Thurmaston
Encyclopedia
Thurmaston is a village and civil parish within the Charnwood
borough
of Leicestershire
, England
. As of the 2001 census
its population was 8,945. It is 4 miles north of the Leicester
city centre and lies just outside the A563, Leicester's outer ring road.
), to the north by Syston
and to the east by Barkby
and Barkby Thorpe
. South of Thurmaston is Rushey Mead
and the boundaries of the Leicester urban area.
Rushey Mead was formerly part of the Thurmaston parish in the 19th century, before becoming a Thurmaston Urban District
in 1894. In 1935, the district was annexed to the city of Leicester where it took its modern-day name of Rushey Mead.
Thurmaston is split in two by the A607 dual carriageway, which by-passes the main village. To the east of the road is the mostly residential, newer part of Thurmaston. To the west is the main village on Melton Road, which stands on the old Fosse Way
, the historic road built by the Romans
. Thurmaston lies on the eastern banks of the River Soar
, and two marina
s are located there, one of which is also a boat-yard, and numerous mooring sites. These lead to the Watermead Country Park
which is a purpose-built nature reserve.
The Midland Main Line
also runs through the eastern half of the village.
1
and 2
primary schools:
It also contains a Key Stage 3
secondary school, Roundhill Community College
, which takes in students from all the aforementioned schools in the village, as well as schools in the neighbouring town of Syston
.
Students in Thurmaston aged 14-18 generally go on to attend Wreake Valley Community College
in Syston, which is the nearest Key Stage 4
college in the Charnwood district.
Thurmaston's prominent location on the edge of Leicester has seen much development in recent years. On 31 March 2003, a new, large Asda
superstore opened on Barkby Thorpe Lane, pushing the nearby Midlands Co-op
superstore out of business. The Thurmaston Shopping Centre, featuring a number of retail outlets and restaurants, was built on the site of the old Co-op superstore in 2005.
The main village stretch, which is built up along Melton Road, houses several pubs, takeaway food outlets, convenience stores and various other small retail establishments. The head offices of Arriva Midlands
are also located in the village, along with Arriva's Thurmaston depot where most of their buses and drivers that operate the majority of their Leicester operations are based.
Alongside many other industrial sites along Melton Road, Thurmaston also contains the Earls Way Industrial Estate in the eastern half of the village.
The village has its own newspaper,The Thurmaston Times which is published bi-monthly. The village has a local history society, Thurmaston Heritage Group, whose members help promote an interest in different aspects of both past and present village life. One particular activity being pursued by a member of the group is the creation of an online virtual war memorial. The Thurmaston Military Indexes are being compiled to provide a listing of all those from the village who served their country in the Great War of 1914-1918 and the 1939-1945 War.
The nearest railway station is in Syston
.
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:...
borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
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...
. As of the 2001 census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
its population was 8,945. It is 4 miles north of the 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...
city centre and lies just outside the A563, Leicester's outer ring road.
History and geography
Thurmaston is bounded to the west by Watermead Country Park (which faces onto BirstallBirstall, Leicestershire
Birstall is a large village and civil parish within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is three miles north of the Leicester city centre and is part of the wider Leicester Urban Area....
), to the north by 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 east by Barkby
Barkby
Barkby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated on the Barkby Brook, north-east of Leicester, and only a short way from Leicester's urban sprawl in Thurmaston and Syston. Nearby villages are Beeby and Barkby Thorpe. The parish has a...
and Barkby Thorpe
Barkby Thorpe
Barkby Thorpe is a hamlet and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The parish has a population of around 50, and is close to the Leicester urban sprawl in Thurmaston. It contains the abandoned village of Hamilton. Nearby villages are Barkby and Beeby....
. South of Thurmaston is Rushey Mead
Rushey Mead
Rushey Mead is an electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England. It comprises the northern Leicester suburb of Rushey Mead in its entirety, as well as historical parts of Northfields and Thurmaston.-Geography:...
and the boundaries of the Leicester urban area.
Rushey Mead was formerly part of the Thurmaston parish in the 19th century, before becoming a Thurmaston 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....
in 1894. In 1935, the district was annexed to the city of Leicester where it took its modern-day name of Rushey Mead.
Thurmaston is split in two by the A607 dual carriageway, which by-passes the main village. To the east of the road is the mostly residential, newer part of Thurmaston. To the west is the main village on Melton Road, which stands on the old Fosse Way
Fosse Way
The Fosse Way was a Roman road in England that linked Exeter in South West England to Lincoln in Lincolnshire, via Ilchester , Bath , Cirencester and Leicester .It joined Akeman Street and Ermin Way at Cirencester, crossed Watling Street at Venonis south...
