Oadby
Encyclopedia
Oadby is a town within the borough
of Oadby and Wigston
, in Leicestershire
, England
. It is to the east of Wigston Magna
, and to the southeast of Leicester
. Oadby forms part of the Leicester Urban Area
, and is situated on the A6 road.
The town
is most famous for Leicester Racecourse
, situated on the border between Oadby and Leicester
, and the University of Leicester Botanic Garden
. It is also the home of the Beauchamp College
, and halls of residence for the University of Leicester
.
settlement in the year 550 In 1760, on Brocks Hill, evidence of an Anglian burial ground was discovered The Middle Angles came under the rule of the kings of Mercia and were later conquered by the Danish invaders. Oadby is one of seventy Danish
settlements in Leicestershire
ending with "-by", which means village
or settlement. Its name probably came from Old Norse
Auðarbýr = "Auði's settlement". Danish rule continued until 920, when King Alfred the Great
won his battles against the Danes: the Oadby area is supposed to be the site of at least one of these battles.
In 1086, Oadby's name was recorded as Aldebi. The name then changed to Oladebi, Outherby, Onderby and, finally, Oadby. When King Harold was defeated, William the Conqueror gave Oadby to Hugh de Grandmesnil
, Governor of Leicestershire, who founded the parish church of Oadby on the site of the present St Peter's Church.
Cavalry
and a regiment of dragoons were called out to quell the riot and three were imprisoned.
Oadby remained a small settlement until the late nineteenth century when it became a fashionable suburb for the factory-owners of Leicester
's shoe and stocking manufacturers. Many substantial houses were built, some of which are now used by the University of Leicester
. Leicester
's tram
s terminated at the edge of the city
, as the A6 entered Oadby. (The old tram
shed can still be seen on the West side of the A6 by the City of Leicester
sign, though it has a different function now, being used as vehicular storage for a Leicester grammar school.)
Stoughton Road in Oadby contains 2 sets of houses of historical interest. Some of the Framework Knitters Homes date back to 1909, while the North Memorial Homes, financed by Sir Jonathan North (former Mayor of Leicester) were built in 1927 and opened in the same year by the Prince of Wales. As well as a series of houses, the North Memorial Homes site also houses the North Memorial Hall, built in a neo-Georgian style, which has been leased to Oadby Evangelical Free Church
since 1974.
Expansion of Oadby took place rapidly in the twentieth century and is still continuing in 2007. Many residential developments have been constructed so that the population in 2001 reached 22,729.
makes Oadby an attractive location for families with children. As is increasingly the case throughout Leicestershire, Oadby has a diverse population, ethnically and by religion. In 2001 approximately 55 percent of the total population of 22679 identified themselves as Christian
, about 11 percent as Hindu
, about 8 percent as Sikh
and 6 percent as Muslim
(19% were of no religion or "religion not stated").
Major employers in Oadby are the schools, Asda
, Sainsbury's and the shops in the centre of the town.
Invicta Plastics until recently had a large manufacturing site on the Harborough Road in Oadby, where they once manufactured the popular Mastermind Game
. The red noses for the bi-annual Red Nose Day appeal of the Comic Relief charity were also made by Invicta Plastics in Oadby. Invicta Plastics moved all operations in Oadby to Braunstone Frith
in Leicester and closed their site.
A Waitrose
food store opened in 2010 on the former Invicta site.
There is an Industrial Estate with a variety of types of business.
play in the Midland Football Alliance
league. Leicester Tigers
, the premiership rugby union
club, train at their centre at Oval Park on the Wigston Road, Oadby.
Oadby's other local football club is Oadby Owls FC, who cater for many ages up to under-18s. They play at the municipal Coombe Park and are a very popular football club in Leicester. The club is known to be very successful around the Leicestershire area.
Current famous residents include recent child prodigy Yagnesh Jadavji, named in a BBC documentary by Robert Winston, as being the youngest British citizen to create a MENSA accepted brain teaser. John Deacon
, bass player of the influential rock group Queen
, was born and grew up in Oadby.
service 40 circle line and Stagecoach Northampton
service X7.
Borough status in the United Kingdom
Borough status in the United Kingdom is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district...
of Oadby and Wigston
Oadby and Wigston
Oadby and Wigston is a local government district and borough in the English county of Leicestershire.-Geography:It is composed of the areas of Oadby, Wigston Magna and South Wigston. It is predominantly urban, and runs directly into Leicester, to the north-west...
, in 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...
. It is to the east of Wigston Magna
Wigston Magna
Wigston Magna also historically referred to as Wigston Two Steeples or Great Wigston , is a town within Leicestershire, England just to the south of Leicester, on the A5199 road which leads to Northampton....
