Sileby
Encyclopedia
Sileby is a former industrial village and civil parish
in the Soar Valley
in Leicestershire
, between Leicester
and Loughborough
. Nearby villages include Barrow upon Soar
, Mountsorrel
, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake, Seagrave
and Cossington
.
The origins of the village date back to around 840 AD.
The area was settled by the Danes - Leicestershire
forming part of the Danelaw
along with other counties in the vicinity. The name Sileby may in fact come from the Danish name 'Sighulf'.
s, separated by the brook that flows through the middle of the village. These are St Mary’s to the north and St Gregory’s to the south. Recently however, due to Boundary Commission changes, a third ward of ‘Barrow West’ was added albeit as an arbitrary boundary essentially for electoral purposes. This division was strongly resented at the time owing to local rivalries and the idea of a portion of the village being annexed was not popular. In practice however this division is largely ignored. Even the idea of the two traditional wards is becoming somewhat lost as the village grows and new people move in unaware of the significance of the historical division.
One of Sileby's most distinguishing features is the Anglican church of St. Mary founded around 1152. It is a Grade II* listed building, and only 4% of listed buildings in the country are Grade II* status, which means it is of very significant interest. The Gothic tower now houses a fine ring of 10 bells, which attract ringers from far and wide.
on the Ivanhoe Line, and trains run regularly to Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham
and Lincoln
.
and lager
.
The village also has two private members' clubs – The Working Men’s Club on King Street (next to the Horse and Trumpet), and the Conservative Club on Cossington Road. Both clubs have separate concert rooms.
The Working Men’s club has a wide range of age groups amongst its membership, and holds traditional bingo nights.
The Conservative Club has many facilities on offer including a full-size snooker table, pool table, long-alley skittles and a private function room. The club is Silebys top venue for live bands on Saturday nights (see the advertising notices outside of the Club), holds popular bingo sessions every Wednesday night 9pm and Sunday afternoon 4pm, general knowledge and music quizzes every month raising money for charity. The club is also the home of the extremely popular Sileby Annual Flower & Vegetable Show held each September. There is also the hugely popular Sparkys Santa Sunday held on the first Sunday in December with many displays, stalls and hog roast to get you ready for the seasons festivities.
, Football, Tennis
and Lawn Bowls, as well as many others clubs for Rugby Football
, Baseball
and Shooting amongst others.
Sileby Town Cricket Club, whose ground is located on Mill Lane on the outskirts of the village, had a highly successful season in 2006 with their first XI gaining promotion to the Everards Premier League by winning the First Division in dramatic style on the final day of the season, as well the second XI gaining promotion to Everards division four and numerous other cup and league successes. The Under 15's team unexpectedly finished as Runners up in the Portman National Finals, a competition contested amongst 1670 other teams.
2006 also saw the formation of the Sileby Town Rugby Football
Club, otherwise known as the Sileby Vikings. From modest beginnings the club has grown into a genuinely competitive club and, with its support from local firm Hillyer Transport, aims to become an established force in local rugby in the future. This season 2010/11 saw the club get its own ground at Platts Lane in Cossington. The opening day was attended by many fans and supporters, however the most notable personality was Matt Hanson, who did the honours by officially opening the ground. The club has been active over the last 3 seasons in raising funds for the Leicestershire Air ambulance by pulling a truck from Loughborough to Sileby. Every year the route gets longer and the support increases. The club is currently in Leicestershire Division 4.
Also local T.V personalities ( of Dream Team fame) Jake Rimington (Basil Brush) and Liam Winnett (scared of Kelly) play football for local football teams Sileby Victoria and Sileby Town respectively.
The Sileby Community Centre is located on the High Street and has a large main hall with numerous ancillary rooms including a kitchen and bar, as well as a separate Sports Hall. It is housed in what was formerly a Wesleyan
Chapel
that was given to the village some years ago and is now managed by the Parish Council.
There is an active Scout Group, which meets at its HQ on Brook Street, a former shoe factory.
Each year in September there is the Sileby Annual Flower and Vegetable Show held at Sileby Conservative Club. This is an extremely popular event in which local residents and growers of all standards are welcomed to come along and take part.
sites. Whilst this, in many ways is an advantage to the village, the potential long term damage caused by additional vehicles on the village roads, pollution and the strain on village amenities has yet to be measured.
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 Soar Valley
Soar Valley
The Soar Valley in Leicestershire, England is the basin of the River Soar, which rises south of Leicester and flows north through Charnwood before meeting the River Trent at Trent Lock on the Nottinghamshire border....
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...
, between 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 Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
. Nearby villages include Barrow upon Soar
Barrow upon Soar
Barrow upon Soar is a large village in northern Leicestershire, in the Soar Valley between Leicester and Loughborough. It has a population of around 5,000 and is part of the Charnwood local government district....
, Mountsorrel
Mountsorrel
Mountsorrel is a village in Leicestershire on the River Soar, just south of Loughborough with a population in 2001 of 6,662 inhabitants.-Geography:...
, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake, Seagrave
Seagrave
Seagrave is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It has a population of around 500. It is north of Sileby and close to Thrussington and Barrow upon Soar....
and Cossington
Cossington, Leicestershire
thumb|right|Cossington parish churchCossington is a village within the Soar Valley in Leicestershire. It lies between Sileby, Rothley, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake and Syston....
.
The origins of the village date back to around 840 AD.
The area was settled by the Danes - 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...
forming part of the Danelaw
Danelaw
The Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
along with other counties in the vicinity. The name Sileby may in fact come from the Danish name 'Sighulf'.
History
Traditionally, Sileby was split into two wardWard (subnational entity)
A ward is a subdivision of a municipality. Wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases historical figures connected to the area...
s, separated by the brook that flows through the middle of the village. These are St Mary’s to the north and St Gregory’s to the south. Recently however, due to Boundary Commission changes, a third ward of ‘Barrow West’ was added albeit as an arbitrary boundary essentially for electoral purposes. This division was strongly resented at the time owing to local rivalries and the idea of a portion of the village being annexed was not popular. In practice however this division is largely ignored. Even the idea of the two traditional wards is becoming somewhat lost as the village grows and new people move in unaware of the significance of the historical division.
One of Sileby's most distinguishing features is the Anglican church of St. Mary founded around 1152. It is a Grade II* listed building, and only 4% of listed buildings in the country are Grade II* status, which means it is of very significant interest. The Gothic tower now houses a fine ring of 10 bells, which attract ringers from far and wide.
Transport
The village has a stationSileby railway station
Sileby railway station is a railway station serving the village of Sileby in Leicestershire, England. The station is located on the Midland Main Line 10 km north of Leicester towards Loughborough....
on the Ivanhoe Line, and trains run regularly to Leicester, Loughborough, Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
.
Socialising
Pubs include The Horse and Trumpet, The Free Trade Inn, The Swan and The Malthouse, and these cater for all tastes. The Horse and Trumpet (“The Trumpet”), located at the top of Mountsorrel Lane opposite St Mary’s Church is a regular village drinking house offering food, frequent entertainment and has a pool table and skittle alley to the rear. Further towards the middle of the village on Swan Street is The White Swan. On the High Street lies The Malt House (formerly The Duke of York), a much-extended and refurbished establishment catering more for the sports-orientated and generally attracting a mixture of clientele. The only pub in St Gregory’s ward is the Free Trade Inn which stands at the junction of Cossington Road and Manor Drive. This is one of the oldest buildings in Sileby, dating back to the 15th century. This is a traditional pub serving some food but is generally a ‘drinking’ pub boasting a wide variety of beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
and lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
.
The village also has two private members' clubs – The Working Men’s Club on King Street (next to the Horse and Trumpet), and the Conservative Club on Cossington Road. Both clubs have separate concert rooms.
The Working Men’s club has a wide range of age groups amongst its membership, and holds traditional bingo nights.
