Blaby () is a large village in the Blaby District in central

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

, England, some five miles south of

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

city centre. At the time of the 2011 census, Blaby had a population of 6,194, a slight fall from 6,240 in 2001 figures). Blaby's proximity to the city causes it to form part of the Leicester Urban Area. Its name probably came Old Norse ''Blábýr'' = " farmstead or village belonging to a man named Blár" (where the ''-r'' is a case ending). There seems to have been a dense patch of Viking settlement in

, although some records in the Blaby Library indicate the origin of the village's name was from the first vicar. Blaby is twinned with the village of

Villers-sous-Saint-Leu Villers-sous-Saint-Leu (, literally ''Villers under Saint-Leu'') is a commune in the Oise department in northern France. See also * Communes of the Oise department The following is a list of the 679 communes of the Oise department of France. ...

in France.

Buildings

While there are few buildings of outstanding historical or architectural interest, old Blaby is a conservation area. Old Blaby contains The Baker's Arms, a thatched public house that dates back to 1484. The other public houses to be found in Blaby are The Fox & Tiger, The Bulls Head and The Black Horse. The Tom Thumb has been sold from Everards brewery and had planning permission granted to build 10 dwellings in its place. The Egyptian Queen has now been demolished. Blaby is home to three schools: Blaby Stokes CE Primary School, Blaby Thistly Meadow Primary School, and Foxfields Academy.

Parks

To the south of the Bakers Arms stands Bouskell Park, with a 19th-century ice house. Other parks include Northfield Park, used for football, cricket, fetes and fairs, and Oakfield Park, located off Hospital Lane.

Shops

Most shops and amenities stand on the old A426 road between

to the north and

Lutterworth Lutterworth is a market town and civil parish in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England. The town is located in southern Leicestershire, close to the borders with Warwickshire and Northamptonshire. It is located north of Rugby, ...

to the south. Fosse Park shopping centre, the M1 motorway, and the M69 motorway are a few miles away.

Surrounding area

Blaby gives its name to the Blaby district and previously to the Parliamentary

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

that was held by former

Chancellor of the Exchequer The chancellor of the Exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, the Chancellor is ...

Nigel Lawson between 1974 and 1992. Blaby is now part of the constituency of

South Leicestershire South Leicestershire is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Alberto Costa, a member of the Conservative Party. The current constituency has similar boundaries to the previous Blaby constitue ...

and represented by Alberto Costa of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

. There was a railway station on the

Birmingham to Peterborough Line Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, but it closed in 1968. The " Blaby Special" heirloom tomato variety originates from the Shoults' Tomato Farm, which was located in Blaby from circa 1908 until 1948: the variety was thought to be extinct but was revived from a seed bank in 2005.''Leicester Mercury'' 16 August 2010, Scientist puts Blaby Special tomatoes back on the menu
A new school was incorporated (Blaby Stokes C of E) to absorb the influx of children from families new to the village taking up residence in the new development.

Sport

Blaby is home to rugby union side, Leicester Lions, who play at the 2,000 capacity Westleigh Park.

People associated with Blaby

* Richard Duke clergyman of the Church of England *

Lord Lawson of Blaby Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, (born 11 March 1932) is a British Conservative Party politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974 to 1992, and served in the cabinet of Margaret ...

(former MP for Blaby, and also served as

, under Margaret Thatcher) * Tom Meighan

References

External links

Parish council
{{authority control Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire