Queniborough

Queniborough
Thatched Queniborough Cottage dated 1604
District	Borough of Charnwood
Shire county	Leicestershire
Region	East Midlands
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Leicestershire
Fire	Leicestershire
Ambulance	East Midlands
UK Parliament	Charnwood (UK Parliament constituency)

Queniborough is a village in the county of Leicestershire, United Kingdom just north of Syston and to the north of Leicester with 972 properties in the village and 1,878 registered electors (2003). Due to its proximity to Leicester it forms part of the Leicester Urban Area. It is particularly famous for its Parish church (St Mary's) of which Pevsner said "It has one of the finest spires in the whole of Leicestershire".

History

The old part of the village (Main Street) has thatched properties going back 500 years. There is a mixture of 16th - 20th century properties all abutting the Main Street. However, there are very few 20th century properties, the majority being 16th to 19th century.

Queniborough Old Hall in Coppice Lane is a large country house built in 1676-76. It is built of brick with Swithland slate roofs to an originally H-shaped floor plan in two storeys with attics and is listed Grade II*. The newer Queniborough Hall in Main Street was built circa 1820 with later additions. It is built in two storeys of stuccoed brick with a 4 bay frontage. Up until the first world war it was still occupied by the Lord of the Manor, but has now been converted into expensive flats.

Up until 1847, there was no school in the village open to ordinary villagers. The only school in the village was in a small building to the rear of number 28 Main Street. However, this was only for the children whose parents worked on the estate of Queniborough Hall. Numbers 22 - 28 Main Street were built between 1790 and 1810 specifically as worker's cottages. Number 28 was lived in by the schoolmaster. This row of cottages are still occupied, and the 'Old' village school is still part of number 28 but is now used as a vaulted dining room with a 15-foot (4.6 m) high cathedral style ceiling.

In 1847 the 'new school' was built to the side of the Horse and Groom. This school was a 'free school' and was for the use of all villagers - not just the privileged few. The school is now used as a small swimming pool for the primary school, which was built in the 1970s to replace the 1847 school.

One rather stunning building in the old village, sporting black-painted bow windows on either side of the main door, also sports a plaque by the door to indicate the building as winning an award for, "The best kept village shop 1987". The building no longer operates as a shop and is now a private house. The external layout of the building does indicate its past as a typical, and a particularly striking example of a mid-Victorian-era shop. In good weather, the owners of the property often leave out a small case of second-hand books for sale, with the proceeds going to LOROS, Leicestershire's Hospice movement.

Buildings

Queniborough Hall

There are two Public Houses, the Horse & Groom and the Britannia Inn both, situated in the centre of the old part of the village. Next door to the Horse and Groom is the Queniborough Branch of the British Legion, which has a bar and hall. There is a quality butcher/delicatessen (Clarke's), and a ladies & gents hairdressers (Karens).

In the 'newer part of the village' Queniborough Road to Syston Road (all 20th-century properties) is the Post Office and corner shop open Monday to Saturday 7:30 am to 7 pm. A little further along the road is S+J News, the village newsagent, who sells many other things, including old-fashioned from-a-jar sweets, tobacco and small food items, and who also delivers daily and Sunday newspapers.

In the same end of the village is situated the village hall (completed in 1973) which is well used. Not by Scouts, who use the Scout Hall, but keep fit, badminton, pre-school playgroup and many other activities take place there.

The school hall, which is on Coppice Lane, is used by Guides, Brownies, Rainbows and Weight Watchers as well as many other clubs. It often holds a winter fair and other celebrations.

The village has a sports field marked out mainly for football and Queniborough has teams in both the Junior and Senior leagues. There is also the King George playing field which is a secure playground for young children with swings and roundabouts. There is a public footpath to South Croxton that follows the Queniborough Brook.

The recent acquisition for the village is the village tennis court, completed in 2005. This is situated inside the King George playing field off Coppice Lane.

External links

• Queniborough History (leicestershirevillages.com)