Ratcliffe on the Wreake is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is just to the north of the River Wreake, opposite East Goscote.
The village is small enough not to have a parish council; instead it has a parish meeting consisting of all the electorate. Sir William Lindsay Everard lived in the Ratcliffe Hall estate. He opened Ratcliffe Aerodrome in 1930 for civil flying. Ratcliffe Aerodrome opened with a 'Grand Air Pageant' on September 6, 1930. Famed aviator Amy Johnson made an unexpected trip from London to participate with Sir Sefton Brancker, Director of Civil Aviation. Some 5000 spectators were treated to a show with 100 planes and staged bombings of Chinese pirates. There was one crash, but no one was killed. Ratcliffe Aerodrome was one of the finest in civil aviation with a comfortable clubhouse and an outdoor pool. The hangars were first class and the many air shows and displays had the atmosphere of a garden party. Ratcliffe is known for its abundance in wildlife especially crayfish which inhabit the river wreake right through the village.
As RAF Ratcliffe, it was an important Air Transport Auxiliary ferry pool in World War II.[1]
Apart from Goscote, nearby places are Thrussington, further up the Wreake, Syston, further down, and Sileby, to the north-west.
Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Ratcliffe_on_the_Wreake Ratcliffe on the Wreake] at Wikimedia Commons
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