The Borough of Charnwood is a local government district with

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

status in the north of

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, which has a population of 166,100 as of the 2011 census. It borders Melton to the east, Harborough to the south east,

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 ...

and

Blaby Blaby () is a large village in the Blaby District in central Leicestershire, England, some five miles south of Leicester 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). B ...

to the south, Hinckley and Bosworth to the south west,

North West Leicestershire North West Leicestershire is a local government district in Leicestershire, England. The population of the Local Authority at the 2011 census was 93,348. Its main towns are Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Castle Donington, Coalville and Ibstock. The d ...

to the west and Rushcliffe in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

to the north. It is named after

Charnwood Forest Charnwood Forest is a hilly tract in north-western Leicestershire, England, bounded by Leicester, Loughborough and Coalville. The area is undulating, rocky and picturesque, with barren areas. It also has some extensive tracts of woodland; ...

, an area which the borough contains much of. The administrative centre of the borough is located in Loughborough, which is also the district's largest town and its main commercial centre. The town is also the location of Loughborough University. Other notable settlements include Shepshed,

Syston Syston ( ) is a town and civil parish in the district of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. The population was 11,508 at the 2001 census, rising to 12,804 at the 2011 census. Overview There has been a settlement on the site for over 1,0 ...

, Birstall and Thurmaston.

History

The

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivision ...

of Charnwood was formed on 1 April 1974 as a merger of the

municipal borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

of Loughborough, the Shepshed

urban district Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (his ...

and the Barrow upon Soar Rural District. It was then granted borough status on 15 May 1974. The symbol of Charnwood Borough Council is the fox, historically linked with Leicestershire, and this is also the symbol used by Leicestershire County Council. Charnwood also contains Quorn, which is believed to be the birthplace of fox-hunting.

Geography

To the south it borders the City of Leicester, about 20 km away from Loughborough. There is a moderately urbanised A6 corridor between the two population centres and close to the

River Soar The River Soar () is a major tributary of the River Trent in the English East Midlands and is the principal river of Leicestershire. The source of the river is midway between Hinckley and Lutterworth. The river then flows north through Leices ...

, including Quorn, Barrow-on-Soar,

Mountsorrel Mountsorrel is a village in Leicestershire on the River Soar, just south of Loughborough with a population in 2001 of 6,662 inhabitants, increasing to 8,223 at the 2011 census. Geography The village is in the borough of Charnwood, surround ...

, Birstall, Sileby, Thurmaston,

Queniborough Queniborough is an English village in the county of Leicestershire 2.5 miles (4 km) north-east of the town of Syston and of 7.5 miles (12 km) north-east of the city of Leicester. Its 972 properties housed 1,878 registered electors in 2003. Th ...

and

East Goscote East Goscote is a modern village and civil parish in the Borough of Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, just north of the market town of Syston. It is a medium-sized village, with a population measured at 2,866 in the 2011 census. ...

. To the south of the borough Birstall,

, Thurmaston and

, form part of the Leicester Urban Area, while Quorn and Shepshed (the second largest town in the district), amongst others, might be considered to be part of a Loughborough urban agglomeration. The highest point is

Beacon Hill Beacon Hill may refer to: Places Canada * Beacon Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, a neighbourhood * Beacon Hill Park, a park in Victoria, British Columbia * Beacon Hill, Saskatchewan * Beacon Hill, Montreal, a neighbourhood in Beaconsfield, Quebec United ...

(248m/814 ft) to the north of the

'area of natural beauty' extending WN-west into the National Forest

Political representation

There are two

Parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democratic governance of a state (or subordinate entity) where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the support ("confidence") of the ...

constituencies covering the district. Charnwood is represented by the Conservative Edward Argar MP. Loughborough is represented by 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 ...

's Jane Hunt.

Demographics

Charnwood is the largest borough by population in Leicestershire, and has the largest school population as well.

Parishes

* Anstey *

Barkby Barkby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is situated north-east of Leicester, and only a short way from Leicester's urban sprawl in Thurmaston and Syston. Nearby villages are Beeby and B ...

, Barkby Thorpe, Barrow upon Soar,

Beeby Beeby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, with a population of 115 according to the 2011 census. It is situated north-east of Leicester, nearer to the villages of Keyham and Hungarton in the ...

, Birstall,

Burton on the Wolds Burton on the Wolds is a village in Leicestershire, England situated on the B676 road west of the A46 and about the same distance to the east of Loughborough, close to the county border with Nottinghamshire. In the 2011 census, the populat ...

* Cossington, Cotes *

Hathern Hathern is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The village itself is located in the north of the district, and is just north of Loughborough. It is served by the A6. The parish has a population ...

Hoton Hoton is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England, on the A60 north-east of Loughborough, just south of the border with Nottinghamshire. Nearby places are Prestwold (to the south), Wymeswold (to the e ...

Newtown Linford Newtown Linford is a linear village in Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish was 1,000 at the 2001 census, including Ulverscroft, increasing to 1,103 at the 2011 census. The village lies in a valley in the Charnwood Fore ...

Prestwold Prestwold is a hamlet and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The parish has a population of around 60. The population at the 2011 census remained less than 100 and is included in the civil parish of Hoton. ...

, Quorn *

Ratcliffe on the Wreake Ratcliffe on the Wreake is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 179. It is just to the north of the River Wreake, opposite East Goscote. ...

Rearsby Rearsby is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It is known for its Seven Arch Bridge, and is also home to the Preachers Stone. Location The parish has a population of about 1,000, being measured at ...

Rothley Rothley ( ) is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Charnwood in Leicestershire, England. Situated around west of the River Soar and north of Leicester, it had a population of 3,612 inhabitants . The population measured at the 201 ...

Seagrave Seagrave is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. It has a population of around 500, measured at the 2011 census as 546, It is north of Sileby and close to Thrussington and Barrow upon Soar. Hist ...

, Shepshed, Sileby, South Croxton, Swithland,

Thrussington Thrussington is a village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 587. It is on the River Wreake, near to Rearsby, Ratcliffe on the Wreake, Hoby and B ...

Thurcaston and Cropston Thurcaston and Cropston is a civil parish in Leicestershire, England. As its name suggests, it consists of the villages of Thurcaston and Cropston. The parish had a population at the 2001 Census of 2,076,Thurmaston * Ulverscroft * Walton on the Wolds,

Wanlip Wanlip is a small village and civil parish in the Charnwood district of Leicestershire, with a population measured at 305 at the 2011 census. It is a countryside village, north of Birstall, and west of Watermead Country Park and the River ...

, Woodhouse, Wymeswold

Freedom of the Borough

The following People, Military Units and Organisations and Groups have received the Freedom of the Borough of Charnwood.

Individuals

* Paula Radcliffe : 28 June 2004. * Michael Jones: 29 September 2008. * Lez Cope-Newman: 24 June 2019.

Military Units

* 2nd Battalion The

Royal Anglian Regiment The Royal Anglian Regiment (R ANGLIAN) is an infantry regiment of the British Army. It consists of two Regular battalions and one Reserve battalion. The modern regiment was formed in 1964, making it the oldest of the Line Regiments now operating ...

: 4 September 2006. * 203 (Loughborough) Squadron The 158 (Royal Anglian) Transport Regiment: 15 April 2010. * The Royal Logistic Corps: April 2010.

Organisations and Groups

* The

Leicester City Football Club Leicester City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Leicester in the East Midlands of England. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England's football league system, and plays its home m ...

: 14 September 2021.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

References

External links

Charnwood Borough Council YouTube channel
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charnwood, Borough of Non-metropolitan districts of Leicestershire Boroughs in England