The Conservative Club has many facilities on offer including a full-size snooker table, pool table, long-alley skittles and a private function room. The club is Silebys top venue for live bands on Saturday nights (see the advertising notices outside of the Club), holds popular bingo sessions every Wednesday night 9pm and Sunday afternoon 4pm, general knowledge and music quizzes every month raising money for charity. The club is also the home of the extremely popular Sileby Annual Flower & Vegetable Show held each September. There is also the hugely popular Sparkys Santa Sunday held on the first Sunday in December with many displays, stalls and hog roast to get you ready for the seasons festivities.
Sport
Sileby has a great number of sporting clubs, many of which have enjoyed success in recent years. There are well established clubs and facilities for CricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, Football, Tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
and Lawn Bowls, as well as many others clubs for Rugby Football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
, Baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and Shooting amongst others.
Sileby Town Cricket Club, whose ground is located on Mill Lane on the outskirts of the village, had a highly successful season in 2006 with their first XI gaining promotion to the Everards Premier League by winning the First Division in dramatic style on the final day of the season, as well the second XI gaining promotion to Everards division four and numerous other cup and league successes. The Under 15's team unexpectedly finished as Runners up in the Portman National Finals, a competition contested amongst 1670 other teams.
2006 also saw the formation of the Sileby Town Rugby Football
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, otherwise known as the Sileby Vikings. From modest beginnings the club has grown into a genuinely competitive club and, with its support from local firm Hillyer Transport, aims to become an established force in local rugby in the future. This season 2010/11 saw the club get its own ground at Platts Lane in Cossington. The opening day was attended by many fans and supporters, however the most notable personality was Matt Hanson, who did the honours by officially opening the ground. The club has been active over the last 3 seasons in raising funds for the Leicestershire Air ambulance by pulling a truck from Loughborough to Sileby. Every year the route gets longer and the support increases. The club is currently in Leicestershire Division 4.
Also local T.V personalities ( of Dream Team fame) Jake Rimington (Basil Brush) and Liam Winnett (scared of Kelly) play football for local football teams Sileby Victoria and Sileby Town respectively.
Community
Sileby has a community magazine, Talk@Sileby. The magazine is published by volunteers three times a year. Electronic copies of all issues can be found on the village website (another project run by volunteers).The Sileby Community Centre is located on the High Street and has a large main hall with numerous ancillary rooms including a kitchen and bar, as well as a separate Sports Hall. It is housed in what was formerly a Wesleyan
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
Chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
that was given to the village some years ago and is now managed by the Parish Council.
There is an active Scout Group, which meets at its HQ on Brook Street, a former shoe factory.
Each year in September there is the Sileby Annual Flower and Vegetable Show held at Sileby Conservative Club. This is an extremely popular event in which local residents and growers of all standards are welcomed to come along and take part.
Notable residents
- David HoweDavid Howe (speedway rider)David Peter Howe is a British professional motorcycle speedway rider, who rides for Scunthorpe Scorpions....
, speedway rider - Chris NeedhamChris NeedhamChris Needham is best known for his 1992 BBC Teenage Video Diary In Bed With Chris Needham in which he and his school friends formed a thrash metal band called 'Manslaughter' .-External links:Wordwrites - In Bed with Chris Needham...
, of BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Teenage Video Diaries fame with his 1992 In Bed With Chris NeedhamIn Bed With Chris NeedhamIn Bed With Chris Needham is a 1992 Teenage Video Diary from the BBC about a Loughborough teen and thrash metal fan, Chris Needham, and his friends as they establish their own band and build up to their first proper 'gig'.-External links:*...
documentary
Development
The village has expanded greatly in the past 5 years, with several hundred new houses being built, it would appear that all available land - however small - has been developed for housing in line with the prevailing government directive of using Brownfield sites before Greenfield landGreenfield land
Greenfield land is a term used to describe undeveloped land in a city or rural area either used for agriculture, landscape design, or left to naturally evolve...
sites. Whilst this, in many ways is an advantage to the village, the potential long term damage caused by additional vehicles on the village roads, pollution and the strain on village amenities has yet to be measured.