Thorpe Astley is a suburban settlement on the southwestern edge of the city of
Leicester,
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 b ...
. It is part 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 authorit ...
of
Braunstone Town
Braunstone is a civil parish and is the largest parish within the district of Blaby in Leicestershire, England, now known as the Town of Braunstone or more commonly, Braunstone Town. In 2007 the population was around 15,000. There are around ...
, although a small part of the development, around Goodheart Way, extends into
Leicester Forest East 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 authorit ...
. Both Braunstone Town and Leicester Forest East are within the district of
Blaby,
Leicestershire.
This settlement was built on the last area of agricultural land in Braunstone Town. Construction of this development began after approval from the Blaby District Council in 1994. It covers most of a wedge of land between the M1 Motorway on its western side and the A563 ringroad on the east, with the established community of Braunstone West is on its north side. It is neighboured to the south by the Meridian industrial and commercial development.
A Community Centre to serve this housing estate was opened in October 2010; this is maintained by
Braunstone Town Council. Around the same time a new community group was formed, Your Thorpe Astley, with the aim of furthering the interests of local residents and staging events at the Centre.
The name "Thorpe Astley" was derived from the Astley family, who owned land in Braunstone Town from 1334 to 1404.
Several roads in the Thorpe Astley estate are named after famous people from history, including the 18th-century political radical
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine (born Thomas Pain; – In the contemporary record as noted by Conway, Paine's birth date is given as January 29, 1736–37. Common practice was to use a dash or a slash to separate the old-style year from the new-style year. In th ...
and American paratroop commander General
James M. Gavin. The headquarters of General Gavin's U.S.
82nd Airborne Division was stationed at Braunstone Park during 1944.
Transport
Thorpe Astley is served by
Arriva Midlands
Arriva Midlands is a bus operator providing services in the East Midlands and West Midlands areas of England. It is a subsidiary of Arriva UK Bus.
Arriva Midlands North Operations
In September 1981 Midland Red North was formed with 230 bu ...
service 104 which operates to
Fosse Shopping Park
Fosse Shopping Park is one of Britain's biggest out-of-town shopping parks and it is situated in Enderby parish, in Blaby district, on the southern edge of the city of Leicester, England.
The retail park is in an area of mixed industrial an ...
then continues into Leicester and
Centrebus service 40 circle line which operates a circular route around outer Leicester.
Thorpe Astley is around 5 minutes away from the M69 and M1 Junction 21.
.
Culture
Leisure and Entertainment
A leisure park is located about 5 minutes away from Thorpe Astley, containing a bowling alley, a cinema, and several restaurants.
See also
*
Braunstone Town
Braunstone is a civil parish and is the largest parish within the district of Blaby in Leicestershire, England, now known as the Town of Braunstone or more commonly, Braunstone Town. In 2007 the population was around 15,000. There are around ...
External links
Thorpe Astley - Braunstone Town
Braunstone, Leicester
Suburbs in the United Kingdom
{{Leicestershire-geo-stub