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Sileby is a former industrial village and
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 ...
in the
Soar Valley The Soar Valley in Leicester- and Nottinghamshire, 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. Soar Valley embraces the large villages ...
in
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 ...
, between
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
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...
. Nearby villages include
Barrow upon Soar Barrow upon Soar is a large village in northern Leicestershire, in the Soar Valley between Leicester and Loughborough, with a population at the 2011 census of 5,856. Geography Barrow lies on the east bank of the River Soar, where the ri ...
,
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, surrounding ...
,
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. ...
,
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. Histor ...
and Cossington. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 7,835. The origins of the village date back to around 840 AD when the area was settled by the
Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...
-
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 ...
forming part of the
Danelaw The Danelaw (, also known as the Danelagh; ang, Dena lagu; da, Danelagen) was the part of England in which the laws of the Danes held sway and dominated those of the Anglo-Saxons. The Danelaw contrasts with the West Saxon law and the Mercian ...
along with other counties in the vicinity. The name Sileby may in fact come from the Danish name 'Sighulf'. The village lies at the bottom of an ancient valley created by the nearby River Soar, meaning that surrounding farmland is particularly prone to flooding during persistent or heavy rain.


History

Traditionally, Sileby was split into two
ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
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 A boundary commission is a legal entity that determines borders of nations, states, constituencies. Notable boundary commissions have included: * Afghan Boundary Commission, an Anglo-Russian Boundary Commission, of 1885 and 1893, delineated the no ...
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 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 the ...
of
St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
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. The church has an active congregation and hosts Ladies Fellowship on Tuesday afternoons and Squeals for Tots on a Thursday morning. There is an active youth ministry and children's work led by Leonie Poole the Children and Families Worker. The church is open from 2pm on a Wednesday for coffee. The Rector is the Revd Duncan Beet. The service on a Sunday is at 11.00am and there are both children and youth groups in the state of the art St Mary's Centre. There is also a crèche in the main church building.
Sileby Primitive Methodist Church Sileby Primitive Methodist Church is a Methodist church in Sileby, Leicestershire. History The first chapel built by the Primitive Methodists was opened by 1818. This was soon outgrown and a new church was opened on King Street in 1834. The cu ...
was built in 1866 to the designs of
James Kerridge James Kerridge (4 August 1830 – 28 March 1911) was a British architect based in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Personal life James Kerridge was born on 4 August 1830 in Bungay, Suffolk, the son of William Kerridge (b. 1806), a farmer, and Hann ...
.
Sileby Wesleyan Methodist Church Sileby Wesleyan Methodist Church is a former Methodist church in Sileby, Leicestershire. History Methodism in Sileby started around 1791 when a cottage was purchased for around £70 and converted into a chapel. In 1881 the congregation was in ne ...
on High Street was built in 1884. Sileby industrialised heavily over the Victorian period, with several hosiery and shoe factories present in the village until as recently as the 1980s, as well as a wallpaper manufacturer and several engineering companies. Nearly all of these have now disappeared and most of the factory premises have long since been demolished and replaced by new housing estates - it is now a commuter town for people who work throughout the East Midlands and beyond.


Transport

The village has a
railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
on the Ivanhoe Line, and trains run hourly to Leicester, Loughborough,
Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
and
Lincoln Lincoln most commonly refers to: * Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865), the sixteenth president of the United States * Lincoln, England, cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England * Lincoln, Nebraska, the capital of Nebraska, U.S. * Lincol ...
. Centrebus service 27 and Kinchbus service 2 both link Sileby to
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...
which also gives further connections to the Skylink Leicester-Derby buses which run to
East Midlands Airport East Midlands Airport is an international airport in the East Midlands of England, close to Castle Donington in northwestern Leicestershire, between Loughborough (), Derby () and Nottingham (); Leicester is () to the south and Lincoln () nort ...
which is around 15 miles away. The Kinchbus service to Leicester was withdrawn from September 4th, 2022, leaving the village with no bus service to the city, no evening service to Loughborough and no public transport whatsoever on Sundays. Local road transport links via the nearby A6 and A46 link directly to the M1, which lies to the west. The A46 to the village's east follows the route of the
Fosse Way The Fosse Way was a Roman road built in Britain during the first and second centuries AD that linked Isca Dumnoniorum (Exeter) in the southwest and Lindum Colonia (Lincoln) to the northeast, via Lindinis (Ilchester), Aquae Sulis ( Bath), Corini ...
to Lincoln in the north and provides a link to the east coast of England. The local area is prone to flooding from the River Soar and its tributaries, meaning that access and egress can be limited in persistently wet weather with some local roads becoming impassable for days or even weeks at a time during autumn/winter/spring. The proximity 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 Leicest ...
also means that Sileby has an active marina where some residents live on
narrowboat A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, commerc ...
s and others store their pleasurecraft at the permanent moorings available. Boats can also be hired as well as minor repair work undertaken and boat supplies purchased at the small
chandlery A chandlery was originally the office in a wealthy medieval household responsible for wax and candles, as well as the room in which the candles were kept. It could be headed by a chandler. The office was subordinated to the kitchen, and only exist ...
.