, and to the southeast of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
. Oadby forms part of the Leicester Urban Area
Leicester Urban Area
The Leicester Urban Area is a conurbation based around the city of Leicester in Leicestershire, England.While it has no formal definition as an administrative area, it is defined by the Office for National Statistics with a population of 441,213 at the time of the 2001 census...
, and is situated on the A6 road.
The town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
is most famous for Leicester Racecourse
Leicester Racecourse
Leicester Racecourse is a horse-racing course in Oadby, Leicestershire, England.The course is oval shaped and nearly 2 miles in extent. It was opened ante 1773....
, situated on the border between Oadby and Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
, and the University of Leicester Botanic Garden
University of Leicester Botanic Garden
The University of Leicester Harold Martin Botanic Garden is a botanic garden close to the halls of residence for the University of Leicester in Oadby, Leicestershire, England. Founded in 1921, the garden was established on the present site in 1947...
. It is also the home of the Beauchamp College
Beauchamp College
The Beauchamp College is a comprehensive upper school and further education community college, in Oadby, a town on the outskirts of Leicester, England.-Admissions:...
, and halls of residence for the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
.
Angles, Danes and Normans
There has been a habitation in Oadby since an AnglianAngles
The Angles is a modern English term for a Germanic people who took their name from the ancestral cultural region of Angeln, a district located in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany...
settlement in the year 550 In 1760, on Brocks Hill, evidence of an Anglian burial ground was discovered The Middle Angles came under the rule of the kings of Mercia and were later conquered by the Danish invaders. Oadby is one of seventy Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
settlements in 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...
ending with "-by", which means village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
or settlement. Its name probably came from Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
Auðarbýr = "Auði's settlement". Danish rule continued until 920, when King Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
won his battles against the Danes: the Oadby area is supposed to be the site of at least one of these battles.
In 1086, Oadby's name was recorded as Aldebi. The name then changed to Oladebi, Outherby, Onderby and, finally, Oadby. When King Harold was defeated, William the Conqueror gave Oadby to Hugh de Grandmesnil
Hugh de Grandmesnil
Hugh de Grandmesnil , also known as Hugh or Hugo de Grentmesnil or Grentemesnil, is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Subsequently he became a great landowner in England.He was the elder son of Robert of...
, Governor of Leicestershire, who founded the parish church of Oadby on the site of the present St Peter's Church.
Modern times
In January 1817, Oadby was the scene of a mass riot. 400 people were involved and haystacks were set ablaze. The LeicesterLeicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
Cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
and a regiment of dragoons were called out to quell the riot and three were imprisoned.
Oadby remained a small settlement until the late nineteenth century when it became a fashionable suburb for the factory-owners of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
's shoe and stocking manufacturers. Many substantial houses were built, some of which are now used by the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
. Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
's tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
s terminated at the edge of the city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
, as the A6 entered Oadby. (The old tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
shed can still be seen on the West side of the A6 by the City of Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
sign, though it has a different function now, being used as vehicular storage for a Leicester grammar school.)
Stoughton Road in Oadby contains 2 sets of houses of historical interest. Some of the Framework Knitters Homes date back to 1909, while the North Memorial Homes, financed by Sir Jonathan North (former Mayor of Leicester) were built in 1927 and opened in the same year by the Prince of Wales. As well as a series of houses, the North Memorial Homes site also houses the North Memorial Hall, built in a neo-Georgian style, which has been leased to Oadby Evangelical Free Church
Oadby Evangelical Free Church
Oadby Evangelical Free Church is an independent evangelical church in Oadby, Leicestershire, UK.-History:It was formed mainly by members of Knighton Evangelical Free Church, also in Leicester in 1973, and was officially inaugurated on Friday 24 January 1975. In September the following year the Rev...
since 1974.
Expansion of Oadby took place rapidly in the twentieth century and is still continuing in 2007. Many residential developments have been constructed so that the population in 2001 reached 22,729.
Oadby today
Oadby today is a predominantly residential area. The success of Beauchamp CollegeBeauchamp College
The Beauchamp College is a comprehensive upper school and further education community college, in Oadby, a town on the outskirts of Leicester, England.-Admissions:...
makes Oadby an attractive location for families with children. As is increasingly the case throughout Leicestershire, Oadby has a diverse population, ethnically and by religion. In 2001 approximately 55 percent of the total population of 22679 identified themselves as Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, about 11 percent as Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, about 8 percent as Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
and 6 percent as Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
(19% were of no religion or "religion not stated").
