire is not usually on the tourist’s itinerary, but perhaps it should be, given its history and its pleasant and uncrowded scenery.
In past years this part of the world, particularly the northern half, was typified by its predominant industry of coal-mining, with its attendant spoil heaps and rural despoliation, but Leicestershire escaped the usual accompaniment of mining, namely heavy industry, and so the end of mining in the late 20th century left only rural peace in its wake. However, the countryside did suffer from the detritus of mining (as well as quarrying and clay extraction), which is why this area was designated in 1990 to form part of the new National Forest, extending westwards from here into Derbyshire and Staffordshire.
One aim of the National Forest, which will take 200 years to reach its maturity, is to encourage tourism through the provision of recreational and educational facilities. The HQ of the National Forest Company is at Moira, near Ashby-de-la-Zouch, and close by is “Conkers”, a visitor centre that is designed to appeal to all ages by providing hands-on exhibits, craft demonstrations, woodland walks, activities for children, and much else besides. This is very much a project in development, along with the Forest itself. Visitors can even help the Forest to grow by planting a tree!
Not far from Moira is the National Forest Cycling Centre, where bikes can be hired and ridden along eight miles of trails. There are many more cycle routes in different parts of the Forest, thus enabling recreation and appreciation of the Forest environment to go side by side.
A feature not to be missed in this area is the Moira Furnace, a survival of the Industrial Revolution from the early 19th century. This was an early blast furnace for iron production, but it was only used for a few years because it proved to be uneconomic. It therefore survives as a rare example of industrial archaeology from the period.
Moira Furnace was built next to the Ashby Canal, which snakes southward through the county to Hinckley and beyond. The short stretch at the northern end of the canal is separated from the main canal by a dry section and places where the old canal bed has been used for other purposes. However, moves are afoot to restore the canal by building the missing seven miles and thus re-connecting the Moira portion to the rest, so linking it to the national canal network.
The Ashby Canal (which does not go to Ashby, and never did) is a visitor attraction in its own right. It is unusual in that it has no canal locks along its entire 22-mile length, despite the gently undulating nature of the landscape. This means that it weaves through the countryside and provides a perfect view of the scenery that it passes through and the wildlife to be seen both on and beside the water. The canal can be enjoyed either from a boat or the towpath, which can be walked or cycled.
The small town of Ashby-de-la-Zouch owes its strange name to the Norman lord who acquired the town in 1160. The manor house was rebuilt as a castle in the 15th century, and its ruins are the main reason for visiting the town today. Ashby Castle is notable for the Hastings Tower which can be climbed to its full height of 90 feet and affords extensive views over the town and its surroundings. Another unusual feature is an underground tunnel that runs between two of the buildings. The extensive grounds are often used during the summer for displays and mock battles, under the aegis of English Heritage.
The Lord Hastings who built the Hastings Tower also built another Leicestershire castle, namely that at Kirby Muxloe, near Leicester. This was brick-built, with a moat, but was left unfinished when Hastings fell foul of King Richard III in 1483 and was executed. Visitors should note that Kirby Muxloe Castle is only open at weekends and bank holidays between May and August.
Coalville, a few miles to the east of Ashby, was, as the name suggests, a product of the mining industry. Snibston Colliery, to the west of the town, was closed in 1985 but the site is now home to Snibston Discovery Museum, which is in part a museum of Leicestershire industry and commerce and also a place where people of all ages can discover scientific principles for themselves through a host of hands-on exhibits, both indoors and outdoors.
Many of the original pit buildings, including the winding wheel, have been preserved and these now provide the means to offer guided tours of the above-ground parts of a coal mine, plus a simulation of work below ground.
A very different attraction, to the south-west of Ashby, is Twycross Zoo. This was started as a private zoo in 1962 and has since grown into a collection of national importance, particularly as regards primates. The zoo is doing important work to help conserve a number of species which are threatened in their home environments. Visitors can see more than a thousand animals, some of them housed in “immersion exhibits” including the South American Tropical House and the Borneo Longhouse.
South of Twycross, and close to the historic small town of Market Bosworth, is the site of the Battle of Bosworth Field, fought on 22nd August 1485. This battle changed English history due to the victory of Henry Tudor over King Richard III. However, there is now very strong evidence to suggest that the battle actually took place about two miles away from where it was originally supposed to have happened, and this evidence has now been accepted as good reason to change the version of events that is presented to visitors.
Despite this, the Battlefield Heritage Centre has not moved, and a new trail has been inaugurated to give visitors a different account of the events of the battle.
Market Bosworth is worth a visit on its own account, as it is a picturesque market town with many old buildings. Anyone from New England might be interested in the blue plaque on the wall of Dixie Grammar School that announces that a former pupil of the school was Thomas Hooker, the “Father of Connecticut”. However, there is nothing to commemorate the brief time spent here by Samuel Johnson as a teacher before he found fame as the compiler of the first English dictionary.
A stretch of the railway line that originally linked Nuneaton with Ashby has been preserved between the battlefield site at Shenton and Shackerstone, a distance of four and a half miles. This runs as the “Battlefield Line” during the summer months, using steam and diesel locomotives. At Shackerstone there is a museum of railwayana and limited access is available to the sheds where the railway stock is maintained and restored.
West Leicestershire is skirted by the major routes of the M1, M42/A42 and A5, with most of the area only accessible via minor roads and country lanes. This has left many of the smaller villages as quiet backwaters surrounded by farmland. Some of these villages are very picturesque, with fascinating churches (not all of which are open to visitors) and friendly pubs (which are usually open!). One church well worth a visit is that at Breedon-on-the-Hill. It was built within the ramparts of an Iron Age hill fort, remote from the village, and overlooks the massive quarry that has accounted for about half of the hill. Inside the church are some Anglo-Saxon carvings and wall friezes with a distinctly Byzantine look to them.
The area is excellent for quiet and non-strenuous walks along the many miles of well-marked footpaths in all parts of the region. Many farmers are conscious of the need to cultivate the land in ways that are wildlife-friendly, hence the large number of bird, animal and insect species to be seen. Charnwood Forest, to the north-west of Leicester, is of interest to geologists as being one of the oldest rock formations in the country, and the landscape is wilder and more rugged than the rest of the county.
West Leicestershire is most definitely worth a visit!
Sources:
The Rough Guide to England. 8th ed. 2008
The English Heritage handbook, 2011/12