| Bardon | |
St. Peter's parish church |
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Bardon
Bardon shown within Leicestershire |
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| Population | 26 (2001 Census)[1] |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | SK4412 |
| Parish | Bardon |
| District | North West Leicestershire |
| Shire county | Leicestershire |
| Region | East Midlands |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Postcode district | LE67 |
| Dialling code | 01530 |
| Police | Leicestershire |
| Fire | Leicestershire |
| Ambulance | East Midlands |
| EU Parliament | East Midlands |
| UK Parliament | North West Leicestershire |
| List of places: UK • England • Leicestershire | |
Bardon is a civil parish and former village in North West Leicestershire about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) southeast of the centre of Coalville. The parish includes Bardon Hill, which at 912 feet (278 m) above sea level is the highest point in Leicestershire.
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At the foot of the south side of Bardon Hill is an oval moat about 12 metres (39 ft) wide and 1.5 metres (5 ft) deep.[2] It encloses an area measuring about 65 metres (213 ft) by 75 metres (246 ft), and the island thus created is raised about 1.5 metres (5 ft) above the level of the surrounding land.[2] The site is a scheduled monument.[2]
The moat island is the site of the old Bardon Hall, which was demolished in about 1840 after the current Bardon Hall was completed further up Bardon Hill.[3] The latter is a Tudor revival house designed by the architect Robert Lugar[4] and completed in about 1837.[3]
Granite was being quarried from Bardon Hill by 1622.[5] In 1832 the Leicester and Swannington Railway was opened, passing close to the then village of Bardon. A branch was built to the quarry and continues to carry granite from the quarry to this day. Bardon Hill railway station was near the parish church. The station was closed in the 20th century but the railway through it remains open for freight as part of the Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line.
In 1921 Bardon had a population of 511[6] and a public house called the Birch Tree.[7] However, in the 1990s the village was demolished to allow the quarry to be expanded.[6]
The Church of England parish church of Saint Peter was designed by the architect J.B. Everard[4] (1844–1923)[8] and built in 1899.[4] St. Peter's was built in memory of two members of the Everard family[9] who were co-owners of the quarry, and the architect also is buried in the churchyard. The church is built of granite, and its exterior masonry is not coursed but laid like crazy paving.[4]
The tower has a saddleback roof topped by a flèche.[4] It has three bells, all cast by John Taylor & Co of Loughborough in 1899.[10]
St. Peter's parish is now part of a single benefice with Christ Church, Coalville and St. Michael and All Angels, Ravenstone.[9] Bardon's ecclesiastical and civil parishes are not coterminous. St. Peter's church is about 330 yards (300 m) outside the civil parish, in the civil parish of Coalville.
Bardon Park Chapel[11] is a 17th century nonconformist chapel in the southernmost part of the parish, close to the main A50 road between Leicester and Coalville. It was built in about 1694 and altered in about 1830, 1877 and about 1900.[12] A number of original 17th century features survive, including the roof trusses and the wooden pulpit, which is octagonal and has fluted Doric pilasters.[12] A wooden screen and doors date from the remodelling of about 1830.[12] The chapel has always been galleried, but the original gallery which had wooden Doric columns was replaced in the remodelling of about 1900 with the present gallery on iron columns.[12] The chapel is part of the United Reformed Church.[12]
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Bardon,_Leicestershire Bardon, Leicestershire] at Wikimedia Commons