Evington is an Electoral ward and administrative division of the city 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 ...
, England. It used to be a small village centred on Main Street and the
Anglican
Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
church of St Denys but was close enough to Leicester to become one of the outer suburbs in the 1930s. Today, the ward comprises the historical village of Evington, as well as the modern ex-
council estates
Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...
of Rowlatts Hill and Goodwood. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 11,133.
History
Evington village
The name Evington comes from the
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
meaning 'farm/settlement of Eafa/Aefa'.
[Leicester City Council]
A History of Evington Park After the
Norman conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Conque ...
the land was given to
Hugh de Grentesmesnil.
[ The first known spelling Evington was of Walter de Evington 1259 who leased a ]carucate
The carucate or carrucate ( lat-med, carrūcāta or ) was a medieval unit of land area approximating the land a plough team of eight oxen could till in a single annual season. It was known by different regional names and fell under different forms ...
of land at the village of Evington – about . The parish of Evington was originally quite large and included the areas now known as North Evington
North Evington is an area, suburb, electoral ward and administrative division of the city of Leicester, England.
North Evington is bordered by Belgrave to the west, Charnwood to the north, Evington and Humberstone & Hamilton to the east and ...
and Evington Valley
Evington Valley is an area in Leicester, England. It is roughly bounded by East Park Road to the west (west of which is Highfields), Chesterfield/Ethel Road to the north (north of which is North Evington), Wakerly Road to the east (east of whi ...
. These were annexed by the borough of Leicester in 1892, and are not generally considered part of Evington.[British History Online]
R. A. McKinley (editor)(1958) A History of the County of Leicester: volume 4: The City of Leicester
In 1935, the boundaries of Leicester (by this point a city), were expanded again, including nearly all of the remaining parish of Evington, except for a small part which went to Oadby
Oadby is a town in the borough of Oadby and Wigston in the county of Leicestershire, England. Oadby is a district centre south east of Leicester city centre on the A6 trunk road. Leicester Racecourse is situated on the border between Oadby a ...
. The modern ward does include the large 1950s development based at Downing Drive and Spencefield Lane.[
Evington village has been a ]conservation area
Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...
since 1989.[www.leicester.gov.uk]
Evington Village
Council estates
Rowlatts Hill is a council estate
Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...
established on a hillside to the north of Leicester General Hospital
Leicester General Hospital (LGH) is a National Health Service hospital located in the suburb of Evington, about three miles east of Leicester City Centre, and is a part of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. It has approximately 430 beds ...
in 1964–67 by the City Architect Stephen George with two 22-story blocks of flats and single or two-storey houses of grey brick. A later development (1973–77) is of red brick houses.[Pevsner, N., & Williamson, E., (1985) ''The Buildings of England: Leicestershire and Rutland''; 2nd ed. (Penguin Books)] For council housing purposes it is considered separate from Evington.
Goodwood is a 1950s council estate considered together with Evington for council housing purposes. It is just under 1000 residences.[Leicester City Council housing supply]
Features
Village Green
Evington Village Green is a triangle of land bounded to the north by Main Street, on the Southwest by High Street and to the east by Church Street. The village war memorial is located on the northeast corner. On the west corner is a Baptist Chapel and a building called the Manse.[Leicester City Council]
Evington Village Open Spaces (2003) It is largely open space for recreation, with a large old oak tree in the south-east corner.[ It also features a newly refurbished children's playground, funded by the Friends of Evington Village Green. It is the site of the Evington Village Fete and Show, held annually.
]
Evington Park
Evington park is some of public parkland, opened in 1948, formerly the estate of Evington House (built 1836) which is used as offices and some public amenities.[ It contains many mature trees, including a mulberry dating from about the same time as the house. There are public exercise machines as well as tennis courts, football and cricket pitches and bowling greens. More recently, a concrete ]table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
table has been added and is situated near the tennis courts. Public toilets have also been built near the courts.[Leicester City Council]
Evington park
Arboretum
This was established as a public amenity in 1970 and consists of an area south of St Denys Church, bounded on the west by a golf course, with more than 500 trees largely planted in taxonomic groups.[Evington Arboretum: leaflet (undated) by Leicester City Council Parks and Garded Spaces][Leicester City Council]
Shady Lane Arboretum In the northmost area, many individual trees are planted by arrangement with the council as memorials to people who have died.[
]
The Hollow
This is Scheduled monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.
The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...
(SM17026), often known as 'Piggy's Hollow', consisting of the remains of the moats of a manor house built in the late 13th century by John de Grey.[Leicester City Council]
The Hollow, Evington
Piggy's Hollow It is on the north side of the Arboretum and adjacent to St Denys Church on the west.
St Denys Church
The Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...
church of St Denys
Denys ( uk, Денис) is both a form of the given name Denis and a patronymic surname. Amongst others, it is a transliteration of the common Ukrainian name ''Денис''. Closely related forms are ''Denijs'' and ''Dénys''. Notable people wit ...
has been the parish church for almost 800 years, having been dedicated on 9 October 1219 by the Bishop of Lincoln
The Bishop of Lincoln is the ordinary (diocesan bishop) of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln in the Province of Canterbury.
The present diocese covers the county of Lincolnshire and the unitary authority areas of North Lincolnshire and ...
