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Belgrave, Leicester

Coordinates: 52°39′24″N 1°07′35″W / 52.65660°N 1.12625°W / 52.65660; -1.12625
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Diwali and Xmas lights in 2005

Belgrave is an area in northern Leicester, England. The old Belgrave Village is on the Loughborough Road, to the west of the A46, known at that point as 'Melton Road'.

History

One of the earliest mentions of this place is in the Domesday book where it is listed amongst the lands given to Hugh de Grandmesnil[1] by the King. The land consisted of a mill, 24 acres (97,000 m2) of meadow and land for 6 ploughs.

The term was used for the large 19th century terraced developments along the A46 (Belgrave Road and then Melton Road). This area now has a large, vibrant Asian community featuring the Golden Mile (Leicester): a stretch of road a mile long so called due to its particularly high concentration of shops selling gold. The Asian Community based in and around Belgrave road have been residents since the early 70's. Many Asians came as refugees from Kenya during the turbulance in Uganda.

It is bounded to the south by Leicester City Centre, to the west by the River Soar and to the east by the Midland Main Line railway.

The Belgrave Hall area is a conservation area.[2]

Old Belgrave is the original village and church, and was once nicknamed "Dummy Town", not because the inhabitants were stupid but because they would never inform to the police and solved village problems themselves.[citation needed]

According to the 2001 UK Census, 104 Pacific Islander born people were residing in Belgrave, with many more being of Pacific Islander descent, this is the largest number for any location in the UK.[3]

Former Councillors for Belgrave include Archibald Berridge and Ramnik Kavia, both of whom served as Lord Mayors of Leicester, and Colin Hall, the city's Lord Mayor in 2010-11 and a resident of the area since 1968.

The ward is currently represented on Leicester City Council by Labour Councillors Rashmi "Hari-Bol" Joshi and John Thomas.

Etymology

The settlement has been meant in Domesday Book as Merdegrave (from Old English mearð ‘marten’ + grāf ‘grove’). However, after the Norman Conquest the first part of the name merde was taken to be Old French ‘dung’ or ‘shit’, hence the people changed it to Old French beu, bel ‘fair’, ‘lovely’, in order to remove that unpleasant association.

References

  1. ^ Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration. London: Penguin, 2003. p. 653 ISBN 0-14-143994-7
  2. ^ Leicester Council Conservation areas
  3. ^ Pacific Islanders in Belgrave

52°39′24″N 1°07′35″W / 52.65660°N 1.12625°W / 52.65660; -1.12625

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