Sileby is a village and
civil parishIn England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and in some places the lowest tier of local government, below districts and counties. A civil parish can alternatively be known as a town, village, neighbourhood or community by resolution of its parish council; and in a limited number of...
in the
Soar ValleyThe Soar Valley in Leicestershire, England is the basin of the River Soar, which rises south of Leicester and flows north through Charnwood before meeting the River Trent at Trent Lock on the Nottinghamshire Border....
in
LeicestershireLeicestershire or , abbreviation Leics.is a landlocked county in central England. 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...
, between
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority area in the East Midlands of England. It is the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and
LoughboroughLoughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It had a population of 57,600 in 2004. It is the second largest settlement in Leicestershire after Leicester, is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council, and the home of Loughborough University.In 1841 Loughborough was...
. Nearby villages include
Barrow upon SoarBarrow 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....
,
MountsorrelMountsorrel is a village in Leicestershire on the River Soar, just south of Loughborough with a population in 2001 of 6,662 inhabitants. The village is in the borough of Charnwood, surrounding a steep hill, once crowned by a castle, and is bordered to the East by the River Soar.The village is...
, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake,
SeagraveSeagrave is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It has a population of around 500. It is north of Sileby and close to Thrussington and Barrow upon Soar....
and
Cossingtonthumb|right|Cossington parish churchCossington is a village within the Soar Valley in Leicestershire. It lies between Sileby, Rothley, Ratcliffe-on-the-Wreake and Syston....
.
The origins of the village date back to around 840 AD.
The area was settled by the Danes -
LeicestershireLeicestershire or , abbreviation Leics.is a landlocked county in central England. 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...
forming part of the
DanelawThe Danelaw, as recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , is a historical name given to the part of England in which the laws of the "Danes" held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. It is contrasted with "West Saxon Law" and "Mercian law". The term has been extended by modern historians to...
along with other counties in the vicinity. The name Sileby may in fact come from the Danish name 'Sighulf'.
History
Traditionally, Sileby was split into two
wardIn Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States, a ward is an electoral district within a municipality used in local politics. Wards are usually named after neighbourhoods, thoroughfares, parishes, landmarks, geographical features and in some cases...
s, separated by the brook that flows through the middle of the village. These are St Mary’s to the north and St Gregory’s to the south. Recently however, due to Boundary Commission changes, a third ward of ‘Barrow West’ was added albeit as an arbitrary boundary essentially for electoral purposes. This division was strongly resented at the time owing to local rivalries and the idea of a portion of the village being annexed was not popular. In practice however this division is largely ignored. Even the idea of the two traditional wards is becoming somewhat lost as the village grows and new people move in unaware of the significance of the historical division.
One of Sileby's most distinguishing features is the Anglican church of St. Mary founded around 1152. It is a Grade II* listed building, and only 4% of listed buildings in the country are Grade II* status, which means it is of very significant interest. The Gothic tower now houses a fine ring of 10 bells, which attract ringers from far and wide.
Transport
The village has a
stationSileby railway station is a railway station serving the village of Sileby in Leicestershire, England. The station is located on the Midland Main Line 10 km north of Leicester towards Loughborough....
on the
Ivanhoe LineThe Ivanhoe Line was the name given to local passenger services operated on the Midland Main Line between Leicester and Loughborough between 1993, when three intermediate stations were re-opened, and June 2005, when the separate Leicester–Loughborough service was withdrawn...
, and trains run regularly to Leicester, Loughborough,
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England and is one of only eight members of the English Core Cities Group....
and
LincolnLincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of around 101,000 - the 2001 census gave the entire urban area of Lincoln a population of 120,779...
.
Socialising
Pubs include
The Horse and Trumpet,
The Free Trade Inn,
The Railway Inn,
The Swan and
The Malthouse, and these cater for all tastes. The Horse and Trumpet (“The Trumpet”), located at the top of Mountsorrel Lane opposite St Mary’s Church is a regular village drinking house offering food, frequent entertainment and has a pool table and skittle alley to the rear. Just around the corner on King Street lies the Railway Inn. This establishment caters more for the younger populace and again has some entertainment and a pool table. Further towards the middle of the village on Swan Street is The White Swan, a more traditional pub with a good reputation for food. On the High Street lies The Malt House (formerly The Duke of York), a much-extended and refurbished establishment catering more for the sports-orientated and generally attracting a mixture of clientele. The only pub in St Gregory’s ward is the Free Trade Inn which stands at the junction of Cossington Road and Manor Drive. This is one of the oldest buildings in Sileby, dating back to the 15th century. This is a very traditional pub serving some food but is generally a ‘drinking’ pub boasting a wide variety of
beerBeer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal grains—most commonly malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely...
and
lagerLager is a type of beer that is stored for at least three weeks before being served. It is a general term that includes several variations or styles, such as Pilsener, Export and Märzen.-History of lager brewing:...
