East Goscote
Encyclopedia
East Goscote is a village and civil parish
in the Charnwood
district of Leicestershire
, England
, just north of Syston
. It is a medium sized village with a population of approximately 3,000. The village is twinned with Fleury-sur-Andelle
, France
.
The name is taken from East Goscote
, one of the old hundreds (an area of land purported to be able to support 100 families) of Leicester. The Goscote Hundred (or Wapentake) is mentioned in the Domesday Book
, this was later split into the West and East Goscote Hundreds.
It was the first new village to be created in Leicestershire since Domesday and is unique in the County.
The village is built on the site of a former army supply depot. According to Ministry of Defence
files, the site was originally constructed in 1940 (finished September 1942) by Holloway Brothers, and was an Agency factory run by Lever Brothers/Unilever
(No 10 ROF, Royal Ordnance Factory). At that time it was known as the Queniborough
depot, since that was the closest village to it. It began production in March/April 1942. According to English Heritage
's reference work "Dangerous Energy" it was operating Groups 8-10 of ROF filling types (High Explosives received, mixed, and put into bombs and warheads). By 1944 it was temporarily occupied by the War Office
. A report of 1951 has it designated as 78 COSD (Command Ordnance Sub Depot). It was decommissioned in 1959 and subsequently bought for housing development by Jelsons. This development began in 1962. There were two enormous shell storage bunkers that could not be demolished, and these were earthed over and landscaped. They are now part of the playing fields. These were opened to the public as part of the Queen's silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977, and there is a plaque near Long Furrow noting this fact.
Long Furrow serves as a perimeter road around the central part of the village, it also serves to mark the boundary of the former ordinance site. What is less well known is the huge network of large reinforced concrete tunnels that lay beneath the whole village where the munitions were fitted with their warheads, and new top secret weapons prototypes were put together. There are several entrances to these workshops and tunnels located throughout the village but each have been carefully landscaped to conceal their identity. Council representatives did enter these chambers and found that the tunnels were in excellent condition and the electricity still worked. Until the mid 1970s during which the village was still under construction both entrances to the 'Mound' were open and often visited by local children.
Today very little original information remains and those that know give little away. A map of the actual tunnel layout did exist in the Library of Wreake Valley Community College, but was destroyed to keep the tunnels hidden. The whole structure and stories that lay beneath its present inhabitants is worthy of a serious study, survey, and television documentary. It is without doubt an excellent piece of environmental architecture and resource that could in the right hands be brought back to life. A whole world and unique 1940s time capsule could lay beneath our feet.
The village had its own magazine East Goscote Community News which ceased publication in the mid 1980s after many issues. Now they have a magazine called Long Furrow.
Adjacent to the village is Beedles Lake Golf Club.
East Goscote is represented on Charnwood Borough Council by councillor Cathy Duffy, the only elected represented in the locality from the far-right British National Party
.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Charnwood
Charnwood (borough)
Charnwood is a borough of northern Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, which it contains. Loughborough is the largest town in the district and serves as the borough's administrative and commercial centre.-History:...
district of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, just north of Syston
Syston
Syston is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population is 11,508 as of the 2001 Census.-Overview:...
. It is a medium sized village with a population of approximately 3,000. The village is twinned with Fleury-sur-Andelle
Fleury-sur-Andelle
Fleury-sur-Andelle is a commune in the Eure department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Population:-References:*...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
The name is taken from East Goscote
East Goscote (hundred)
East Goscote was a hundred of Leicestershire, that arose from the division of the ancient Goscote hundred into two. It covered the eastern part of today's Charnwood district, along with the northern part of Harborough district, and extended south-east to meet Rutland.The hundred was created by the...
, one of the old hundreds (an area of land purported to be able to support 100 families) of Leicester. The Goscote Hundred (or Wapentake) is mentioned in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, this was later split into the West and East Goscote Hundreds.
It was the first new village to be created in Leicestershire since Domesday and is unique in the County.
The village is built on the site of a former army supply depot. According to Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
files, the site was originally constructed in 1940 (finished September 1942) by Holloway Brothers, and was an Agency factory run by Lever Brothers/Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
(No 10 ROF, Royal Ordnance Factory). At that time it was known as the Queniborough
Queniborough
Queniborough is a village in the county of Leicestershire, United Kingdom just north of Syston and to the north of Leicester with 972 properties in the village and 1,878 registered electors . Due to its proximity to Leicester it forms part of the Leicester Urban Area...
depot, since that was the closest village to it. It began production in March/April 1942. According to English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
's reference work "Dangerous Energy" it was operating Groups 8-10 of ROF filling types (High Explosives received, mixed, and put into bombs and warheads). By 1944 it was temporarily occupied by the War Office
War Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
. A report of 1951 has it designated as 78 COSD (Command Ordnance Sub Depot). It was decommissioned in 1959 and subsequently bought for housing development by Jelsons. This development began in 1962. There were two enormous shell storage bunkers that could not be demolished, and these were earthed over and landscaped. They are now part of the playing fields. These were opened to the public as part of the Queen's silver Jubilee celebrations in 1977, and there is a plaque near Long Furrow noting this fact.
Long Furrow serves as a perimeter road around the central part of the village, it also serves to mark the boundary of the former ordinance site. What is less well known is the huge network of large reinforced concrete tunnels that lay beneath the whole village where the munitions were fitted with their warheads, and new top secret weapons prototypes were put together. There are several entrances to these workshops and tunnels located throughout the village but each have been carefully landscaped to conceal their identity. Council representatives did enter these chambers and found that the tunnels were in excellent condition and the electricity still worked. Until the mid 1970s during which the village was still under construction both entrances to the 'Mound' were open and often visited by local children.
Today very little original information remains and those that know give little away. A map of the actual tunnel layout did exist in the Library of Wreake Valley Community College, but was destroyed to keep the tunnels hidden. The whole structure and stories that lay beneath its present inhabitants is worthy of a serious study, survey, and television documentary. It is without doubt an excellent piece of environmental architecture and resource that could in the right hands be brought back to life. A whole world and unique 1940s time capsule could lay beneath our feet.
The village had its own magazine East Goscote Community News which ceased publication in the mid 1980s after many issues. Now they have a magazine called Long Furrow.
Adjacent to the village is Beedles Lake Golf Club.
East Goscote is represented on Charnwood Borough Council by councillor Cathy Duffy, the only elected represented in the locality from the far-right British National Party
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
.