Birstall is a large village north of Leicester in Leicestershire, England. The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using Latitude and Longitude Leicester (ˈlɛstə is the largest city and Unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England, and is the traditional Leicestershire (ˈlɛstəʃə(r or ˈlɛstəʃɪə(r abbreviation Leics England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland
It lies on the A6 and is the last major settlement before Leicester when heading from the North. The village centre lies just off the A6, along Sibson Road. There is a supermarket (Somerfield), a garden centre and various other shops. There are various schools, including Highcliffe Primary School, Riverside Primary School, Stonehill High School, and Longslade Community College. Longslade Community College a Comprehensive school and Specialist Technology College in Birstall, a suburban village north of Leicester city
There is a large housing estate to the North-West of the village, towards Beaumont Leys known unofficially as the Gates estate because many of the road names end in the word 'gate'.
The Grand Union Canal runs through the bottom end of the village, separating it from Watermead Country Park, a series of lakes in the bottom of the Soar Valley, which have been set aside as a recreational area and country park. The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. The Watermead Country Park is a network of artificial lakes in the valley of the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal (old, to the north of Leicester The Soar Valley in Leicestershire, England is the basin of the River Soar, which rises south of Leicester and flows north through Charnwood A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment
The Great Central Railway steam railway has its southern terminus near the village, where the A6 meets the Leicester outer ringroad at Red Hill Circle. The Great Central Railway ( GCR) was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed The railway also forms the boundary of the southern end of Birstall Golf Club.
To the north of the village, the A6 meets the A46 Leicester Western Bypass and then continues on towards Loughborough along the Soar Valley, and so on to the North of England. The A46 is a Trunk road in England. It largely follows the course of the Roman Fosse Way, from Lincoln to south Devon. Constructed in the early 1990 's the Leicester Western Bypass refers to a section of the A46, between the M1 motorway and Syston. Loughborough (pronounced locally as either /lɘfbɘɹɘ/ "LUFF-burra" /lɘf The Soar Valley in Leicestershire, England is the basin of the River Soar, which rises south of Leicester and flows north through Charnwood
A new housing development called 'Hallam Fields' commenced construction in 2006, occupying land to the west of the A6, between the 'Gates' estate and the A46. The A46 is a Trunk road in England. It largely follows the course of the Roman Fosse Way, from Lincoln to south Devon. The development will take ten years to complete, consisting of up to 900 hundred properties including schools, shops, offices industrial units and a fire station. It has been described as a mini Poundbury. Poundbury is an experimental New town — or more correctly a new Village — on the outskirts of Dorchester in the County of Dorset
The symbol of Birstall is a Cedar tree. The original tree stands in Roman Road.
Birstall is twinned with Rixensart, Belgium. Rixensart is a Walloon Municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those
Contents |
History
The name Birstall comes from the Old English for "old disused fort" - Burhsteall. Saxon remnants have been found in the village and surrounding area. For their language see Anglo-Saxon language. Anglo-Saxon is the term usually used to describe the invading Tribes in the south The village was called Burstalle in the Domesday Book when it belonged to Hugh de Grandmesnil[1]. The Domesday Book (ˈduːmzdeɪ bʊk also known as Domesday, or Book of Winchester) was the record of the great survey Hugh de Grandmesnil (1032 – February 22, 1098) also known as Hugh or Hugo de Grentmesnil or Grentemesnil, was a commander at the Willard held these lands for Hugh and the 16 acres of meadow and a mill were said to be worth three ounces of gold. The village was a small one until the arrival of the Great Central Railway in 1899. The Great Central Railway ( GCR) was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed From then onwards development has continued and still continues to-day. Between 1901 and the 2001 the population grew from 611 to over 11,000.
Population: 12,500 (5000 households) Area of Parish: 791 acres
Places/buildings within the village
Schools:
- Highcliffe primary school
- Riverside primary school
- Stonehill high school
- Longslade Community College
Shops:
- Two main supermarkets
- One garden centre
- Various shops along Sibson road
Parks:
- Watermead Country Park
- School Lane recreational park
Golf club:
- Birstall Golf Club - founded in 1901 - one of the first golf clubs in Leicestershire
Neighbouring villages
The closest village to Birstall is Wanlip, a smaller village, with the village of Rothley being the next closest. See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory See also Primary education A primary school (from French école primaire) is an institution where children receive the first stage of Compulsory High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution Longslade Community College a Comprehensive school and Specialist Technology College in Birstall, a suburban village north of Leicester city Customer divider barjpg|thumb|In supermarkets sellers periodically change prices for classes of goods in response to market conditions rather than negotiating the price of each good A garden centre is a retail firm that sells plants and products related to gardens as its primary business The Watermead Country Park is a network of artificial lakes in the valley of the River Soar and the Grand Union Canal (old, to the north of Leicester Leicestershire (ˈlɛstəʃə(r or ˈlɛstəʃɪə(r abbreviation Leics Wanlip is a village and Civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, with a population of about 150 The villages of Thurmaston and Syston are also nearby. Thurmaston is a village and Civil parish within the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. This article is on Syston in Leicestershire There is also a Syston in Lincolnshire &mdash see Syston Lincolnshire Syston Loughborough, a larger town, is further away. Loughborough (pronounced locally as either /lɘfbɘɹɘ/ "LUFF-burra" /lɘf
References
- ^ Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration. London: Penguin, 2003. p. 655 ISBN 0-14-143994-7