Hugglescote
Encyclopedia
Hugglescote is a village in North West Leicestershire, England. It formerly formed a civil parish
with the adjacent settlement of Donington le Heath
, though this was dissolved in 1936, when the area joined the urban district
(now civil parish) of Coalville. Today, it is virtually impossible to distinguish the boundaries of Coalville
and Hugglescote due to the extent of conurbation.
Hugglescote adjoins Coalville to the north-west and is a few miles from Bardon Hill
on the edge of Charnwood Forest
. The land in the township was enclosed in 1774 and in 1945 this estate was sold by Brig. C. L. O. Tayleur. There are places of worship for Anglicans, Baptists and Methodists.
and there was a chapel of St James at Hugglescote which was erected in 1776 on the site of the old chapel in Dennis Street. This was used for over a century, by which time it was far too small for the growing population and was replaced in 1878. As coal mining developed in the district the population grew and it was necessary to build a new church: this was the Parish Church of St John Baptist (architect J. B. Everard, opened 1879) in the Early English style (the tower with its distinctive pyramid is a local landmark). The new church was on a different site (Grange Road instead of Dennis Street). The first vicar, Canon H. E. Broughton, arrived in 1878 and died in office in 1924: the church contains a reredos in his memory (1937) and a nearby road-name, Broughton Street, also commemorates his memory.
The church is admired by Pevsner, who describes it as the best Victorian church in the county, outside of Leicester. It is the largest place of worship in the area, seating some six hundred people and is built largely of local materials: Bardon greenstone, Swithland slate, Ibstock brick and Coalville ceramic floor tiles. A feature of the nave are the pillars of Shap granite and there is an Elizabethan chalice and parish chest from the old church, together with the parish registers, which date back to 1564.
. A local symbol is the statue locally known as the Hugglescote Bear.
Social statistics for the village are given here.
, a tributary of the River Tame
.
lived here for forty years and is buried in the old Baptist Cemetery off Grange Road: Dennis Street was named in his honour. In the same cemetery can also be found the tomb of William Stenson
, the mining engineer and founder of Whitwick
Colliery. Stenson has sometimes been described as 'the father of Coalville'.
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...
with the adjacent settlement of Donington le Heath
Donington le Heath
Donington-le-Heath is a historic settlement lying just over a mile away from the centre of Coalville in North West Leicestershire and merges with the adjacent village of Hugglescote ....
, though this was dissolved in 1936, when the area joined the urban district
Urban district
In the England, Wales and Ireland, an urban district was a type of local government district that covered an urbanised area. Urban districts had an elected Urban District Council , which shared local government responsibilities with a county council....
(now civil parish) of Coalville. Today, it is virtually impossible to distinguish the boundaries of Coalville
Coalville
Coalville is a town in North West Leicestershire, England, with a population estimated in 2003 to be almost 33,000. It is situated on the A511 trunk road between Leicester and Burton upon Trent, close to junction 22 of the M1 motorway where the A511 meets the A50 between Ashby-de-la-Zouch and...
and Hugglescote due to the extent of conurbation.
Hugglescote adjoins Coalville to the north-west and is a few miles from Bardon Hill
Bardon Hill
Bardon Hill is a hill in the civil parish of Bardon near Coalville, Leicestershire. It the highest point in Leicestershire and the National Forest, above sea level. The hill has two very distinct faces – one half preserved as a site of special scientific interest , the other removed by Bardon Hill...
on the edge of Charnwood Forest
Charnwood Forest
Charnwood Forest is an upland tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, bounded by Leicester, Loughborough, and Coalville. The area is undulating, rocky and picturesque, with barren areas. It also has some extensive tracts of woodland; its elevation is generally 600 ft and upwards, the area...
. The land in the township was enclosed in 1774 and in 1945 this estate was sold by Brig. C. L. O. Tayleur. There are places of worship for Anglicans, Baptists and Methodists.
Parish Church
Before 1878 it was in the parish of IbstockIbstock
Ibstock is a village and civil parish about south of Coalville in North West Leicestershire, England. The village is on the A447 road Between Coalville and Hinckley....
and there was a chapel of St James at Hugglescote which was erected in 1776 on the site of the old chapel in Dennis Street. This was used for over a century, by which time it was far too small for the growing population and was replaced in 1878. As coal mining developed in the district the population grew and it was necessary to build a new church: this was the Parish Church of St John Baptist (architect J. B. Everard, opened 1879) in the Early English style (the tower with its distinctive pyramid is a local landmark). The new church was on a different site (Grange Road instead of Dennis Street). The first vicar, Canon H. E. Broughton, arrived in 1878 and died in office in 1924: the church contains a reredos in his memory (1937) and a nearby road-name, Broughton Street, also commemorates his memory.
The church is admired by Pevsner, who describes it as the best Victorian church in the county, outside of Leicester. It is the largest place of worship in the area, seating some six hundred people and is built largely of local materials: Bardon greenstone, Swithland slate, Ibstock brick and Coalville ceramic floor tiles. A feature of the nave are the pillars of Shap granite and there is an Elizabethan chalice and parish chest from the old church, together with the parish registers, which date back to 1564.
Recent period
The Midland Railway line through the village was closed in 1964 but has been revived as the Battlefield Line RailwayBattlefield Line Railway
The Battlefield Line Railway is a heritage railway in Leicestershire, England. It runs from Shackerstone to Shenton , via Market Bosworth, a total of...
. A local symbol is the statue locally known as the Hugglescote Bear.
Social statistics for the village are given here.
River Sence
The stream passing through the village, often referred to as 'Hugglescote Brook', is actually the River SenceRiver Sence
The River Sence is a river in Leicestershire, England. The tributaries of the Sence including the Saint and Tweed fan out over much of western Leicestershire from Charnwood Forest and Coalville in the north-east to Hinckley and almost to Watling Street in the south and south-west...
, a tributary of the River Tame
River Tame, West Midlands
The River Tame is the main river of the West Midlands, and the most important tributary of the River Trent. The Tame is about 40 km from source at Oldbury to its confluence with the Trent near Alrewas, but the main river length of the entire catchment, i.e...
.
Notable residents
The Victorian hymnist, Henry DennisHenry Dennis
Henry Dennis was a nineteenth century hymnist, who earned worldwide fame for his hymn tune, 'Euphony'.A Leicestershire farmer, Dennis composed fifty-four anthems and six hymn tunes...
lived here for forty years and is buried in the old Baptist Cemetery off Grange Road: Dennis Street was named in his honour. In the same cemetery can also be found the tomb of William Stenson
William Stenson
William Stenson was a mining engineer born in Coleorton, Leicestershire.BackgroundLittle is currently known about Stenson's background. Detail of his parentage remains unknown and neither is it known where he would have received his training as an engineer...
, the mining engineer and founder of Whitwick
Whitwick
Whitwick is a village in Leicestershire, England and is 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,...
Colliery. Stenson has sometimes been described as 'the father of Coalville'.