Quorn, Leicestershire
Encyclopedia
Quorn is a village
in Leicestershire
, England
, situated next to the university
town of Loughborough
. Quorn's name was shortened from Quorndon in 1889, to avoid postal difficulties owing to its similarity to the name of another village, Quarndon, a few miles away. Its original name is said to derive from the Old English
cweordun. Dun, Old English for Hill, where cweorn, Old English for millstone
s, are quarried.
The quarry
ing of stone in Quorn began at a very early age at Buddon Wood, on the edge of the parish. Granite
millstones were quarried in the early Iron Age
, and under the Romans
stone was quarried for building
in Leicester. Some of the larger millstones can still be seen in the area, however these days they are either used as garden ornaments, or worked into seats or slabs.
Quorndon Hall, off Meynell Road on the edge of the village, became the home of renowned fox hunter
Hugo Meynell
in 1753. He established his pack of hounds there, where it continued under later masters until 1905, thus giving a name to the famous Quorn Hunt
. A Royal Navy
ship, HMS Quorn
, is named in honour of the hunt.
and 19 in World War II
). A cenotaph
in Quorn's Memorial Gardens honours these men.
"Quorn Camp" was established on the grounds of Quorn House during World War II. It was used as a PoW
camp and was also host to a number of the United States Army
82nd Division's 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
. These paratroopers were involved in liberating the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise
, in Normandy, France, on the morning of D-Day
and included Pvt. John Marvin Steele
who famously became caught on the town's church spire. This incident is today commemorated with a dummy paratrooper and parachute attached to the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise.
A number of American veterans come back to Quorn, particularly every tenth anniversary of the D-Day landings, to remember their time in Quorn and their comrades who did not return.
There is a plaque commemorating these US servicemen in Quorn's Memorial Gardens, upon which a poppy wreath is placed each year on Remembrance Sunday
. There is also an avenue of lime trees in Stafford Orchard (the village park) in remembrance of those American soldiers that died, together with a plaque.
" on the Great Central Railway
that was shared with the neighbouring hamlet of Woodhouse
. The station is now on the preserved Great Central Steam Railway. Not only is the site of historical and cultural interest throughout the year, the station hosts a spectacular fireworks display on the Bonfire weekend.
In the centre of the village is Rawlins Community College
, a 14-19 Comprehensive school. This is on the site of the Thomas Rawlins grammar school for Girls.
The dual-carriageway A6 Quorn-Mountsorrel
bypass opened on 28 October 1991.
The 'Banks' area of the village has recently undergone extensive redevelopment, and is now an ornate paved area with seating, designed to resemble the letter 'Q' when seen from the air.
Sarson Street, running adjacent to Rawlins Community College
, features many 19th Century terraced cottages, formerly those of framework knitters. Framework knitting was a major local industry until the onset of major mechanisation, and the cottages along this road display certain features typical of such an activity. Large windows for example were intended to allow in the necessary amount of light by which to work.
In the past few years, efforts have been made to cater for the local young people. These have resulted in a half pipe being built next to the basketball court on the park, and a green shelter erected on the same site. The large park, with its shaded area by the stream, large football pitch and half pipe now appeals to people of all ages. Examples of how the park contributes to the village can be seen at the large and successful Mayday fete, as well as the local pub football matches occasionally held there.
The village prides itself on its green spaces, and more evidence of this can be seen with the opposition to proposed development at Caves field. This is a large cricket
pitch with a pavilion near the centre of Quorn, which was the focus of interest from a housing development company. Objection was widespread, not only at the prospect of losing the cricket field but also due to the threat to a neighbouring wetland ecosystem, considered valuable by environmentalists and the village population.
The Church of St Bartholomew and Farnham Chapel
is a Grade I listed building.
Quorn House, off Meeting Street, is currently home to the offices of fitness guru Rosemary Conley
.
showed Quorn's population to be 4,961 (2,412 males and 2,549 females) living in 2,083 households with an average age of 41.
councillors for the Quorn & Mountsorrel Castle ward, Richard Shepherd (Con
) and David Slater (Con). At county level, Quorn, along with the neighbouring village of Barrow upon Soar
, is represented by a single Leicestershire County Council
councillor, Tony Kershaw (Con). Quorn is represented in the UK Parliament
by Nicky Morgan
(Con), MP for the Loughborough constituency
. At European level, Quorn is in the East Midlands
constituency, which has five MEPs
in the European Parliament
; Derek Clark
(UKIP/EFD
), Roger Helmer
(Con/ECR
), Emma McClarkin
(Con/ECR), Bill Newton-Dunn (LD
/ALDE
) and Glenis Willmott
(Lab
/S&D
).