Facilities

Current facilities/amenities in the village include: *Two doctors surgeries *Two pharmacies *One Opticians (accepts
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
and private patients) *Two primary schools *Several places of worship for the various Christian denominations *Several pre-school/nursery establishments *Two smaller-size supermarkets (Tesco and Costcutter) *One dentist (accepts
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
and private patients) *Numerous takeaway food establishments *Various shops, "beauty salons" and cafes (mostly concentrated in the High Street and King Street area) *Two vehicle maintenance garages offering
MOT test The MOT test (or simply MOT) is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required in the United Kingdom for most vehicles over three years old. In Northern Ireland the equivalent requirement applies after ...
s/servicing etc. *One private members-only gym *Several sports pitches/facilities and community park areas *High Street Accountants There are no Police/Fire/Ambulance stations or hospitals in or around Sileby. The nearest Police station is at
Loughborough Loughborough ( ) is a market town in the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England, the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and Loughborough University. At the 2011 census the town's built-up area had a population of 59,932 , the second larg ...
. The nearest Fire station is at Birstall. Ambulances and paramedic vehicles regularly patrol the local area but the nearest Accident & Emergency facilities are at
Leicester Royal Infirmary The Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) is a National Health Service hospital in Leicester, England. It is located to the south-west of the city centre. It has an accident and emergency department and is managed by of the University Hospitals of ...
. For less serious/urgent incidents treatment can be obtained a
Loughborough Urgent Care Centre
Other absent facilities include a petrol station (the nearest one is about 3 miles away), swimming pool (nearest one is at
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, surrounding ...
's Soar Valley Leisure Centre) or refuse/recycling facility (again, the nearest one is at Mountsorrel).


Socialising

Pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
include The Horse & Trumpet, The Free Trade Inn, and The White Swan. These pubs cater for all tastes. The Horse and Trumpet, located at the top of Mountsorrel Lane opposite St Mary's Church is a popular village drinking house offering frequent entertainment and open fires with a large well-appointed function room which is free to hire. Further towards the middle of the village on Swan Street is The White Swan, which offers excellent food in a restaurant style setting; it is more geared towards diners than drinkers. The Free Trade Inn 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 and is a traditional pub serving some basic food but is more of a ‘drinkers’ pub offering a variety of unique hand-pulled
beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
and
lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storage" ...
. The village also has the Working Men's Club on King Street (next to the Horse and Trumpet), and the newly refurbished Nineteen Twelve Bar(1912) on Cossington Road. The Working Men's Club has a wide range of age groups amongst its membership, and holds traditional
bingo Bingo or B-I-N-G-O may refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * Bingo, a game using a printed card of numbers ** Bingo (British version), a game using a printed card of 15 numbers on three lines; most commonly played in the UK and Ireland ** Bi ...
nights. The Working Men's Club shows all's sporting events on HD Big screen TVs and hosts regular family events. There are a number of takeaway food outlets, all situated within a few hundred yards of each other in the centre of the village. These include two chip shops, three Chinese takeaways, a kebab house/pizzeria and an Indian restaurant. "Yasmin's" Indian is the only place in the village for sit-down meals in a dedicated restaurant setting.


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
cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
,
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 ...
,
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
,
lawn bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...
,
rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...
,
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
and shooting amongst others. Sileby Town Rugby Football Club (also known as the Sileby Vikings) was established in 2006 and now plays in Midlands Division 4 East (South), as well as the local Leicestershire Leagues, using the facilities at Platts Lane Recreation Ground in the nearby village of Cossington. They currently run a First XV, Second XV and since August 2015 a Ladies XV has also been added. They also raise thousands of pounds for local and national charities in August each year by pulling a 10-tonne truck for 10 miles through the local villages using nothing but people power. This is a very popular event that draws crowds of villagers along the route and also to welcome them back and join in the celebrations. Long Alley Skittles is a sport that is fairly unique to this part of the East Midlands and there are two venues in the village where it can be played, with two teams based at each. The Working Men's Club and Conservative Club both have skittle alleys which play host to competitive league fixtures on most Friday nights throughout the season (usually September to April).


Community

Sileby has a community magazine, ''Talk@Sileby''. The magazine is published by volunteers three times a year. Electronic copies of all issues can be found on the village website (another project run by volunteers). 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. The main hall contains a large stage area for performances, with an adjoining room where props can be stored and performers can get changed and access the stage. The Community Centre is housed in what was formerly
Sileby Wesleyan Methodist Church Sileby Wesleyan Methodist Church is a former Methodist church in Sileby, Leicestershire. History Methodism in Sileby started around 1791 when a cottage was purchased for around £70 and converted into a chapel. In 1881 the congregation was in ne ...
that was given to the village some years ago and is now managed by the Parish Council. Many different classes and events regularly take place here for all ages, including badminton, Zumba dancing and junior gymnastics classes. Sileby Library was handed over by L.C.C. to a group of trustees/volunteers in December, 2015 and is now known as Sileby Community Library. There is an active Scout group which meets at its HQ on Brook Street and includes Rainbows, Brownies, Guides, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts classes on weekday evenings. There are now several cafes in the village, including "The Green Place" which also doubles as an eco-friendly and recycling educational centre with natural habitats and small ponds for wildlife for people to enjoy. Sileby has shifted from its industrial past producing clothing to being a commuter town, with few industrial buildings remaining. Notable survivors are the factories on Seagrave Road, currently occupied by the village's last remaining hosier amongst other uses.


Notable residents

* David Howe, speedway riderSpeedway: Leicester Lions fans get ready to roar at Rye House
, ''
Leicester Mercury The ''Leicester Mercury'' is a British regional newspaper for the city of Leicester and the neighbouring counties of Leicestershire and Rutland. The paper began in the 19th century as the ''Leicester Daily Mercury'' and later changed to its pre ...
'', 19 March 2010, retrieved 2011-06-01


Development

The village has expanded greatly in the past few years, with several hundred new houses having been built and the former "Maltings" buildings (part of an old
brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of be ...
that used to be based in the village in the 1800s) redeveloped as houses and flats. Many business premises have also changed hands and been redeveloped recently, adding to the recent trend of increased long-term investment throughout the village.


References


External links


Sileby-village.co.uk

Sileby Parish Council

Sileby Town RFC "The Vikings"
{{authority control Villages in Leicestershire Civil parishes in Leicestershire