Major employers in Oadby are the schools, Asda
Asda
Asda Stores Ltd is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, general merchandise, toys and financial services. It also has a mobile telephone network, , Asda Mobile...
, Sainsbury's and the shops in the centre of the town.
Invicta Plastics until recently had a large manufacturing site on the Harborough Road in Oadby, where they once manufactured the popular Mastermind Game
Mastermind (board game)
Mastermind or Master Mind is a code-breaking game for two players. The modern game with pegs was invented in 1970 by Mordecai Meirowitz, an Israeli postmaster and telecommunications expert, but the game resembles an earlier pencil and paper game called bulls and cows that may date back a century or...
. The red noses for the bi-annual Red Nose Day appeal of the Comic Relief charity were also made by Invicta Plastics in Oadby. Invicta Plastics moved all operations in Oadby to Braunstone Frith
Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields
Braunstone Park & Rowley Fields is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. It comprises the western Leicester suburbs of Braunstone Frith, Braunstone Park and Rowley Fields.-Geography:...
in Leicester and closed their site.
A Waitrose
Waitrose
Waitrose Limited is an upmarket chain of supermarkets in the United Kingdom and is the food division of the British retailer and worker co-operative the John Lewis Partnership. Its head office is in Bracknell, Berkshire, England...
food store opened in 2010 on the former Invicta site.
There is an Industrial Estate with a variety of types of business.
Sport and culture
The local football club Oadby Town F.C.Oadby Town F.C.
Oadby Town Football Club is an association football club based in Oadby, in central England.-History:The exact year of formation is unsure but it is believed to be either 1937 or 1939 under the guise of Oadby Imperial. The club did not have to wait long for their first honours winning the "City...
play in the Midland Football Alliance
Midland Football Alliance
The Midland Football Alliance is an English association football league for semi-professional teams. It covers Leicestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Midlands, Worcestershire and also southern parts of Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire...
league. Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers
Leicester Tigers is an English rugby union club that plays in the Aviva Premiership.Leicester are the most successful English club since the introduction of league rugby in 1987, a record 9 times English champions - 3 more than either Bath or Wasps, the last of which was in 2010...
, the premiership rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
club, train at their centre at Oval Park on the Wigston Road, Oadby.
Oadby's other local football club is Oadby Owls FC, who cater for many ages up to under-18s. They play at the municipal Coombe Park and are a very popular football club in Leicester. The club is known to be very successful around the Leicestershire area.
Current famous residents include recent child prodigy Yagnesh Jadavji, named in a BBC documentary by Robert Winston, as being the youngest British citizen to create a MENSA accepted brain teaser. John Deacon
John Deacon
John Richard Deacon is a retired English multi-instrumentalist and song writer, best known as the bassist for the rock band Queen. Of the four members of the band, he was the last to join and also the youngest, being only 19 years old when he was recruited by the other members of the band...
, bass player of the influential rock group Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
, was born and grew up in Oadby.
External links
- Borough Website
- Pride of the Borough Group Website
- Oadby Civic Society Website
- Oadby RALLY Community Action Group Website
- Oadby Pictures
- Oadby Pictures
- Oadby Pictures
- Oadby Pictures
- Oadby Pictures
- Botanic Garden Pictures
- Botanic Garden Pictures
- Botanic Garden Pictures
- Botanic Garden Pictures
- Oadby Community Website
- Waitrose Oadby - proposals for a new food shop
- http://classic.multimap.com/clients/browse.cgi?client=nationwide_02&lon=-1.084010&lat=52.599670&scale=10000&width=300&height=300&rt=browse2&count=4&f0_branch=yes&f1_agent=yes&boolean_order=OR Nationwide Building Society - 92 The Parade, Oadby
Religious organisations in Oadby
- Oadby Evangelical Free Church
- Churches Together in Oadby
- Oadby Parish Website
- Oadby Trinity Methodist Church Website
- Oadby Baptist Church Website
- Church of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic)
Transport
Oadby is served by Arriva Leicester services 31 (Severn Road), 31A (Coombe Rise), 80/80A (UniLinx) and X3, CentrebusCentrebus
Centrebus is a privately owned company that operate a number of services around Leicester and Leicestershire, Grantham, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, mainly in areas where Arriva has scaled down its bus operations. Centrebus also competes with Arriva on some routes in Leicester, Luton and Stevenage...
service 40 circle line and Stagecoach Northampton
Stagecoach in Northants
Stagecoach Northants is the name for most bus routes operated by Stagecoach Midlands in Northamptonshire. The legal name for the company is United Counties Omnibus Company Ltd...
service X7.