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, situated next to the university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
town of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
. Quorn's name was shortened from Quorndon in 1889, to avoid postal difficulties owing to its similarity to the name of another village, Quarndon, a few miles away. Its original name is said to derive from the Old English
Old English language
Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...
cweordun. Dun, Old English for Hill, where cweorn, Old English for millstone
Millstone
Millstones or mill stones are used in windmills and watermills, including tide mills, for grinding wheat or other grains.The type of stone most suitable for making millstones is a siliceous rock called burrstone , an open-textured, porous but tough, fine-grained sandstone, or a silicified,...
s, are quarried.
History
The first known evidence of the village is in the Lincoln Episcopal Registers for 1209–1235, as Quernendon. Other variations of the village name over the centuries include Querne, Quendon, Querendon, Quarendon, Qaryndon, Querinden, Querondon, and Quernedon.The quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
ing of stone in Quorn began at a very early age at Buddon Wood, on the edge of the parish. Granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
millstones were quarried in the early Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
, and under the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
stone was quarried for building
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
in Leicester. Some of the larger millstones can still be seen in the area, however these days they are either used as garden ornaments, or worked into seats or slabs.
Quorndon Hall, off Meynell Road on the edge of the village, became the home of renowned fox hunter
Fox hunting
Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase, and sometimes killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds, and a group of followers led by a master of foxhounds, who follow the hounds on foot or on horseback.Fox hunting originated in its current...
Hugo Meynell
Hugo Meynell
Hugo Meynell is generally seen as the father of modern fox hunting, became Master of Fox Hounds for the Quorn Hunt in Leicestershire in 1753 and continued in that role for another forty-seven years . Meynell pioneered an extended chase at high speeds through open grassland...
in 1753. He established his pack of hounds there, where it continued under later masters until 1905, thus giving a name to the famous Quorn Hunt
Quorn Hunt
The Quorn Hunt, usually called The Quorn, established 1696, is one of the world's oldest fox hunting packs and claims to be the United Kingdom's most famous hunt...
. A Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ship, HMS Quorn
HMS Quorn
Three ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Quorn, all named after the Quorn Hunt.* The first Quorn, launched in 1916 was a Hunt-class minesweeper that served in the First World War and was sold in 1922....
, is named in honour of the hunt.
World Wars
96 men from Quorn lost their lives in the two World Wars (77 in World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and 19 in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). A cenotaph
Cenotaph
A cenotaph is an "empty tomb" or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been interred elsewhere. The word derives from the Greek κενοτάφιον = kenotaphion...
in Quorn's Memorial Gardens honours these men.
"Quorn Camp" was established on the grounds of Quorn House during World War II. It was used as a PoW
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
camp and was also host to a number of the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
82nd Division's 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment
The 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment is one of four infantry regiments of the 82nd Airborne Division of the United States Army.Activated in 1942, the regiment participated in the campaigns of Sicily, Salerno, Normandy, Holland and the Battle of the Bulge during World War II...
. These paratroopers were involved in liberating the town of Sainte-Mere-Eglise
Sainte-Mère-Église
Sainte-Mère-Église is a commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.-History:Founded in the eleventh Century, the earliest records include the name Sancte Marie Ecclesia, Latin for "Church of St. Mary", while a later document written in Norman-French mentions Saincte...
, in Normandy, France, on the morning of D-Day
D-Day
D-Day is a term often used in military parlance to denote the day on which a combat attack or operation is to be initiated. "D-Day" often represents a variable, designating the day upon which some significant event will occur or has occurred; see Military designation of days and hours for similar...
and included Pvt. John Marvin Steele
John Steele (paratrooper)
Private John M. Steele was the American paratrooper made famous in the movie, The Longest Day who landed in Sainte-Mère-Église, the first village in Normandy liberated by the Americans on D-Day, June 6, 1944....
who famously became caught on the town's church spire. This incident is today commemorated with a dummy paratrooper and parachute attached to the church in Sainte-Mere-Eglise.
A number of American veterans come back to Quorn, particularly every tenth anniversary of the D-Day landings, to remember their time in Quorn and their comrades who did not return.
There is a plaque commemorating these US servicemen in Quorn's Memorial Gardens, upon which a poppy wreath is placed each year on Remembrance Sunday
Remembrance Sunday
In the United Kingdom, 'Remembrance Sunday' is held on the second Sunday in November, which is the Sunday nearest to 11 November Armistice Day. It is the anniversary of the end of hostilities in the First World War at 11 a.m...
