Queniborough
Encyclopedia
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 (2003). Due to its proximity to Leicester it forms part of the Leicester Urban Area
. It is particularly famous for its Parish church
(St Mary's) of which Pevsner said "It has one of the finest spires in the whole of Leicestershire".
Queniborough up until the first world war
still had a Lord of the Manor living at Queniborough Hall. (Now converted into expensive flats). Up until 1847, there was no school in the village open to ordinary villagers. The only school in the village was in a small building to the rear of number 28 Main Street. However, this was only for the children whose parents worked on the estate of Queniborough Hall. Numbers 22 - 28 Main Street were built between 1790 and 1810 specifically as worker's cottages. Number 28 was lived in by the schoolmaster. This row of cottages are still occupied and the 'Old' village school is still part of number 28 but is now used as a vaulted dining room with a 15 feet (4.6 m) high cathedral style ceiling
.
In 1847 the 'new school' was built to the side of the Horse and Groom. This school was a 'free school' and was for the use of all villagers - not just the privileged few. The school is now used as a small swimming pool for the primary school which was built in the 1970s to replace the 1847 school.
One rather stunning building in the old village, sporting black painted bow windows on either side of the main door, also sports a plaque by the door to indicate the building as winning an award for, "The best kept village shop 1987". Sadly the building no longer operates as a shop and is now a private house. The external layout of the building does indicate its past as a typical, and a particularly striking example of mid Victorian era
shop. In good weather, the owners of the property often leave out a small case of second hand books for sale with the proceeds going to LOROS, Leicestershire's Hospice movement.
In the 'newer part of the village' Queniborough Road to Syston Road (all 20th century properties) is the Post Office
and corner shop open Monday to Saturday 7.30am to 7pm. A little further along the road is S+J News, the village Newsagent who sells many other things including old fashioned-from a jar sweets, tobacco
and small food items, and who also delivers daily and Sunday newspapers.
In the same end of the village is situated the village hall (completed in 1973) which is well used. Not by Scouts, who use the Scout Hall, but guides, keep fit, badminton
, pre-school playgroup and many other activities take place there.
The village has a sports field marked out mainly for football and Queniborough has teams in both the Junior and Senior leagues. There is also the King George playing field which is a secure playground for young children with swings and roundabouts. There is a public footpath to South Croxton
that follows the Queniborough Brook.
The recent acquisition for the village is the village tennis court
, completed in 2005. This is situated inside the King George playing field off Coppice Lane.
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...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
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:...
and to the north 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...
with 972 properties in the village and 1,878 registered electors (2003). Due to its proximity to Leicester it 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...
. It is particularly famous for its Parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
(St Mary's) of which Pevsner said "It has one of the finest spires in the whole of Leicestershire".
History
The old part of the village (Main Street) has thatched properties going back 500 years. There is a mixture of 16th - 20th century properties all abutting the Main Street. However, there are very few 20th century properties, the majority being 16th to 19th century.Queniborough up until the first world war
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
still had a Lord of the Manor living at Queniborough Hall. (Now converted into expensive flats). Up until 1847, there was no school in the village open to ordinary villagers. The only school in the village was in a small building to the rear of number 28 Main Street. However, this was only for the children whose parents worked on the estate of Queniborough Hall. Numbers 22 - 28 Main Street were built between 1790 and 1810 specifically as worker's cottages. Number 28 was lived in by the schoolmaster. This row of cottages are still occupied and the 'Old' village school is still part of number 28 but is now used as a vaulted dining room with a 15 feet (4.6 m) high cathedral style ceiling
Ceiling
A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limit of a room. It is generally not a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the floor or roof structure above....
.
In 1847 the 'new school' was built to the side of the Horse and Groom. This school was a 'free school' and was for the use of all villagers - not just the privileged few. The school is now used as a small swimming pool for the primary school which was built in the 1970s to replace the 1847 school.
One rather stunning building in the old village, sporting black painted bow windows on either side of the main door, also sports a plaque by the door to indicate the building as winning an award for, "The best kept village shop 1987". Sadly the building no longer operates as a shop and is now a private house. The external layout of the building does indicate its past as a typical, and a particularly striking example of mid Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
shop. In good weather, the owners of the property often leave out a small case of second hand books for sale with the proceeds going to LOROS, Leicestershire's Hospice movement.
Buildings
There are two Public Houses, the Horse & Groom and the Britannia Inn both situated in the centre of the old part of the village. Next door to the Horse and Groom is the Queniborough Branch of the British Legion which has a bar and hall. There is a quality butcher/delicatessen (Clarke's), and a ladies & gents hairdressers (Karens).In the 'newer part of the village' Queniborough Road to Syston Road (all 20th century properties) is the Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
and corner shop open Monday to Saturday 7.30am to 7pm. A little further along the road is S+J News, the village Newsagent who sells many other things including old fashioned-from a jar sweets, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
and small food items, and who also delivers daily and Sunday newspapers.
In the same end of the village is situated the village hall (completed in 1973) which is well used. Not by Scouts, who use the Scout Hall, but guides, keep fit, badminton
Badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played by either two opposing players or two opposing pairs , who take positions on opposite halves of a rectangular court that is divided by a net. Players score points by striking a shuttlecock with their racquet so that it passes over the net and lands in their...
, pre-school playgroup and many other activities take place there.
The village has a sports field marked out mainly for football and Queniborough has teams in both the Junior and Senior leagues. There is also the King George playing field which is a secure playground for young children with swings and roundabouts. There is a public footpath to South Croxton
South Croxton
South Croxton is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It has a population of around 250. Nearby places are Beeby, Barsby and Twyford.-Governance and facilities:...
that follows the Queniborough Brook.
The recent acquisition for the village is the village tennis court
Tennis court
A tennis court is where the game of tennis is played. It is a firm rectangular surface with a low net stretched across the center. The same surface can be used to play both doubles and singles.-Dimensions:...
, completed in 2005. This is situated inside the King George playing field off Coppice Lane.