Newton Harcourt is a village in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county 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 t ...

and lies 7 miles south-east 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 ...

on the northern ridge of the

River Sence The River Sence is a river which flows in Leicestershire, England. The tributaries of the Sence, including the Saint and Tweed, fan out over much of western Leicestershire from Charnwood Forest and Coalville in the north-east to Hinckley and ...

valley. Since 1936 it has been part of the civil parish of Wistow. The population of the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

at the 2011 census was 256. Administratively, Newton Harcourt forms part of the

of Wistow (where its population was included) and of the district of

Harborough Market Harborough is a market town in the Harborough district of Leicestershire, England, in the far southeast of the county, forming part of the border with Northamptonshire. Market Harborough's population was 25,143 in 2020. It is the ad ...

Geography

The village is situated on the northern ridge of the

valley. The whole village is situated on Oadby Member Till that is underpinned by two Lower Jurassic bedrock

geology Geology () is a branch of natural science concerned with Earth and other astronomical objects, the features or rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Ear ...

Formations; Blue Lias mudstone (55-120 million years old) to the western half of the village, and Charmouth Mudstone (105-180 million years old) to the eastern half. The superficial deposits of the Oadby Member Till give way to Thrussington Member Till as you head south down into the Sence valley beyond St Luke's Church. Newton Harcourt is divided from its church by the

Grand Union Canal The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. It is the principal navigable waterway between London and the Midlands. Starting in London, one arm runs to Leicester and another ends in Birmingham, with the latter st ...

's Leicester Arm and the Midland Main Line railway, both of which pass to the south of the main settlement.

History

The oldest feature of the village will be St Luke's Church, originally a chapel, is a

Grade II* listed 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 ...

building, with parts of its structure dating back to the 13th century. Other listed structures include: Hurst's Farmhouse, the Manor House, and the entrance gateway with Lodge, attached outbuilding and garden walls to the Manor House are all

Grade II listed 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 ...

References

Links

Wistow cum Newton Harcourt Parish Council
Villages in Leicestershire Harborough District {{Leicestershire-geo-stub