. There is also an avenue of lime trees in Stafford Orchard (the village park) in remembrance of those American soldiers that died, together with a plaque.
Today
The village had a station called "Quorn and WoodhouseQuorn and Woodhouse railway station
Quorn and Woodhouse railway station is a heritage station on the Great Central Railway serving Quorn & Woodhouse in Leicestershire. Travelling south from Loughborough, it is the first station that is reached. Here there is a large station yard which is suitable for parking...
" on the Great Central Railway
Great Central Railway
The Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
that was shared with the neighbouring hamlet of Woodhouse
Woodhouse, Leicestershire
Woodhouse, often known to locals as Old Woodhouse, is a small village in the heart of Charnwood, England. Located between the larger Woodhouse Eaves and Quorn villages, this picturesque village, with a mixture of small cottages and large modern houses, is one of the most expensive villages in the...
. The station is now on the preserved Great Central Steam Railway. Not only is the site of historical and cultural interest throughout the year, the station hosts a spectacular fireworks display on the Bonfire weekend.
In the centre of the village is Rawlins Community College
Rawlins Community College
Rawlins Community College is a secondary school of about 1500 students situated in Quorn, Leicestershire, England.-Admissions:Rawlins has Media Arts College status and is partnered with the Number 2 Middle School in Luzhou, China....
, a 14-19 Comprehensive school. This is on the site of the Thomas Rawlins grammar school for Girls.
The dual-carriageway A6 Quorn-Mountsorrel
Mountsorrel
Mountsorrel is a village in Leicestershire on the River Soar, just south of Loughborough with a population in 2001 of 6,662 inhabitants.-Geography:...
bypass opened on 28 October 1991.
The 'Banks' area of the village has recently undergone extensive redevelopment, and is now an ornate paved area with seating, designed to resemble the letter 'Q' when seen from the air.
Sarson Street, running adjacent to Rawlins Community College
Rawlins Community College
Rawlins Community College is a secondary school of about 1500 students situated in Quorn, Leicestershire, England.-Admissions:Rawlins has Media Arts College status and is partnered with the Number 2 Middle School in Luzhou, China....
, features many 19th Century terraced cottages, formerly those of framework knitters. Framework knitting was a major local industry until the onset of major mechanisation, and the cottages along this road display certain features typical of such an activity. Large windows for example were intended to allow in the necessary amount of light by which to work.
In the past few years, efforts have been made to cater for the local young people. These have resulted in a half pipe being built next to the basketball court on the park, and a green shelter erected on the same site. The large park, with its shaded area by the stream, large football pitch and half pipe now appeals to people of all ages. Examples of how the park contributes to the village can be seen at the large and successful Mayday fete, as well as the local pub football matches occasionally held there.
The village prides itself on its green spaces, and more evidence of this can be seen with the opposition to proposed development at Caves field. This is a large cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
pitch with a pavilion near the centre of Quorn, which was the focus of interest from a housing development company. Objection was widespread, not only at the prospect of losing the cricket field but also due to the threat to a neighbouring wetland ecosystem, considered valuable by environmentalists and the village population.
The Church of St Bartholomew and Farnham Chapel
St Bartholomew's Church, Quorn
St Bartholomew's Church, Quorn is the Church of England parish church for Quorn , Leicestershire.It is a grade I listed, dating from 12th century-14th century with a later 1848 addition.- References :* *...
is a Grade I listed building.
Quorn House, off Meeting Street, is currently home to the offices of fitness guru Rosemary Conley
Rosemary Conley
Rosemary Conley, CBE is an English businesswoman, author and broadcaster on exercise and health. She is the founder and president of Rosemary Conley Diet And Fitness Clubs, a franchise-based organisation that is, alongside Slimming World and Weight Watchers, one of the "big three" weight loss...
.
Population
The 2001 censusUnited Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
showed Quorn's population to be 4,961 (2,412 males and 2,549 females) living in 2,083 households with an average age of 41.
Representation
Quorn Parish Council is the village administration with ten elected councillors. The village is represented at district level by two Charnwood Borough CouncilCharnwood (borough)
Charnwood is a borough of northern Leicestershire, England. It is named after Charnwood Forest, which it contains. Loughborough is the largest town in the district and serves as the borough's administrative and commercial centre.-History:...
councillors for the Quorn & Mountsorrel Castle ward, Richard Shepherd (Con
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
) and David Slater (Con). At county level, Quorn, along with the neighbouring village of Barrow upon Soar
Barrow upon Soar
Barrow upon Soar is a large village in northern Leicestershire, in the Soar Valley between Leicester and Loughborough. It has a population of around 5,000 and is part of the Charnwood local government district....
