Fleckney

Fleckney
Fleckney
Fleckney shown within Leicestershire
Area	1.961 sq mi (5.08 km2)
Population	4,894 (2011)[1]
• Density	2,496/sq mi (964/km2)
OS grid reference	SP651933
• London	81 mi (130 km)
Shire county	Leicestershire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Leicestershire
Fire	Leicestershire
Ambulance	East Midlands
EU Parliament	East Midlands

Fleckney /ˈflɛkniː/ is a village and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England

The village appeared in the Domesday Book and remained a small farming community until the 19th century, which saw development of industry: initially bricks and later hosiery. The historic village centre is a hub of amenities for the mostly rural local area.

Facilities

Much of the surrounding area is composed of small agricultural communities with few amenities, leading Fleckney to be defined by the local council as a rural centre, benefiting from two general practitioner surgeries, a public library, two public houses, primary school, several food shops and a post office.^[2] The local newspaper, The Fleckney Communicata, is offered free to local residents.

Much of the adult population commutes, although there is a significant industrial estate in the south of the village. More than 21% of the village population is 0–15 years old, making Fleckney one of the youngest villages in Harborough District. The village has a local primary school, while older pupils attend school at Kibworth High School. Leicester Grammar School, an independent secondary school, moved to the neighbouring village of Great Glen in 2007.

History and geography

Mentioned as Flechenie in the Domesday Book as the location of just three households,^[3] the old factory buildings at the edge of the village are the remains of the 19th century brickworks and later hosiery factories. Some of the decorative bricks in the Barlow shed of St Pancras railway station were produced in Fleckney. After the Second World War, successive developments of new housing were constructed radiating north and south from the historic village centre towards the parish boundaries. Due to severe storms in 2012, the village church suffered roof damage. This was repaired with the donation of local builder Ben Antill's life savings, among others.

The village occupies a generally flat area among gently rolling hills in Leicestershire. The Grand Union Canal traverses the eastern edge of the parish from north to south via the Kibworth Locks and the Saddington tunnel.

Additionally a short distance to the east of the village is the Mill Field Wood, planted in the year 2000 as a millennium project: the location is often known locally as the Millennium Wood in recognition of this. The 18.9 acres (7.6 hecatare) site was acquired by the Woodland Trust and the planting of the trees was carried out by the villagers of Fleckney and its surrounding villages. The major trees that were planted included oak, ash, silver birch and field maple and also included some shrubs such as hazel and blackthorn. All the plants are native to the area.

The pond located in the centre of the village was originally a clay pit, a relic of 19th brickmaking. Abandoned, the pit has since flooded, becoming an ideal habitat for ducks. The pond drains in to Fleckney Brook, a tributary of the River Sence which by way of the rivers Soar, Trent and Humber drains in to the North Sea at Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire.

To the east is the larger village of Kibworth and adjoining Smeeton Westerby; to the south and separated by a narrow tract of agricultural land is the hilltop village of Saddington; while to the north and east are the parishes of Newton Harcourt, Kilby, Wistow and Arnesby.

Transport

Fleckney is situated 6 miles east of the M1 motorway and is equidistant between two parallel sections of the north-south A6 and A5199 (former A50) trunk roads. It is served by Arriva Fox County service 49B to Leicester via Wigston which operates during the daytime every 60 mins Monday - Saturday and Coachcare Travel service 44 to Foxton via Saddington, Kibworth Beauchamp, The Langtons, Great Bowden & Market Harborough which operates every 60 minutes Monday - Saturday. The village has a limited bus service during Monday - Saturday evenings and not on Sundays or bank holidays.

The nearest railway station is at South Wigston (6 miles), however, this station is poorly used as it only has a service every 2 hours and does not possess a car park, many station facilities or even a direct service to London. The next nearest railway stations with car parks and better facilities are in Leicester and Market Harborough, both approximately 10 miles from the village and offering direct travel via East Midlands Trains to London St Pancras railway station and several Northern destinations. Leicester railway station also provides east-west services by several other rail operators, linking Fleckney to destinations such as Birmingham and Norwich.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fleckney.

• Fleckney Village Website