.
The village also has two private members' clubs – The Liberal & Working Men’s Club on King Street (next to the Horse and Trumpet), and the Conservative Club on Cossington Road. Both clubs have separate concert rooms and hold the traditional bingo nights. The Working Men’s club has a wide range of age groups amongst its membership.
The Conservative Club provides a safe and friendly environment and new Members are very welcome. There are many facilities on offer including a full-size snooker table, pool table, long-alley skittles and a private function room (available for hire, just contact the Club). The club provides live entertainment on most Saturday nights (see the advertising notices outside of the Club), popular bingo nights every Wednesday and most Saturdays, general knowledge and music quizzes every month raising money for charity. The club is also the home of the extremely popular Sileby Annual Flower & Vegetable Show held each September. There is also a successful Santa Sunday held in December with many displays, stalls and hog roast to get you ready for the seasons activities.
Sport
Sileby has a great number of sporting clubs, many of which have enjoyed success in recent years. There are well established clubs and facilities for
CricketCricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century. By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England. The expansion of the British Empire led to cricket being...
,
FootballFootball is the name of several similar team sports, all of which involve kicking a ball with the foot in an attempt to score a goal. The most popular of these sports worldwide is association football, more commonly known as just "football" or "soccer"...
,
TennisTennis is a sport played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a strung racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court....
and Lawn Bowls, as well as many others clubs for
Rugby FootballRugby football may refer to a number of sports through history descended from a common form of football developed in different areas of the United Kingdom. Today it refers to either rugby league or rugby union.- History :...
,
BaseballBaseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The goal is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot square, or diamond...
and Shooting amongst others.
Sileby Town Cricket Club, whose ground is located on Mill Lane on the outskirts of the village, had a highly successful season in 2006 with their first XI gaining promotion to the Everards Premier League by winning the First Division in dramatic style on the final day of the season, as well the second XI gaining promotion to Everards division four and numerous other cup and league successes. The Under 15's team unexpectedly finished as Runners up in the Portman National Finals, a competition contested amongst 1670 other teams.
2006 also saw the formation of the Sileby Town
Rugby FootballRugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, 100 m...
Club, otherwise known as the Sileby Vikings. From modest beginnings the club has grown into a genuinely competitive club and, with its support from local firm Hillyer Transport, aims to become an established force in local rugby in the future.
Also local T.V personalities ( of Dream Team fame) Jake Rimington (Basil Brush) and Liam Winnett play football for local football teams Sileby Victoria and Sileby Town respectively.
Community
Sileby has a community magazine,
'Talk@Sileby'. The magazine is published by volunteers four times a year. Electronic copies of all issues can be found on the village website (another project run by volunteers).
The Sileby Community Centre is located on the High Street and has a large main hall with numerous ancillary rooms including a kitchen and bar, as well as a separate Sports Hall. It is housed in what was formerly a
WesleyanMethodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to Reverend John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement in the Anglican Church. His younger brother...
ChapelA chapel is a building used as a place for fellowship and of worship for Christians. It may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a college, a hospital, a palace, a prison or a cemetery, or may be an entirely free-standing building, sometimes with its own grounds...
that was given to the village some years ago and is now managed by the Parish Council.
There is an active Scout Group, which meets at its HQ on Brook Street, a former shoe factory.
Each year in September there is the Sileby Annual Flower and Vegetable Show held at Sileby Conservative Club. This is an extremely popular event in which local residents and growers of all standards are welcomed to come along and take part.
Notable residents
- Chris Needham
Chris Needham is best known for his 1992 BBC Teenage Video Diary In Bed With Chris Needham.-External links:Off The Telly * about today's Chris Needham...
, of BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
Teenage Video Diaries fame with his 1992 In Bed With Chris NeedhamIn Bed With Chris Needham is a 1992 Teenage Video Diary from the BBC about a Loughborough teen and thrash metal fan, Chris Needham, and his friends as they establish their own band and build up to their first proper 'gig'....
documentary, is a resident of Sileby.
Development
The village has expanded greatly in the past 5 years, with several hundred new houses being built, it would appear that all available land - however small - has been developed for housing in line with the prevailing government directive of using Brownfield sites before
Greenfield landGreenfield land is a term used to describe a piece of previously undeveloped land, in a city or rural area, either currently used for agriculture or landscape design, or just left to nature. In contrast, brownfield land is an area that has previously been developed, such as the site of a gas...
sites. Whilst this, in many ways is an advantage to the village, the potential long term damage caused by additional vehicles on the village roads, pollution and the strain on village amenities has yet to be measured.
External links