, is represented by a single Leicestershire County Council
Leicestershire County Council
Leicestershire County Council is the county council for the English non-metropolitan county of Leicestershire. It was originally formed in 1889 by the Local Government Act 1888. The county is divided into 52 electoral divisions, which return a total of 55 councillors. The council is controlled by...
councillor, Tony Kershaw (Con). Quorn is represented in the UK Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom, British Crown dependencies and British overseas territories, located in London...
by Nicky Morgan
Nicky Morgan (politician)
Nicola Ann Morgan is a British Conservative Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Loughborough.-Background:...
(Con), MP for the Loughborough constituency
Loughborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Loughborough is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of election.-Boundaries:...
. At European level, Quorn is in the East Midlands
East Midlands (European Parliament constituency)
East Midlands is a constituency of the European Parliament. For 2009 it elects 5 MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.- Boundaries :...
constituency, which has five MEPs
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
; Derek Clark
Derek Clark
Derek Roland Clark is a British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands region. He is a member of the United Kingdom Independence Party, first elected in 2004, and subsequently re-elected in 2009.He is a retired science teacher.-External links:**...
(UKIP/EFD
Europe of Freedom and Democracy
Europe of Freedom and Democracy is a Eurosceptic political group in the European Parliament. Formed after the European parliamentary election in 2009, it is mostly made up of elements of the now defunct Independence/Democracy and Union for a Europe of Nations groups from the out-going...
), Roger Helmer
Roger Helmer
Roger Helmer is a British politician and a Conservative Party Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands region. He has described himself as a eurosceptic and is a supporter of the Better Off Out campaign. He was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999 as a Conservative Party...
(Con/ECR
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists, abbreviated to ECR, is a conservative anti-federalist political group in the European Parliament. The group currently comprises 57 MEPs, making it the fourth-largest group in the European Parliament....
), Emma McClarkin
Emma McClarkin
Emma McClarkin is a British politician, and Member of the European Parliament for the East Midlands region for the Conservative Party.-Early life and education:...
(Con/ECR), Bill Newton-Dunn (LD
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
/ALDE
Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe
The Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe is the current liberal/centrist political group of the European Parliament...
) and Glenis Willmott
Glenis Willmott
Glenis Willmott is a British politician, currently leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party and Labour member of the European Parliament for East Midlands....
(Lab
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
/S&D
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
The Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats is the social-democratic political group in the European Parliament, formed by MEPs of the Party of European Socialists and allied centre-left parties. The group dates its ancestry via various names back to the beginning of the European...
).
Notable residents
- Andy ReedAndy ReedAndrew John Reed is a British Labour Co-operative politician who was the Member of Parliament for the key marginal Constituency of Loughborough from 1997 to 2010.He is a notable sports enthusiast, a fortuitous coincidence as "Loughborough is home to the most comprehensive sports development...
, former Labour MP for the Loughborough Constituency - Peter JonesPeter Jones (referee)Peter Jones ) is an English football referee, who retired from officiating at the end of the 2001-02 season. He lives in Quorn, near Loughborough, Leicestershire, and works as a referee assessor.-Career:...
, former FA Premier League referee - Gordon BanksGordon BanksGordon Banks, OBE is a retired English football goalkeeper. The IFFHS named Banks the second best goalkeeper of the 20th century – after Lev Yashin and ahead of Dino Zoff ....
, the 1966 FIFA World CupFIFA World CupThe FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
winning goalkeeper, was a Quorn resident for many years - David GowerDavid GowerDavid Ivon Gower OBE is a former English cricketer who became a commentator for Sky Sports. Although he eventually rose to the captaincy of the England cricket team during the 1980s, he is best known for being one of the most stylish left-handed batsmen of the modern era. Gower played 117 Test...
, former England cricketerCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and current cricket commentator for Sky SportsSky SportsSky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
was educated for a time in Quorn, at the Old Primary School - Hugo MeynellHugo MeynellHugo Meynell is generally seen as the father of modern fox hunting, became Master of Fox Hounds for the Quorn Hunt in Leicestershire in 1753 and continued in that role for another forty-seven years . Meynell pioneered an extended chase at high speeds through open grassland...
of Quorndon Hall