.[www.stdenys.org.uk]
History It is a Grade II* listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
.[www.heritagegateway.org]
Parish Church of St Denys The tower and spire are original: the South and North Aisles date from the 14th century, and the Chancel from the 19th century.[ Its rare ring of 4 bells was augmented to six following an appeal in the late 1980s.][ The interior includes 3 stained glass windows from 1870.][
]
Evington Chapel
Evington Chapel is a Baptist
Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
Church on the corner of Main Street and High Street, by Evington Village Green. It is an 1837 Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
style building with slate roof, and a Grade II listed building.[www.heritagegateway.org.uk/]
Evington Chapel
Masjid Umar Mosque
The Masjid Umar mosque, which is also Evington Muslim Centre, was completed in 2000.[Leicester Mercury Oct 31, 2003]
Mosque Wins Readers' Vote of Approval[BBC Leicester 2004]
Exclusive access to Masjid Umar mosque
Amenities
Evington has two main shopping centres: the first largely based in a modern development near the old village and including the local library, and the second towards the northern end of Downing Drive. Public houses include the Cedars in the old village and the Dove in Downing Drive. The Village Hall is a brick building on Church Lane, opposite St Denys: its foundation stone calls it King George V Hall and is dated MDCDXII (1912).
Nearby places, Goodwood, Evington Valley
Evington Valley is an area in Leicester, England. It is roughly bounded by East Park Road to the west (west of which is Highfields), Chesterfield/Ethel Road to the north (north of which is North Evington), Wakerly Road to the east (east of whi ...
, Oadby
Oadby is a town in the borough of Oadby and Wigston in the county of Leicestershire, England. Oadby is a district centre south east of Leicester city centre on the A6 trunk road. Leicester Racecourse is situated on the border between Oadby a ...
, Thurnby
Thurnby is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Thurnby and Bushby, in the Harborough district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is just east of Leicester's city boundaries.
Thurnby village proper is set to the ...
, Stoughton.
Evington is home to the Leicestershire Golf Club, on the south of the village, and west of the arboretum.
The largest employer in the area is the Leicester General hospital, located near Goodwood on Coleman Road which is south of Uppingham Road (the A47).
The ''Evington Echo'' is the community newspaper. It is produced by volunteers and is delivered free of charge to 5,800 houses in the area. It was first published in 1981 and the current (2013) editor is Helen Pettman.
Schools in the area
Primary schools: Linden Primary School, Mayflower Primary School, Evington Valley Primary School, Whitehall Primary School, Oaklands (Special School), Coleman Primary School, Krishna Avanti Primary School, Leicester.
Secondary schools: City of Leicester College
The City of Leicester College is a mixed secondary school for ages 11–18 in Evington, Leicester, England. It has around 2,000 pupils and specialises in business and enterprise.
Description
City of Leicester College is in the east of Leicester ...
, Madani Secondary School, St Paul's Catholic School, Judgemeadow Community College
Judgemeadow Community College is a mixed secondary school located in the Evington area of Leicester in the English county of Leicestershire.
History
The school was established in 1973, and moved into a new building on the same site in Jun ...
.,Madani Schools Federation
Madani Schools Federation is a Muslim secondary school in Leicester, England. Based in the Evington neighbourhood, Madani Schools Federation caters for the city's Muslim population, with 300 places for boys and girls each. The building itself, ...
.
Independent schools: Leicester Grammar School.
Evington Hall is a Grade II listed building (built about 1840)[www.heritagegateway.org.uk]
Evington Hall which in the past was a convent school
Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...
,[ then part of Leicester Junior Grammar School, but is now part of a ]Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
faith school
A faith school is a school in the United Kingdom that teaches a general curriculum but which has a particular religious character or formal links with a religious or faith-based organisation. The term is most commonly applied to state-funded fait ...
which opened in September 2011.[Leicester Mercury, Sep 6, 2011]
Leicester's Hindu school is a beacon, says Education Secretary Michael Gove
Evington Hall will be a Hindu State Primary School
Transport
Evington is served by regular buses on Centrebus
Centrebus is a bus company based in Leicester operating services in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.
Centrebus have a 51% shareholding in High Peak Buses and since December 2019 through c ...
services 22A & 81 and service 22.
Council election result, 2007
People
Evington was the home of England Football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
international Emile Heskey
Emile William Ivanhoe Heskey (born 11 January 1978) is an English former professional footballer who currently serves as head of football development of Leicester City Women. Playing as a striker, he made more than 500 appearances in the Foo ...
.
Both Emile Heskey and Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker (; born 30 November 1960) is an English former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He is regarded as having been one of the greatest English strikers. His media career began with the BBC, where he has p ...
(winner of the Golden Boot) attended the City of Leicester College
The City of Leicester College is a mixed secondary school for ages 11–18 in Evington, Leicester, England. It has around 2,000 pupils and specialises in business and enterprise.
Description
City of Leicester College is in the east of Leicester ...
in Evington, as did former Labour media adviser Alastair Campbell
Alastair John Campbell (born 25 May 1957) is a British journalist, author, strategist, broadcaster and activist known for his roles during Tony Blair's leadership of the Labour Party. Campbell worked as Blair's spokesman and campaign director ...
and Dr Nicholas Shepherd (co-founder of the internet). Heskey and Shepherd were both pupils at Linden Primary school in Evington. What is now the Cedars public house and restaurant on the corner of Main Street and School Lane was formerly the home of the novelist E. Phillips Oppenheim.[ The novelist ]J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator.
His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...
was evacuated to North Evington Hospital after being wounded in France in 1916.[J. B. Priestley. ''Margin Released'' (1962) The Reprint Society London. p. 107.]
References
Further reading
British History Online
Evington
External link
{{Wards of Leicester
Areas of Leicester