, the historic road built by the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
. Thurmaston lies on the eastern banks of the River Soar
River Soar
The River Soar is a tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands.-Description:It rises near Hinckley in Leicestershire and is joined by the River Sence near Enderby before flowing through Leicester , Barrow-on-Soar, beside Loughborough and Kegworth, before joining the Trent near...
, and two marina
Marina
A marina is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats.A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo from freighters....
s are located there, one of which is also a boat-yard, and numerous mooring sites. These lead to the Watermead Country Park
Watermead Country Park
The Watermead Country Park is a network of artificial lakes in the valley of the River Soar and the old Grand Union Canal, to the north of Leicester, in the Borough of Charnwood in Leicestershire. It runs north to south along the path of the watercourses, with Birstall to the west and Thurmaston...
which is a purpose-built nature reserve.
The Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
also runs through the eastern half of the village.
Notable persons and companies
- Taylorcraft Aeroplanes Ltd., a subsidiary based in Thurmaston, developed the Taylorcraft Model 'D' and the AusterAusterAuster Aircraft Limited was a British aircraft manufacturer from 1938 to 1961.-History:The company began in 1938 at the Britannia Works, Thurmaston near Leicester, England, as Taylorcraft Aeroplanes Limited, making light observation aircraft designed by the Taylorcraft Aircraft Corporation of...
Mk. I through Mk. V, which became the backbone aircraft of the British A.O.P. - The local footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team, the Thurmaston Magpies, once boasted former England international striker/defender Dion DublinDion DublinDion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...
in its ranks.
Education
Thurmaston contains three Key StagesKey Stage
A Key Stage is a stage of the state education system in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the British Territory of Gibraltar setting the educational knowledge expected of students at various ages...
1
Key Stage 1
Key Stage 1 is the legal term for the two years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 1 and Year 2, when pupils are aged between 5 and 7. This Key Stage normally covers pupils during infant school, although in some cases this might form part of a first or...
and 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
primary schools:
- Bishop Ellis Catholic Primary SchoolBishop Ellis Catholic Primary SchoolBishop Ellis Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided Catholic primary school located in Thurmaston, Leicestershire, England. Approximately 315 pupils aged 5–11 attend the school under the direction of the Head teacher Gail Neill....
- Eastfield Primary School
- Church Hill Infant School and Church Hill C of E Junior School
It also contains a Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
secondary school, Roundhill Community College
Roundhill Community College
Roundhill Community College is a secondary school, in Thurmaston, Leicestershire. The school has an 11-14 intake and most students move on to nearby Wreake Valley Community College in Syston, for Key Stage 4 studies and Post-16 studies. The most recent OFSTED inspection report identified the...
, which takes in students from all the aforementioned schools in the village, as well as schools in the neighbouring town 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:...
.
Students in Thurmaston aged 14-18 generally go on to attend Wreake Valley Community College
Wreake Valley Community College
Wreake Valley Community College, known by just the initials 'WVCC', is a co-educational secondary school in Syston, Leicestershire, England. The school is known locally just as 'Wreake' or 'Wreake Valley', which is the name of the geographical area....
in Syston, which is the nearest Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
college in the Charnwood district.
Facilities
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...
superstore opened on Barkby Thorpe Lane, pushing the nearby Midlands Co-op
Midlands Co-operative Society
The Midlands Co-operative Society Limited is a regional consumer co-operative in the United Kingdom. It is a registered Industrial and Provident Society, a member of the Co-operative Union Ltd., the Co-operative Retail Trading Group, the Co-operative Travel Trading Group and a corporate member of...
superstore out of business. The Thurmaston Shopping Centre, featuring a number of retail outlets and restaurants, was built on the site of the old Co-op superstore in 2005.
The main village stretch, which is built up along Melton Road, houses several pubs, takeaway food outlets, convenience stores and various other small retail establishments. The head offices of Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands is a division of Arriva. It operates bus services around the Midlands area of England and is made up of various previous bus operators.-Arriva Midlands North:...
are also located in the village, along with Arriva's Thurmaston depot where most of their buses and drivers that operate the majority of their Leicester operations are based.
Alongside many other industrial sites along Melton Road, Thurmaston also contains the Earls Way Industrial Estate in the eastern half of the village.
The village has its own newspaper,The Thurmaston Times which is published bi-monthly. The village has a local history society, Thurmaston Heritage Group, whose members help promote an interest in different aspects of both past and present village life. One particular activity being pursued by a member of the group is the creation of an online virtual war memorial. The Thurmaston Military Indexes are being compiled to provide a listing of all those from the village who served their country in the Great War of 1914-1918 and the 1939-1945 War.
Public transport
Thurmaston is served by the following bus routes:- Arriva, routes 5/5A and 6
- First Leicester, route 21
- CentrebusCentrebusCentrebus 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...
, routes 27, 100 and 128
The nearest railway station is in 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:...
.